Honey swallowed hard and nodded, the anger draining away to leave her simply bewildered. "Yes," she whispered. His words caressed her, made her tingle. The memory of what they'd shared had her suddenly aching for his kiss, his touch.
As if he could read her mind, he pulled her into his arms and covered his mouth with hers, claiming her as his own in that simple act. His hands moved up under her hair to frame her face and Honey melted against him, accepting the tongue he offered and whimpering softly into his mouth.
"How could I ever forget you?" he breathed when they came up for air. "No woman has ever taken possession of my thoughts like you have." As he spoke, he traced the arch of her eyebrow with his thumb, ran his fingertips down her cheek and across her trembling lips. "I've wathed you walk through this courtyard a thousand times today, and each time I wanted to follow you."
He kissed her again, gently, tenderly working his way past her ear and down her neck. Weak kneed and shaking, Honey could do nothing but cling to his broad shoulders and press her aching body against his. He worked a thigh between her legs and she gasped as a flood of desire crashed over her, bringing back vivid memories of the night they'd spent together in the dark.
"I don't know how it happened but in one night you stole my heart. You're all I've been able to think about," he whispered.
His mouth was right at her ear, his hot breath making her feel lightheaded.
"You're all I'll ever want," he continued to whisper, his words and hands becoming more urgent, more demanding.
Honey closed her eyes and realized she was completely losing control of herself. How she had longed to hear those words, to have a man who wanted her, needed her with this much passion. When he unbuttoned her blouse and began kissing the tops of her breasts, she ran her fingers through his hair and moaned, low in her throat.
"We can't…we can't do this here," she heard herself saying.
"Then come back to my hotel room with me," he breathed, continuing this exquisite torture with his tongue and lips.
That snapped Honey back to her senses. "No," she said with more force than she meant to.
Max stopped and looked at her, concern showing in his handsome features.
"I mean. I can't do this," she reluctantly pulled out of his embrace and fumbled with the buttons on her blouse.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean…," Honey took a deep breath. "My heart was broken. It was over two years ago, but I can't go through that again. It hurts too bad. I can't have my heart broken again, and you seem to want more…Well, more than what I can offer."
"Honey, I would never, ever hurt you," he said, reaching for her.
"Max, can we please just start over? Can we just be friends for a while and see what happens from there?"
His gaze softened and he stroked her hair back from her face, ran his fingers down the bridge of her nose and across her lips.
Immediately Honey longed for him to kiss her again.
"Of course we can. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you in my life."
Honey signed with relief when he took a step backwards. If he didn't stop touching her, she was going to go insane.
"One condition," he said, placing both hands on her shoulders.
"What would that be?" Honey asked.
Leaning forward, he kissed her again. His lips lingered until she sighed and opened her mouth slightly. Then his tongue darted inside briefly before he pulled away. "I get at least one kiss daily from you."
Honey licked her lips. Nothing wrong with one harmless little kiss a day. "Deal," she said, not taking her eyes off his.
"I still have to take your picture for the brochure," he reminded her, breaking the spell.
If there was one thing Honey hated, it was having her picture taken but after laying down a few ground rules for him, he posed her and snapped the shots. After looking at them in the little window, she agreed that they were pretty good after all and gave him the go ahead to use them in the brochure.
Honey drove home, content and happy that she and Max had agreed to be friends for a while. She didn't know how long a "while" was but she had to be certain that their attraction for each other wasn't purely physical, and wasn't going to end in flames, no matter what he promised.
"What was that noise I heard in the bathroom this morning?" Keith Mitchell asked his daughter as they sat across from the breakfast table from each other.
"Noise?" Honey asked.
"Sounded like someone singing to me," he said, taking a sip of his coffee. "Haven't heard you do that for a while."
Honey blushed.
"Maybe someone's giving you something to sing about?"
"Maybe," Honey said.
Keith chuckled. "Good. My little girl spends much too much time alone with her wedding gowns. So, when do I get to meet him?"
"Dad, we're just friends. If, and that's a big if, it becomes more serious, you'll be the first to know," Honey explained as she picked up her purse and headed out the door.
Just before noon, she put a note on the door to let customers know when she would return and drove to the little café where Jess and she had agreed to meet. The busty brunette was already in a booth with a glass of tea in front of her. As usual, she was wearing one of the low cut, long flowing dresses she was known for. Her hair was perfect and her make-up looked like it was put on by an artist. She even had a sprinkle of glitter across her cheeks, just like she always did.
"You look pretty good for an invalid," Honey quipped when she slid into the booth opposite her best friend.
"You're not looking so bad yourself," Jess said with a wink. "Is that a little glow I see in my best friend's eyes?"
"Shut up," Honey said, cutting her off. She wasn't so sure that she should tell Jess about Max. Not yet anyway. At the same time, she knew if Jess kept prying, she'd give in and tell her everything. "Hey, Tracy came into the shop yesterday. Thanks for the referral."
"You're welcome," Jess said, sipping her tea, leaving smudges of lipstick on the straw. "They're good people."
"Yes, they are," Honey agreed. "And I think they might be interested in planning their wedding through all of the shops on Lover's Ring."
"Hey, now, I should get a commission on that," Jess said with a wicked grin.
Honey laughed just as their waitress appeared to take their order. After making their choices, the two friends talked about mundane things and then Jess apologized for standing Honey up the night she hurt her ankle.
"Really, it turned out okay," Honey reassured her.
"I'll be you turned right around, went home and buried yourself in your sketch book, didn't you," Jess said with a shake of her head.
"Actually no," Honey said quietly.
Jess nearly strangled on her tea. "What?"
Their salads arrived.
"The music was good and I stayed for a while. Had a drink. You know," Honey said as she poured dressing onto her salad.
"Wait a minute," Jess said, holding up both hands. "You actually had an evening out alone?"
"What makes you think I was alone?" Honey told her friend, suddenly bursting with her secret.
Jess just stared at her, forcing Honey to look up.
"I danced a bit," Honey confessed.
"With a man?"
"Of course, with a man," Honey told her, digging into her salad. "It was no big deal."
"You're lying," Jess said accusingly.
Honey did not look up from her salad as she took a sip of tea. "He's a wonderful dancer."
"And is he a good kisser, too?"
Honey nodded.
Jess's mouth dropped open but no sound came out.
"Before you say another word, I'm not going to give you the details. I know that's what you want. Let's just say that we've agreed to be friends for now," Honey explained.
"Do I know him?" she asked at last.
Honey shook her head. "He's new in town, and that's all I'm going to tell you. Now, eat your lunch while I pick your brain for
some ways to promote Lover's Ring. We're all struggling."
"I do have an idea," Jess began. "It's something that just came up."
"Let's hear it," Honey urged. "I think we're just about ready to try anything."
"The Bridal Expo at the mall is in danger of being cancelled because most of our vendors pulled out. Seems there is also one at a huge mall in the northern part of the state and they're all headed up there."
"The vendor fees are so expensive," Honey told her friend. "That's why we didn't jump on it in the first place. And the bigger wedding venues already had them tied up from last year."
"I might be able to get you guys a deal. Especially if you all go in together," Jess said. "It's worth a shot."
Honey finished her salad and the waitress refilled her tea glass. "I'll run it by our little group tonight."
Honey was glad Jess didn't press her further about Max. She just wasn't ready to talk about Max yet, afraid talking about him would jinx what might be the beginning of something important.
Finally, Honey helped Jess to her car. "Are you sure it's okay for you to be driving?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm not limping nearly as bad as I was," Jess said, sliding into her car. "I should be back to work tomorrow and I'll talk to the powers that be then."
"Okay," Honey said. "Call me."
"I will."
By the time Honey returned to her shop she had an idea that might just be the answer to all their problems.
***
When Honey returned to Lover's Ring, she raced straight in Karen's shop and excitedly told her the news about the bridal expo.
"If you can get everyone together this evening, we'll see what they think. It's pretty short notice, though," Karen said.
"I know, but I think Jess can get us a really good deal if we all go in together," Honey explained. "Let's at least talk about it and I think my idea is unique enough to get the public's attention."
"It's a wonderful idea but, Honey, I don't think a month is enough time to get everything together," Karen said.
"Let's see what everyone else thinks," Honey said, her hopes soaring.
She immediately went to her shop and sent an email to the rest of the shop owners on Lover's Ring. And within an hour she'd gotten a positive response back from all of them except Max. She stewed about that for a while as she made some sketches for the line of party dresses she planned on adding to her shop. Finally, she made up her mind and walked over to Dazzlers.
"Well, hello there, beautiful," he said, looking up from a ring he was repairing.
As usual, Honey's stomach filled with butterflies when their eyes met. She fought the urge to touch him and leaned against the counter. "What are you doing this evening?" she asked.
"Depends on what you're doing?" he replied with a wink. "Especially if we're doing it together."
"I have some big news," Honey began. "And I wanted to share it with everyone at the same time. We've scheduled a business meeting this evening," Honey said in a rush. "Please tell me you can make it."
"So it's business?" he questioned.
Honey nodded.
"Evidently it's exciting news," he said, coming around the counter.
"It is," Honey told him.
"I'll be there, then."
"Good. See you about six?" she said.
The scent of him lingered as she walked back to her shop and began making a to-do list.
"Sorry about the short notice," Karen said when everyone had gathered in her flower shop. "But Honey has a something I think we all need to hear."
Eduardo and Joseph sat cross-legged on the floor next to each other. Honey had pulled out chairs for the others but she was too excited to sit still. Tiffany patted the empty chair next to her when Max came in. He remained standing. As she paced, Honey almost wished he had taken that seat. He was making her nervous standing there, arms crossed, quietly watching her every move.
"You guys all know Jess, my friend who works at Westwood Mall," Honey began.
"Doesn't she do PR work or something?" Joseph asked.
"Yes," Honey said. "We had lunch together today and she told me that the vendors for the bridal expo have pulled out to go further north to a larger show," Honey explained.
"How does that help us?" Paul asked.
"She thinks she can get us in at a discount, especially if we all go in together," Honey explained. "It would be a really big shot in the arm for Lover's Ring."
"It would certainly let people know about us," Max agreed. "I've mentioned before that this location is sort of off the beaten path."
"My thought exactly, Max," Karen said. "Oh, but that's not all. Our Honey here has an even bigger plan."
All eyes were on her again. "A wedding," she said.
No one said a word. They all just waited expectantly for her to continue.
"A mock wedding. We could have a wedding at the mall with all of us participating in our particular expertise," Honey explained. Suddenly, she knew she had to convince them to try this.
"Who's getting married?" Joseph asked.
"I don't know," Honey began. "We'll hire models to wear one of my bridal gowns and to wear one of your tuxedos. I'm sure you know a few local models."
Everyone laughed.
"We'll have bridesmaids in beautiful dresses. Eduardo, you can do everyone's hair."
"I've already agreed to do flowers for the whole event," Karen said. "Paul, you can bake one of your spectacular wedding cakes.
"And, Max, that bride is going to be wearing one of your gorgeous diamond rings and maybe earrings."
As Honey talked, she grew more and more excited by her ideas. And when the others began nodding their heads, talking to each other and throwing out ideas, she knew this was going to work.
"Tiffany, you can print invitations," Paul said. "We'll get them out beforehand to make sure everyone knows about it."
Even Tiffany reluctantly agreed and suddenly everyone was talking at once, eyes glittering with excitement.
"How much time do we have?" Max asked, his deep voice bringing everything to a halt.
"One month from today," Honey told him.
"That's not much time," he said.
"We can do it if we all work together," she assured them. "I'm willing to help anyone who needs it."
"Me, too," Eduardo chimed in.
Everyone waited. Max was the newest member of the group and no one knew how he would react.
Finally he smiled. "Count me in."
They spent a while working out a few logistical details, deciding who would be responsible for what besides their own area of expertise. Tiffany knew a photographer from the newspaper who she could get to cover the whole event. Max volunteered to act as a liaison with the people at the mall and coordinate any construction or arrangements that needed to be made through them.
"Honey, Eduardo, Joseph and I will work on picking out colors and designs for the flowers and clothing," Karen said.
"And I have an idea for a wedding cake that I've never been able to try," Paul told them. "Here's my chance."
"Okay, then it's settled. I think we should get together every day or so to make sure we're all on schedule," Karen said, taking charge of the group again.
"And if anyone needs anything, please call one of us. We can do this," Honey said excitedly.
The meeting broke up then and everyone headed for their cars. Honey was about to get into hers when she looked up to see Max hurrying across the small courtyard where Tiffany stood holding the door to his shop open. Her heart skipped a beat as she marveled about the way his body moved so fluidly, even in a three-piece suit.
Later that night as she lay in bed replaying the day's events in her head, her cell rang.
When Honey saw that it was Jess, she answered it immediately.
"Hey, good news," Jess said. "I couldn't wait till tomorrow so I called the management company that owns Westwood Mall. It looks like it's a go on this end and I convinced them to cut the fees in
half."
"Jess, you are the best!" Honey exclaimed, sitting up in bed. "I have some news, too." Over the next few minutes, Honey told her friend about their plans for a mock wedding. She grew so excited as she talked, she was out of bed and pacing the carpeted floor without even realizing it.
"You only have a month," Jess reminded her.
"I know."
"Can you plan and execute a wedding in a month?"
"Hey, we're professionals," Honey told her. "Don't try this at home."
The two laughed and promised to get together soon to work out the details.
Honey had just laid back down when her phone chimed to alert her that she had received an email. She checked. It was from Max and immediately her heart began to race. With shaking fingers she opened the email to read the message. And then she began to smile.
"I didn't get my kiss today. You owe me two for tomorrow."
A little shiver of pleasure traveled up Honey's spine and spread outward, warming her whole body. Closing her eyes, she imagined she could still taste his last kiss, still feel his hands on her bare flesh. She drifted off to sleep hugging her pillow.
Over the next few days everything kicked into high gear. Tiffany already had proofs of the invitation she'd designed for this occasion. Eduardo and Joseph were busy interviewing and hiring models. Honey and Karen decided on shades of coral for the color scheme for the wedding all based on some beautifully colored roses Karen discovered she could get and Paul thought the colors would look wonderful on his wedding cake design which he seemed to be keeping a secret.
"That friend of yours is a character," Max said when he stopped by her shop one evening to get her okay on some plans he and Paul had put together.
Honey smiled. "She is that." She could picture the sexy, dark haired Jess interacting with Max, flaunting her assets and batting her long, fake eyelashes. "And quite the charmer when she wants to be."
She and Max were at the small table in the back of the shop where she did most of her sketches. After explaining what they were looking at, he caught one of her hands and kissed her fingers gently.
"I haven't had my kiss today," he told her, his soft, sexy voice rumbling through the small area.
Star-Crossed Curves: BBW Erotic Romance Boxed Set Page 4
