Free The Stand-In by Rosanna Leo Page A

rather be doing right now.” He held out his arm and took a deep breath, as if persuading himself of the truth of his statement.
    Okay, so maybe Mr. Lothario wasn’t really happy to be here with her. Well, guess what? She didn’t really want him here with her either.
    Nevertheless, she took his arm. “Okay. Back to work.”
    As they walked into the reception hall together, the sounds of the “Macarena” hit them. Even though her feet were killing her, she turned to Patrick.
    “Oh, no,” he said, backing away. “This is where I draw the line.”
    She began a slow hip gyration in front of him. “Come on, Plus One. Experience the glories of this wedding with me.”
    “I don’t dance.”
    “You do tonight.” She moved behind him, put her hands on his shoulders and shoved him toward the dance floor.
    For a few awkward moments, while she completed the sequence of moves, he just shuffled his feet and tried to blend in. Of course, he only called more attention to himself by deviating from the dance. It was all Winn could do not to explode into laughter as a couple of Elena’s aunts tackled him and positioned his arms and hips.
    “Thank you, ladies,” Patrick said, extricating himself from their grasps. “I think I’ve got it now.”
    As the aunts moved away, Winn teased, “Patrick, I don’t think you’re really trying.”
    He stood still and glared at her. “You want the Macarena , lady? I’ll give you the Macarena .” With a dare shining in his eyes, he positioned himself in front of her and launched into a very feminine version of the dance, complete with eyebrow arch and pouty lips. “See? Your Macarena isn’t half as sexy as mine.”
    As his hips rolled and his hands flailed, Winn lost some of her prized composure. A cackle escaped her and she joined him, swinging her own hips with provocative flair. As she improvised and bumped him on the thigh, Patrick ogled her lower half and let out a protracted growl.
    Someone's nonna danced by. The elderly lady grabbed their arms and thrust Winn into his embrace. "You two are so adorable together. Bellisimi! "
    "Thank you, Nonna ," Patrick intoned, playing along. "I'm a very lucky man."
    As if on cue, the DJ hit the lights and flashed a blazing spotlight around the room. His booming voice traveled over the speaker. “As per the happy couple's request, if you want Elena and Carlo to kiss, you have to show them how it's done. Who's our first set of victims?" The spotlight searched all over, landing on a few faces, but continued to rove.
    As a tickle of discomfort hit her right between the shoulder blades, Winn let go of Patrick's arm. "I'm going to grab myself another drink from the bar."
    Too late. The spotlight hit them square in their faces. They both squinted. Out of the inquisition-worthy blaze, the DJ's voice emanated. "And there she is, our lovely bridesmaid, Winn, with her special man. Time to kiss, folks. Show the happy couple your best lip-lock!"
    Oh, God . She hadn't kissed a man since Mike, had spent many evenings wondering if she ever would again. She certainly wasn't ready to do it on the job. This was why she never brought dates to her weddings. It complicated things.
    Darn that Margie.
    "Go on, Winn," Elena called from the front of the dance floor. "Show me how it's done."
    She dared to look at Patrick, heat ravaging her extremities, making her feel as coral in color as her stupid dress.
    Grinning like a buffoon, he shrugged. "You heard them. Let's do this. Besides, you wouldn’t want to fall out of character."
    She swallowed past the lump in her throat. Damn her weakness for suit porn and a randy grin. To make things worse, he smelled so good, like someone who played polo for a living but never sweat. He pulled her close and for one crazy moment, Winn decided to let a total stranger take charge and kiss her.
    When their lips touched, she let out a muffled squeal, but it proved not to be the sound of protest she’d expected. His lips, firm and