His Wedding Date (Destination Weddings #1) (6 page)

Forty-five minutes later Bree sprayed a third coating of the helmet-strength hairspray she’d brought with her, ensuring the sleek, elegant hairdo would remain in place throughout the wedding and reception. With her hair pulled up and funky black-framed glasses on instead of her contacts, she was pretty sure the guys wouldn’t recognize her as the stripper from the night before.

She prayed she was right.

Ash peeked in the bathroom doorway. “About ready? I need to be there a little early to hold Greg’s hand.”

“I’m just about done.” She waved the hairspray can over her head for one last layer of armor.

Ash coughed and backed out of the doorway. “Hey, watch where you aim that weapon. I’m breathing here.”

She ducked her head and set down the can. “Sorry. I just want to be sure I look okay.”

He shook his head and his gaze took a long, slow, survey of her from head to toe. “You did look in the mirror, right?”

Unease settled in her midsection and she pressed a hand there to quell the butterflies. “Yeah, why? Should I have brought a different dress?” She’d aimed for conservatively sexy, a tailored, sleeveless pink floral dress with a coordinating solid-colored jacket. Her peep-toe, bone-colored heels were the closest she could come to a conservative shoe. Ash needed to look successful and she was a big part of making that impression.

The heat in his eyes when he met her gaze again could have melted the icicles on the eaves outside their room. “If you looked any hotter I wouldn’t make it to the reception.”

She smiled, relief calming her taut nerves. “Is it time to go? Do you have to meet Greg somewhere before the ceremony?”

“The wedding is here on the grounds, which is a good thing judging by all the snow. They’ve cleared the walkways, but your feet are still going to freeze.”

She shrugged. “The things we women go through for fashion. Let’s get our coats.”

The ceremony was brief. The couple had written their own vows, the sentiments moving Bree to sigh. Romantic and sweet, the groom’s voice caught as he promised eternal love.

Last night she wouldn’t have thought there was an ounce of romance in Greg.

She caught Ash looking at her several times as he stood beside the couple in front of the crowd. Once he even winked, sending ripples of warm fuzzies throughout her. Soon, the minister was presenting the couple as man and wife and the happy bride and groom filed down the aisle between the folding chairs, followed by their attendants.

The large room had been divided into a small area for the ceremony and the remainder for the reception. Bree followed the other guests to the tables and looked for her name on the place cards. Ash would be at the head table as best man, so she was on her own until the dancing started.

The other people at her table were friends of the couple, all around her age, and conversation came easily. Everyone agreed the bride was lovely, the groom rather thunderstruck. Once again, Bree noted he looked nothing like the beast he’d been at the bachelor party, but she kept that thought to herself.

Greg was totally smitten when he looked at his bride. His hand always touched her arm or hand as if he couldn’t believe his good luck, and he wanted to be certain she was real. The emotion in his eyes really tore into Bree. Never one to be envious of others, she was coming pretty close to that now.

Bree sighed. Maybe someday she’d find a guy who’d look at her that way. Even better, he’d be someone she could feel that way about, too. No one-sided Romeos for her, please.

After the ritual toasts, the cutting of the mile-high white cake, and the serving of hors d’oeuvres, the DJ turned on his mic and turntable, announcing the couple’s first dance. When the next song started and other couples moved to the open floor, Ash came to Bree with his hand held out. “Dance?”

She popped to her feet, surprisingly eager to be in his arms again. Fluttering critters awakened in her stomach and she pressed her palm there for just a moment. She lifted her arms to hold him behind his neck, his hands resting on her hips as he led her in a slow sway.

He dipped his head and inhaled near her ear. “You smell great.”

“Thanks. It’s my favorite perfume.”

“You don’t wear it to work. You wear something different.”

He’d noticed her fragrance at work. Nice. “This one is too heavy for some people. I don’t want to gag anyone in an elevator, or something.”

“So, this stuff would linger in my bedroom if we made love there? We’ll have to try that soon, so I can smell you on my pillow all week.”

His words send warm shivers down her side. Such a romantic thought.

The song changed to a retro hit. The dancers broke apart and began bobbing around the floor. Ash shook his head wildly and waved his arms. Bree laughed and swung her arms in a more sedate move, kicking her feet in time with the beat. It wasn’t the chicken dance, thank goodness, but the afternoon wasn’t over yet.

One of the guys who’d been at the bachelor party circled around them, shouting something at Ash. The guy dropped in a hip-hop split and popped back up. Suddenly, he looked hard into Bree’s face, then down at her feet. He leaned in to be heard over the music. “It
is
you.”

She fought to keep her reaction at bay, smiling in her most polite
brush off
way. “Do I know you?”

Ash slowed down and took notice.

“From last night,” his friend said. He elbowed Ash. “So you decided to keep her around, huh?”

Sending her an apologetic look, Ash said, “You’re mistaken, dude. Leave my date alone.”

“Your date borrowed the stripper’s nail polish, then?” He pointed to her feet, where her large toenail peeked through the small opening.

Ash shook his head. “You think they only made one bottle of that color? Come on, man. Drop it.”

The guy’s breath reeked of alcohol when he took Bree in a one-armed hug. “I want a turn, that’s all. She was really hot last night but I didn’t get a shot at her.”

Greg broke through the dancers surrounding them. “What’s up, guys? It’s getting a little loud.”

Taking Bree’s hand, Ash pulled her from the friend’s side. “Nothing, man. We need to hit the road before the next storm arrives.” He held out his hand.

Greg shook it, slapping him on the shoulder. “You’re not going to stick around for the garter toss?”

“Nah. Leave that for the guys who need all the help they can get.”

“Okay. Well, drive safely.” Greg smiled at Bree. “Wait, I haven’t met your date. I’m Greg, the lucky groom.”

“I’m Bree. Ash and I work together.”

“Oh, you’re Bree? The one who stole his phone. I’m guessing we have you to thank for the gift.” His gaze narrowed. “You look familiar.”

She smiled and batted her lashes in a pretense of flirting. “I have one of those faces.” She didn’t know which worried her more, that he remembered her from last night, or he’d been in the club where she’d danced. She and Ash had messed up, thinking she could strip and appear at the wedding without being recognized. It was definitely time to go. While they drove back to the city, however, she would grill Ash on if he’d ever mention her to his friends. Although, he hadn’t known she danced professionally, or wasn’t admitting to knowing, so it was unlikely he’d mentioned that in the past. “It was nice meeting you, and congratulations on your marriage. May you two be happy forever.”

Greg’s face softened again. “Thanks. I really think we will be.”

Ash took her elbow and made a path through the dancers. As they neared the table where Bree had sat, he stopped suddenly. A petite blonde stood before them. “Ash, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Jillian. Hi.”

She offered a cool smile to Bree before turning back to Ash. “How’ve you been? Are you still drawing your little comic books?”

His mouth thinned.

Bree hugged his arm to her side, knowing it made her boobs more obvious. She jumped in before Ash could respond. “You mean the CG work he does? He’s one of the top gaming artists in the country. He gets offers all the time to go to work for our competitors. It must have been so hard for you to give him up, knowing he was headed for greatness like this.”

Pausing for effect, Bree enjoyed the wide-eyed response from Jillian. Bree took a deep breath, bent closer and went in for this kill, whispering, “Especially since he’s such an amazing fuck!” She fanned her face, then smiled and looked up at Ash. “Are we about ready, babe? I don’t know if I can wait until we get back to the city to have you between my legs again.”

His grin spread slowly, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard. He nodded and turned back to Jillian. “You heard the lady, I’ve gotta go. But it was
so nice
running into you again. Say hi to…what-his-name for me, okay?”

Ash’s arm wrapped around Bree and he almost dragged her from the room. He retrieved their coats, helped Bree with hers without a word. Once they were outside he burst out laughing. Catching his breath, he placed a hand on either side of her face and kissed her hard. “That was astoundingly satisfying.”

“Are you sure? I mean, it wasn’t over the top?”

“Well, fuck yeah, it was over the top, which is why it was perfect. You are the perfect girlfriend.” With an arm around her shoulders, he led her down the walkway toward their building.

“Girlfriend? Isn’t this rather sudden? I mean, shouldn’t you at least buy me a drink first?”

“I’m feeling so high, I’ll buy you anything you want. A new car, a trip to Comicon…” He glanced down at her feet. “A new bottle of nail polish.”

Heat washed over her at the memory of her embarrassment. “Oh my God, I almost died. I thought he was going to tell everyone. Do you think Greg recognized me for real?”

“Greg’s so in love with his new wife, he won’t think about you again for weeks.”

“But what if he does realize I stripped for the bachelor party? Will he be pissed you brought a stripper to the wedding?” The last thing she wanted is to come between him and his old friends.

“I didn’t bring a stripper to the wedding. I brought a beautiful, intelligent woman who helped me out in a moment’s desperation. I shouldn’t have put you in the situation. It was inexcusable. If you were smart, you’d walk away from me now.”

She glanced at the snow, now in five- or six-foot drifts where the plow had piled it, and shook her head, trying to keep a straight face. “I don’t think I could walk home in this weather.”

He laughed. “Thank goodness for that.”

When they reached their room, he slid the key card and opened the door, motioning for her to enter. “Your feet must be frozen.”

She kicked off her shoes, picking them up and setting them on the dresser. “They’re cold, but they’ll thaw.” She slipped off her coat and jacket, laying them on the foot of the bed, then reached for the zipper on the back of her dress.

“Let me help you.” Ash slowly drew down the zipper, kissing her skin as it was bared.

She moaned. “Don’t we have to get on the road?”

He pushed the dress off her shoulders and let it puddle at her feet. “Soon, yeah. And if we start something now, we’ll never get on the road. I don’t want to chance icy roads at night.”

She shivered at the gravelly sound of his voice that revealed the state of his arousal. She lifted her suitcase onto the bed and opened it before taking of her dress. A flash of thought hit her. Was this the end of them? She was his wedding date. The amazing sex had been a bonus. Sure, he’d said little things about
after
, but that could have been foreplay for the next round for all she knew.

Standing in her underwear, she folded her dress, slipped her pumps back into their shoe bag and laid them in the suitcase. While Ash did a pass-through in the bathroom looking for anything they’d left, she tugged on her skinny jeans and clingy cashmere sweater. She’d worn casual, imitation fleece lined boots on the ride up, and poked her toes into them. Her hair was still a dignified helmet, so she wrapped a knit scarf around her head, draping the ends down her front. With a final touch of lip-gloss, she was ready to go.

She found Ash watching her, his expression unreadable. “What’s up?” she asked.

He shook his head and reached for her suitcase handle. “Nothing. I’ll go load the car and get it warmed up.”

Her nerves making it impossible to stand still, she opened and closed the dresser drawers, checking for forgotten items. This had to be the most awkward ending to a date she could remember. Maybe because she’d never gone out of town with a guy on a second date. If you could count shopping for the gift as a date. This was worse than Internet dating. She had no clue what he was thinking, if he wanted to see her again for anything other than sex. The signals he’d sent had all been good. He’d even jokingly called her his girlfriend, but now he was so distant.

If he asked, could she agree to Ash becoming another fuck buddy? No, she couldn’t see that happening. He was too real. She’d seen that on his face when she’d mouthed off to his ex-. His heart would be involved with anyone he saw on a regular basis.

Bree knew she needed to grow up and ask him what came next. What happened when they ran into each other at work Monday morning. After the week passed by and they were faced with weekend plans. She sank onto the bed, hugging her coat closed, and waited.