“Achoo!” She turned to the side and sneezed; some champagne sloshed out of her glass. Champagne dripped down her hand and onto the linen tablecloth. “Seriously, you can’t take me anywhere.”

Jake laughed and helped her sop up the champagne with a napkin. “Let’s put these down for a minute,” he said, taking the glass from her and setting it down on the table beside his own. Then he leaned in close and said, “Come with me.”

Charlie allowed Jake to lead her out of the room, weaving between dancing couples to make their way back to the kitchen, only worrying briefly about someone seeing him holding her hand. Then she remembered him saying We’re not done here and her heart rate picked up, her palms starting to sweat. Charlie wondered if Jake could feel the same electricity she was experiencing as his fingers held her own.

They ducked into the kitchen, which was mostly dark except for the lamplight that streamed through the stained-glass window. Jake shut the door behind him, and suddenly they were completely alone. Charlie held her breath, waiting . . . For precisely what, she wasn’t sure.

Jake leaned back against the countertop. “Come here,” he said gruffly as he pulled her toward him. This was a different side of Jake than she’d seen before. He still held the same gentle, searching gaze that always made her feel like he wanted nothing more than to really get to know her—all of her flaws, too. His confident steadiness was intact, too, and Charlie found that comforting, particularly amid the chaos of her current life. It was all she could do to control her breathing.

Jake took Charlie in his arms. “May I have this dance?”

“But there isn’t any music,” Charlie said.

“I don’t need music,” Jake replied. So Charlie murmured that yes, he could have this dance, and Jake held her tighter. Their bodies were so close now there was barely any part of them not touching. They lazily danced in slow circles like that for a while, Charlie’s head pressed to Jake’s chest, where she could feel his heartbeat—fast, like hers. Then he pulled back slightly and dipped her deeply, a small gasp coming out of her at the surprise of the movement. But soon his lips were on hers and she was dizzy, both from the kiss and from the position.

He kept a firm arm around her shoulders as he slowly brought her back to standing, his lips never leaving hers. Charlie sighed happily, and Jake smiled, breaking the kiss momentarily. Then he gave her a soft kiss on her forehead and Charlie closed her eyes again, feeling lucky to be in Jake’s arms.

But then tears sprang to her eyes before she could stop them.

“Hey. Hey there, Cass.” Jake held her at arm’s length, looking at her worriedly. “Is this not okay?”

She wiped at her eyes, embarrassed and frustrated at her inability to just stay in the moment and not get emotional. Jake gently rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “This is more than okay,” she said.