AllFreeNovel
Share Us
One
Olivia
Taking a sip of my wine, I scan the room as the bride and groom share their first dance. Everyone smiles and applauds as the groom spins the bride and dips her for a grand kiss. The high of their love is practically contagious, but it’s the man standing just beyond the dance floor that stops my heart. Every woman in the ballroom notices him, but his eyes lock with mine. My cheeks flush, and a heat spreads down my neck. There’s an electrical current between us so powerful its charge surges through my veins. I don’t know who he is, but with that one simple look, I know nothing will ever be the same.
Tall with broad shoulders, he moves through the room in his tailored black suit with a masculine energy so palpable it could bring a woman to her knees. My heart beats a little faster as he walks directly toward us. He reaches our table just as the DJ announces the bridal party dance. My wine glass freezes at my lips as the dominance in his eyes commands my attention. They’re the lightest steel blue I’ve ever seen. I can’t look away. My breath drops to my stomach, and I can barely swallow.
Everything from his powerful frame to the five o’clock shadow on his square jawline exudes assertive maleness. His dark brown hair is clean cut, but with a tousled look on top. It’s hair you want to run your fingers through while you stare into his eyes, right before kissing his perfectly supple lips. My heart begins to thunder in my chest and pulse in my ears, drowning out the sound of music on the dance floor and people talking around me.
“Hey, there you are.” Chloe flips her long blonde hair over her shoulder as she goes to hug him. I’m instantly jealous that she gets to touch him, but I can’t.
Nick stands to shake his hand and slaps him on the shoulder. “It’s about time, man. Let me introduce you.” My wine glass remains suspended in front of my lips as Nick turns toward us. I see his mouth moving, but my brain fails to comprehend the words.
I have to fight the impulse to go to him. It’s as if a force outside my control is pushing me toward him, but reality pulls me back as an arm slides behind me and fingers caress the bare skin on my shoulder.
Colin. My fiancé.
“Olivia…are you okay?” Nick asks with a dry laugh while Colin pulls out his phone to check his messages and social media for the umpteenth time tonight.
I release the breath I’ve been holding and lower my wine glass to the table. Turning my attention to Nick, who is now sitting with his arm around Chloe, I ask, “I’m sorry, what?”
Nick laughs under his breath. “Olivia, this is Ethan.”
Clearing my throat, I manage a smile while my cheeks are on fire. “Sorry. It’s nice to meet you, Ethan.”
Ethan grins while his gorgeous steel blue eyes bore into me. “Olivia,” he says with a nod. “The pleasure is all mine.”
I can’t fucking breathe.
I throw back the remaining half of my third glass of wine before standing and shoving my chair back. “Excuse me for a minute, please.”
Grabbing my red Kate Spade clutch, I make my way to the hallway tucked behind the ballroom to find the restrooms. What the hell is this? I don’t know how to process my visceral gravitation to this man. I’ve never felt such an instinctive attraction. I have a fiancé. I love him. At least, I think I do. I thought I did. Do I? Of course I do. I don’t change my mind about something like that in a split second. Confusion overwhelms me as every impulse in my body begs me to act on my feelings for a man I don’t even know. This is crazy. It’s wrong.
I take a deep breath and release it slowly as I remind myself of what I have with Colin. He provided me with the stability I needed after both of my parents died in a terrible car accident. Safety and consistency are what I need now. I don’t want something I’m afraid of having ripped away from me in an instant. Colin gives me the kind of love I need. I can’t throw that away for some random attraction, as enthralling as it may be. And it’s not like I have anything to complain about. Colin is crazy good looking. I see the way other women look at him. He might be a little inattentive at times, but he’s stable and hardworking. Having him in my life makes me feel grounded. Secure.
Still, I can’t deny the excitement that rushed through my body as soon as my eyes met Ethan’s tonight. It was fascinating and exhilarating. Unpredictable. Scary as hell is what it is. What in the world is going on with me? I don’t even know this Ethan person. We haven’t even had a conversation. Yet, just the thought of him makes me feel alive, and I find myself craving him.
“No.” I take a deep breath and shake my head. Just forget about him. You’re fine. Everything is fine. Rounding the corner,I brace myself on the wall for a second. My whirling thoughts about Ethan and the alcohol have my head spinning. Looking up, I stop in my tracks, and my eyes widen when I see him walking toward me from the opposite direction. He pauses momentarily as we make eye contact. My breath stills, and I feel a magnetic pull dragging me toward him.
We come face to face. Only inches separate his mouth from mine. His scent consumes me. It’s clean and earthy with a hint of citrus. My heart pounds as I hold my breath. He studies my face with his steel blue eyes, takes a deep breath, and exhales slowly.
“It’s you.” His voice is deep. The yearning in his eyes keeps me pinned against the wall.
I don’t know what possesses me to do so, but I reach out and rest my hand on his chest. His muscles twitch beneath his shirt, and a warmth spreads through my body, making me just want to be closer to him.
He grins, puts his warm hands on my face, and leans in. His alluring scent makes everything around us disappear. He lowers his lips to mine. Fire ignites within my body, and my knees threaten to collapse. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me closer, and I sink into him while he holds me in place. My clutch drops to the floor as my hands feel their way across his strong shoulders to the back of his soft hair. A whimper escapes me and he pulls me tighter. His soft lips command my participation. He takes over my body, and I cling to the intimacy like I need it to breathe.
Releasing me momentarily, he stares into my eyes. My morals and desire battle with one another as confusion and anger rise in my chest. “What did we just do? Who the hell do you think you are?” I raise my hands to push him away, but he catches my wrists in his powerful grip.
“I’m the only man who will ever be able to satisfy you from this moment on,” he says, and I believe him as he yanks me to hischest and threads his hand in my hair. He pulls me into another scorching kiss, and I lose myself, melting into him.
He pulls away slowly, and I blink away the intoxicating fog, trying to ground myself. My breathing quickens as guilt immediately overwhelms me.
What have I done?
“Hey, it’s okay.” His voice is warm and soothing.
“It’s okay? How can you say that? I don’t even know you. How could I allow this to happen? I have a fiancé.” This is like a naughty dream, and I need to wake up. Now. I shake my head. “I don’t do things like this,” I say through broken breaths as I look for an escape.
