The Wedding Affair (The Affair Series Book 2)

by Suzanne Halliday

  “Thinking about turning this festive occasion into a graphic novel.” Ryan smirked at Kyle and gave him some stink eye for shits and grins. “I mean shit. Your planner deserves a gold medal for juggling so many balls.”

  Samantha grabbed his hand and wound around his arm as a gurgle of laughter came from her mouth. He liked how responsive she was. To him.

  “He’s right, ya know,” she teased. “When the others joined us, all the guys’ wives and Kyle’s publicist, I thought for sure that’d be the tipping point.”

  “Word!” Kyle barked with cheery amusement. “Especially since Barbara seems to get all of Steve’s attention. I thought Dolores was gonna crap her pantyhose when they rolled in here with tropical leis for everyone.”

  Andi smirked. “I’m surprised hers didn’t wither and die on the spot.”

  He stopped to consider the ramifications of Andi’s unpleasant relationship with her mother. Kyle was going to have his hands full. Ever since they were kids, neither one of them put up with bullshit. They weren’t the type. And especially not if it made people uncomfortable.

  All of a sudden, he felt bad for Andrea Frank. In all the time he’d known her and over the hundreds of times he’d seen Kyle and her together, she was always the picture of self-confidence. Happy and enthusiastic, she often said she lived a purposeful life. Being successful was one thing but also trying to do all the good she possibly could in a fucked-up world was what mattered most to his cousin’s bride. All of that was completely at odds when framed against the dark aura her mother gave off.

  “Did anyone notice Chuck and Theresa making out down by the lagoon?”

  Ryan quirked a happy smile when he heard and felt Samantha’s high spirits. He very much liked that she was a glass half full person.

  Ky cracked them up, though, when he waved them in close for a hushed comment. “They’re planting seeds. Shooting at the bull’s-eye. Aiming for the perfect stroke.” He wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

  Samantha, quite adorably burbled, “Whaaat?”

  “Samantha!” Andi snapped with a giggle. “Seriously? Girl, we need to talk about what’s on your Kindle and the content of your Tumblr.”

  She looked up at Ryan with genuine confusion. “Is this a blonde moment?”

  Jumping slightly when Ky slapped him on the back, Ryan barked, “Yo!”

  “Did you submit that perfect girl checklist you came up with ‘cause honest to fuck, Ry—this one’s a keeper!”

  He wanted to thump the stupid motherfucker for bringing up that damn checklist. Kyle was never going to let him forget about it.

  “You’re making fun of me, aren’t you? Andi! Tell them to stop. It’s not my fault I don’t always get the jokes.”

  “I think it’s the blonde reference bringing the laughter, babe,” he told her with absolute sincerity. “You look in the mirror, right?”

  “Well, yeah.” She pouted. “I’m not that dumb. It’s just a saying.”

  Andi moved in and swept Samantha away. He immediately missed the warmth of her body close to his.

  He watched as they twirled in a circle and did some Ya Ya shit he was sure his mom and Aunt Melanie would approve of.

  Women, he snickered silently.

  “I’m dead serious, man,” Ky drawled as they watched the girls and their antics. “Look,” he said while adjusting the lapels of his jacket. “Not gonna bother pretending Andi and I weren’t secretly hoping you two would hit it off.”

  Kyle’s expression when he looked at him was open and sincere. He knew damn well Ryan’s only setting was being the absolute master of his own decisions. An admission that meddling was in play challenged those control issues.

  And also made him pause. He asked the first question that sprung to mind. “She’s extraordinary, Ky. I’m guessing you know that, so why’d you wait till now?”

  “I don’t know.” Kyle shrugged and jammed his hands into his pockets. “Got complicated in my head, ya know? The first time I talked to her alone was when the idea that I should introduce you two started. She’s like my Andi—only different.”

  “Like us,” he added with a nod.

  “Riiight.” Kyle said it so solemnly, Ryan’s brows rose. “Exactly. They’re closer than sisters.”

  Yeah. He totally got it. “Like us,” he said again.

  “And. . .” Kyle snickered. “She has an uncorrupted quality I knew would float your boat. Samantha doesn’t give a shit about appearances and what people think. Hollywood didn’t break her, if that makes any sense. And she’s not trying to prove anything. Girls like that are rare, dude.”

  The girls slipped off their shoes and traded. The fashion pantomime was fucking hilarious and completely guileless. They were just two old friends having a giggle without any care for who saw them.

  “This could get complicated.”

  Kyle puffed up like a professor spouting the secret of the universe. “It’s already complicated, Ry. It got complicated when you zeroed in on Sam like a heat-seeking missile before you even knew who she was. But if I’m reading your reaction right, you’ll figure it out.”

  The sentence ended, but Ryan suspected Kyle had more to say.

  “Look, man, I shouldn’t tell you this but—”

  Ryan cut him off. “Are you putting your thumb on the scale?”

  “Yeah, I am,” he swiftly asserted. “And for good reason. You two would be idiots to let this pass you by. So I’m gonna give you a heads-up on something and what you do with the inside information is completely up to you.”

  Did he want or need a cheat sheet where Samantha was concerned? He frowned. She and Andi were twirling in circles like gypsy girls dancing under a tropical moon. He’d seen Andi dance before and knew the sort of moves she had but Samantha? Shit, man. A slow-moving channel of molten hot lust made its way from his brain straight to his dick as he studied her carefree romp. Each time she spun around, her skirt flared out and more of her unbelievable legs became visible. And he was pretty sure describing the color of her panties was no challenge.

  He made a snap decision. “If it’s personal or confidential, keep it to yourself.”

  “Yes,” Kyle drawled with real glee. He smacked his hands together and rubbed them like a mad scientist. “Got ya covered, my dude! Not personal. Not confidential. More like a wavelength disruption. One that a smart guy like you could take advantage of. Brace yourself, Ry. In the long run? This could be major.”

  “Ryan!” Samantha called out. He looked at her and grinned. She was waving him to go to her. He didn’t need to be asked twice.

  “You have five seconds,” he told Kyle.

  “California has passed its expiration date.”

  Well, damn. Kyle was right. That revelation was major.

  “Seriously?”

  “Totally.”

  They shook hands and grinned at each other. No words necessary. And then he trotted off in Samantha’s direction. Time was wasting, and he had groundwork to lay down.

  “You didn’t have to walk me.”

  “Yeah, right.” He snorted. “I saw you getting my mother’s number. How do I know you’re not gonna text her later and tell on me?”

  “Tell on you? For what?”

  “For not making sure my date got home safely.”

  He could sense her staring at him with the cutely musing look she was prone to when she wasn’t quite sure. “Hold up,” she chirped a minute later. He stopped walking when she did and turned to face her. A soft breeze rustled her hair. In the semi-darkness, her blue eyes caught and held his. Faint laugh lines crinkled at the corners. “Ryan Sommerfield, is this a date?”

  “Isn’t it?”

  She huffed at him and frowned. A curling tendril of hair blew across her face and caught on her lips. He gently brushed it away. Her eyes blazed, and then she lowered her dark lashes, hiding her reaction.

  “Oh. So it’s word games, is it?” she whined. The waspish bite she imagined her words contained easily bounced off him.r />
  Her jaw tightened, and he chuckled. Any kind of verbal sparring with her was fun. Even something basic and simple like this. It was way too tempting not to give in and tease the bejesus out of her.

  “I think the rules as they’re laid out for these things will clearly prove me right.”

  “Since when are there rules? And who made that unilateral decision? Pfft! Men, I suppose.”

  “Damn straight,” he answered with a growl as cocky as he could make it sound. Her cheeks flamed with color.

  “Follow along.” He laughed. “There was a seating arrangement with our names, side-by-side.”

  She crossed her arms and made a face. Disbelief dripped from her response. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Now, come on,” he chided. “Let me finish.”

  Her soft sigh was long-suffering. The sound hit him like a thunderbolt hurled by Zeus himself. From the moment they first met, she’d had one opportunity after another to shut him down or at least deflect his clear and obvious interest. But she hadn’t. Not at all. And now, here she was, playing along and making him think things that would cause her to blush scarlet red if she knew.

  Reaching out a hand, he gently ran his fingers down the v-neck of her dress but stopped before touching her boobs. They weren’t there yet.

  “And you wore this for me.”

  He let his words sink in. She went completely still and stared at him.

  Flying without a net with her was seriously exhilarating. Letting things unfold naturally without any plotting or effort on his part excited Ryan. She wasn’t a conquest. More like an adventure. A never-ending adventure of thrills, surprises, and things he could barely wrap his mind around.

  And just like any truly worthwhile venture, it was filled with unexpected twists and turns.

  She surprised the holy crap out of him when her serious face broke into a luminous smile. “Damn. I knew you’d notice.”

  He laughed and took her face in his hands. “Notice? You’re joking, right?’

  Samantha snickered. “Subtlety is not my best move.”

  His mouth twitched. Euphoria made his insides flutter.

  “News flash. Subtlety is probably lost on me. It’s the artist inside. He likes detail, lots of it, and when the detail isn’t easily apparent, he searches for it.”

  She beamed at him. His thumbs moved of their own volition up and down her rosy cheeks. He was about to drown in her luscious smile when she cracked what she thought was a joke.

  “These details. Did I miss anything or was the dress enough?”

  She didn’t realize it yet, but he was going to kiss her. And do it in a way that would mark her as his.

  “The dress is perfect. You have excellent instincts, Samantha. This color? It sets off your eyes and complements the highlights and shades in your hair.”

  Her eyes sparkled—he hoped from delight—and those cute laugh line crinkles appeared again.

  “And the kitten heels. Nice touch.”

  She grunted softly and smirked. “Knew I’d be on my feet a lot.”

  “Well played, darlin’.”

  “Oh, my god,” she playfully groaned. “Are you going to break out the Southern boy thing now? Underwear model and now some good ol’ boy charm? Not fair!”

  He let her have that one and gave her one more trait to think about later when she was alone in her bed and her thoughts were full of him.

  Increasing the subtle pressure his hands on her head made, he pulled her closer to his face, so his breath fell on her skin when he spoke.

  “The best detail from my point of view is the white panties.”

  She froze.

  “If I asked you to slip them off and let me keep them as a reminder of our first date, would you?”

  Her hands came up and rested atop his. She didn’t try to escape his hold, but the defensive reaction let Ryan know he struck a nerve. Now, all he had to figure out was which nerve. The one that’d get his face slapped or the one that meant he’d leave here with a scrap of white silk stuffed in his pocket.

  Her voice, when she answered, was husky and quiet. “I do believe I would, Mr. Sommerfield. If you asked,” she challenged at the end.

  A short, insistent battle broke free inside him. They were out in the open. Anyone could happen by. He’d planned to kiss her when it was time to take his leave. Not here. Not now. But he couldn’t help it.

  He lowered his mouth to hers just as her lips parted on a tiny gasp. The temptation to feast on what she offered was great, but he held back because Ryan knew if he lost control, she’d be on the ground in seconds, with her dress pulled up and him thrusting unmercifully between her open thighs regardless of where they were.

  His tongue swept out and circled slowly around her lush lips. Her mouth opened more and she shook as he held her still. With that one suggestive lick, he found out more about her than she probably wanted him to know.

  “Samantha,” he growled against her parted lips.

  “S-Sam,” she whispered.

  “No,” he growled. “You are Samantha. I looked up your name last night, and you know what I found?”

  She stared at him helplessly, clung to his wrists, and shook her head.

  “Samantha is the name of a goddess who walks among us. Gorgeous,” he said passionately. “Fun. Easy to talk to. Innocent. . .”

  She snorted. “Far from innocent.”

  “Samantha,” he chided softly with a small smile. “Innocence isn’t about sex. Anyone can catch a dick. I mean, come on! Have you seen reality TV lately?”

  He felt the flush of heat with his hands before it bloomed red on her face.

  “Your innocence comes from within.”

  Quickly dropping a chaste kiss on her mouth, he continued. “So Samantha, it is. But when we’re alone and it’s just the two of us? When your naked body moves under mine, and I’m buried deep?”

  She gasped, and her eyes widened.

  “By the end, you’ll have come so many times, there’ll be nothing left, but when you feel me start to claim that last part of you? When your body demands everything? I guarantee you’ll hear me cry, ‘Sam, Sam, Sam,’” he growled, “as I come inside you.”

  “Ryan.” Her voice sounded tiny. Shaky.

  He’d shocked her. In a good way.

  “Open your mouth, darlin’. Let me taste your sweetness.”

  There were kisses. And then there were kisses. And then there was Samantha. Her mouth was made for him to claim. Only by him. He didn’t give a flying fuck about whoever was in her past. She was his now. He sensed it. Felt it. Tasted it. With virtually no effort, he could bend her to his will in a glorious surrender that Ryan suspected would change both their lives.

  The lusty mating of their mouths forced him to move them into the shadows where he could enjoy her at his leisure. She truly was a goddess because nobody kissed like she did.

  Her little whimpers and the way her hands clutched wherever they landed made his pulse thump. He banded an arm around her waist and wallowed in the heat coming off her body.

  When he found the strength to slow things down and eventually put a sliver of air between them, her eyes bored into his. Things he never expected to see in the gaze of a girl he’d only just met slammed into his heart.

  “I like you,” she whispered in a quivering voice.

  He heard the stunned amazement, knew what she felt, and answered quickly so there’d be no doubt whatsoever.

  “I like you too, Samantha Evers.”

  “This is going to get complicated.”

  He snorted out a laugh remembering that he’d said the exact same thing to Kyle and also what his response had been.

  “It’s already complicated.” He said the words as his hand mapped her ass through the layers of chiffon and squeezed a pleasing handful. “I’m all for being realistic, but I think we owe it to what we’re feeling to calm the fuck down and see what happens before we start borrowing problems.”

  Her head nodded jerkily
in agreement. The arm still around his neck relaxed, and she ran her fingers through his hair. “I, um,” she stammered, “I think I have to ask this.” Her expression was pained, and her eyes brimmed with a mix of apology and regret. “Tara?”

  Oh, right. He was so wrapped up in this extraordinary thing happening that he’d completely dismissed the tiresome woman from his thoughts. Since beating around the bush was never his forte, he went with sincere honesty.

  “No matter how it looks, I’ve never touched her. Never wanted to. Is she a problem? Yes. If she wasn’t Andi’s business partner, she’d be a splattered bug on my windscreen, but that’s not the situation we’re in.”

  “Did she do something? Andi rarely gets mad, and I’ve never seen her be anything but even-tempered with Tara. Red flag, ya know?”

  Sighing, he unwound them from each other, reached for her hand, kissed it, and then started them walking again.

  “Until about six months ago, Tara Donner existed as a name only. She had nothing to do with Kyle and Andi’s relationship. Then, because of a high-profile project Andi landed, she asked me to work with her partner on a graphics design for a campaign that would boost business. Seemed harmless until I met Tara.”

  “Oh, I bet she took one look at you and. . .”

  “Yeah. Something like that. Anyway, we kept being thrown together, and she tried every trick in the book to use that togetherness to her advantage. And just so you know, it’s been over a year since I saw anyone, so Tara had a clear field.”

  “Wow,” Samantha murmured. “A year? Really? So that makes this first date kind of special, huh?”

  He looked at her and smirked while rolling his eyes.

  “Little over a month ago, I was featured in an exhibition that was getting media attention. Normally, I avoid that shit because eventually, someone will roll in with one of those damn modeling pictures and my credibility gets shot to hell in an instant.”

  “You could ride the celebrity hot body wave in Hollywood.”

  “Nah, I’m good.” He chuckled. “But the exhibition was a big deal for my business, so I turned to Andi to help me pull off my end of things. I guess Tara figured out what was going on, and she turns up at the event and passes herself off as my girlfriend.”