One Funeral (No Weddings Book 2) Read Free

glance in my direction to tonight—my first date in years.
    But tonight wasn’t just a first date.
    First dates were when you met a person to decide if you had compatibility. Cade and I already had that with our laughter and easy banter. Both of us were intelligent and driven when it came to business. Family was important to him, like mine had been to me.
    A potential couple also used the initial meeting to assess whether or not they had chemistry. I snorted as I turned and began to soap my body down. The air between us sizzled with so much sensual heat, I risked spontaneous combustion every time he stepped into the room.
    In our unique situation, tonight would determine whether or not we could act on our compatibility and chemistry. Could we take things further without destroying what we already had? With how close we’d become as friends and business associates, there was a lot at stake.
    As usual, the more I considered what tonight meant for us and the challenges we faced, both individually and together, the more jumbled my thoughts became.
    I forced a deep breath into my lungs and focused on the calming things about Cade: his warm smile, those bright blue eyes when they twinkled with amusement, or when they darkened to midnight blue as they heated with desire. Then I remembered his lips on mine, how he made fire arc though my body, between my legs. My body shuddered under the shower spray, and I sighed deeply as I rested my forehead on the cool tile again.
    To pull myself out of the unending spiral, I turned the spray to ice cold and squealed from the icy shock before turning it off.
    After I applied body lotion and makeup, followed by a quick blow-dry, I had ten minutes left to choose an outfit. Minutes ticked by as I stared at a closet with nothing to wear. I’d already teased him at his club in a black dress I’d bought for our “first” first date, before it had gotten canceled. On instinct, I grabbed a dress I knew looked good on me and quickly put it on.
    I didn’t have a spare second to breathe, let alone worry further about tonight. A soft knock at the door ended my race to get ready. I clasped a thin silver necklace graced with a diamond solitaire behind my neck; the piece was a last birthday present from Gran, and I wanted her with me tonight. Her presence in my mind would be like a warm hug if I needed it.
    Nervous, I opened the door right as another knock hit it. Cade’s fist hung in midair where the surface of the door used to be.
    I exhaled a lungful of air in a big whoosh and blinked. He stood right in front of me, but I only seemed capable of staring into his vivid blue eyes before sucking in a deep breath, which prevented me from the definitive embarrassment of keeling over in my entryway.
    “Wow, Hannah. You look incredible.” He leaned a shoulder into the doorframe, as if he needed the four-by-four for support.
    Mildly relieved by my similar impact on him, I lowered my gaze and took in his outfit. An open-collared dress shirt, jacket, pants, even his shoes, were all inky black, like he’d materialized from the darkness beyond.
    The emerald-green wraparound dress I wore had been my mother’s. Granpop loved seeing her in it, commenting about how it brought out the green in her hazel eyes. I’d chosen it partly because I had my mother’s eyes, but mostly because it made me feel strong and beautiful like she’d been. As I smoothed my hands down the silk covering my thighs, Cade didn’t stop staring. His gaze caressed my skin along with the soft fabric. I took a comforting deep breath. I’d chosen well.
    He took a step closer and a single red rose popped in between us. My eyes widened before I laughed and reached out to accept the long-stemmed flower. “Thank you.” I closed my eyes, buried my nose into the crimson petals, and inhaled its fragrance. I set it on the side table, confident the cylinder of water at its base would keep it fresh. But I did pluck a soft outer petal before we