He wrapped his jacket around her shoulders.
“Thanks.” She smiled up at him in the dim light inside the freezer.
“Shall we?” He held up the balloon. “I’ve got one more minute.”
She nodded and they both took another hit.
“Batten down the hatches, ye scurvy dogs,” she cried.
“Aye, aye, cap’n,” he said.
“Uh . . .”
“You didn’t think this through very well, did you?” His squeaky voice didn’t carry much authority.
“My pirate repertoire is sadly lacking.” She gave him a fake pout. Her voice still high-pitched, she said, “See this is why spontaneity isn’t any fun. I could have had a whole script for us if I’d planned this.”
He took another puff of helium. “You don’t have to plan—”
Before he could finish, she was in his arms, pressing her mouth to his. The balloons made those funny noises as they flew around the freezer, forgotten.
He drew her close against his body using the lapels of his tux. She tasted like a little slice of heaven carved off just for him. Her body melded to his in all the right places. Her fingers tangled in his hair.
She’d kissed him. He hadn’t expected that. Every touch sent an electric jolt racing through his body. He wanted Julie. Potential swam around them thick and heavy like a blanket. One kiss, one night. Forget that. As infuriating and challenging and complicated as she was, he’d definitely need more than one night to figure her out. Maybe he wanted to see where this could go, beyond this kiss, beyond this wedding, or even beyond this weekend . . .
***
2 hours until ceremony
Spontaneity definitely had its perks. Julie’s heart was pounding so loud it had to be echoing off the walls of the freezer. What was she thinking? The freezer at a wedding, for goodness sake. With the drunk uncle, no less.
That was the problem. The minute she kissed Seth every thought flew out of her mind except the sensual feel of his mouth against hers. How well he fit against her. How she didn’t want this feeling to end.
Julie loved that initial rush of mutual attraction when there was every chance that you could fall in love. It was the best feeling in the world, especially when the person you were with felt the same. But even if Julie and Seth weren’t falling in love, the ride was worth the price of admission.
Even if it was starting to get in the way of her job . . . She was in control here. Only a few stolen minutes and then she’d get back to doing what she did best.
His hands spanned her waist, holding her against him. Too many layers separated their bodies. She grabbed his shirt and untucked it from his pants. Beneath the shirt his skin was warm and the solid muscle underneath it twitched beneath her fingertips.
He released her lips and kissed his way across her cheek to her ear. “Your hands are freezing.”
“I know.” She leaned back to look into his eyes. What she didn’t want was time to think. Because outside of this little room was a whole lot of stuff waiting for her. “Did you want me to remove them?”
“Hell, no.” He captured her mouth again, but this time his hands didn’t remain on her waist. Her breath caught as he undid the buttons to her jacket. His hands trailed over her blouse before he tugged it out of her skirt.
“I’ll warm yours,” he said and then slid his hands beneath her shirt to flatten against her back, “if you warm mine.”
She shivered and pressed closer. “Freezers really aren’t the best place for a tryst.”
“We’re trysting?” He laughed, his breath warm on her cheek. The coolness of his palm moved along her side.
She caught her lip in her teeth as his thumb grazed her nipple through her lace bra.
“How far do trysts go?” he whispered against her ear. His warm breath sent heat flooding into her center.
She laced her fingers into his hair and tugged his head back so she could look him in the eye. “As far as you want.”
He chuckled with approval as she jerked his lips down to hers. Everything faded into the background as they explored each other. Tongues tangling, hands caressing.
A loud crack filtered through her haze. A popping noise followed.
She pulled her head back and looked into Seth’s passion-glazed eyes. “Was that a champagne cork popping?”
“I didn’t hear anything.” He claimed her mouth again and her mind emptied of everything, but this moment and him, Seth, all around her. His hands cupped her bottom and pulled her against him until she couldn’t tell where he began and she ended.
The sensation was crackling through her, but the crackling noise was definitely outside of her body. The freezer suddenly filled with popping sounds and ice-cold slush splattered on Julie’s arm.
“What the—” she said.
As the noise escalated and the slushy ice sprayed, Seth pushed her back against the door and covered her with his body to protect her. But it was everywhere.
She could feel it in her hair and on her legs, sliding down into her shoes.
The door swung open behind them and they stumbled into the bright lights of the kitchen.
“Julie?!” Stacey’s voice was beyond shocked.
The entire kitchen seemed to have frozen in time. Every eye was on the freezer and Julie wrapped in Seth’s arms.
She pushed him off her before she remembered they were both rather . . . disheveled. She turned her back to everyone and used Seth’s body as a shield while she straightened her shirt and jacket. Seth was blocking her view of the freezer and it was obvious that he had blocked the majority of the slushy from hitting her.
“Are you okay?” she asked him. Just then a chunk of slush fell on her cheek, close enough to her mouth and nose that she could tell this wasn’t ordinary ice. “Is this champagne?”
Her gaze fell on every face watching her as horror washed over her. “Please tell me someone didn’t put the champagne in the freezer.”
“Last I saw it was in the kitchen,” Stacey said. “But that was over three hours ago. It only needs a few hours in the refrigerator to cool down, so I didn’t think anything of it.”
“Who put the champagne in the freezer?” Julie demanded. Her voice shaking with rage and probably a hint of hypothermia.
No one in the kitchen dared to speak or move. No one would look at her. And no one was taking credit.
“I did,” Seth said.
She spun around to see a remorseful expression on his face.
“You did?” Shock filled her.
He brushed the slush off his shoulder and onto the floor. It landed with an undignified plop. “Champagne isn’t supposed to explode in the freezer. I’ve done it a hundred times before without a problem—and trust me, I wouldn’t waste good booze.”
“Was this your plan all along? Distract me, so that the champagne would come out as slushy rather than sparkling, bubbly happiness? Because God forbid anyone have sparkling, bubbly happiness on their wedding day.” She could feel the hysteria welling within her.
“You and me have nothing to do with—”
“Seriously? Everyone knows that the potential is there for champagne to explode in the freezer. In fact, it’s pretty well-known that champagne should never be frozen as it ruins the taste!”
She shrugged out of his tux jacket and threw it at his chest. She’d risked ruining the wedding—not to mention her professional reputation—to mess around with him? Look where it had left her, soaked in champagne.
“Drunk Uncle Seth strikes again. Ha, ha, very funny. I guess you’re going to get your way and this wedding really will be doomed.” She didn’t let the pain show. She couldn’t. She had a wedding to make happen.
She turned her back on him. It was time to take control of this situation. She straightened her jacket and ignored the slush running down her leg.
“Stacey, please check with the caterer to find out if he has some champagne in his van.” She turned to the next person closest to the freezer. “Could you please find something to mop up this mess? Let’s get busy.”
The bustle resumed around her.
“Is there any champagne in the wine cellar?” Seth asked from behind her.
She couldn’t look at him. She didn’t know who she was more disappointed with . . . him or herself. “No. The lodge doesn’t stock it. That was the only box.”
She needed a few minutes to compose herself. Even though she hadn’t gotten the brunt of the champagne shower, she could feel little oozing drops rolling down her neck. Holding her head high, she made her way out of the kitchen. All she had to do was get to the bathroom and then she’d be free to breathe and figure out how to fix this.
Her hand had just touched the doorknob when she felt him close in on her.
“Julie?” His voice didn’t sound joyful or gloating. He sounded sorry, but that could be a side effect of getting hit with dozens of corks.
“I need to clean up and you should go clean up, too. You have pictures in the garden with the rest of the family and ushers. The groom will be expecting you.” She tried to control the anger pounding through her and keep her voice calm and professional.
“I didn’t want that to happen. If I had thought for a moment they would explode, I never . . .” His hand was heavy on her arm. “Please turn around and talk to me.”
“Why? So you can tell me how sorry you are?”
“Yes.”
She turned and glared at him. “This day was supposed to be perfect. It has to be perfect. And I’m not sure I can fix this.”
“No day is perfect, Julie. They can’t expect you to control everything.”
“God, you don’t understand.” She threw her hands up. “There has to be one day—if only one day—in a marriage, that exceeds everything else. That affirms that happiness exists. That is so beautiful and so special that when the lonely times happen, they’ll have something to cling to, to remember and cherish. It reaffirms the hope that the type of love exists where two people choose to share their love with everyone they know. They become two parts of a whole, and I get to help them do that.”
“That’s a beautiful concept, but there’s more to a marriage—”
“This is my fault. Because of me, this wedding is going to be ruined. I have to go.” She turned away from him and opened the door. “Go get cleaned up. You were supposed to be out on the lawn for pictures five minutes ago.”
Then she closed the door on him.
Chapter Eight
Julie did the best she could at fixing her hair and makeup. The champagne had gotten everywhere.
She took a deep breath and stared at herself in the mirror. This was what happened when she let loose and tried to have fun. She lost her damned mind. With his charm and sex appeal, Seth had seemed sweet, but it turned out he was just another jerk. She was so mad that she’d fallen for it that she could just scream.
But that would have to wait until later, alone in her apartment with her tabby cat. She had a wedding to save and less than two hours to do it.
She could do this. She straightened her shoulders and her jacket. Time to face the music.
Julie opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.
Stacey met her. “I’m waiting for return calls about the champagne.”
“Hopefully something can be done,” Julie said. “If not, we’ll be toasting with wine from the cellar and it’ll cost a fortune. What about everything else? Reception table decorations? The blown amp? The food?”
What should have been a ten-minute break had thrown her completely off her game. She wasn’t sure about anything right now.
Stacey looked up from her clipboard. “The decorations are finished. The caterer should arrive any minute, and everything is finalized for the ceremony and ready for the reception.”
Julie could see the staff preparing for the cocktail hour. Everything was working like a well-oiled machine. The wedding had gone on according to schedule. The schedule she’d set up, granted, but she hadn’t had to stand over everyone to make sure things got done. This is what came from her preparations—it was her dream. Perfection.
The smile slipped from her face. In the end it wasn’t chance that ruined the wedding. She had been the one who ended up ruining the perfection by letting a hot guy get the better of her.
Stacey stopped. “Are you okay? I know it’s none of my business, but the freezer . . . ?”
“I’m fine.” Julie forced a smile of reassurance. “Just a little sticky from the champagne, but once the reception gets underway, I’ll sneak upstairs to clean up a little better.”
“If you want to talk about . . . anything . . .”
Julie could hear what wasn’t being said. Or rather who wasn’t being mentioned.
Seth had told her he’d make sure something went wrong. He told her he would do it. She naïvely believed she could stop him by staying with him, by distracting him, but she hadn’t even considered what he’d already set into motion.
A little bluebird sat on the table next to the door to the garden. She stopped and stared at it. What if she hadn’t egged him on from the beginning? Sending him after imaginary butterflies? If she’d left him to his own devices, would he have felt the need to get so creative?
From his point of view, he thought he was helping those other weddings. What if what he’d originally planned was a lot less disastrous than a box of exploding champagne?
She’d let herself get so caught up in his flirtation that she’d messed up. It had felt so real. But was it just to keep her from finding the champagne? Had he really wanted to spend time with her? She’d practically thrown herself at him. She held her hand over the squeezing ache in her chest. Her lips still felt swollen from his kisses.
She shouldn’t be analyzing this now. She had a wedding to get through. Family to greet. She’d make the best of this situation, and maybe afterward she could try to make sense of the whirlwind attraction that Seth had awakened in her. Later she could deal with the consequences of trusting a guy who she never should have trusted.
***
Seth had a plan. He just hoped it wasn’t too late.
Across the garden, he saw just the coconspirator he needed. If there was anyone who could help it’d be her.
“Stacey?” he said as he approached Julie’s assistant.
The young woman spun on her heel with a smile ready, but as soon as she saw it was him, her smile faded. “Oh, it’s you.” Her lips pressed into a thin line of disapproval. “Is there something you need, Mr. Downing? Pictures are on the front lawn.”
Seth raked his hand through his hair and gave her his best I’m-sorry-I’m-an-ass smile. “I do need something. I need your help to make this right with Julie.”
“Ms. Winter is working a wedding right now.”
“Yeah.” He looked over his shoulder and saw Julie striding with purpose across the garden toward the photographer. Confidence oozed off her. “But back there, in the freezer, we had a moment—”
“I saw.” Stacey raised her eyebrows as if to say get on with it.
“Look, I really like her.” Seth thought back over the past few hours. Her smiles and laugh, that devious little mind of hers, her kisses. It had definitely felt like the beginning of something. Something he wasn’t ready to let go of yet. “And I think she liked me too.”
Stacey glanced down at her checklist. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I’m not exactly on her favorites list right now. I could use your help to patch things up.”
“It won’t be easy. Seeing her have fun for once, especially at a wedding, was fantastic.” She glanced over at Julie. “You’ll have to earn her trust back.”
“Would you help me?” He placed
his hand on her arm. “Please, Stacey?”
She raised a brow. “What’s in it for me?”
“How about a couple of cases of Cristal, chilled?”
“Where are you going to get that? The nearest town with champagne is an hour away.”
“Leave it to me. I’m not sure if I can get her to forgive me, but this is at least a start, I hope. Will you help me?”
Seth saw in her eyes the moment her inner romantic started to side with him. A weight lifted off his stomach. He wasn’t out of the woods yet, but hopefully he wasn’t lost forever.
“What do you need me to do?”
Chapter Nine
1½ hours until ceremony
“Are you sure, Stacey?” Julie said into the walkie-talkie as she walked through the parked cars looking for a black BMW. “I’m not even sure which car I’m looking for.”
Stacey cut in over the walkie-talkie. “Use the keys. Aunt Bea needs her heart medication, but all the family members are in the photo with her.”
“Keep the photos moving.” Julie shut off her walkie-talkie, making a mental note to stop by and tell the kitchen to prepare more hors d’oeuvres and break out a few more bottles of wine while people had to wait for the added time of picture-taking.
The car was toward the back of the grassy lot. Fortunately the keys had an auto lock that made the car beep, making it easy to find in the sea of black sedans.
She opened the passenger-side door and slid in, shutting it behind her to make sure no bugs got in. Checking the console and the glove compartment, she didn’t see a prescription bottle. That meant digging under the seat.
She set the keys in the middle console and reached under the seat. Nothing. She bent down and tried to reach back farther.
The car door opened and someone got into the driver’s side. Before she could look up, the doors locked.
“Hey!” She sat up to see Seth smiling at her. Of course he was smiling. He’d gotten everything he wanted at the cost of her professional reputation.
Seth held up his hands. “Before you yell at me, I got you something.”
This Wedding is Doomed! Page 6
