Free All the Pretty Poses by M. Leighton Page A

my head to find Reese nearly pressed
to my back. In the dying sun, golden highlights shine in his hair
and his eyes sparkle like aquamarines of the highest quality. For a
moment, I’m tempted to count every inky lash that rims his exotic
eyes, but the flash of his brilliant smile takes my breath away and
reminds me that I’m playing with fire of the most dangerous kind. I
can’t lean away; there’s nowhere to go. My only option is to ignore
him and return my attention to the view I was enjoying.
    But there’s no ignoring Reese when he wants
to be noticed. He leans into me ever-so-slightly, imprinting the
firm muscles of his chest, the flat plane of his belly and the hard
length of his thighs on every surface of my back side that he
touches.
    “ This is the most incredible view in
the entire world,” he whispers, his inflection matching the
pressure of his body, making me think he’s referring to me rather
than the natural wonders surrounding us.
    “I’m sure you’re accustomed to beautiful
scenery like this.”
    “I’ve seen some of God’s most stunning
creations, but this one has always been special to me.”
    I don’t dare let him lull me with his
charming ways. That ended badly once and he still has yet to even
explain it, much less apologize for it.
    Not that there’s anything he could say to
make what happened okay.
    My thoughts trigger a burst of anger. I spin
inside his arms, pushing away from the rail until he gives and
steps back. “Well, this is a first for me, so I’d like to enjoy it
while I’m allowed up here, if you don’t mind.”
    With that, I march right back the way I came,
circling to the other end of the deck rather than going back
inside. I half expect Reese to follow me, but the next voice I hear
belongs to Sig.
    “I don’t know what’s more beautiful—this view
or you.”
    I turn to find him standing behind me, hands
in the pockets of his black slacks, dark hair blowing in the
breeze. His grin is as playful and light as ever, immediately
putting me as ease.
    “Wow, you get many girls with lines like
that?” I ask with a smile of my own.
    “This is the first chance I’ve had to try
that one out. How’s it working so far?”
    I hold out my hand and see-saw it back and
forth. “Meh.”
    “Then tell me, O Aloof One, how does a guy
like me impress a woman like you?”
    “Why would you want to?”
    “Because you’re gorgeous and mysterious and
you dance like you’re dancing just for me. You fascinate me. Do I
need to go on?”
    I’m very flattered and I don’t really know
what to say, but, as usual, the stand-offish Kennedy who learned to
function in self-preservation mode from a very early age rises up.
“I dance like that for everyone. It’s my job.”
    Rather than being offended or acting like a
typical man with wounded pride, Sig grins. “Hell, I know that, but
you don’t have to ruin it for me. I’m a man. A big one. With a big
ego. Let me think it’s all for me, woman,” he teases.
    I laugh. “Fine, fine. It was all for
you.”
    He nods and grins at me. “That’s a little
more like it.”
    Sig moves in closer to me, staring down into
my eyes for a few seconds before he turns to stand at my side,
offering me his arm. “Shall we?”
    With an exaggerated shake of my head and roll
of my eyes, I curl my hand under his elbow and let him lead me
through another door that empties into the rotunda and main dining
area. The first thing I see when I step over the threshold is
Reese, standing at the other end of the room, talking with Brian
and glaring at me.
    Even in his aggravation, just the sight of
him is enough to make my stomach flip over. He’s so gorgeous, still
so much the guy who turned my heart and my world upside down—dark
hair that curls just a little around his collar, glittering eyes
that see right through me, a jaw that makes my fingers itch to
stroke it. And his lips…I’ve always thought Reese’s mouth was the
most perfect God ever created.