Jack’s whisper drifted across her cheek. “Taking notes?”
“Notes?”
He nodded toward the bride and groom who were waiting for the ring bearer to untie the ring from a shiny, square pillow. Elizabeth watched her nephew, Peter, fumble with the ribbons.
Jack nudged her. “Yeah, you look so serious.”
“Mind your own business.” It wasn’t much but it was all she could come up with under the circumstances.
At least he took the hint and turned away to fix his gaze on the couple.
How long did she have to stay?
Long enough to make sure everyone saw how in love she and Jack were. She leaned into his arm and tried to look happy for the couple and happy for herself.
—
After the bride and groom marched past, Jack got up and pulled Elizabeth to her feet. She avoided his gaze by smoothing away nonexistent wrinkles from her dress.
“Pretty ceremony,” he said. “Nice and short.”
“Right.” She straightened, forcing a wide smile. “That means we get to eat sooner.”
Behind him, someone gushed, “Aren’t they a great couple?”
Jack turned. Rebecca’s beaming face was inches away.
She pulled on one of the loose curls framing her face. “Wasn’t the candle lighting romantic?”
Jack didn’t miss the breathy sigh or the way she inched closer to him.
Wrapping his arm around Elizabeth, he replied, “To be honest, I didn’t watch much. I was distracted.”
“Distracted?”
He squeezed Elizabeth until her body meshed firmly with his. “By my date.”
Rebecca’s face clouded and her pink lips curved down. Jack took advantage of her silence to turn to Elizabeth. “Ready, honey?”
Instead of replying, Elizabeth directed her attention to Rebecca. “Are you here with someone?” she asked crisply.
Rebecca either didn’t get it, or she didn’t care about making a fool of herself. All she did was shake her head.
Elizabeth pointed at the aisle. “Don’t you want to greet the bride and groom?”
The other girl blinked. “Oh…yeah, okay.”
She scooted backward into the aisle and scurried away. Jack leaned over Elizabeth and grinned. “Boy, I didn’t realize you were so tough.”
“Did you see the way she was acting?” She rolled her eyes. “How ridiculous. You’re at least ten years older than her. I don’t even think she’s out of high school yet.”
He leaned over, nuzzling her earlobe. “I don’t care about her.”
“Whatever.” Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Let’s just go through the receiving line so we can get on with it.”
“Get on with it?”
“Yes.” Her face pinched together. “It, this…this whole evening.”
A smart, exciting woman like Elizabeth shouldn’t have to be torn up this way. He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “This is supposed to be fun.”
She tried to smile but it looked more like a nervous twitch. “I am having fun.”
He traced one of the slim straps of her dress with his fingertips, wondering, really, what was at the bottom of things. It had to be more than a case of jitters. Judging by her family’s matchmaking efforts, they had no idea what a catch Elizabeth was. Did they really think she was a hopeless spinster?
Absurd.
She had to know that wasn’t the case. He caressed her slim neck. “You don’t look like you’re having fun.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She shrugged his hand away. “All you have to do is pretend to like me. A lot.”
He stepped back to give her some space and look around. Only two other people were in the chapel, a mother hovering behind her toddler, her hands outstretched waiting to catch the boy if his shaky legs gave out.
“I don’t have to pretend to like you Elizabeth. You know how I feel.”
A flash of something passed through her eyes. Pain? Disbelief? Confusion? He could relate.
Within twenty-four hours Mandy’s mediation would be over and he’d be able to explain. They’d start fresh.
He took her hand, pulling her into the aisle. “Let’s go greet the couple. Then we’ll go find a nice glass of wine and a quiet corner.”
Chapter Fifteen
Outside, Elizabeth let Jack guide her toward the crowded church courtyard. A huge mob of relatives clustered around the bride and groom.
When she lagged behind, Jack laced his fingers through hers and led her to the end of the line. A bunch of her cousin’s girlfriends’ chatter filled in the lack of conversation between her and Jack. Tidy flower beds brightened the corners of the yard and she pretended to admire the careful arrangements.
The receiving line moved fast and soon Elizabeth found herself giving Kali a hug, the white mesh of the bridal veil scratching Elizabeth’s cheek, making them both laugh.
After they eased apart, Kali cast a quick glance at Jack, who was shaking hands with William, then leaned close to whisper, “Who’s the hunk?”
Elizabeth sighed. “His name’s Jack.”
Her cousin lifted an eyebrow. “How long have you two been together?”
Good question.
Jack stepped over to give Kali a quick kiss on the cheek.
“You mean my girl hasn’t told you about us?”
Kali cast Elizabeth an apologetic look. “We haven’t talked in months. That’s my fault, because I’ve been so busy planning for our move and the wedding…”
About three feet back to Jack’s left, Elizabeth spotted Great-Aunt Alice watching them with an eagle’s eye, so she leaned closer to Jack.
“I’ve been busy too,” she gushed, making a big show of rubbing Jack’s sturdy shoulder. “We’ll get caught up next time you’re in town.”
“Promise?”
“Hurry up,” Aunt Alice grumbled. “We older folks need to get out of the sun.”
Casting a smile at her grandmother’s sister, Elizabeth pulled on Jack. “Cheese and crackers? Some fruit?”
Instead of giving him time to answer, she led him to the long table covered with appetizers. He paused, she trotted off to the outdoor bar, calling over her shoulder, “Be right back.”
Jack loaded up two plates then caught up with her. With a glass of white wine in each hand, she followed him to a secluded table by the edge of a rose garden.
“Am I glad that’s over,” she mumbled, setting the drinks on the table.
“She seems nice, your cousin, Kali.”
Elizabeth took a sip of her wine and nodded. “My whole family is nice.” She groaned. “Maybe that’s the problem. They’re too nice.”
Jack laughed. The rich, heady sound made her skin tingle.
“Aren’t you nice, Elizabeth?” he asked with an annoyingly cute cock of his head.
Images of what they’d done on her balcony flashed through her mind. After that, she should’ve felt comfortable with his teasing. Felt comfortable with every part of him.
But. “We don’t really know much about each other, do we?”
He rolled the glass in his hand. When he lifted his face, she wanted to believe she saw a touch of regret in his eyes but she’d been wrong before where he was concerned.
“We know the things that matter.”
What a guy response.
Hot chemistry wasn’t everything that mattered. What about love? What about forever?
But those were her questions, not his. He’d done everything she asked and then some. There was no reason to be upset with him.
And it was going to be a long, grueling night if she didn’t knock the chip off her shoulder. “So, you’re from Ohio, right?”
“Yep.” He tapped his chest. “I’m a simple farm boy.”
A chuckle rumbled in her throat. The notion that simple described Jack Harley in any way was ridiculous. “I don’t think so.”
He made a show of examining himself. “No? What then?” His green gaze searched into her soul and she squirmed.
If only she could forget the way he made her feel. If only she could cast aside the longing he brought to life in her.
It was much too late for that. At least after the wedding reception, she’d never have to see him again.
—
Even with all he’d discovered about Elizabeth, the real deal about what went on in her head eluded him. Right then, as she sipped the wine and people-watched, he had no idea what she was thinking.
Frustration?
Excitement?
“Elizabeth! Elizabeth, my dear.”
Jack twisted to spot a woman tottering toward them. Close at her side, huffed a balding man who looked as though his number one hobby was sitting in a solid chair, brandishing the TV remote.
As Elizabeth stood to embrace the woman, Jack got to his feet. After introductions, Elizabeth said, “Aunt Rose, you look great as always.”
The woman fluttered in her lemon yellow dress and patted her husband’s matching tie.
Chester took her hand. “You came with Elizabeth?”
Aunt Rose closed in and pressed her palms to Jack’s cheeks, smacking her lips and shaking her head. “Now Rebecca told me you were a looker. If I were a few years younger, why…”
“Now, Rose, sweetheart.”
Jack heard the man’s voice but couldn’t move his head because dear Aunt Rose still held his face in her viselike grip.
“Don’t scare the poor son of a gun. He’s just met us all today. Give him a break or poor Elizabeth will find herself on the prowl ag—”
“Did you enjoy the ceremony?” Elizabeth said, effectively cutting the other woman off.
On the prowl? Again?
Thankfully, Rose dropped her hands to clutch them under her abundant chin. “Oh, beautiful. It was just beautiful. That girl, well, she looked as cool as the other side of the pillow but I know she had to be a nervous wreck inside.”
Uncle Chester nodded. “I remember you on our wedding day, sweetheart. It’s a wonder you made it through the night.”
When Aunt Rose giggled, Jack turned away. To his added horror, she continued her flirtations. “You sly old dog. Now stop or you’ll embarrass the young folks.”
The man puffed up his chest.
“Oh, lookie.” Aunt Rose pointed across the court yard. Kali posed under a row of low-branched trees. “They’re doing the pictures. Let’s go watch.”
Uncle Chester wrapped his thick arm around his wife’s middle. Rose’s comments about flowers and dresses drifted back as the two of them strolled off.
Elizabeth winced. “Sorry about that.”
“About what?”
“My aunt. She means well. It’s just that she…”
“Talks like a bad Southern slang dictionary?”
That got a laugh from her. “Exactly. I think she must come up with some new saying every time I see her.”
“Bless her heart,” Jack replied in his best Southern gentleman’s drawl.
Elizabeth smiled. That natural, sweet expression packed a hard punch. When she looked at him in that way he felt like he could do anything.
He moved closer and touched her chin. “When do we get to dance?”
Her smile faltered at his touch and she stepped back. “Excuse me, Jack. I-I’m going to um, go fix my hair.”
“While you’re gone, can I get you some more wine? More,” he grinned widely, then added, “cheese?”
She glanced at the empty glass in her hands. “Oh, I don’t know.” She passed it over and stalked off.
—
Elizabeth rounded a cluster of businessmen and half a dozen mom types holding babies. Why now, of all times would she be so affected by Jack’s charm? She’d managed to survive his passion and the way he made her body turn to flames, so why would his gentle teasing make her come undone?
Tears threatened to tumble down her cheeks. Blinking them away, she slipped into the amazingly empty powder room that led to the stalls. She slid onto one of the blue and white striped stools.
Her makeup looked exactly the same as it had a couple hours before but she busied herself with adjusting her eyeliner anyway. After that, she took her time applying her lip liner and lipstick.
“You’d better not leave that hunk of a man sitting alone too long.”
Elizabeth met her aunt’s gaze in the mirror. “Don’t you worry about him, Aunt Alice. He can take care of himself.”
“By the looks of things, he’s taking care of you as well.”
Elizabeth felt her cheeks redden. “I, what, we—”
“You’ve got a good one there, Elizabeth. Honestly, I didn’t think you had it in you but I can see by the way he looks at you. I read you wrong all these years.”
Despite her plan to ward off her family’s further matchmaking schemes, Elizabeth blurted out the truth. “We aren’t really a couple. We’re sort of friends.”
Her Great-Aunt tipped her head back and laughed. The raucous guffaw echoed off the metal stall doors. When the older woman saw that Elizabeth wasn’t sharing the joke she choked back her laughter to say, “Oh sweetie, you’ve got that all wrong. That man doesn’t want to be your friend.”
“What if I only want to be his friend?”
Aunt Alice pursed her coral colored lips. “Don’t waste a good thing.”
A good thing.
But she wanted more than a good thing. She wanted everything.
“He’s holding back on a commitment?”
So now, aside from being a match-maker, she was a mind reader?
“Don’t look so surprised, honey. I’m old, I’ve seen it all.”
Elizabeth replaced the cap of her lipstick and slipped the tube into her purse. “Maybe I’m not looking for a commitment.”
“I changed your diapers, Elizabeth Sewell. I know you. You want that. A woman like you needs that. None of that flitting around like little Rebecca for a woman like you. She’s a sweet girl but nothing like you.
“You’re a one-man kind of gal. That scares men. Just give him some time to get used to the idea.” Aunt Alice patted her back. “He’ll come around.”
With that last bit of advice, her aunt rolled through the short hallway of the bathroom and disappeared.
Obviously, her aunt wasn’t any better at reading people than she was at matchmaking. Jack didn’t love her.
Lust, maybe. Well, definitely. But not love.
—
By the time she got back to the table, Jack had Rebecca seated on one side and some redheaded teen on his other. The two young women were hanging on his every word, tipping their heads and batting their over-coated lashes. Wincing at the shrill bursts of the girls’ giggles, Elizabeth slid into the chair opposite Jack.
The two exchanged glances, then looked at Elizabeth. “Sorry,” Rebecca said. “We didn’t mean to steal your date.”
Ridiculous jealousy welled inside Elizabeth, so much so that she sat there speechless, eyeing each girl with disgust. She tried to swallow it back. He was an escort after all. His whole job was to be appealing.
Finally they noticed her continued stare and clamored to their feet. “I guess we can give him back now,” Rebecca laughed, her mouth twitching when she tried to smile.
Their sandals tapped across the brick walk as they scampered off, giggling and looking over their shoulders.
“A little rough on the poor girls weren’t you?”
“Rough?” Elizabeth scanned the garden to be sure they were gone.
“That look,” he said. “I’m surprised they didn’t melt right on the spot.”
Elizabeth smirked, trying to lighten the mood. “What are you talking about?”
Aunt Vicki sauntered out, clapped her hands and then, using some wide sweeping gesture that made her look as though she were trying to take flight, called, “Everyone please come in for dinner. It’s time to toast the bride and groom.”
Jack chuckled and grabbed Elizabeth’s hand. “Let’s go eat.”
Chapter Sixteen
J
ack shoved some discarded plastic cups aside and added his own to the stack on the tray. The guests had been dancing for hours and, even though the waiters were making a valiant effort to keep up with the trash, the cups and napkins continued to pile up. Elizabeth hadn’t been kidding when she’d talked about having a big family that loved weddings.
On the dance floor, his date had been moving from rowdy uncles to ill-at-ease cousins and friends of the family all night. He’d gotten his arms around her a time or two, but as soon as he’d got comfortable, some guy would come peel him off. Each time with a friendly smile but shouldn’t they know he wanted to dance with the woman he’d come with?
And dodging Rebecca was getting more difficult as the night wore on. The guests with small children had left a while ago, taking away the possibility of keeping busy chatting with the youngsters.
Loitering on the edge of the dance floor, the rowdy mob blurred in front of him. He craned his neck to catch the sight of Elizabeth’s blue dress. The lights on the dance floor made the icy cool fabric glow as it shifted across her skin, clung to her ass as she moved.
There was a word to describe the heat in his blood.
He hadn’t seen it coming, the timing was all wrong but there it was…
Explaining himself, telling her the truth, would never be good enough. Instead of listening to her heart, she’d get caught up in the words. Facts. That was her way. But there was more to her story.
Now he understood why she’d come to him in the first place. Her family’s matchmaking had filled her with doubt. They didn’t understand that her steadfast personality translated into passion and depth of character.
He had to show her how he felt. Once he’d done that, words wouldn’t matter. He had to make love to her. Tonight.
Enough waiting on the sidelines.
The man holding Elizabeth was taller and bigger than Jack but when he tapped him on the shoulder, he stepped back instantly. “Just cutting in. Thanks.”
With three, quick steps he maneuvered her into a dark corner. “That dress is killing me.”
“A friend of mine made me buy it,” she replied, her sharp breath making tips of her breasts strain against the delicate fabric.
He leaned in until her right nipple brushed against the lapel of his jacket. But being close to her wasn’t enough. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he was pounding into her hot sheath with long demanding strokes.
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