“I’m amazed,” Hannah finally said. She glanced to Will. “What do you think, babe? Which one of these sample ideas do you love?”
Will shook his head. “This is all pretty overwhelming.”
Cassandra laughed. “It is at first, but we take everything one step at a time, and I won’t pressure you or bombard you with questions or decision-making. This should be a fun process as we lead up to the big day. Even though we will be working at lightning speed, I will take the brunt of the stress. That’s my job.”
Hannah glanced back to the portfolio and flipped through again, pausing on the outdoor option with a sunset backdrop. Secretly, this was Cassandra’s favorite, too, but she never offered her opinion unless asked.
“I’ve always dreamed of something outdoors,” Hannah murmured. “The other designers I talked with urged me indoors in case of weather or for privacy, but I’d love to be out in the open.”
Cassandra nodded. “We will take extra precautions with security, and as for the weather, we have beautiful tents that can be set up with chandeliers and draped in flowers so you won’t even realize you’re under a tent. But I always go in hopeful for a perfect outdoor wedding, so we won’t think rain just yet.”
Hannah smiled and tapped her polished red nail on the design. “This is what I want,” she declared, looking back to Cassandra. “And I want you to be the one to make this happen.”
A burst of elation and a swell of pride overcame her. Cassandra had believed she could get this wedding. That’s why she’d dealt with the devil to get the meeting.
With a smile, Cassandra reached out her hand to Hannah. “I cannot wait to get started, and I promise you will be the happiest, most beautiful couple. This will be the wedding of the year.”
Will sighed. “How hard is this going to hit my budget?”
Hannah elbowed him once again in his side. “Our budget, and I don’t care. We’re only getting married once.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side. “You better only marry once. I’m it for you.”
Luke got to his feet. “Okay, so if they’re going to start this lovey-dovey stuff, I’m out of here.”
Will glanced over to his brother. “Don’t be jealous.”
“Jealous?” Luke laughed. “I’m not jealous. Between you and Cash, something is in the water around here.”
Cassandra had seen the news that their other brother, Cash, had gotten engaged during one of his concerts. The online photos she’d seen had been so damn romantic—the way he’d pulled his fiancée onto the stage and dropped the ring out of his guitar before proposing to a screaming crowd. Cassandra wouldn’t be above asking to plan that epic wedding, too.
Will and Hannah stood, so Cassandra gathered her portfolio and also rose. She tucked it beneath her arm and glanced to Luke, whose eyes were locked onto hers.
“I’d say we’re ready to go,” she told him, then turned back to Will and Hannah. “I will be emailing you a detailed timeline. I don’t want you all to be in the dark, even though some of the items are all on me. I would like to get together again in a couple days, or when it’s good for you two, so we can get some of the larger things decided and pinned down since the wedding is in seven weeks.”
Hannah nodded. “I’m free Wednesday morning, if that’s okay? Do you want to meet here again?”
“Perfect.” Cassandra pulled out her cell and made a note of the appointment. “I can’t tell you how thrilling this is for me. I absolutely love your music.”
Hannah beamed and smoothed her hair behind her ear. “That’s so nice to hear. I’ll be sure to get you some VIP tickets to my next concert. Where do you live?”
“I live in Kentucky, actually.”
“Oh, well, I’ll be doing a couple of shows there. We’ll work something out.”
Cassandra couldn’t believe how perfect this day had gone. Hannah Banks was just as sweet in private as she’d seemed in public. This wedding would be such a fun and a rewarding event to work on. And hopefully Cassandra would be so busy with this project, she wouldn’t have too much time to devote to her “fiancé.”
Once they were back in Luke’s truck, he pulled out of Hannah’s drive. Cassandra smoothed her hair over one shoulder and adjusted her sunglasses against the bright sky.
“You’re really good at your job,” he said.
Cassandra glanced over to Luke, who was keeping his eyes on the road. “You sound surprised.”
“Not surprised at all, actually,” he admitted. “I knew you’d be amazing at this. I’ve just never seen you in your element before.”
A little taken aback by his admission, Cassandra smiled. “Well, thanks. I love my job and I always think that if you’re doing what you love, then it never feels like work.”
“I agree. Owning bars was always my goal. I love the atmosphere, the people... Well, I did love the people until I was bombarded with women ready for me to make them Mrs. Sutherland.”
A burst of jealousy surged through her, but that was ridiculous. She had no claim to Luke and it wasn’t like the man hadn’t dated over the years. Maybe he’d even had a serious relationship. None of that was her business or concern, which was why she shouldn’t be thinking of it.
When Luke pulled in front of The Beaumont, where she had rented the penthouse for the next few months, he killed the engine and stepped out. Before she could get her own door, Luke had opened it and reached his hand inside.
Cassandra shifted her gaze to his and found that intense stare looking back at her. She slid her hand into his and there was no ignoring the familiar jolt that had always aroused her. Apparently, now was no different than eight years ago.
When she stepped out of the truck, he didn’t move back, and instead he caged her against the opening and smiled.
“What are you doing?” she murmured as their bodies pressed together. Instant bursts of arousal coursed through her and she cursed herself for allowing herself to feel such worthless emotions.
“Practicing.”
And that was all the warning she got before his mouth descended onto hers.
Three
What the hell was he doing?
Well, he knew what he was doing. He was finally kissing Cassandra after an entire day of fantasizing about it. But what was he thinking? There were no cameras around, no one to care that he was kissing his ex.
No, this kiss was purely selfish and completely wrong...and also so damn perfect. He was supposed to be proving the point that he was over her and had absolutely no interest. Yet here he was, wondering what else remained the same...because his reaction to kissing sure as hell had.
Cassandra sighed into him, her body practically melting against his. Luke shored up every ounce of resolve not to touch her anywhere else. Gripping her waist would be so easy, but he’d already lost his mind and kissed her.
She pressed a hand to his chest and leaned away. “Luke.”
Muttering a curse beneath his breath, he took a step back and kept his eyes locked on her. She blinked up at him and licked her lips, clearly waiting for an explanation.
“I figured we should get the first kiss out of the way,” he explained.
“We’ve shared thousands of kisses.”
As if he needed the reminder. Luke was well aware of his experience with Cassandra and that’s why he couldn’t stop himself. Okay, so, fine. They’d kissed and he’d liked it. But now it was out of his system...right? He could ignore his sexual desires.
Luke berated himself. He was a damn fool for coming up with this plan—for kissing her, and for asking her to pretend to be his fiancée—but now he was in it. At least his wild idea would calm the masses after that article.
“I didn’t want our first kiss in eight years to be in front of people,” he told her. “Just in case things were awkward.”
Cassa
ndra laughed. “Awkward? Luke, every bit of this is awkward, but I want this wedding and now that I have it, I’ll hold up my end of the deal. But no more kissing when we don’t have to. No touching, no nothing.”
Oh, but he wanted to...and he likely would ask her again when they were alone because she’d melted against him and clearly craved that physical connection, just as he did.
Did she expect him to deny them both when it was clear she enjoyed it just as much? Had she not melted against him and returned that kiss with just as much desire and passion as he was feeling?
“What time do you want me at The Cheshire tonight?” she asked.
Considering her penthouse was just below his rooftop bar, he fully planned on picking her up and taking her with him.
“I’ll get you at seven and we’ll have dinner before we head to the bar.”
“Dinner?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Luke couldn’t help but smile. “All part of the ruse, Cass.”
Her lids lowered a fraction and he realized he’d used her nickname. It suited the girl he used to know, but Cassandra definitely fit the woman he’d seen working her wedding magic earlier today. There was a new side to her now—an intriguing side that he had to ignore. Just because they had a past and now a faux relationship didn’t mean he needed to dig deeper into her life and find out all that had happened since she’d left.
Once he’d picked up the pieces of his heart and concentrated on what he could actually control, Luke had found he was a happy man. He didn’t need love, or whatever that emotion was people claimed to feel. He didn’t need marriage. This chapter of his life right now was the happiest he’d ever been, so there was absolutely no need to look elsewhere to fill voids that weren’t there. He’d filled all of those voids with a hefty bank account and loyal friends.
“Fine,” she conceded. “I’ll be ready at seven.”
Luke stepped out of the way and let her pass. He watched as she went through the glass doors into the hotel and felt a little twinge of pain when she didn’t look back. It was quite the parallel to when she’d left years ago and hadn’t even given him a second glance.
* * *
A few hours without being around Cassandra had helped Luke get his head on straight before seeing her again tonight. There was no room in his life for him to get caught up in her again.
When she’d left town eight years ago, he hadn’t been quite ready to propose. He’d had too much tied up in all of his start-up businesses. And then when she’d left, Luke figured he was better off without her. He’d been such a fool, but not anymore.
That was all in the past, and he’d certainly learned from his mistakes. He’d never let anyone get that close to him again and he’d managed to build the life and career he’d dreamed of for so long. He couldn’t be totally upset about how things had turned out.
Obviously, he and Cassandra weren’t meant to be and that had just taken some time to sink in.
Luke pulled in a breath and stepped off the elevator at the penthouse level. There was only one door, but Luke knew the chime sounded inside her room because the private elevator indicated when there was a guest. Just as he started to knock, the door flung open and Luke nearly gasped, but managed to suppress his reaction...barely.
She stood before him in hip-hugging black leather pants, a pair of black heels and a dark red halter with a very low scoop neck that left nothing to the imagination and showed off all of that mocha skin he craved to touch.
Gone was the professional woman from earlier who’d been wearing a sundress and classy sandals with minimal makeup. Now, those red lips and dark eyes tempted him in a whole new way. He wanted to lean in and see how much he could mess that up, but he remained still.
What the hell game was she playing?
She was still smiling that almost innocent smile and she had that perkiness about her that just drew people in. Cassandra was like a magnetic force...and he refused to be drawn in.
“This outfit will certainly get attention.”
Cassandra held out her arms and did a slow spin. “That was the whole idea, right?” she asked as she came back around. “You wanted people to notice you’re taken.”
Yeah, he did, but at what expense? Because he still needed to be able to work and to function. With this damn outfit, he’d be lucky if he could string two coherent sentences together.
From the smirk on her face, she knew exactly the effect she had on him and she was loving every minute of it. She was a vixen. That’s exactly what Cassandra Taylor was, and he had nobody to blame but himself. Maybe he should have just stuck with the women bombarding him for dates and marriage. At least he could control that situation, even if he’d found it annoying and overwhelming.
“Let’s head on up,” he told her as he stepped aside so she could come out into the hallway. “I’ve had the chef prepare our dinner and it’s ready in the private back VIP room.”
“Don’t you have customers there?” she asked.
“Only a few and that’s the point.” He punched the elevator button and waited. “We want to be seen, but not seeming to be throwing it in their faces. It will look even more authentic if people think we’re to trying to keep this quiet.”
They stepped onto the elevator. Luke was glad they were only going up one floor because he was too tempted to push the stop button and practice those kisses again. There was no way in hell she was immune to this sexual tension. It was as if she’d chose this outfit and that sultry lipstick to torment him even further.
“A secret fake engagement,” she murmured. “Sounds like a lot of work.”
“That’s the price you agreed to pay,” he reminded her.
Though at this point, he felt like he was paying a greater price.
Luke had to shift his focus to something else. Maybe to the fact that he’d let her go once and she blamed him for their breakup. If he kept telling himself that this was the same woman who’d broken him so many years ago, that should be more than enough to make him see that he’d been lucky to have her step away from his life. He’d refused to beg back then and he wouldn’t be doing any begging now, no matter how much he’d enjoyed that damn kiss.
As they stepped into the rooftop bar, Cassandra glanced around. He let her walk on ahead, as she clearly wanted to see the space. She’d only been here once before, when she’d first come by his office to ask her favor. Luke waited as she walked through and glanced around at the high-top tables for mingling, the low leather sofas for cozying, the stage where there were nightly performances, and the long bar that was home to the best bartender in all of Tennessee.
Luke was proud of everything he’d accomplished. True, he’d lost Cassandra in the process, but that was all in the past and she’d made that choice clear. This bar, and his others, were his present and future. His workers were like family and he had his brothers. With Will and Cash’s fiancées, he was gaining two new sisters. His life was full.
So why did he still feel a hole that he couldn’t quite explain?
A few customers were hanging out at the high-top tables, where there were no seats. He found that some people wanted to stand and some preferred more intimacy, which was why he’d installed the outdoor sofas and the small tables with club chairs. His goal from day one had been to create an atmosphere where everyone could feel comfortable and offer his customers a place to come and enjoy the amazing music he prided himself on offering.
In a few hours, especially once the band showed up, this rooftop would be flooded with patrons. The food and drinks would be passed around and that’s when Luke truly loved his job—he loved getting to know the people of the town and the surrounding areas.
“This is really amazing,” Cassandra said as she came back to him. “I’d seen pictures online, but was too focused yesterday to pay too much attention. Everything is truly stunning, from the atmosphere to the views.”
The views were indeed breathtaking and one of the main reasons he’d chosen to open a rooftop bar. Seeing the city lights of Beaumont Bay and the homes in the distance that surrounded the lake, nestled between mountain peaks like a big city, was definitely unique. This area was undeniably the place to be, and over the past few years, the Bay had really blown up with the arrival of real-estate moguls, high-rollers, artists and country-music transplants, who all wanted even better nightlife and larger homes than they had in Nashville.
“Are you ready for dinner?” he asked.
Cassandra nodded and crossed back to him. With his hand on the small of her back, Luke led her to the private VIP area that was in the back behind one-way-mirrored walls. They slid open and shut as soon as they were inside.
“Swanky like your office with all these hidden walls,” she murmured. “Maybe I should’ve dressed up a little more.”
His hand slid around to the dip in her waist as he eased her against his side and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“This is more than sexy enough.”
Her body shivered beneath his touch and that’s precisely the reaction he wanted her to have. He wanted her to remember all the amazing times they’d had together, both in public and in private.
While he’d moved on successfully and happily, maybe there was a thread of payback in this plan that he hadn’t realized until now. He didn’t want to be an ass, but there was nothing wrong with showing her exactly what she’d missed out on by leaving.
Luke didn’t give her time to reply as he ushered her over to the corner booth where he’d had their meal set up. Luke hoped her tastes hadn’t changed too much over the years because he’d gone with her favorites from the main restaurant downstairs.
Once Cassandra was seated, Luke slid in beside her and purposely eased his thigh right alongside hers. She wasn’t immune to him, like she wanted to be. She wouldn’t have melted against him with that kiss if she had been. Besides, it was just a simple touch, right?
Fake Engagement, Nashville Style Page 3
