Several other people were waiting by the curb for the valet to bring their cars around. Kat had never heard of a valet at a church before, but given the celebrity and wealth of some of the guests, she wasn’t too surprised.
She looked around, taking in the colors of the flowers and the gentle hum of the bees before she noticed him.
His shoulders were broad and tapered into a trim waist that screamed “athlete.” He was standing in the shade of the church awning, also enjoying the beauty of the day. Maybe he was waiting for his ride, or maybe he was simply enjoying the flowers and sunshine here rather than sit at a reception table, making awkward small talk.
Either way, he was staring at her.
Striking blue eyes peered at her, so light they were almost gray. She flushed slightly as their gazes connected and a cocky smile spread across his face. Her knees seemed to go weak at that confident smirk beneath those beautiful eyes.
Her eyes fluttered to her feet for a moment as her cheeks heated. For all her internal talk of wanting a wedding fling, she wasn’t prepared to have a man that handsome give her the time of day. Not to mention, he had to be rich. Given the fit of his suit and the quality leather of his shoes, he was probably in business with Bob or had some sort of connection with money.
You can do this, Kat told herself.
So she smiled at him and looked him straight in those beautiful eyes. To her surprise, he winked at her, making her cheeks flush again. He certainly was confident. She liked it. He strolled over, moving with a suave grace.
“You here with the wedding?” he asked. Up close, he was even more attractive, and Kat was having a hard time coming up with complete sentences.
“Uh huh,” she managed to murmur. “What about you?”
“I am.” He grinned at her. “Need a ride to the reception?”
“I can’t,” Kat answered. She needed to pick up the garter belt and anything else Renee forgot. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she cursed herself. She was supposed to be Fun Kat, and here she was being responsible again. “Do you?”
She smiled at him, hoping he didn’t think she was a complete idiot.
“I’m good,” he replied as a red sports car rolled up behind the limo. The valet jumped out and handed the handsome man his keys.
Bob opened the door to the church and poked his head out. “Kat? Renee wants you to come be in a picture.”
“Of course,” Kat replied. “I’ll be right there.”
Bob closed the door behind him, leaving Kat and the handsome man alone again.
“Save me a dance.” His voice was low and powerful. It wasn’t a question or a request. It was an expectation. Confidence must be his middle name, she thought to herself.
“We’ll see,” she replied coyly. At least, she hoped it was flirtatious and charming. She wanted that dance.
He gave her one last once-over, clearly enjoying the sight before giving her the sexiest wink she had ever received. A shiver ran through her. She almost gasped at how sexy it made her feel.
She followed Bob back inside, looking back at the last moment to see him grin at her one last time. It’d been a while since someone had flirted so obviously with her and Kat found herself enjoying it. It was nice to be desired, even if only for a moment.
It was nice not to be “shy.”
As she walked back to the bride, Kat made a decision. She was going to have fun tonight. She wasn’t going to be the responsible one or the one making sure that everything went smoothly. For once, she was going to let someone else make sure no one was puking in the bathroom or jumping off chandeliers. Who knew, maybe she’d even be the one doing the jumping. One thing was for sure, she was going to find that guy at the reception and flirt her heart out. Nothing was stopping Kat tonight. Nothing.
Boring Kat was dead. Long live Fun Kat.
2
Fun Kat
If a fashion magazine and a flower shop had a baby, it would look like this reception, Kat thought to herself as she finally walked into the hotel ballroom. She set the garter down on the bride’s table before turning to observe the room. The ballroom was antique and beautiful to begin with, but Kat was fairly sure Renee had purchased every flower in the tri-state area. Roses dominated, but there were gardenias, lilies, orchids, hyacinth, and every other flower Kat could name. She didn’t want to think about what Bob had paid to clear the stock out of fifteen different flower shops.
She looked around, pretending to take in the decorations but really looking for Mr. Sexy-wink from earlier. The room was lit for mood, so it was difficult to see faces among the multitudes of flowers. Of course, because Kat had gone back home to get the forgotten garter, she was an hour late to the reception. Most of the food was eaten and the first dance was already well underway.