###
“Where’s Libby?” Sarah scanned the room, looking for her cousin. “Chase, have you seen her?”
“Not since you were talking to her a few minutes ago.” He wrapped his arm around his fiancée.
“Mom wants us to cut the cake now.” Sarah frowned.
“Jake.” Chase turned to his friend. “Have you seen Libby?”
“I think she went outside.” Jake had been watching every move she made. He knew she’d gone outside.
“It’s time for the toast and the cake. I don’t want her to miss it.” Sarah looked up at him with big brown eyes.
Damn. Chase was a good friend of his, which meant that Sarah was his friend now as well. “I’ll go and look for her.”
“Thank you.” Sarah smiled at him before another guest claimed her attention.
Jake stepped outside. “Libby?” Damned if he was going to call her Miss Grant again. Since she and Sarah were close friends as well as cousins, he guessed he’d be seeing a lot more of her if he still wanted to hang out with Chase.
He spotted a movement in the dark and walked towards it. “Sarah wants you inside for the toast.”
Libby froze at the sound of his voice. What was he doing out here? Deep breath. “Okay,” she called out. She turned around quickly to face him and felt herself slipping on the slick path. “Ohh!” Her arms flailed in the air as she tried to maintain her balance.
“I’ve got you.” Strong arms wrapped around her, steadying her, making her feel safe and protected.
Libby clutched his shoulders, catching her balance. Breathing in his scent of smooth leather, her pulse beat erratically when she realized she’d started to relax in his embrace.
“Thank you.” She looked up at him in the darkness, her breathing shallow.
Tall, lean muscular. It felt good to be in his arms. So good she didn’t want to leave them. Not her type, she reminded herself. And she probably wasn’t his. Before she could wonder why that thought disappointed her, he cupped her face in his hands. Libby held her breath for a split second. His lips descended on hers.
Jake coaxed her lips apart, caressing and teasing, until her hands tightened on his shoulders and she leaned into the kiss, wanting more. So much more.
“Libby? Jake?” Sarah‘s voice broke the sensual spell. “Are you out here?”
Jake reluctantly lifted his lips from hers and she blinked, opening her eyes.
“We’re going to cut the cake now.” Sarah’s footsteps came closer. “What - oops!”
Heat crept along Libby’s cheeks as her cousin caught her in Jake’s embrace.
A grin played on Sarah‘s face. “Don’t mind me. The cake can wait a few minutes.” She hurried back to the house.
Libby looked up at him. His large hands lingered on her curvy figure. “I guess we better go inside.” His voice didn’t give anything away, and Libby couldn’t tell if the kiss had affected him the same way it had affected her.
“I guess so.” She cursed the breathy sound of her voice. Why couldn’t she match his neutral tone?
He wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her to him, guiding her back to the house. An electrifying shiver raced through her at his touch.
Jake stayed at her side for the rest of the night, never letting her out of his sight. Each time she caught his smoldering gaze on her, Libby’s mind raced ahead to the end of the evening. Would he kiss her once more? Did he want to see her again or was this just a casual kiss at a party for him?
She didn’t do casual.
Finally, the party ended. Coldwater Springs was a ranching community and most of the guests had to be up early in the morning to feed their livestock and take care of the never-ending chores.
Libby hugged Sarah and said goodbye to Chase. As she gathered her coat, Jake murmured low in her ear. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
He caught her hand in his, his fingers warm against her own. When they reached her car, he wrapped his hands around her waist. “I want to see you again.”
“Yes.” She didn’t even hesitate. His breath skimmed her cheek as he tilted her chin up.
Her eyes searched his in the shadow cast by the porch light. He slanted his mouth over hers and her lips parted in surrender. Libby sighed softly when the kiss finally ended.
“Tomorrow night.” It was more of a statement than a question. If he hadn’t been such an incredible kisser, she wouldn’t have let him get away with it. Maybe Jake liked curvy girls after all.
###
Four weeks later, Libby grimaced as she looked under the hood of her car. She had no idea why it wouldn’t start. She knew enough to check the oil and water, but beyond that, she was clueless. Dropping the hood back down, she looked at the late afternoon sky. A fat raindrop plopped onto her nose. The forecast tonight was for rain, not snow, but it would still be a very cold walk home from the library.