Chapter 4

"Three. Definitely number three."

Kimberly mouthed these words and supplemented them by holding up three fingers on her right hand from her position at the edge of the dance floor. She sat perched in her chair enjoying another cocktail with a content smile on her face.

Geri, meanwhile was dancing with one of the groomsman – her fourth in the course of the last hour and a half. She had effectively staked out the single ones, numbered them accordingly, and then set out on her quest. Kimberly was simply sharing her opinion with her friend, who had conveniently twirled to face her. Geri flashed her a thumbs up sign, then cast her glance back to her former dance partner with a smile and a wink.

I've taught you well, Kim mused with a satisfied sigh. Hell, if it weren't for Tommy, I'd probably be recommending number one… so I could go after number three myself. She shook her head contemptuously, partially at her own prowess and partially because she couldn't believe a man in a room down the hall was keeping her glued to her chair. She was happy to discover, though, that she was at total ease with her self-imposed restrictions.

The buzz of her phone jolted her from her contemplative state and she left her post as Geri's wingman to retrieve it.

Having fun?

She smirked and rolled her eyes before typing her response.

Tons. You?

Hoping her sarcasm was apparent, she hit send and dropped her phone back into her lap.

The response was instantaneous.

I'm at a wedding where 90% of the guests are under 21, which means no bar.

She giggled and replied.

So you need a bar to have fun?

She had to laugh as she hit send. Her phone buzzed again.

It wouldn't hurt.

Kim dangled the carrot.

Bet you wish you were here. I'll enjoy a beverage for you..

She knew what was coming.

Maybe I'll have to crash your party, then.

It was much easier for Kimberly to play hard-to-get when she wasn't staring at those bottomless eyes, so following the advice she had doled out dozens of times she punched in a quick reply.

No crashing allowed. You have to be invited.

She smirked and dropped her phone again, returning her attention to Geri on the dance floor. She appeared to be engaged in a conversation with groomsman #3 while still dancing with #4, and Kim started wondering if she was going to have to intervene. She paid half-hearted attention when her phone buzzed again.

There's a bar just off the lobby, too. I guess I can always just head there instead.

Always willing to call a bluff, Kim fired back.

Suit yourself.

She hit 'send' feeling satisfied in gaining the upper hand and dropped her phone back to her lap, content to watch and encourage her friend for a little while more before continuing their game of cat-and-mouse.

The last drops of her drink slipped past her lips, and she dropped her glass back to the table, trying to decide if binge drinking was really a good way to kill time. She waved her empty glass in Geri's direction with the intention of letting her friend know where she was going and also asking her if she'd like another.

In response, Geri's eyes opened as wide as saucers and she whispered three words that Kimberly couldn't quite hear, but they were unmistakable nonetheless.

"Oh my God…"

"What?" Kimberly mouthed in return, furrowing her brow and leaning forward to stand and head in her direction.

A strong hand swept across her shoulder blades.

"Care for another?"

She didn't have to turn to see who had spoken the words, but she did anyway, excited to greet her new companion.

Tommy sank slowly into the chair next to her, offering a drink in her direction. "I hope you don't mind, I sprung one for myself too." He lifted his glass from the table and held it up in a mock-toasting motion.

She accepted hers with a sweet smile. "Thanks, party-crasher."

He shrugged in acknowledgement. "Yeah, well, I've been told it's more romantic to ask a girl to dance in person."

"I see. Well, whoever told you that is very, very wise."

He looked away indifferently. "Yeah, but now she's going to have to wait for me to finish my drink."

Kim shook her head in silent satisfaction. Tommy was almost as good at the 'game' as she was. Not one to be one-upped, she sighed thoughtfully. "Well I sure hope no one else comes and asks first."

Tommy grinned mischievously and downed what was left of his drink in a single gulp. He placed his glass on the table definitively and rose to his feet, offering his hand in Kimberly's direction.

"What, all this trouble and now you're not even going to ask?" she replied coyly.

"Dance with me," he pleaded with both his words and his eyes.

How could I say no to that? she thought as she reached for his hand and allowed herself to be escorted onto the floor.

He yanked her into his arms almost playfully, and she giggled as she collided with him and he wrapped his arms around her again. She was amazed at how at ease she felt in his presence and how natural their interaction was after all these years. She caught Geri's eye over Tommy's broad shoulder as he twirled her, and she raised an eyebrow at Kim with a sly smile. Kimberly shrugged subtly as she redirected her focus on her partner.

"Crazy, huh?" Tommy said softly, knitting his brow as his eyes met hers.

"What's that?"

"That I would run into you here, while we attend two completely unrelated weddings."

"Related by venue," she countered.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, it's still completely random. It's like fate."

Kimberly's eyes fixed on an unknown point in front of her as she got lost in her own thoughts momentarily. Fate. Another ridiculous concept in Kim's mind. However, by sheer definition, she supposed that he was right. In all truth, the hotel was so big that she honestly believed they could have easily attended the two weddings and NOT run into each other at all. So many coincidences would have had to align… Her speedy exit from the ballroom earlier, his on-time arrival (which was a miracle in itself), catching his eye in the lobby… Not to mention having the two weddings booked in the same place on the same day in the first place. She pressed her eyelids together and shook her head slightly as she felt the beliefs she had built her foundation on slowly begin to chip away.

"You okay?" his gentle voice broke through her haze.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." And then in a move that would have caught a younger version of Tommy off-guard, she leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder, effectively eliminating the space between them.

Tommy's mind reeled but he reacted quickly, wrapping his arms around her a little tighter and resting his cheek against the top of her head. They swayed in silence for a few moments before he lifted a hand to push back her hair and leaned down so his lips were next to her ear.

"Can I tell you something?"

The warmth of his breath over her neck ruined all possibility of coherent thought for Kimberly, so she responded with a simple "mmhmm."

"I thought you were gorgeous in high school, but tonight you look more beautiful than I even remember."

Kim moaned softly at his admission. There were certainly words with equally strong or even stronger connotations than 'beautiful', but his use of this simple word sent her back a full decade, to when she had been an idealistic teenager hopelessly in love. To when she had been his beautiful.

When she was able to control her trembling lips enough to speak, she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and whispered, "I've missed you."

He pressed his lips to the top of her head. Inhaling deeply, he allowed himself to drown in the fruity fragrance of her shampoo for just a moment. "I've missed you too."

As thrilled as he was to be holding Kimberly close again, he knew that life was not that simple. They had a lot of history that would have to be addressed eventually, and he was still convinced that she would flee at any moment. He refused to allow himself to think past this moment, though, because he knew full well that tomorrow he'd head back home and life would go back to normal. I better enjoy this while it lasts..

He took a moment to glance around the room and tried to convince himself that this was all really happening, not just a crazy illusion, an evil spell or a manipulated dream. Unfortunately, based on Tommy's life experience all of these things were possibilities. He laughed to himself and wondered if anyone else in the world ever had to worry about such things.

Tommy redirected his attention to the woman in his arms and found her staring back at him. He smiled tenderly, allowing his lips to hover just above hers. He found himself drawn to them, memorizing their perfectly symmetrical slope and recalling what it felt like to have those beautiful lips pressed to his own, or his cheek… or his neck… Curtailing the southward direction his thoughts were heading in, he went back to daydreaming about kissing her. He could practically taste her lips now, knowing that a hundred more years could pass and he would not forget what it felt like to kiss this woman.

Just kiss her now, his mind urged, and the rest of his body joined in and cheered him on. She's so close, and the way she's looking at you… Well, she certainly won't push you away.

He wanted to, wanted to kiss her so badly. He was so close he could do it with just a slight dip of his neck. Just when he thought his self control had lost this battle, he saw a shadow flicker in her eyes, and in just a flash he was no longer holding the strong, confident, sexy woman he had spent the evening with. Instead, he was holding the petite, innocent, still-beautiful teenager that he had fallen in love with so many years ago. The talented gymnast with a heart of gold and a drive for success that rivaled no other that he had put on a plane and sent to Florida.

The young woman who had broken his heart.

He blinked his eyes and exhaled, barely noticing he'd been holding his breath. Her enticing lips curved upward in a sexy grin and just like that she was back, unintentionally unraveling him. But his mind was elsewhere.

What was that? he questioned, even though he knew the answer. He knew what he'd seen in her eyes.

Fear.

Thank you for all the reviews so far!