Pure Lust: The Complete Series Box Set (25 page)

I knew he couldn’t understand that though. I doubted I could get him to understand the thrill I got standing in front of the camera either. I was just barely starting to understand it myself, although I had an idea just why this appealed to me so much.

I felt
seen
.

I’d always just been lost. I came from a big family and looking back now, I knew it was just in my head that I felt less important than my older siblings and not quite as loved as my younger ones. My parents loved all of us and I knew that. But this attention fed that part of me that had gone unnoticed as the quiet, middle child…the one who never got in trouble, the one who’d just never really been noticed. I knew it wasn’t just Flynn’s attention because when he’d told me that the client had loved my pictures, it had been one of the biggest thrills of my life.

And I didn’t want to give that up.

But I knew Edward wouldn’t understand, and I was afraid I’d give it up because I loved him.

***

“Not bad, Tennessee.”

That tone of his voice was almost normal and I looked up at him hesitantly as I zipped up the duffel bag I’d brought with me. It had a spare change of clothes in it and toiletries in case I needed to shower. Modeling was hot, sweaty work, something I was slowly coming to realize.

“Thanks,” I said softly.

He jerked a shoulder in a shrug, glancing casually down the hall where Cody was still in the bathroom before turning back to me, a bit of a sneer in his words. “Edward bought you some nice apartment in Manhattan yet? Get you out of that hovel you live in?”

“My place isn’t a hovel,” I snapped. The words stung. I’d thought…

What had I thought?

Sucking in a breath, I faced him, drawing my shoulders back. We didn’t have the nicest history, no, but I hadn’t realized he’d be like his mother. I didn’t think he would look at me and see a gold digger.

“I’m not with your brother because I want anything from him,” I said with as much patience as I could muster. “No, he hasn’t gotten me a new apartment. I don’t want him to. I’m not after his money.”

“Didn’t think you were,” Flynn said as he came a little closer, peering at me like he’d never seen me before, studying me.

I had the feeling he was trying to figure me out, but I couldn’t understand what was so confusing.

“See, the thing is, Tennessee, Edward can’t appreciate you for who you are.” Flynn spoke as if what he was saying was nothing complicated. Simply news that I should already know. “He’ll put you in a bubble if you let him, and he’ll do it because he loves you and he thinks that he’s doing what’s right by protecting you, taking care of you. He doesn’t think his princess belongs in some rent-controlled apartment. She ought to be in a penthouse out near Central Park.”

I looked away, refusing to admit he might be right.

His warmth reached out to tease me and I looked at him. I hadn't realized he’d closed even more of the distance between us. Now, with a faint smile on his lips, he leaned in.

“I don’t look at you and see a princess, Tennessee. You're a warrior, a hell of a woman. Why would any man ever want to stifle you?”

He turned then and walked out, leaving me alone and even more confused than ever.

I sagged back against the wall, clutching my duffel bag to my chest. What had I gotten myself into?

Pure Lust
Vol. 3

Chapter 1

It’s official. I’m in the seventh circle of hell.

I’d gotten rid of the boss who was possibly the devil’s daughter, only to have her replaced by her evil twin…a wedding planner who breathed fire.

The worst part was, it didn’t have to be this way.

In my purse, I had the list of names Cody had given me and I’d already called three of them, one of which I’d all but fallen in love with. She was the sweetest lady ever and her Mississippi drawl had left me sort of homesick and longing to go back home and see my family.

But this morning, I’d been jerked out of a sound sleep by the buzzer.

It was Charles, Claire’s personal driver and when I’d managed to stumble downstairs, it was to find my soon-to-be mother-in-law waiting with a prim, prissy piece of work by the name of Estelle Chastain, the
only
wedding planner worth working with.

At least according to Claire.

I hadn’t had any coffee. That was the only reason I could think of to explain why I’d let them sweep me into the car and off to the offices of Magnifique. Estelle Chastain was the owner, she’d informed me, and she normally didn’t work with brides directly, but
of course
, for the Bouvier family, she’d make any exception.

Gag.

I sighed, feeling spiteful and disrespectful. I guessed I was supposed to feel honored. Instead, I was wishing I’d beaten Claire to the punch and called Ashley Evans of Mississippi and hired her without actually going out to meet her like I'd planned. Claire would've been pissed, but I doubted she would've forced me to cancel since the Bouvier reputation would've been on the line.

“Now
this…
”

Estelle and Claire bent their heads over the computer, talking in hushed tones as they gazed at something on the screen. Neither one of them even pretended to pay attention to me. Why should they? I was only the bride. Now my lack of caffeine was doing something other than making me groggy. I was starting to get annoyed.

“What do you think, Claire?”

“It’s lovely. Doable on our time frame?”

Estelle looked at me over the laptop, a look of polite disapproval in her eyes. “Three months
is
cutting it short.” Then she looked at Claire with a simpering smile. “But I’m not called the miracle worker for nothing.”

“Excuse me.”

They looked at me with barely veiled distaste.

“It is my wedding,” I said softly. “Don’t you think I should see whatever it is that’s 'doable' in three months?”

It was July now. Edward and I had decided we wanted to get married in October and since that was a short timeframe, he’d suggested we get married at his parents' estate. We could have it outdoors and planned to have tents in case of bad weather. That meant one problem was solved—finding a venue on short notice. Now we just had to get caterers and a band and a dress…
oh, hell…

I felt queasy just thinking about, but it was what Edward had wanted.

Claire’s mouth tightened at the corners, but Estelle gave me a pleasant smile that didn't reach her eyes. “Of course, dear.”

I pushed back from the desk and went around the long, conference styled table. There was a flutter in my stomach that could have been anticipation. It quickly turned to dread as I saw the color scheme and mock-ups of bridesmaids dresses. “No.” I shook my head. “That’s…so not me.”

Claire waved a hand dismissively. “This will be a more elegant event than what I’m sure you’re used to, Gabriella. Just let us handle the details—”

“I don’t want you to handle the details.” Closing my hands into fists, I fought to keep my voice level. “It’s my wedding. I want my mother and I to have a say in it.”

Estelle closed the laptop and stood. “I think I’ll get us all some coffee.” She gave Claire a sympathetic look before leaving.

Once the door closed, Claire's icy blue eyes narrowed slightly. “Tell me, Gabriella. Just how do you propose to pay for a wedding of this magnitude? Do you or your parents have the money to afford it?”

That dread was now growing, spreading through me like a river of ice. Clenching my hands into fists, I inclined my head. “No.” The word was like gravel coming out of my throat.

Edward and I had already talked about that. Since a majority of the guests would be friends of the family and other important people in the Bouvier social circle, he didn't feel right about asking my parents to pay for it.

I tried not to read too much into the implication that my parents couldn't possibly afford the sort of wedding we needed to have. I'd known that agreeing to let him pay for it would mean having to put up with Claire, but I'd been foolish enough to think I'd still actually have some say in things.

“Well, then, perhaps you should follow my advice and let Estelle and I handle things? I am footing the bill, after all.”

Estelle returned a moment later—without coffee.

I saw why when a cart was rolled in by a woman in neat black uniform, complete with a white apron. I wanted to roll my eyes, but settled for going back around the table, dropping down into the chair and pulling out my phone. Since my input wasn't going to be needed, I saw no point in paying attention to any of it. I shot Cody off a text, desperately needing to vent.

I’m not sure who is getting married here. Me…or your mother.

He responded within seconds.

I got a feeling I’m not going to like where that comment came from, honey.

I told him, keeping it short and sweet.

His response was equally so.

&#(@#^

I smothered a laugh, knowing neither of the women at the end of the table would appreciate the humor.

Are you censoring yourself?

As I waited for his response, I glanced up to see Estelle and Claire accepting cups of coffee from the lady in the neat black dress. She glanced my way, but I shook my head. I wanted coffee, but I didn't want to do anything that remotely resembled cooperation.

My phone buzzed.

I couldn’t cram enough ugly words into one text so I went with that. Gabs, just tell her to back off.

“Do you have a particular color scheme you’d like, Gabriella?” Estelle asked.

For a second, I was so surprised I’d been asked anything that I could only stare at her.

Claire didn’t look pleased at all as she gave her opinion. “I think we should go with the black and white theme. It’s timeless, classic, elegant.”

“It’s boring,” I said. I closed the text and opened the gallery on my phone, pulling up some pictures I’d downloaded when I'd thought my opinion might matter. “Actually, I kind of wanted to go with plum, orange and gold.”

Claire’s eyes widened. “You’re joking.”

“No.” Lifting my chin, I rose and pushed my phone over toward them.

Claire didn’t even look, but Estelle took the phone and she studied it for a moment. To my surprise, a small smile curved her lips and she nodded as she looked from the phone to me and then back again.

“This would go well with your coloring. That auburn hair, deep brown eyes.” She nodded again, her expression thoughtful. “Give me a moment.” She tapped the keys on her computer, doing whatever it was she did with her program.

Claire was still frowning when Estelle said her name, but then she looked at the screen. The frown didn’t go away completely, but she sighed, some of the tension draining from her shoulders. “Those colors are so…garish.”

“No,” Estelle contradicted, making me want to stand up and cheer.

Okay, maybe she wasn't as bad as I'd first thought.

She continued, “They are simply brighter than you would typically use, but they suit Gabriella. We’ll work the color scheme to suit the setting and the style of the wedding, however, as this is a fall wedding, I think this could be very appealing.” She glanced at me. “Are you buying a white dress? Pure white or are you thinking ecru, ivory…?”

“Ah…”

Estelle closed her eyes as if my indecision was trying her patience.

I almost did the same, but that wasn’t going to help me here. I needed a lot more than patience to help just then. I needed a damn drink. It wasn’t even noon, either. I appreciated her working with the colors I wanted, but that didn't mean I wanted to be treated like a damn child.

“I’ll be looking at dresses this week,” I said, fighting the urge to snap the words out defensively.

“Let me know when you go so I can make plans to go with you.” Claire studied the screen a moment longer and then sighed, her face drawn up like a prune. “If that’s the colors she
insists
on going with…”

***

“This isn’t a
shirt
!” I held up the mess of black straps that my future brother-in-law expected me to wear over my panties.

This was getting ridiculous. I’d already let Flynn take some shots of me wearing only a half-buttoned white dress shirt and I'd had the strangest feeling it was his. He'd denied it, of course, but I'd kept catching a scent that I'd known was his. Now I could smell it on me and it was driving me nuts.

“No, you’re exactly right,” Flynn said as he set up the camera.

We were doing the next set in front of the faux brick. Or we would if I’d change and that was very much up for debate right now. I was starting to see some of Claire in her youngest son. Flynn McCreary was the half-brother of Cody and my fiancé, Edward, but all three of them had gotten their mother's pig-headedness. That wasn't totally fair, I admitted. Cody was a bit more easy-going than his brothers.

“It’s actually a dress.”

“A dress?” I gaped at him before holding up the…dress…by the shoulders. It was literally nothing but ribbons of cloth. They were thicker where my breasts would be and I could see a similar thickness down near the lower part as well. To cover my crotch, I guessed. I just hoped my underwear could work under it. I didn't even want to consider going without.