It thrilled her to know her touch affected him as strongly as his did her. He stirred her with his gentleness, but he ignited her when his mouth became more insistent, his touch more demanding. She arched into him, seeking all he had to give.
He grinned against her mouth, assuring her he’d take care of her. A moment later her bikini top slipped away and he lavished attention on the exposed flesh. Her nipple puckered from the rush of heat on damp skin. And the agile use of his tongue.
Wanting nothing between them, she wiggled out of the rest of her suit and pushed at his. Despite her efforts, the damp cloth clung to him.
“Off.” She panted against his mouth.
He pushed it down and off without leaving her side. She admired his efficiency almost as much as she admired his form. He was so beautiful she would have liked to see him but he felt too good in her arms for her to regret anything.
Especially when his mouth and fingers did such wicked things to her.
She felt more alive, more energized, more female than any other time in her life.
Being outside made it a hedonistic experience. The night breeze caressed heated skin, while the scent of roses perfumed the air. The rush of emotion compelled her to reach for the moon that hung so heavy in the sky.
Her senses reeled from an overload of sensation. He made her want, made her sizzle, made her mind spin.
When he joined them with an urgency that revealed he was as engaged as she was, she was excited to know she moved him, too. It made her bolder, braver, more determined to drive him insane with pleasure. She loved when he hissed through his teeth, when he kissed her as if he’d never get enough.
When he lost control.
When the connection they shared took her to a whole new level.
Never had she felt so close to another person, in body, in spirit, in heart. He lifted her higher, higher until together they soared through the stars and she shattered in the glow of the moon.
And later, after they roused and he led her to the house for a warm soak in the claw-foot tub and then landed in the comfort of his bed for a repeat performance, she knew for her this was more than two bodies seeking each other in the night.
Somewhere along the way, she’d fallen in love with the best man.
* * *
Lindsay stared out the window of the passenger seat in the Ferrari, brooding to the point where the beautiful countryside flew by unnoticed.
She’d had such a lovely morning with Zach. Waking snuggled in his arms, she’d waited for the regret to hit. But no remorse surfaced. She loved Zach. Being in his arms is where she wanted to be.
That would change when she had to walk away. In the meantime she’d make the most of every moment with him.
Watching him put the new Ferrari through its paces on the trip to Aunt Sophia’s pleased her on a visceral level. Seeing his joy, absorbing his laughter, listening to him explain what made his new toy so special. His happiness made her happy, too.
The return trip was much more subdued, with Zach as quiet as she was.
Christina’s aunt Sophia was a lovely woman, but a bit unorganized. Pia had called her, so she knew why they were there. She was so happy Christina wanted to wear the pin. Sophia had worn the brooch and she and her husband were still happily married after thirty-nine years.
Lindsay got her hopes up because Sophia seemed certain she had the brooch somewhere, but she’d already looked through her personal jewelry so she thought she must have stored it in the attic with other family heirlooms. Bad knees kept her from doing the search herself so she’d invited Lindsay and Zach to look all they’d like.
Luckily the attic was clean. And airy, once Zach opened the windows. But there was a lot to look through. She found a standing jewelry hutch and thought for sure the brooch would be there. Unfortunately not. Nor was it in any of the boxes or trunks they’d searched. In the end they’d left empty-handed.
“You okay?” Zach reached over and claimed her hand. “You did everything you could to find the brooch.”
“I know.” She summoned a wan smile, grateful for his support. “I just hate to disappoint the bride. Especially Christina. I’ve never had a bride disassociate herself so completely from the process so close to the wedding. It’s almost as if she’s afraid to invest too much of herself into the wedding.”
“She’s dealing with a lot.”
“I get that. That is why I really wanted to find the brooch.” With a sigh she turned back to the window. “It’s the one thing she seemed to latch onto. It kills me not to be able to find it for her.”
The car slowed and then he pulled to the side of the road. She looked at him. “What’s wrong? Is it something to do with the car?”
“I needed to do this.”
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly. Then not so softly. Slightly breathless she blinked at him when he lifted his head.
“Much better.” He slicked his thumb over her bottom lip.
He surprised her by getting out of the car and walking around the hood. He opened her door and helped her out. She looked around and saw nothing but green rolling hills for miles.
“What are we doing?”
“Well, I’m going to be riding. And you are going to be driving.”
“Really?” Squealing in excitement she threw herself into his arms. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” She peppered his face with kisses between each word.
“Wait.” He caught her around the waist when she would have run for the driver’s seat. “You do know how to drive a stick, right?”
“I do, yes.” This time she pulled his head down to kiss him with all the love in her heart. She knew he was doing this to distract her from her funk, which made the gesture all the more special because he’d categorically refused to let her drive earlier. “I’ll take care with your new baby.”
He groaned but released her.
She practically danced her way to the driver’s seat. Of course she had to have the roof down. That took all of fourteen seconds. Too cool. He took her through where everything was and she pushed the ignition.
Grinning, she said, “Put your seat belt on, lover.”
And she put the car in gear.
* * *
Grave misgivings hounded Zach as he stared down at the crystal bauble in his hand. Two hearts entwined side by side. Christina’s lucky brooch. He’d given up on finding it, given up on sabotaging the wedding, but he’d opened a small tapestry box in one of the trunks in Sophia’s attic and there it was. Tarnished, with a few crystals missing, but unmistakable nonetheless.
He’d had no plan when he’d taken it, but for one bright moment he saw a light at the end of the tunnel of Tony’s train-wreck plan to marry a woman he didn’t love. Without the brooch might Christina back out of the wedding?
With no more thought than that he’d pocketed the trinket.
Now as he clutched it, he realized what he’d done. Christina wasn’t backing out. Tony wasn’t listening to Zach’s appeals to rethink the madness. And Lindsay would freak if she ever learned he’d taken it. On every level professional, friends, lovers, she’d see it as a betrayal.
How could she not when that’s what it felt like to him?
He wished he’d never seen it. Never taken it. Never risked everything he’d come to care so much about. Hell, he’d invested so much time in this wedding, even he cared about it being a success.
If only Tony wasn’t the victim in all this.
It killed Zach to stand aside while his best friend set himself up for such a big fail. But there was no going back now. It didn’t matter that the brooch was not wearable. Didn’t matter that he had regrets. The damage was done.
He thought back to the conversation they’d had in the car on the way back from Sophia’s. With the brooch bur
ning a hole in his pocket he’d voiced his concerns for Tony and Lindsay had warned him interference never paid off.
“Do you know how many weddings there are where someone doesn’t think it’s a good idea for some reason?” she’d asked him. “The timing’s not right, someone’s too young, someone’s too old, their ages are too far apart. They don’t know what they’re doing. She’s all wrong for him. He’s too good for her. Every one. Show me a wedding and there will be a dissenter in the crowd somewhere.”
“They couldn’t all be wrong.”
“Oh, yeah. Some of them were spot-on. But has it ever worked out well when they try to intervene? No. Because it’s not their decision to make. The heart wants what the heart wants.”
“What if it isn’t love?” he’d demanded.
“Then the situation that brought them together wants what it wants. If the couple is consenting adults, then it’s their decision to make.”
He heard the message. Understood that a marriage was between the man and woman involved. Still, it was hard to swallow when he knew this was a wedding that was never meant to be.
Glancing around, he looked for a place to stash the piece. Spying a likely spot, he buried it deep. After the wedding, he’d find a way to return the brooch to the Rose family.
In the meantime it was time he got on board and supported his friend.
* * *
“Hey,” Lindsay called out to Zach where he still sat sipping coffee on the terrace. “I’m doing laundry today. I’m going to grab your stuff.”
She went into his walk-in closet and gathered up the items in the hamper. There wasn’t that much and she could easily handle it with her things. Something thumped to the floor as Zach filled the doorway.
A crystal brooch, two hearts entwined side-by-side, lay on the brown-and-rust rug.
Heart racing, she blinked once then again, hoping—no, praying—the view would change. Of course it didn’t. Christina’s brooch lay on the floor at her feet.
It had been hidden in Zach’s dirty laundry. Because it was his dirty secret.
Pain bigger than anything she’d ever suffered tore through her heart.
“Lindsay.” He stepped into the room that had seemed so big a moment ago but was now tiny and airless.
“You found the brooch.” As if it might bite, she backed away from it. A heavy ball of dread lodged in her gut.
“Let me explain.” He reached for her.
She pulled away from him.
“What’s to explain? You kept it from me. Hid it.” Rather than look at him, she stared down at the crystal pin. The silver was tarnished, a few crystals were missing; a beautiful piece ravished by time. It would need to be repaired before it could be worn again.
She lifted anguished eyes to his. “You lied to me.”
“I didn’t lie,” he denied. “I just didn’t reveal I’d found it.”
“How is that not lying when our whole purpose for being there was to find the brooch?”
“You have to understand, I just want the two of them to stop and think about what they’re doing. A lucky pin is a joke.” He bent and picked it up. “This is a bandage at the best and a crutch at the very least.”
“I understand perfectly.” Her stomach roiled as nausea hit. She circled to the left, wanting out of the closet without touching him. “You haven’t been helping me at all. You’ve been using your position as best man to spy on the wedding preparations. Oh, oh.” As realization dawned, she retreated from him. When her back hit the wall she sank and wrapped her arms around her knees.
“It was your fault. I thought you were confessing because you felt bad. But it was your fault. You knew exactly what you were doing when you hired Fabio—or had a good idea, anyway. It was all you.”
He went down on his haunches in front of her. She shrank away from him.
“Lindsay, this wasn’t about you. You were never meant to get hurt.”
She closed her eyes to block him out. “Go away.”
“You have to listen to me.”
“I can’t believe anything you say.”
“Antonio is a good guy. Always thinking of others. He’s kept up with his duties while working in America. He’s invested in a lot of businesses here, supported charities. Now he’s giving up his life to be king, devoting his life to his country. He deserves to be happy. He has the right to choose his own wife.”
“It’s his life, Zach. He made his decision. He trusted you.” She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “I trusted you.”
“You don’t understand” He rolled forward onto his knees. And still he loomed over her. “There’s more at play here.”
“I don’t want to understand. I just want you to go away.”
I can’t.” He sounded as if he had a mouth full of glass shards. “Not until I fix this.”
“You can’t fix this.” She shook her head sadly. These past few days with him had been so perfect; a paradise of working and living together. Finding time to escape for a drive or some loving.
But it had been a fool’s paradise.
“There’s no undoing what’s been done.”
“There has to be.” He reached for her.
She flinched from him.
His hand curled into a fist and fell to his side. “After the deal with the palazzo grounds I stopped. I saw how upset you were and I couldn’t be responsible for that. You were never meant to get hurt.”
“Stop saying that. What did you expect to happen when a wedding I was planning fell apart at the seams?” How could he possibly believe she’d come out of the situation unscathed if the prince called off the wedding? She was right in the middle of it. Especially with all the little things that had gone wrong. Starting with him sitting on the wedding gown.
Oh, God.
Had he sat on the dress on purpose? Had he known even then who she was and planned to use her all along?
“No, of course not,” he responded, revealing she’d spoken aloud. “I had this idea before I left home.” He rubbed the back of his head in frustration. “I didn’t know who you were when I boarded the plane. This wasn’t about you. It was about saving Tony from a lifetime of misery. The wedding planner got paid either way. But I got the opportunity to save him.”
Fury drove her to her feet. “You think I’m worried about getting paid? Damn you.” She stormed from the closet, not stopping until she reached her room. Yanking her suitcase from where she’d stored it, she opened it on the bed and began dumping in clothes.
Of course he followed her. For such a smart man, he knew how to do stupid real well.
“Do you think I work for a paycheck? Is that all your work is to you? I bet not.” She emptied the drawers into the case and went for her shoes. “I take pride in my work.”
The shoes didn’t fit. She forced herself to stop and fold. She would not come back here. She went into the bathroom and grabbed what toiletries she’d left down here. She clenched her teeth when she thought of the items now occupying space in the master bathroom. He could have them. No way was she going back in that room.
He still stood in the doorway when she returned to her room. His shoulders drooped and his features were haggard. He looked as though he’d lost something precious.
Good. He’d pulled her heart from her chest and stomped on it. Let him suffer.
“I take satisfaction in giving the bride and groom something special, a day they can look back on with pride and happiness.”
She closed the suitcase, pushed on the lid a couple of times to mash it down and then started zipping.
“There’s more involved than arranging the flowers and cuing the music.” With her suitcase closed, she yanked it from the bed and pulled up the handle. Finally she lifted her chin and faced Zach. “But then, I know you don’t put much
value in what I do. I really should have listened when you said you hate big weddings.”
“Lindsay, no—”
“What did you say?” She talked right over his protest. “Oh, yeah, the couple needs to distract the crowd because they’re marrying for something other than love.”
“Don’t do this. Don’t leave. I didn’t mean you.”
“Oh, and let’s not forget, love is a myth best left to romance novels.”
He groaned.
“No, it’s good this happened. Foolish me. I believed I was falling in love. It’s so good to know it’s just a myth. In a couple of days I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
She passed him in the doorway, making certain not to touch him. “But you should know there’s nothing fake about what I do. I put my heart and soul into my weddings. And the couple doesn’t walk away empty-handed. I make memories, Zach. I intend to give Antonio and Christina a spectacular wedding to look back on.”
She turned her back on him and walked out. “Stay out of my way.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
AFTER SEVERAL DAYS of brooding, of waffling between righteous indignation and hating himself for the pain he’d caused Lindsay, Zach finally came to the conclusion the first was really no justification for the second.
She still used the sunroom as her workshop, but mostly Serena worked there and when Lindsay did come by, she kept the doors locked; a clear signal for him to stay out.
As he had for the past two evenings, he sat in the shadows of the patio, waiting to catch her when she left for the day. Hoping today she’d talk to him. He hadn’t seen her at all yesterday and his chest ached with missing her.
In such a short time she’d burrowed her way into his affections. Watching her work fascinated him; the way she gathered a few odd items together and made something beautiful. Her expression when she concentrated was so fierce it was almost a scowl. Many times he’d wanted to run his thumb over the bow between her brows to see if her creative thoughts might transmit to him and show him what had her so enthralled.
The Best Man & The Wedding Planner Page 15
