His Priority (Book 1)

Chapter Sixteen

16 - The Party (Part 1)

Kaitlyn studied herself in the long mirror that laid by the door of her room. The dress she had picked out with Thomas was so beautiful that she almost didn't believe that she was actually wearing it.

The bright yellow of the dress brought out the darkness of her skin, making her look more exotic than she actually was. The hem of the dress fell just above her knees, while it tightened around her waist, leading all the way to her shoulders.

As her eyes guided back to her face, a knock sounded at the door. "Hey, you done?" Shouted Dane. She took one more look at herself before letting out a breath.

"Yeah, here I come." She picked up her small clutch and opened the door. Dane was dressed in a black suit with a blue tie, he was looking at something on his phone so he didn't notice her at first until he glanced up.

"Wow." He let out a breath. "You- You look," he tried to get out as Jack leaned against the hallway wall a couple of feet away.

"Beautiful." He said simply.

Jack made his way over to them. Jack was dressed in the same black suit Dane was, but his adorned at dark green tie that made his eyes pop. She nervously fiddled under his gaze as he sized her up.

"Remind me to never let Thomas take you shopping again." He ran a hand through his hair and she immediately felt her heart drop.

"Why? Is it too much? Do I look funny?" She asked already knowing the answer.

Jack laughed. "Funny? No. Hot? Very," he said taking her hand, "It's going to be hard trying to keep all of the other guys off of you tonight. As you can see you've already put Dane into a trance." He motioned his other hand at his friend.

Kaitlyn shifted her eyes over to the quiet Dane standing next to her. His eyes were still glued to the dress, mostly around her legs. She felt a little embarrassed and glanced back to Jack for help. His eyes twinkled momentarily before he turned to Dane.

"Ouch!" Dane yelled as he felt the sudden pain on the back of his head, "Why'd you hit me, you psycho." He demanded, rubbing furiously at the back of his aching head.

Jack grinned. "Thought I saw a bug." He shrugged.

Dane grumbled. "Well next time leave it."

- - -

It had taken almost over an hour to get to the party in the limo they had rented. They were now parked in front of the building, lights and cameras shining brightly through the tinted window. Kaitlyn felt extremely nervous. She didn't want to get out of the limo.

Jack was straightening his tie when he noticed the look on her face. "What's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

She met his gaze. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Thomas patted her back. "Don't worry, it's just the nerves talking. You'll have fun."

"Yeah, it's a lot less crowded on the inside." Lee added.

"Plus, you'll be surrounded by four of the hottest guys in the state." Dane assured, but it didn't help.

Jack sighed. "Don't worry, it's not that bad. We'll only be here for two hours tops and we'll leave, okay?" Kaitlyn nodded.

The guys waited as the driver walked around to open the door before filing out of the car. Jack stepped out after them, his body blocking most of the flashing cameras. Kaitlyn sat glued to her seat. She couldn't go out there. It was too much, this was too much.

She glanced back up at Jack to see him looking in her direction, an outstretched hand beckoning her to join him.

"Trust me." He said. Kaitlyn swallowed her fear and slowly found his hand with her own. Immediately an overwhelming sense of relief washed over her as Jack pulled her from the limo.

His hand tightened around hers as he brought her closer to his side. He dropped his head. "If holding my hand makes you less nervous, then feel free to hold it all night." He whispered.

Kaitlyn stared up into his green eyes, willing herself not to breakdown. She squeezed his hand and that was all Jack needed to know before he guided her up the red carpet and through the front door of the building.

Never once dropping her shaking hand.