Saved by the Bride (Wedding Fever (Carina))

by Lowe, Fiona

  Bridey had spent a long time browsing through the sample invitations and as expected, she wanted something totally original. She’d given Annika a check and had commissioned three different designs so she had choice. She’d also chatted with Nicole and Melissa over coffee. The meeting had gone smoothly and Bridey had complimented them on the romantic space they’d created and the ideas they’d put together. Then she’d twisted her enormous diamond ring on her finger and said, “The thing is, it’s absolutely necessary that Hank and I have a big wedding. I know we had the engagement party at the lake but the wedding is different.”

  Nicole had nodded. “Rhinebeck did ‘huge’ for Chelsea Clinton. We can do huge for you.”

  “That’s very sweet but I’ve already put a deposit on four venues including the InterContinental. It’s very important that I get married in Chicago so everyone knows that Hank and I are taking our first step to a long and happy life together. I have to do it right—everything must be done right.” Bridey’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean that Whitetail wouldn’t do it right, it’s just I have to get married in Chicago.”

  “I understand,” Nicole had said, but when Bridey had leaned forward to take a cookie from the plate, she’d thrown a worried look at Annika.

  Annika agreed with Nicole. She didn’t know Bridey well enough to know what was going on but her words, “I have to do it right” struck her as odd. Was there a wrong way to get married?

  Still thinking about Bridey, who’d gone to the bakery for her mother, Annika wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of iced tea. She was just twisting the top when her shiny new smartphone blasted out the piercing sound of an air horn.

  She jumped in fright and iced tea slopped all over her hand and down her skirt. Grabbing the phone with her dry hand, she randomly pressed buttons—anything to silence the noise. Finn had given her the phone yesterday, and although she’d only received two calls on it, the ringtone for those had been quiet and classical. Was her phone blowing up? On the third jab the horrible sound stopped and she breathed a sigh of relief. As she washed her sticky hand a Missed Call message beeped.

  She couldn’t believe that noise had been a ringtone and she didn’t know whether to laugh or stamp her foot when she saw it was Finn’s number. He must have programmed her phone so when he called it was impossible to miss. She pressed Missed Call and held the phone to her ear.

  Finn’s voice roared down the phone, his words peppering her like a spray of bullets. “Where the hell are you?”

  She pulled in a deep breath to steady herself and sat down. She hadn’t heard that tone in his voice since the police station. “Finn, what’s wrong?”

  “What’s wrong is that I’ve been to the cabin, the cottage and Kylemore, and you’re not there.”

  “I’m at the studio.” She couldn’t understand why he was so upset. “Why didn’t you just call me when you got back to the cabin?”

  But his reply broke up and all she could hear was, “Dock now,” before the line dropped out.

  Five minutes later she pulled up at the dock to see Finn pacing up and down. The moment he saw her he strode toward her, his face set and his feet making the old wooden planks vibrate.

  “Hi.”

  He gave her a quick nod but not even the brim of his cap could hide the melee of emotions in his eyes. He grabbed her backpack and then her hand, and walked them both very quickly down the dock. An onlooker would have seen a well-mannered man carrying a woman’s bag for her. Annika saw a man in pain. She was about to ask him what was upsetting him so much when they arrived at the motorboat she’d tied up earlier that morning. She noticed the rowboat tied up next to it.

  “You rowed here?” Her voice rose in disbelief. The island was a quick row from Kylemore but a good distance from Whitetail.

  “Yes.” His mouth was a thin line. He handed her down into the motorboat before untying the rope and jumping down himself. Silently, he turned on the ignition and the large engine throbbed to life. With a deft pull on the wheel, Finn accelerated away from the dock.

  As the boat gathered speed, the bow lifted, the flag streamed out in its full stars-and-stripes glory, and Annika fell back onto the seat, pushed there by inertia and held firmly in place by the force of the wind against her. The boat breached the lake’s speed limit and it hit each small wave with a knee-jarring thud, but Finn didn’t seem to notice. He stood, ramrod-stiff with one hand on the wheel and his gaze fixed straight ahead.

  There was no point talking because the wind stole every word the moment it was spoken. She might not know the circumstances or the reasons, but she knew with every part of her that he was hurting. His pain radiated into her and she felt it too. Her heart turned over. Without thinking, she reached out and touched him, resting her hand on the small of his back, and started to rub his spine gently with her thumb. At first he didn’t move but then his rigid shoulders dropped and his back pressed into her hand. The boat slowed and he pulled her to her feet as they entered a pretty little cove where the pine trees came down to the shore.

  “Take the wheel and keep her slow.” He tested the knot on the anchor and then threw it into the navy blue water, watching it sink until it was too deep to be seen. Then he cut the engine, pulled her to him and kissed her.

  His mouth plundered hers as if he hadn’t kissed her in weeks and his hands gripped her arms tightly as if she’d vanish if he didn’t hold on to her. The stubble on his cheek grazed her skin, and his lips pressed hard against her own. She automatically leaned back to grab some breath. “Finn?”

  “Please don’t talk.” He growled out the words and moved in again, his hands dropping to her hips and pulling her into him. She swiveled slightly so she fitted against him and he made a sound in his throat—half howl, half moan—an animal in distress.

  It tore through her, ripping and tugging like a blunt knife. Right then she knew he needed her. For whatever reason, he needed her and she needed to be there for him. She pressed her hands into his hair, tangling them in his thick curls, and kissed him back. Her tongue dueled with his—thrusting and parrying until both of them were panting for breath but neither was pulling away. He smelled of salt, sweat and campfire smoke, and tasted of old scars and new pain. She wanted to soothe him as well as ride with him on this out-of-control journey, and give him what he wanted.

  Keeping her mouth on his, she slipped her hand under his shirt and, gripping the waistband of his shorts, she undid the zipper.

  The boat rocked.

  He ground out, “Steady” as his hand fought the material of her skirt until he cupped her.

  She trembled but somehow managed to release him from his shorts and her hand closed around his silky thickness.

  He shuddered and his finger found the edge of her panties and slid into her wetness.

  Her hand stroked him.

  He stroked her back.

  She gasped, “No,” knowing she’d come in a heartbeat and she wanted this to be for him.

  “Yes.”

  The boat kept rocking. And tilted.

  Her balance shifted and their hands fell away.

  The boat tilted back.

  “Ohh.” She lost her balance completely and as she fell backward she tried clutching his shoulder for support but got his shirt instead. She heard a rip as the edge of the boat hit the back of her knees, and then she was airborne for a moment before being encased by water.

  She kicked to the surface, gaspin
g with surprise and the shock of the cold water against her skin.

  “Annika! Here.” She turned to see Finn’s strong arms stretched out toward her from the boat and his face filled with relief. “Are your okay?”

  “I’m fine. But I think my sandals are forever part of the lake.” Her skirt dragged at her legs like a lead weight so she took it off, balled it up and tried to throw it to Finn. It fell short.

  He shook his head slowly as if her miss was completely expected and laughter creased his face, crinkling the skin around his eyes into smiling lines. By the time she reached the side of the boat, he’d retrieved her skirt with a fishing pole. Gripping her wrists he said, “I believe I’ve done this before. Why am I always rescuing you from water?”

  “Just lucky I guess.” She tried to smile but her teeth were chattering. “Hurry up already. Deep water is a lot colder than close to the shore.”

  “You were bossy last time too.” But his voice was full of a smile as he pulled her up until she could hold the side of the boat. Then he put his arms under hers and lifted her in.

  He rubbed her dry with a towel, wrapped her in another one, sat her down on the bench seat at the back of the boat, and then pulled her close and kissed her on the nose. His dark eyes, which had been filled with torment half an hour ago, now sparkled with fun. “I should have known better than to try and have sex with you on an unstable surface.”

  She snuggled into him. “If we’d moved back to here I might have been okay.”

  He laughed. “I don’t think so, sweetheart. Lesson learned. It’s terra firma for us from now on.”

  He kissed her again, only this time instead of heat, lust and demanding desire, his touch was infused with something very different from every other kiss they’d shared. Something akin to tenderness.

  It circled her heart like a warm glow and she realized with a jolt that if she wasn’t very careful, she was at great risk of falling in love with him.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kissing Annika was up there with the buzz of nailing a multimillion-dollar contract, and Finn slowly kissed away every drop of cold water on her cheek before turning his attention to her ear.

  “Finn?”

  “Hmmm.” His tongue dawdled on her lobe because he knew she loved it and she usually responded by seeking his mouth with a moan of wonder.

  “What happened this morning?”

  His tongue stalled and he slowly lifted his head to find determined sky-blue eyes fixed on his face. He stared down at her. “Nothing.”

  Her eyes widened with skepticism. “You rowed to Whitetail to find me.”

  He trailed his finger down her cheek and gave her a long, lazy smile, hoping he could distract her. “Sleeping with Logan’s elbow in my head reminded me of how much I missed sleeping with you.”

  Her eyelids drifted down for a moment and then snapped open. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Suit yourself.” He tried to return his attentions to her ear but her hands pressed against his upper arms.

  “I am.” She shifted slightly and a zip of air darted between them, cooling the heat. “Something upset you.”

  He hated the way she could read him. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  She nibbled her plump bottom lip the way she always did whenever she was thinking. “In that case I know it’s nothing to do with AKP.”

  His chest tightened at the truth of her words. “You don’t know enough about me or the business to know any such thing.”

  She didn’t deny it but the tilt of her head and the look of sympathy in her eyes made his stomach churn.

  She rested her forehead against his. “I think whatever it was that upset you is connected to your family.”

  This time he was the one to break contact. “Sorry, sweetheart, but you’re way off course.”

  “I’m betting it’s to do with your father.”

  “Good for you.” He so wasn’t going down this road or having this conversation with Annika. He’d found a way to deal with his father which had worked for him for years—right up until today’s lapse and that was all today was. A lapse. He stood up, vaulted into the front section of the boat and brought up the anchor. “We need to get back. You need a hot shower.”

  She stayed seated. “It must be exhausting for you.”

  He stowed the anchor. “It doesn’t weigh much.”

  Her voice sounded behind him. “Not the anchor. I meant your constant running away.”

  His hand stilled on the ignition as her words tore into him—their target the barely sealed lid he’d forced shut over the meltdown he’d had at the beach with Sean. Forced tightly shut over feelings he’d only just got back into their holding bay where he thought they’d not only been safely stored for years, but that they’d lost their potency. No way was he allowing any of them back out again to see the light of day. His life was exactly as he liked it. It had taken him years but he’d found a way of dealing with Sean and he wouldn’t allow anything to change that, least of all talking.

  “We’re all running from something, Annika. Care to share?”

  Her sharp intake of breath sounded loud against the silence of the cove.

  He started the engine. “Didn’t think so.”

  * * *

  Annika slopped a base coat of paint over the warehouse door, preparing it for the mural she’d promised Nicole she’d paint. Using broad brush strokes, she quickly covered the surface. She wanted to find her Zen and get into the spirit of the painting but Finn’s inference that her living in Whitetail was running away kept eating into her like acid on paper. She wasn’t running away. She was the acting mayor and her job was to find the town an industry that offered full employment.

  She flicked her brush over the edges of the door. She would have told him all of that out on the boat except he’d deliberately cut her off with the noise of the engine. By the time they’d got back to the cabin she was shivering so much she’d raced straight to the shower and when she’d finished drying her hair, she’d walked out to find the cabin empty and a note on the table.

  At the office. Nothing for you to do so enjoy the afternoon. She wasn’t at all surprised that Finn had run to the safety of the office. He’d gone to the one place he felt most comfortable and she could picture him surrounded by the protective force field of work.

  As she waited for the base to dry, she stared at the wedding photo of Jennifer and Carl sitting in Al’s carriage. Both of them were smiling and waving and Main Street, with its colorful profusion of flowering hanging baskets and fluttering flags, formed the backdrop behind them. They looked happy and so very much in love. A blurry image of a man in a tuxedo with dark, dark eyes wafted through her mind and, with a start, she realized she was biting her lip.

  She tasted blood. This is crazy.

  With a zealous push she pinned the photo to the door frame so she could see it while she painted. She didn’t want to get married. The last time she’d toyed with that idea she’d been so badly betrayed it had taken her a long time to recover. Now she was well and truly over Ryan and content with her life—almost content. When Whitetail got a new industry, then she could relax and enjoy her life living where she truly belonged.

  Two years ago, she’d packed up one very different life and an unworn wedding dress, and she was never going to do something that painful again. Ever. She didn’t need a man in her life to be happy. This affair wi
th Finn was exactly what she needed to keep unwanted sentimental thoughts at bay. She blew out a breath and picked up her pallet. It was time to bring Main Street to the warehouse door.

  * * *

  Finn stood watching Annika paint. Given that he could barely sketch out a stick figure, he’d been enjoying watching her for the past five minutes, and he marveled at how she made it look effortlessly easy. Under her talented hand what had looked to be brown blobs of paint one minute were suddenly hanging baskets with flowers tumbling out of them.

  He’d spent the last couple of hours in the office and as he’d checked figures and cross-referenced projections, he’d finally found the calm that had eluded him all day. Once it had arrived, seeped in and soothed, he’d wanted to see Annika. Not sure of his reception, he hadn’t called but had arrived unannounced. He was shifting his weight so he could see around her shoulder, when a stick cracked under his foot. She turned around, surprise clear in the depths of her eyes. Her cheek had a streak of cerise, the hair on her left temple looked faintly blue and her misshapen T-shirt looked like a Jackson Pollock painting. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her until she sagged against him all soft and warm.

  She put down her pallet and wiped her hands on an old rag. “I didn’t hear you drive up.”

  He shrugged. “I walked.”

  Her chestnut brows rose. “You are getting a lot of exercise today.”

  He stepped in close and brushed stray strands of her hair behind her ear. “I guess that means I’ll sleep well tonight.”

  Disappointment raced across her expressive face. “I suppose you will.”

  He laughed, loving the way she enjoyed sex as much as he did. “I’ll need an early night which means you and I have to eat at the cabin, and we’re not inviting anyone to sleep over.”

  “Sounds like a great idea to me.” She slid her arms around his waist, rose up on her toes and kissed him.