Dream Wedding

by Susan Mallery

  The rest of the lecture passed in a blur. Afterward, the three women made their way to the reception. Aunt Charity and Cassie would stay an hour or so, then leave. Chloe would be there until Arizona told her he was ready to duck out, then together they would head over to his hotel.

  She’d just filled her plate from the buffet line when one of the administrators from the university came up beside her.

  “Ms. Wright, isn’t it?” the elderly gentleman asked. “I’m Dr. Grantham, a vice president at the university.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Chloe said, not quite sure why she was being singled out. “Yes, I’m Chloe Wright.”

  “Please.” He motioned to a table off to the side. “If you have a moment, I would like to speak with you.”

  “Sure.” The hair on the back of Chloe’s neck prickled. She had a sudden premonition that she wasn’t going to like what this man had to say. She glanced around, then spotted Cassie and motioned that she would be joining her shortly.

  When she and Dr. Grantham were seated, he gave her a disarming smile. He was older, with white hair and thick white eyebrows. He looked like an English peer.

  “Yes, well, this is a bit of a delicate thing. I hope you don’t think I’m intruding or prying. This is about our mutual friend, Dr. Smith.”

  Chloe put her plate on the table. Her stomach tightened around the knot forming there.

  “What about Arizona?” she asked.

  “The university has offered him a full professorship. We think a man of his experience and talent would be a great addition to our faculty. We included a generous package with plenty of time off so he could continue to explore the world.” Dr. Grantham’s mouth straightened. “Much to our disappointment, Dr. Smith turned us down.”

  Chloe told herself to keep breathing. That the tightness in her chest and throat was just shock and not an actual seizing of her body. She wasn’t going to die…it just felt like it.

  “You offered him a job?”

  “Yes. He was very polite, but said he wasn’t interested in settling in one place.” Dr. Grantham gave a humorless laugh. “I can only imagine how many other institutions have offered him as much or more. I don’t suppose we ever really had a chance, but we had to try.”

  Chloe nodded. They had to try. They’d failed. Just as she would fail if she asked him to compromise so they could maintain their relationship.

  Relationship! What relationship? She was simply a convenience to him.

  “I was hoping,” Dr. Grantham continued, startling Chloe, who had nearly forgotten the other man was still sitting at the table, “perhaps you could have a word with him. I’ve noticed you two seem to be particular friends. You might be an influence.”

  Chloe bit back a choked gasp. Particular friends. It was a gentle phrase from another time. She was willing to admit that she and Arizona were friends. Of course they were. They had fun together. They were lovers. She was in love with him. But she had no influence over him. Nor did she have the courage to tackle the subject. Not now. Not when she’d just found out that he’d been offered a chance to stay in her world and that he’d refused it. He couldn’t have spoken more clearly. When his time here was up, he wanted to leave her.

  She didn’t doubt that he cared…in some way. In his way. After all, he’d warned her from the beginning that he didn’t believe in love. She shouldn’t be surprised that nothing had changed. She’d been the one to break the rules, not him.

  “I don’t think I can help you,” she said stiffly as she rose to her feet. “Arizona is his own man.”

  “I see.” The elegantly dressed Dr. Grantham suddenly looked like an old man.

  Chloe fought against guilt. Wasn’t it enough her heart was breaking? Did she have to be responsible for the university, too? She sucked in a breath. “I’ll do what I can,” she said. “I’ll say something to him. But don’t expect a miracle.”

  Dr. Grantham beamed and shook her hand. “We’ll appreciate anything you can do.” Then he rose and left her.

  Chloe stared after him. She would keep her word and mention the offer to Arizona, but she knew it wouldn’t matter. Nothing mattered except the fact that in two days, Arizona would be out of her life forever.

  * * *

  “DR. SMITH, MY wife and I have enjoyed your lecture series so much,” the older man was saying. “You bring your experiences alive. We feel as if we’d been there, don’t we, honey?”

  His wife smiled. “Yes, indeed. William and I were just saying that we should travel more. Maybe Egypt or Africa. What do you think, Dr. Smith?”

  “There are advantages to both,” Arizona told them. “Go through a reputable travel agent and confirm everything in advance.”

  The couple nodded eagerly and started talking about pyramids versus photo safaris. Arizona felt his attention drifting as he glanced around the room. He knew what he was searching for…make that whom. Chloe. Always Chloe. Normally he enjoyed the “meet and greet” part of the evening, but for the past couple of nights he’d wanted to run out directly after his lecture, grab Chloe and escape to his hotel room. He wanted to be alone with her, not talking to all these people.

  He tried telling himself it was just sex, but he couldn’t buy it. He’d had lovers around before and he’d always been able to focus on what he was doing. In fact if Chloe told him they couldn’t make love that night, he would still be as anxious to get her alone. Yes, he wanted to touch her and hold her, but he also wanted to talk with, spend time with her. Be in the same room, listen to her laugh, watch the light in her eyes.

  He scanned the line for the buffet, then saw Cassie and Charity sitting at a table. Chloe wasn’t with them. He frowned and continued to search, at last spotting her in the company of Dr. Grantham. The courtly older gentleman had approached him just yesterday, offering him a position at the university. The offer had been generous, and were he a different kind of man, he might have considered taking it and settling down here.

  The long line moved forward a little and he greeted the next couple. They had a few questions about his lecture. He answered them easily and again found his attention wandering.

  Chloe was so damn beautiful, he thought. Tonight she wore a simple black dress. Short sleeves, scooped neck. The style didn’t hug her body, but it was formfitting enough to be a distraction. She was shaking hands with Dr. Grantham, then returning to her sister and aunt.

  He watched her walk across the room, her hips swaying gently, her body calling to his. What was there about her that drew him? Why did he have the feeling that leaving this time was going to be more difficult than in the past? He knew he couldn’t stay. He came from a long line of men who abandoned those they were supposed to love. First, his grandfather had walked out on his wife and son to pursue a life of adventure. While they had never wanted for material things, they’d been denied a husband and a father.

  The pattern had continued in his life. While his father had loved his mother to the point of obsession, he’d allowed his only son to be raised at first by strangers, then by the man who had abandoned him. Their family tree wasn’t a shining example of healthy family relationships.

  So where did that leave him? Wasn’t he smarter to avoid that which he couldn’t do well? After all, it had taken nearly thirty years for him to forgive his father. They had made tentative peace, but that wasn’t the same as actually making the relationship work.

  “So you really believe in all this magic nonsense?” a gruff man was asking.

  “Of course,” Arizona replied easily. “How can we not? There are many things on this earth that can’t be explained.”

  The other man grunted. “I’ll admit you tell a good story, but you’re not going to make a believer out of me. I believe in what I can see, touch, taste or smell.”

  “Oh, Harry,” his wife said, then tapped his arm. “That’s ridi
culous and you know it. You believe in God.”

  “That’s different.” Harry stiffened slightly. “A man’s supposed to believe in God. It’s in the Bible.”

  “My point exactly.”

  “Not the same thing at all,” Harry told her.

  “You believe in love,” Arizona said. “You love your wife and your children.”

  “Of course.” Harry narrowed his eyes. “What kind of man would I be if I didn’t love them?”

  “But you can’t see, taste, touch or smell love,” Arizona pointed out.

  “Touché, Dr. Smith,” Harry’s wife said, then linked her arm through her husband’s and led him away.

  Arizona stared after them. He’d met many men like Harry in the course of his travels. Men who wouldn’t believe in what they couldn’t prove. But magic and the unexplainable were everywhere. One only had to be open to the idea.

  How can you claim to believe in magic, when you ignore the biggest magic of all—the love people have for each other?

  He tried to dismiss the voice in his head along with the question. That was different, he told himself, and knew he sounded just like Harry.

  He sucked in a breath. Was that what this came down to? His belief in love? Was that what was happening with Chloe? Was the reason he couldn’t forget about her and always wanted to be with her because he cared about her? Was it growing into more than caring?

  The reception line finally ended. Arizona headed over to the bar and got himself a drink. As he sipped, he looked for Chloe. But instead of seeing her, he saw the people in the room and realized most of them were couples. What was it that bound two people together for a lifetime? The concept of marriage was as old as man. He’d traveled enough to know it was fairly universal. He’d seen dozens of couples who had faced great odds to be together, who were still together after several years.

  “You’re looking pensive about something,” Cassie said as she, Chloe and Charity joined him.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Good.” She gave him her pretty, open smile. “The lecture tonight was even better than last night, and I didn’t think that was possible. You’re really gifted. Do you ever speak at schools?”

  “Frequently. Kids are the best. They always have at least one question to stump me.”

  Cassie giggled. “I know what you mean. At the preschool where I work, every kid’s favorite question is ‘why?’ Sometimes I can’t think of an answer. I don’t know why water is wet or dogs aren’t bendy when you pick them up like cats are.”

  “Cats are superior animals,” Charity said.

  Cassie shook her head. “They are not. Dogs love people, cats tolerate them.”

  Arizona turned toward Chloe and found her watching him. He wanted to get lost in her dark eyes and never find his way out again. He wanted to tell her all he’d been thinking and find a solution together. Which was crazy. He refused to get seriously involved, and Chloe didn’t want to put herself on the line again. So there was no need to talk about anything.

  Except when he thought about leaving Bradley, he thought about a beautiful woman with a giving soul and a stately Victorian house that one could easily call home.

  * * *

  THEY WERE THE only people in the elevator. Even though Chloe had been to Arizona’s room dozens of times, she found herself oddly nervous. Which was crazy.

  “Come here,” he said when the door closed and they started their ascent.

  She stepped into his embrace and welcomed the feel of his mouth on hers. Instantly, her body was ready for him. Heat filled her as her breasts swelled and that secret place between her legs dampened in readiness.

  “You’re amazing,” he murmured as the door opened on his floor and they broke apart. “I can’t get enough of you.”

  If only that were true, she thought. Then he wouldn’t leave. But there was no point in wishing for what could never be.

  “Cassie was right,” Chloe said as she stepped into his suite. “Tonight’s lecture was better than last night’s. I don’t know how you come up with so many entertaining stories.”

  “It’s a gift,” he said as he turned on several lights. “I don’t think I can take credit for it. I’ve always told stories. The difference is this time I’m at a podium instead of sitting around a campfire.”

  His description matched what she’d been thinking earlier that night. They had much in common—they even thought alike at times. In many ways, she knew him better than she’d ever known anyone before.

  She opened her mouth to tell him that, but what came out instead was not what she’d had planned. “I spoke with Dr. Grantham,” she told him.

  “I saw you two talking,” he said as he crossed to the small refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of white wine. “We had lunch yesterday. He’s quite the scholar. I liked him very much.”

  No surprise there, she thought. They would have a lot in common. “He told me they’d offered you a job.”

  Arizona had reached for a wine cork. Now he placed both on the coffee table and crossed to stand in front of her. He took her small handbag and put it on the sofa, then linked his fingers with hers. He was tall and handsome. His green eyes glowed with fire and with concern.

  “We should probably talk about that,” he said.

  “There’s nothing to say, is there? After all, you turned him down.” She tried to keep her voice steady, her tone light. She didn’t want him to know she was starting to hurt. At first she’d been numbed by confusion, but now the pain filled her. He was really going away and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

  “It’s not that simple, Chloe. You know that. There are a lot of reasons I would like to stay…”

  “But more reasons to go,” she said, finishing his sentence.

  His mouth twisted. “Yes.” He raised one hand and cupped her face. “You are so beautiful. I’ve enjoyed all our times together. If I had ever thought about staying, it would be now. With you.”

  His words were a cold comfort. She had to clear her throat before she could speak. “But you can’t.”

  “No, I can’t stay.” He pulled her hard against him. His arms came around her body, and she clung to him.

  “Please understand,” he said. “It’s not about you. I come from a long line of men who leave and I don’t know how to do anything else but what they’ve taught me. I don’t make promises I can’t keep. I’m not sure I believe in love.”

  She told herself that he’d progressed from definitely not believing to not being sure, but it wasn’t enough. “I don’t believe in magic,” she whispered against his shoulder and closed her eyes as tears blurred her vision.

  “We have tonight,” he said. “And the time until I leave. Is that enough or do you want to go now?”

  She wished he wasn’t a gentleman. At least then when he was gone she could try to hate him. But he was. He reminded her he couldn’t give her more than a temporary relationship, then offered her a chance to leave if she had to.

  Chloe supposed that pride would insist that she stalk out with her back straight and a few stinging words to reduce him to dust. But she couldn’t. He’d never lied to her. From that first day, she’d known their relationship was only temporary. Nothing had changed…except for her feelings. But then falling in love with him had been her own stupid fault.

  So instead of leaving, she rose on tiptoe and pressed her mouth to his. If they only had a short time to be together, she would savor every second, commit it to memory and live on it for the rest of her life.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  THE LAST SHUDDER of his release ripped through him. Arizona groaned out Chloe’s name, then rested his head against her shoulder. Their breathing came in rapid gasps; they were both slick with sweat and tangled together. He wanted to stay like this forever.

  She
ran her hands up and down his back. “Thank you.”

  He raised himself up on his arms and gazed at her face. “Thank you. I have to admit, we seemed to have discovered a new level of intimacy. It’s almost as if we’re communicating with our bodies.”

  Her smile was content. “Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?”

  “Maybe, but I’ve never experienced it before.” He was doing a bad job of telling her what he felt, but how was he supposed to explain the sensation of his heart and mind being opened to her? That for those few minutes, when he was inside her and she clung to him, that they really were one…just like all those old sappy songs promised.

  “It’s amazing,” he said at last, knowing that didn’t come close to what he meant.

  “Well, you’re the one with the expertise. All those women in your background. I’ll just have to bow to your superior knowledge.”

  Her expression remained innocent, but the teasing in her voice gave her away. “You think you’re very smart, don’t you?” he asked.

  “No. I don’t think it. I know it.”

  “Oh, really. So what do you know about this?” He reached one hand down and started tickling her bare side.

  “No, Arizona, don’t!” Chloe wiggled and tried to get away, but she was pinned beneath him. She writhed. “Stop. You have to stop.”

  “Not really.”

  He shifted his weight all back on his legs so he could sit up and attack her with both hands. She retaliated, but he wasn’t feeling especially ticklish that night. He squirmed under her wiggling fingers, but didn’t have to pull away.

  She laughed louder, then shrieked, “Stop! Please.”

  He released her. “Only if you—”

  But she wasn’t listening. Instead she took advantage of her freedom to lunge for his feet. Arizona scrambled to get out of her way. He knew he was definitely ticklish there.