by RG Alexander
“I’m glad you told me. Trudy is stronger than anyone thinks but, yeah, there’s no reason to tell her until after the wedding. What about you? Are you really okay?”
Jefferson sighed in frustration. “Man, I love you like a brother, but let’s table the male bonding for now. We can pick it up after your honeymoon.”
He got to his feet and straightened his jacket. “There is a woman in a white dress waiting for you to take her hand. One you’ve loved since she was seventeen and you were a dirty old man. There’s also a bun in the oven, so it’s past time for you to seal the deal.”
The expression on John’s face was everything he could hope for as an older brother. He’ll never leave her, Jefferson thought. John Brown would never let his sister down or give her reason to doubt how much she was loved.
That was how love should be.
***
“Caroline, are you sure this is waterproof?”
Mascara wand in hand, Caroline grinned as she looked down at Trudy. “Pregnancy has obviously given you amnesia, Tru. Do you remember who you’re talking to? You couldn’t be in better hands.”
Caroline had been running all morning. A house full of women, most of them wanting her to help them with their hair and makeup, get a scuff mark off a heel or pin a broken strap. She didn’t mind. She needed to keep busy. As long as she kept moving she wouldn’t have time to think. Thinking was bad. Thinking always led to Jefferson and what would happen after the wedding.
But she pushed all that aside to focus on Trudy. This particular face was the one she’d been waiting to get to. “I’ve always been jealous of your lashes. If you knew what I went through to get mine to look like this, well you’d laugh. And your hair… I can’t wait to see the look on his face when you come walking down the aisle. Your big man will lose his mind.”
Trudy’s curls had been pinned up beautifully, cascading like a crown of silk ribbons around her head. Delicate spiral tendrils framed her face and kissed her neck, and interspersed through her curls were the smallest white daisies Caroline had ever seen, with black centers to match the larger flowers of Trudy’s elegant wedding bouquet. The flowers were perfect foils to her honey-colored skin and dark hair.
Caroline sighed happily. She loved weddings. “I’m just about done. There. You are streak-proof and photo ready, my darling.” She turned Trudy around so she could see herself in the bathroom mirror. “What do you think?”
Trudy’s eyes were wide and her shimmering rose petal lips were trembling. “I think I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Luckily, I have no plans on letting you out of this friendship, so you’re safe.” She squeezed her shoulders. “Come on, let me get you into your dream dress.”
They left the bathroom and in minutes they were surrounded. Casey saw Trudy and started to cry and Dawn reached for her camera. Trudy held up her hand. “No pictures of me in my underwear, lady. I mean it.”
“You can’t blame Dawn,” Caroline laughed. “It’s very sexy underwear.”
And it was. Trudy had taken more time picking out what she was wearing underneath her gown than she had with the dress itself. Big John was going to enjoy opening his wedding gift.
Caroline let other women who’d flown in gush over Trudy for another minute before she took over her duties. “Dress time, girls. Move along and make sure we have everything we’ll need in the car.”
Glory stopped them before they got to the bedroom where the bridal gown and Caroline’s dress were both hanging. “I put Diego and Manly on usher duty. I should help, unless you need me?”
Trudy smiled, reaching for Glory’s hand. “Thank you. Go on ahead. You look beautiful in your dress, by the way.”
Glory pushed her long blonde hair behind one ear, almost self-consciously. “There aren’t too many reasons to wear a dress around here,” she joked. “God knows the bees wouldn’t mind, but I’d rather nothing go up my skirt that wasn’t personally invited. I figured I should take advantage of the occasion.”
Caroline studied Glory’s lavender sundress. Short with a sassy skirt and a figure-hugging bodice—that was a dress meant to catch someone’s eye. Probably two someones. “Take advantage. We’ll be right behind you.”
She got Trudy inside her room and went to work taking her gown off the hanger. “I don’t know where you got the idea for this design, Trudy, but this dress is just stunning.”
Trudy stepped into her dress and Caroline helped her slip it on, buttoning the tiny buttons on the neck of the backless halter. She was looking at herself in the full-length mirror Caroline had found and placed against the bedroom wall. She touched the lace of the scooped neckline.
“John told me the first time he walked up the drive with my dad, he saw me and fell in love.” She smiled. “I didn’t really believe him, but then he described the scene as if it had just happened. What song I was playing on the guitar. What I was wearing. Lemon-yellow shorts and a white lace halter top, he said. There’s no way I’m wearing shorts to my wedding, but I thought when he sees me in this, it’ll be like the first time all over again.”
Caroline had stopped buttoning. “You are an evil woman to make your maid of honor cry.” It was the most romantic thing she’d ever heard. “I hope he knows how lucky he is. You know I will personally kill him if he ever forgets. And then I’ll whisk you and the baby back to California and we’ll live happily ever after in a cottage by the sea. As long as there’s a mall nearby.”
“I’ve really have missed you, Caroline.” Trudy’s voice wavered. “I know this isn’t your favorite place but you’ll visit right? When the baby comes? Birthdays? I want him to know his Auntie Caroline.”
“He might be a she.” Caroline zipped up the skirt and adjusted the folds of the white silk so Trudy wouldn’t know how much her words affected her. “And I’ll be back so often your husband will need to build another house just for me. He likes building houses. Remind him I need extra air conditioning to survive.”
Trudy nodded, studying Caroline in the reflective glass. “Jefferson’s upset.”
Caroline sighed. “I know.”
“You’re going to have to talk to him.”
“I know that too. But it won’t be today.” She looked at Trudy in the mirror through eyes swimming with tears. “Oh, honey. Look at you.”
“I know.” Trudy had a shocked expression on her lovely face. “I look like I’m getting married.”
“You do. Let me slip into my dress so we can go.”
Caroline blinked away her tears as she put on the dress they’d picked out together. A backless halter like the bride’s but without the lace or the boning. It was the color of rich red wine to contrast with Trudy’s white. Her hair fell in thick waves past her shoulders, one side clipped back with a single white daisy to match the larger flower she would carry down the aisle. She did a little twirl for Trudy, looking over her shoulder at her tattoos in the mirror.
“Am I appropriately scandalous? All the best maids of honor are. Will the good Reverend Stein forget that he is good?”
Trudy chuckled. “Just scandalous enough. You look perfect. Everything is perfect.”
Not everything. But Caroline couldn’t think about herself now. It was Trudy’s day. She couldn’t wait to watch her friend’s happy ending unfold. “Let’s go get married!”
“Everything was perfect,” Sandy gushed. “It was like a fairytale. That pergola covered with flowers. The violins. And her hair. How did you get her hair to do that? You have to tell me your secret.”
Caroline smiled politely at the hair stylist. “I toured with KISS.”
“Kiss?” The skinny woman frowned. “Is he the one who wears eyeliner and does that wedding show?”
Really? Caroline kept smiling. “I think so. I also think the caterer is trying to get my attention. Enjoy your evening.”
Walking across the temporary dance floor that had replaced the chairs following the wedding, she headed toward the appetizers. She glanced up at
the large trees around them, satisfaction relaxing her shoulders when she saw the sea of paper lanterns dangling above. The sun was setting, and when it did these lights would set just the right mood for the outdoor reception.
The wedding had been flawless. So far everything had gone off without a hitch. And the bride and groom were blissful, which meant all that work had been worth it.
John’s reaction was everything a bride could hope for. Caroline swore that for an instant she’d seen tears in his eyes. He’d written his own vows and Trudy had as well, along with a song she’d been working on in secret to surprise him. Caroline doubted there’d been a dry eye at the wedding as the Adams’ very old housekeeper, Margery, had been walked to the front by her tall, proud son to sing it while one of their friends from California picked out the tender chords on Trudy’s old, beat-up guitar.
Between her subtle crying jags, Caroline had struggled to keep her eyes off Jefferson. It was harder than she wanted to admit, especially when she’d been walking up the aisle. Their eyes had met and everything else had disappeared.
He was impossibly handsome in his tuxedo, the thick waves of his hair for once not mussed or obscured by his cowboy hat, his face clean-shaven. Just like the groom he was still wearing cowboy boots, but they were polished, like the rest of him. Her heart skipped when he sent her a smile of admiration and one deep dimple appeared, just for her.
It took all her willpower not to walk straight into his arms and forget her doubts. One touch and they would fade away like they always did. But it wouldn’t last. It couldn’t. And she couldn’t set herself up for that kind of heartache.
She searched the crowd for Trudy and found her laughing with John’s arms around her, surrounded by well-wishers and friends. Her face was glowing. When she saw Caroline, she waved her over.
“The photographer says the light is perfect and we need more pictures,” she claimed when Caroline made it to her side.
“I’m ready.” She smiled up at John. “Then the deejay will expect you to dance with your wife.”
He groaned and shook his head, but he couldn’t seem to wipe the grin off his face. “Poor Trouble.”
A warm hand came to rest on her bare back, the rough pads of his fingers making her shiver. “Are we dancing or posing?” Jefferson asked cheerfully.
“Posing,” Trudy assured her brother, seeing the photographer and grabbing John’s hand. “Let’s get this over with so we can dance.”
Caroline let Jefferson guide her in silence, biting her lip hard to stop herself from reacting to his touch. The photographer led the foursome to a tree, with green hills and the brilliant pinks and reds of the sunset in the background. Texas did have beautiful sunsets.
And men who were hard to resist.
She smiled and started a silent mantra. Trudy’s day. Trudy’s day. But Jefferson was so close she could feel the heat from his body. He smelled delicious, and all she could think about was dropping to her knees and “kissing” him again.
Trudy’s day.
“This reminds me of our last photo shoot,” he murmured in her ear, moving closer. “We didn’t have as many people watching, but then again, we didn’t really care.”
Damn him for reminding her. She stood up straighter, focusing on the photographer’s instructions. But Jefferson was still talking. “That black dress I bought you was backless too.”
His hand caressed her spine, fingers curling around her ribcage and slipping beneath the fabric. “I love you in a backless dress, Caroline.”
Give me strength. “Smile, Jefferson. These are your sister’s wedding photos.”
“She speaks. And I am smiling. I’ll keep smiling as long as you stay right where you are.”
Dirty pool. “There’s no reason for me not to. You’re not bothering me.”
His fingers stilled on her skin and she held her breath. She was lying. Just being near him was bothering her. Not touching him was bothering her. Not telling him how she felt was—
“Caroline?” Trudy’s voice interrupted her spiral. “I wanted to get one of the two of us.”
Trudy’s day. She stepped away from Jefferson. “Only if I’m getting a copy.”
She held her best friend’s hand under her bouquet until the photographer nodded and when they were done Trudy wrapped her in a warm embrace. “Thank you,” she whispered. “It’s perfect. And so is your father’s wedding present. I can’t believe he made that for me.”
Caroline had given it to John and Trudy after the wedding, when most of the guests were filling their plates. Her father had started the small sculpture the day Caroline told him Trudy was engaged. He’d used a picture of Trudy and Caroline he had framed on his wall. In it, they were laughing and holding hands. That was what he’d recreated—two detailed hands linked together in stone. He’d sent along a copy of the picture, and he’d had a quote engraved on the base of the sculpture. “Ah, how good it feels! The hand of an old friend.”
Caroline wanted to cry every time she saw it. “He wanted to give you something special. He’s so happy for you, Trudy.”
The deejay announced the dance into his microphone and suddenly everyone was in motion again, the crowd waiting expectantly. John took Trudy onto the cleared dance floor and pulled her into his arms for their first dance as man and wife. After a few minutes of camera flashes and the pleased murmur of the guests, Caroline and Jefferson were announced and he took her hand and drew her into his arms beside John and Trudy.
He was holding her a little too close. Her body reacted instinctively, wanted to curl up into him, but she had to resist. “Jefferson, please.”
He pressed his lips to her temple. “Those words sound so much better when you’re naked.”
She forced herself to lean back and look at him. The taunting tone in his voice didn’t match the emotion in his eyes. She sighed. “We can’t do this now.”
“Then when?”
When I can look at you without my knees going weak. When I can tell you that we should just be friends for Trudy’s sake. When I’m not dying to kiss you. “When it’s not your sister’s wedding.”
Jefferson spun her around and they ended up beside the happy swaying couple. “Trudy?”
“Jefferson?” Trudy smiled blissfully.
“You know how much I love you and want your wedding day to be special, yes?”
“Of course. I love you too.”
He smiled tightly. “Good. Then you’ll forgive me while I steal your maid of honor and tie her up again until she tells me why she’s been avoiding me.”
Caroline watched Trudy’s mouth open in shock and felt her own cheeks flush. “Damn it, Jefferson.”
John glanced at Caroline and laughed. “Do what you have to do, brother. I understand.”
Jefferson’s smile was dangerous. “I knew you would.”
When he tossed Caroline over his shoulder she heard shouts of surprise and chuckling. Diego winked at her as if he knew a secret when she bounced by. John’s loud, wicked laugh made her lift her head in time to see him pull his new wife close and kiss her senseless, drawing the crowd’s attention back where it should be as everyone clapped and cheered.
It was probably a good thing she hadn’t caught the bouquet. She didn’t think something so beautiful should be used as a murder weapon.
Chapter Ten
He drove back to the main house in silence, which was fine with her. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say. She wanted to be angry. She should be angry. He’d hauled her away from her best friend’s wedding reception like a bag of feed.
She was angry, she assured herself. She was also anxious and hurting and undeniably aroused.
Crazy. Jefferson made her crazy.
That should be a giant red flag, shouldn’t it?
He turned off the truck and got to her door before she could open it, throwing her over his shoulder again as he headed inside.
“I can walk.”
Jefferson opened the door, ducking so she wouldn�
��t bump her head. “I’ve seen you walk. Hell, I’ve seen you do it in heels that would break lesser ankles. It’s impressive.”
She sighed and slumped against him. “I get it. It’s funny because you’re an ass.”
He chuckled as he climbed the stairs, but he didn’t respond other than placing one hand firmly on her ass. She shivered. Not fair.
When they got to his room he tossed her so forcefully on his bed she bounced before scrambling up onto her knees to confront him. He closed and locked the door, undoing his tie as he turned to face her.
“We can’t just have sex.” Her body wasn’t a fan of that sentence, but she felt it needed to be said.
“Because you’re trying to keep your distance? You should try calling me Junior again. That worked so well before.”
He always saw right through her. “Because I’m trying to be smart.”
“We can talk about it later.” He had that voice again. The one she couldn’t resist. “Right now I want you to grip the headboard.”
He moved closer and she scooted back on the bed, her heart racing. “What if I say no?”
Jefferson took off his jacket and shirt and dropped them on the floor. “You won’t say no. You don’t want to say no. You want to lay back and grip that headboard, because you know when you do I’ll reward you for your obedience and make you come.”
Oh God. She licked her lips as she watched him open the drawer beside the bed and pull out a pair of handcuffs.
“Caroline?”
She leaned against the pillows in the middle of the bed and slid her hands through the wide slats of the headboard.
“Good girl,” he praised, cuffing her so she had no choice but to grip the wood and wait for what came next. “Now tell me, is it true that bridesmaids never wear their dresses again? It is pretty, but I like you better in black.”
