One Special Night Read Online Free

appetizers, she grabbed one and so did Jasmine, feeling at ease with the other woman.
    “Jim was always trying to grow something in that damn desert,” she said.   She remembered how he'd even managed to get one scrawny tomato plant to survive in the unbearable heat before an equally unbearable winter had set in.
    “That's my Jim,” Sally said with undisguised love and pride.
    Another military wife had apparently overheard them and joined them.   Another quickly followed and soon there was a quartet of women chatting about their men and families.
    It was goodhearted talk from women used to long months alone and living with uncertainty. The women made her feel comfortable, but as they stood there, sharing talk, champagne and finger foods, she looked for Tommy, wondering again if he would keep his promise.   Imagining for a moment what it would be like to let herself go and experience a moment or two with a man like Tommy de Salvo.
    As she glanced toward the beachfront, the bridal party returned with the photographer, who pulled the bride and groom off to the side for yet more photos while the rest of the bridal party went their separate ways.
    Tommy paused by the end of the boardwalk, staring toward the terrace where she stood with the women.   As his gaze met hers, he grinned and marched right in her direction, his long legged stride eating up the distance between them.
    Her stomach did a nervous flutter and she laid her hand there to calm it, but the flutter just dropped lower and added to the needy tension between her legs.
    When he got to her side, he laid a hand on the small of her back, the touch somehow already familiar and incredibly possessive.
    “I'm glad you stayed,” he whispered in her ear.
    “Did you think I wouldn't?” she challenged.
    “I had doubts that my sexy charm had worked on you,” he confessed playfully.
    She peered at him out of the corner of her eye and damn him but he was giving her that smile that did all kinds of things to her insides.
    His actions dragged a chuckle from her and she elbowed him sharply to keep him in line.   “If you're trying to get me to admit that you're charming, you're outta luck, de Salvo.”
    “I'll just have to try harder,” he whispered and in a louder voice said to the other couples around them, “We're all at Table Number 2.   We just have one more bridal duty to finish.”
    He skimmed his hand up and down her back, sending a shiver through her.   “I'll see you there, right?”
    Damn if even that simple touch didn't have her running hot again and reminding her what it was like to be alive. Even with all the stories Jase had told her about him, she barely knew anything about Tommy.   But she couldn't ignore that he was making a very obvious play for her.   It was both flattering and unnerving because she couldn't remember the last time she'd had this kind of attention.
    Maybe it was time to explore that attraction, even if it was only for this one special night.
    “I'll be there, de Salvo, but don't think it's just because of your sexy charm.”   
    * * *
    Unexpected relief filled Tommy at Jasmine's reply.
    He hurried toward the terrace where the bridal party was gathering again for their grand entrance.   Impatience dominated his every move as he and the maid of honor bolted from the flagstone terrace and onto the dance floor to the sounds of the live band doing a cover of the Black-Eyed Peas song about a good night.   They were speedily followed by the rest of the groomsmen and bridesmaids, the two sets of parents, and finally, the bride and groom.
    His best friend and sister looked like a prince and princess stepping right off the pages of a fairy tale book.   His heart clenched with emotion at their joy and with worry at what they would still have to face together when Jase returned to finish his tour of duty.   But he knew his sister was strong enough to handle it and she had her family and friends to be there for her.
    The thought made