If I Loved You (Harper Falls Book 1) by Mary J. Williams Read Free Book Online Page A

there. Not terribly approachable.
She almost moved on, but something about him made her look again.
It was Jack. Well, no wonder she hadn’t recognized him. Rose had
been looking for someone with dark hair, but she thought it was
much longer. She remembered when they met she’d had the fleeting
desire to run her fingers through the thick, wavy locks—to find out
if they could be as soft as they looked. But all that beautiful
hair was gone. And though it didn’t seem possible, he was even more
attractive that before.
    Maybe the hair had been a distraction.
Because now when she looked at him all she saw was his impossibly
beautiful face—all sculpted cheekbones, firm but inviting lips and
a jaw line that she found herself wanting to bite. She couldn’t
remember ever being turned on by a man’s jaw, but there it was.
Jack Winston was the total package. And if his reputation held up,
Rose planned on giving his jaw, and the rest of him, plenty of
attention.
    Looking at him, Rose had a moment of doubt.
Maybe she should start a little slower and work up to a man like
Jack. But what the hell. Tonight she was splurging. After denying
herself for so long, she deserved a treat.
    “Champagne?”
    Rose accepted the fluted crystal glass and
swallowed down the contents in one gulp. Before the waiter could
move on she exchanged her empty for a full one. She might have been
arming herself with false courage, but in the short run it couldn’t
hurt. Right now, she needed all the help she could get.
    Five more minutes, Jack promised himself. He
was only supposed to put in an appearance, so an hour should
fulfill all of his promise to Drew. If he started inching his way
towards the door, by the time he’d exchanged a few greetings and
had shaken some hands, he’d be nicely situated to make a quick
escape.
    “Dance with me, Jack?”
    Damn it, he’d been so close. He turned
towards the voice having every intention of politely turning her
down. Dancing was not on his agenda for the evening. But the
refusal died a quick death the moment he saw who it was.
    Rose O’Brian.
    Her eyes were the color of rich amber. A man
didn’t quickly forget eyes like that. Sparks of red and gold shot
through her shoulder length hair. Growing up with older sisters he
knew that women had a knack for fixing their hair for occasions
like this one. He’d coughed his way through enough toxic clouds of
hairspray to remember that. But Rose’s hair looked silky soft, not
lacquered to within an inch of its life.
    Jack had felt a spark from the moment he’d
met Rose. But, it had been obvious she didn’t feel the same. He
might have tried to persuade her. Wouldn’t that have been fun? But
two things had stopped him. His best
friend and her best friend. Drew
Harper and Tyler Jones had a history, one that had ended badly.
Drew still wanted her, and Tyler crossed the street rather than
take a chance of coming within ten feet of him. No, as tempting as
Rose was it just hadn’t seemed worth the trouble their association
might stir up.
    Walk away, his inner voice screamed. You’re
one week into that asinine bet, and this woman could turn out to be
too much temptation to resist. But man, was she lovely. It wasn't
so much that her dress hugged her body, but it accentuated all the
right places. The stark white material covered almost all of her
creamy skin leaving just the dip at the base of her neck bare. It
was a spot just made for a man’s kiss. His kiss. She had the height
of a model but way better curves. No jutting hip bones on Rose. He
could easily imagine his hands cupping those full breasts. He’d be
playing with fire if he held her in his arms for even a moment. And
for the length of a song? Torture. But the hopeful look in her eyes
made it impossible for him to turn away. Okay, torture it might be,
but since he couldn’t bring himself to say no he might as well
enjoy it.
    Without a word, Jack took her hand and swept
her into his arms. One dance wasn’t