by Meghan Quinn
I take in the time on my watch and then smile at her. “Looks like we’re going to be late.”
***
Two Months Later . . .
I stand behind the cameras, hand in pocket, watching Noely light up the room and the cameras pointing directly at her. She’s electric, so full of life, funny as hell, and compassionate. Not to mention incredibly beautiful on the inside and out.
When I originally started the Going in Blind restaurant, I never expected to find love. I only put myself in the running so we had a few profiles to test, but the second I saw that I matched with Noely and reading her profile, and then secretly watching her “casting” video, the one only staff are allowed to view, I had to go out on a date with her, even though I wasn’t looking to be matched. I knew at that moment I had to get to know this woman, and hell am I glad I did, because the woman who’s horribly trying to juggle her mimosa glass and a hedgehog has etched her way into my heart.
She’s the one.
Easily.
Hands down, I’m going to marry her one day.
I’m going to marry her so fucking hard.
“Thank you for stopping by today, James. We always enjoy having you on the show,” Noely says. Turning toward the teleprompter, she reads, “Until next week, Malibu, have a beautiful day.”
A ringing sound echoes through the set as Kevin starts wrapping up the crew. I stand off in the back as Noely wraps up and removes her mic, all the while eyeing me from behind the obtusely large cameras. Dylan says something to her I can’t make out, which makes Noely laugh loudly, the sound so beautiful. Her smile lights up my heart, and the way she speaks so kindly to the crew around her, it reminds me of how kind her heart is.
When she finally breaks free from the set, she runs up to me, her heels echoing against the cement floor. She flies into my arms and kisses me hard before pulling away and entwining her fingers behind my neck.
“You’re back.”
“I am.” I link my arms at her lower back, loving the feel of her in my arms again.
“How was Japan?”
“Would have been better if you were there.”
“Did you bring anything back for me?” She presses another kiss against my lips, this one chaste and entirely too short for my liking.
“I did.”
“What is it?”
“A silk kimono just like you asked for, but there is one rule you have to follow when wearing it. You have to be completely naked underneath it,” I whisper in her ear.
Her short intake of breath does something to my insides. God, this girl. Irresistible.
“Is that so you can feel me up anytime you want?”
“Pretty much.” I nod toward the exit. “Come on, I have two more things to give you.”
For a brief second we stop in her dressing room to get her purse and then head to my car where I help her into the passenger side. When I join her, instead of turning the car on, I face her and can barely hold back the grin stretching across my face.
She pokes my cheek. “Why are you so happy?”
“I missed my baby.” I grip the back of her head and bring her lips closer to mine where I nibble on them for a few seconds before pulling away, just as she was starting to deepen the kiss.
“More kisses,” she says, trying to bring me closer to her again.
I hold up my finger. “In a moment. First, I want to give you this.” I reach into the glove compartment and hand her a piece of paper that she unfolds. On the inside, I’ve scribbled down every single Tom Hanks movie and point to the movie title on the bottom.
“What this?”
“We’ve watched every Tom Hanks movie together besides one.”
She scans the list and then shakes her head. “Not possible. We’ve watched that together.”
“We haven’t. I’ve kept track. Ever since our second date, I knew I wanted to watch every movie with you, so that’s when I made this list. And every movie we’ve watched, I’ve checked them off.”
“So you’re telling me, we’ve never seen You’ve Got Mail together?”
I shake my head. “Never.”
“Well, that’s just . . . that’s . . . God, that’s so wrong.”
“Tell me about it.” I chuckle. “Which brings me to your second gift.” I reach into my pocket and pull out a small box.
“What’s this?” she asks, looking stunned.
“Not what you think it is. Believe me, when I ask you that question, it won’t be in my car outside your work.” I nod at the box, “Go ahead. Open it.”
Chewing on the side of her lip, eyeing me, she opens the box and pulls out a key. “What’s this?”
“You know, Japan to LAX is a really long flight and it got me thinking. Why the hell are we splitting our time between two houses when we can just have one?”
Smiling brilliantly, she asks, “Are you asking me to move in with you, Jack?”
“I am. I’m asking you to move in with me and watch You’ve Got Mail. I can’t think of a better way to commemorate moving in, can you?”
She shakes her head. “You’re unreal, Jack.”
“So is that a yes?” I smile, hoping it is.
“There is no way in hell I could possibly say no to you.” And with that, she closes the space between us once again and kisses me. She kisses me so fucking hard that I feel dizzy from lust, lust for this woman, the one who so easily captured my heart and showed me that the saying is true, your mind might be blind, but your heart never is.
From the very beginning, our hearts knew, we were meant for each other. It only took a date with a suit, a rebel, and a jock to figure it out.
BECK
Six months after his date with Noely . . .
“Dude, you have to come, it’s going to be the party of the century.” Chris takes a sip from his beer and watches the dance floor, his elbows leaning on the bar behind him.
I bring my water to my lips right before I say, “That’s great and all, but I wasn’t invited.”
“You don’t need an invitation.”
“Chris.” I give him a pointed look. “It’s a wedding. It’s not like a birthday or company party that I can get away with going to, but a wedding has seat arrangements and actual invitations.”
“Semantics. Just hang out at the bar the whole time and pick off people’s plates when they’re not looking. Hell, I even think it’s a buffet, so you can grab a plate and eat it in the bathroom.”
“As much as scarfing down a wedding meal next to a urinal is appealing, I think I’m going to pass.”
The music switches from a fast-paced salsa, to a slow, seductive melody. Couples on the dance floor immediately fall in step with the song, their moves slow and methodic. Hell, what I wouldn’t give right now to be out on that dance floor. As a guy, dancing alone to a sexy song reads a little strange, so I keep myself firmly planted next to my good friend, Chris, who works behind the scenes at Going in Blind. He was the one who set me up with my profile, the one who keeps egging me on to try it again. But after the night I ran into Noely at the restaurant, right before she chased after someone else, it’s been downhill from there. The girl I went on a date with that night was . . . blah. Zero personality, trying to impress me with her cleavage showing ways, which granted, I took advantage of because I am a man.
But there was nothing there, no spark, no urge to take her on my bike, so I said good night and went on my way. I wasn’t ready. Noely had been right. I still had things to sort through. She was so goddamn gorgeous, so my physical attraction to her made complete sense. She’d been warm and funny, and I wish I’d been ready in some respects. But I get it now. I understand what she meant about emotional connection.
Since then, I’ve spent time learning about being single, and even though it’s been good for me, to focus on the things that matter the most, my charities, I’ve felt like I’ve been missing something.
And I think I know what it is.
Can you guess?
Sex.<
br />
Fuck, I miss sex. The last time I had anything remotely close to sex was with Noely. I’m pretty sure my balls have turned to dust by now; one wrong move and they’re going to evaporate into the air for good.
Why haven’t I been fucking my way through Malibu you ask? Because no one has snagged my attention. There has been no interest on my end, which is insane since I’m so fucking hard up. I feel like my penis is going to fall off.
“Just think about it, man. You need a vacation. The wedding is in the Florida Keys at the Hemingway House. You can crash the wedding, eat with your urinal, get your dance on, and have some crazy, no-strings-attached sex with one of the bridesmaids. There are at least three that are single.”
No strings-attached sex, huh . . .
“Crash someone’s wedding? You’re serious.”
“Dead serious.” He takes another sip of his drink. “Justine and I booked two rooms just in case we decided to bring the kids, but if you go, we’ll make it a parents only weekend and leave the kids at my mom’s.” Turning toward me, looking sadly desperate, he says, “Please, dude. Please crash this wedding. Please take that extra room so I can have wild island sex with my wife. Do me this favor and grant me this one wish.”
“Can’t you find someone else to take the room?”
“Nope, I tried. And you know Justine. She’s not going to eat the money on the room. So right now, we’re taking the kids.”
I run my hand over my hair, unsure. This is crazy. I’m not Vince Vaughn or Owen Wilson, primed and ready with a fucking bro code on how to crash a wedding. But, a mini vacation does sound good. And honestly, Chris has been there for me through the hard times. He and Justine do actually deserve this time away too.
“When?”
“Dude!” Chris pulls me into a hug and then holds my shoulders as he stares at me. “I can’t even tell you how excited I am.”
“I need the details first.”
With a knowing smile, Chris sips his beer and says, “Oh, you’re fucking coming. It’s a done deal.”
Unfortunately, I think it is. I think the final lure was hearing two words—fucking and coming. Yeah, I got it bad.
Look out, unsuspecting couple. I’m about to crash your wedding.
***
Beck’s story, TWO WEDDING CRASHERS, the second book in the Dating by Numbers Series is coming this MARCH/APRIL! Followed by Hayden’s story, ONE BABY DADDY. To be the first to find out about release dates and be one of the first to preorder, click here. And don’t forget to add the books to your TBR!
Two Wedding Crashers - - > ADD ME
One Baby Daddy - - > ADD ME
COME HANG OUT WITH ME! Join my reader group for weekly giveaways and fun. Click here.
· Would you like to know when my next book is available? You can sign up for my new release e-mail list at http://www.authormeghanquinn.com/newsletter.html
· You can also follow me on twitter at @authormegquinn, or like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/meghanquinnauthor/
· Reviews help other readers find books. I appreciate all of my readers’ reviews.
Standalones
(Full of heart, humor, and heat and some real laugh out loud moments)
The Mother Road
Newly Exposed
Dear Life
Standalones
(Full of heart, humor, and heat and some HOT CONSTRUCTION WORKERS)
Co-Wrecker
My Best Friend’s Ex
Twisted Twosome
The Other Brother
The Romance Novelist Series
(Hilarious, laugh out loud romantic comedies)
The Virgin Romance Novelist
The Randy Romance Novelist
The Stroked Series
(HOT sports romance with plenty of humor)
STROKED
STROKED LONG
STROKED HARD
The Bourbon Series
(Sassy, erotic romance with a gorgeous, protective alpha male)
Bourbon Sins
Bourbon Deceit
Bourbon Kingdom
Bourbon Truths
The Love and Sports Series
(New Adult, college football forms into professional football careers. Love triangles.)
Fair Catch
Double Coverage
Three and Out
The Hot-Lanta Series
(My first series ever. Baseball sports romance with lots of drama!)
Caught Looking
Playing the Field
Warning Track
Hit and Run
The Addiction Series
(Rock star romance, minor cheating and love triangles. Book three still to come, Rehab.)
Toxic
Fame
The Warblers Point Series
(Three Irish brothers, their younger sister, and the drama they get into. Love triangles. Book three still to come.)
Beers, Hens and Irishmen
Beers, Lies and Alibis
