“Not necessarily. We can leave now, if you like.”

Rose frowned and turned to him. She hadn’t expected that at all. Why buy all these fancy clothes just to leave after ten minutes? “Why?” she asked. “Did I do something wrong?”

Xander slipped his arm around her waist and pressed his palm against her hip to pull her closer. “Not at all. I just underestimated how beautiful you were going to look tonight. You always look amazing, but with the hair and the dress, it’s enough to make a man weak in the knees. It’s like prom all over again. I can’t wait to get you home and out of that gown.”

She glanced down at the beaded sweetheart neckline of her dress and the ample cleavage on display. It was more than she was normally comfortable showing, but she couldn’t help it. The moment she’d stepped into this gown at the store, she’d known it was the one. Xander had told her not to look at the price tags, so she hadn’t. She’d just tried to pick the dress that made her feel the prettiest. Any doubts she’d had were erased the moment she stepped out of the dressing room and met Xander’s approving gaze.

He liked it as much as she did. She hadn’t even bothered trying on any more dresses. It was the dress. So she didn’t exactly feel like casting it to the ground in a fevered rush. “I hate to disappoint you, but even if we go home right now, I’m not taking this dress off. It’s too beautiful and I look too good in it. I might even sleep in it.”

Xander rubbed a bit of the rough golden tulle between his fingertips and shook his head. “I don’t recommend that. But if you want to leave it on, I can always just flip all this fabric up over your head.”

Rose laughed and slapped his hand away as he tugged at the layers of her skirt. She would never understand how he could be in a room of such beautiful and powerful women and only have eyes for her. “We’re not going home. You promised me a party with dancing and we’re sticking it out.”

Xander opened his mouth to argue with her but was interrupted when a woman came onto the stage and asked everyone to take their seats. Defeated, he escorted her to a table near the front and helped her into her chair. They sat through several courses and several speeches. Most of the speakers praised Xander for his contributions to Fostering Families, including donating a portion of his book sales to the organization. The cover was projected onto a screen and attendees were reminded that Xander had autographed copies in advance that were available for purchase during the event.

After they spoke, the servers brought out the dessert course. Hers was what they called a chocolate bomb. It had a layer of hardened dark chocolate over a decadent dome of light chocolate mousse. It had a dense brownie crust and a toasted hazelnut in the very center. She dissected the dessert as she ate it, trying to figure out exactly how she could re-create it for the diner.

By the time she’d figured it out, Rose realized that she’d lost Xander. From the moment they stepped out of their car at the hotel, he’d had people talking to him. It had stopped during the meal and speeches, but now attendees were up dancing and mingling again. Xander was a few feet away chatting with a couple gentlemen she didn’t know. It looked as though he’d gotten one bite of his dessert before he was hijacked.

That was a shame. It was good.

Rose tried entertaining herself, waiting for him to return. She finished her dessert and chatted idly with the woman beside her. The woman’s husband had also vanished. Looking around the room, there were more than a few ladies sitting at their tables talking while men clustered in groups. Rose finally excused herself to get another drink and milled around the ballroom. The edges of the room were decorated with photos and other displays from the Fostering Families Center over the years.

At last she made a circle back to her table. Her drink was empty and the balls of her feet were aching. It had been a long night and it was time for this coach to become a pumpkin again. Xander had been missing for almost an hour. Why had he even brought her to this event? He could’ve come alone and not felt guilty about ignoring his date half the night. If he didn’t show up soon, she was going to get a cab. She’d just have to figure out where he lived first....

“Would you honor me with a dance, Miss Pierce?”

Rose turned in her seat to find Xander the Elusive had returned to her side. “I’d about given up on you.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ve broken free. Dance with me before someone else comes up.”

She reluctantly got up and let Xander lead her to the dance floor. Despite the late hour, it was still crowded with couples dressed in their finest.

“You’re so stiff,” Xander complained. “Relax. Dancing is supposed to be fun.”

Rose shook her head. “I’m not sure why you brought me with you to this. I should’ve just stayed in Connecticut where I belong.”

Xander stilled on the dance floor, his brow furrowed with concern. “Why would you say that? Aren’t you having a good time?”

“I am,” she sighed. “It’s fine, but you’re busy. Everyone wants to talk to you. I feel like I’m a burden.”

“You’re anything but a burden. In fact, you’re the only one here that I want to talk to. No matter what you think or how much you worry, know this—I want you here. You belong here. With me. Not just tonight, but every night.”

Rose gasped, the sound swallowed by the big-band music. Xander pressed his palm into the small of her back and began moving again, pulling her across the floor with him. She could only cling to him and follow his lead.

When the song ended, they stayed on the dance floor, Xander holding her close and looking deep into her eyes. “I don’t just want you to move to D.C., Rose. I want you to move in with me. I want us to be a family. A real family.”

* * *

Rose couldn’t breathe and it had nothing to do with the dancing. It was wonderful. Amazing. Fantastic. But it was Xander’s words that had truly thrown her for a loop.

He wanted her to move to D.C. and live with him. That meant he really was serious about going public with their relationship and with Joey’s paternity. He didn’t care about her father’s criminal past. She was just blown away. And a part of her was thrilled and relieved.

The other part of her was scared to death he was making a huge mistake. Would it really be the nonevent he believed it all to be? Was it possible that they could have the happily-ever-after she’d fantasized about? She tried to look at the bright side, but life had taught her that things didn’t always work out the way you planned.

She pushed those thoughts out of her mind and instead grasped at his tuxedo lapels with both hands. With a hard tug, she brought his mouth down to hers. She poured all of her anxiety, all of her fears, all of her excitement and anticipation into the kiss. He met her measure for measure, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing her tight against him.

“Take me home,” she said at last when their lips parted. Home, she thought. Could that beautiful town house really be her home someday?

Xander took her hand and led her through the crowd to the exit. They waited anxiously for their car to pull up out front and then rushed into the house the moment they arrived. Rose kicked off her painful shoes in the entryway, then ran barefoot up the stairs with Xander on her heels.

They burst into his bedroom together, the chase turning into a slower pursuit as Rose turned to face him. He slowly backed her across the floor until she felt her spine meet with the carved wood post of the bed.

When she stopped, Xander slipped out of his jacket and tugged off his tie. Then he knelt down. “I’m going in,” he said with a sly smile as he sought out the hem of her dress and tugged it up high enough to disappear under its layers. She felt his fingers gently stroking her upper thighs, his hot breath searing her bare skin. She braced her hands on the wooden column behind her when his fingertips grazed across the satin of her panties. She stiffened as he applied pressure to just the right spot and a bolt of pleasure shot through her.