Free Careless Rapture by Dara Girard

for a
moment to wipe the shadows from his eyes and reveal the man
underneath. “Goal?”
    “I distracted you.”
    He didn’t need to tell a story to distract
her, his hands were doing a good job. He held her casually. It was
her imagination that made them feel as though they were burning
through her dress, heating her skin, and that maybe, just maybe, he
held her closer than he needed to. She didn’t mind.
    He abruptly stopped. “I see him.”
    “Who?” she asked absently, lost in a
daze.
    He gently shook her. “Brian.”
    Who cares? “Oh.”
    “Come on. It’s time to introduce
ourselves.”
    “He saw us in the reception line,” she said,
not wanting the dance to end.
    Clay ignored her and dragged her across the
room where Brian stood with friends. Jackie stared at her ex,
wondering how she could have dated him for so long. Their
relationship would never have progressed. She glanced at Darlene,
who spoke to her bridesmaids. She was dainty, cultured, and
perfect. Brian’s match. Jackie, on the other hand, wasn’t the type
of woman he wanted and never could be. She’d been silly to think it
would have become serious. The truth of that stung. Clay nudged her
forward.
    “Hi, Brian,” she said.
    He turned and smiled warily. “Hi, Jackie.”
The other men melted away, sensing a possible scene.
    “I wanted to wish you joy.”
    “Thank you.”
    “This is my date, Clay.”
    Clay shook his hand, then slipped into a
British accent, “Hallo. Quite a palava you have here.” Jackie’s jaw
dropped; he ignored her. “But I haven’t been to a wedding in
donkey’s years.” He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial tone.
“Couple months ago went to a christening. It was so boring I
thought of gluing me eyes open. Well, best be off and let you two
chat a bit. Bye, love.” He quickly kissed her on the forehead.
“Look after her for me.” He pushed her forward, then left.
    Jackie balled her hands into fists, watching
him leave. “I will definitely kill him one day,” she muttered.
    “What did you say?” Brian asked.
    She turned to him, smoothing her features
into a smile. “Oh, nothing.”
    “Your date seems like an okay guy. Doesn’t
seem your type, though.”
    Her eyes shot daggers at the man now
surrounded by a crowd of women. “It was short notice and I thought
I needed a change.”
    “Yes, you deserve that.” He took her arm and
led her outside to the patio where a string of lights dotted the
darkness like fireflies. “You deserve a lot of things.” His eyes
swept her face. “You look beautiful. Especially with the moonlight
touching the crystals in your hair clip.”
    “Uh, thank you,” she said, uncertain.
    Suddenly his face crumbled. “Her parents
won’t give me the money for a few years. I’ll have to put my career
on hold. Oh, Jackie.” He drew her close, then burst into tears. “I
don’t know what I’m going to do.”
    Stunned, she tried to pull away. “Get a hold
of yourself.”
    “Oh, god.” He sniffed. “I’ve just made the
biggest mistake of my life.”
    She opened her purse and handed him a tissue.
“No, you haven’t.”
    “I have,” he said in a gloomy tone. “Perhaps
I invited you here hoping you would somehow stop me or force me to
stop myself. What am I going to do?”
    Jackie patted him on the back as though he
were a little boy. “You’re going to relax.”
    He rested against the wall. “I can’t believe
I married her again. I know she has great family connections and a
perfect background. Then there’s the money. But I have to wait
three years for it. Three years with her before I see a penny.” He
sniffed again. “How will I cope? She used to nag and nag and nag.
She still does.” He raised his voice to a falsetto. “‘Brian, make
sure the maid dusts’, ‘Brian, hire the lawn company’, ‘Brian, check
the heater to make sure it’s at the right temperature.’”
    Jackie tried to sound sympathetic. “Yes, but
remember all the things you missed