Seconds passed and neither spoke. His heart hammered in his chest. He should say something, but he continued to stare into her large brown eyes.
Where did all the oxygen go?
Her full pink lips parted as if she was about to speak, but then she tore her gaze away and shook her head as if confused by her reaction. He blinked and inhaled, just as taken off-guard by his response. So what if she was hot? It wasn’t as if he’d never seen a pretty woman before.
Still, he tracked where she walked. She headed toward the main room where the reception was being held. Guests were tearing it up on the dance floor to Uptown Funk. No way would he join in. He didn’t get the appeal of flailing arms and legs like an idiot in front of an audience.
The ring bearer ran in the pretty brunette’s path, followed by the flower girl.
“Watch out,” Vince warned, rushing over.
It was too late. She tripped over the kids and headed for the floor.
He managed to reach her before the cupcakes crashed onto the tiled floor.
Some of the cupcakes fell off the tray, frosting first. Yet, they’d salvaged the tray, at least for the most part.
“Are you okay?” He placed the tray on a nearby table.
She blinked a few times and her lips parted. “Yes. I didn’t even see them coming.”
His jaw tightened. Had he distracted her with his idiot stare? “They came out of nowhere.”
She glanced at the tray and straightened the toppled cupcakes. “Crap.”
“You’re down a few troops, but I think they can be salvaged.” He picked up a couple of cupcakes and placed them upright.
She gazed at him as if perplexed and then shook her head. “Thanks.” She brushed the hair out of her face, but managed to smear white frosting on her cheek.
A chuckle burst out of him without warning as the ridiculousness of the situation caught up. Here he was in a monkey suit at his brother’s wedding with a beautiful woman and fallen cupcakes.
“What’s so funny?” Her brows furrowed.
He reached out and wiped some frosting off her cheek, displaying it on his finger tip. “Just a little frosting.”
“Oh!” Her cheeks turned pink against the white frosting. “I’m a hot mess.”
He chuckled. “Hot, yes. But not a mess.”
“Thanks, I guess.” She picked up one of the cupcakes off the floor. With a wry grin, she asked, “Have a sweet tooth?” She raised the cupcake toward his cheek as if ready to smear him with frosting.
He stopped laughing and waved his hands in surrender. “No, I can’t mess up this tux. It’s a rental I have to return tomorrow.”
“Fine.” She conceded with a tilt of her head and a sassy grin. “But, only because you helped me avoid a catastrophe.”
“At a wedding no less, that’s colossal confectionery carnage.”
“That’s quite the alliteration over a cupcake collision.” Her eyes twinkled and her lips curled into a demi-smile.
Wordplay? Hell yes. Nothing hotter than verbal foreplay. How could he keep them talking?
Ah, he’d be a gentleman and offer to help. He rose and lifted the tray from the table. “Where can I bring these?”
She stood, wiping the frosting from her cheek onto her apron. “You don’t have to do that. It’s what I’m here for.”
“Not a problem. I’m the best man. I can at least do something more useful than standing around in this penguin suit.”
“Okay then. This way.” She led him to a table where a white three-tier wedding cake stood. “We’ll put the cupcakes on either side of the cake.”
He stared at the selection. “Cake and cupcakes? I’ve already been hit with a sugar rush.”
“Everybody loves cupcakes. Trust me, they’ll likely be all gone while the cake will remain barely touched.”
He shrugged. “You’re the expert.”
While she went to the kitchen, he debated his next move. Would it be wrong to hit on the caterer at his brother’s wedding?
When she returned, he said, “I’m Vince. I apologize for my family and friends in advance. An Italian and Armenian family and a Navy crew. Who will be the loudest and most boisterous is a tough call.”
“No problem.” She grinned. “I’m Emma. This isn’t my first wedding. I think I’ve seen it all.”
Might as well hone in. “To make up for a loud night and messy cleanup ahead, how about I take you out tomorrow, Emma?”
Maybe not the slickest segue, but it was out there.
She eyed him, studying his face. In the few seconds that followed, his pulse quickened.
“Sorry, but I don’t date military.”
Damn. Shot down. Still, he wasn’t ready to retreat yet. “How do you know I’m military?”
“Your haircut announces it like a billboard in Times Square. And like you said, a Navy crew is here tonight.”
True. Although he’d let it grow out a bit before the wedding, the signature high-and-tight style still gave him away. “Not Navy.” He took smug satisfaction in announcing that separation, just as he and his brothers had ribbed each other a thousand times. “Marine.”
“Even worse!” She snorted. “Do I need to get an extra place setting for your ego?” she added with a flirtatious smile.
“No, I left it on base while I’m on leave.” He stepped closer to her. “Which means I’m alone and could use some company.”
She arched her brow. “Your family will be happy to accommodate that request, I’m sure.” She turned with her tray of cupcakes and walked away from him.
Screw it, he manned up and gave it another shot. “I’d much rather talk to you, Emma. What time are you done here?”
She turned over her shoulder and gazed at him with an amused expression. “Around midnight.”
“Meet me for a drink.” He made a point of making a statement, not asking a question.
She appraised him with a lingering glance. “A drink?”
“Right. Not a date, just a drink. You can’t leave me hanging on the night of my brother’s wedding, can you?” he cocked his head and shrugged with mock innocence.
She bit her lip. “I’ll think about it.”
It wasn’t a no. With the appreciative glimmer in her eyes, he’d put his money on yes.
“Until the witching hour.” He gave her a half bow and turned away. Confidence was critical for any victory.
More alliteration. Amusement tugged at his lips. If luck was on his side, he’d have an unforgettable night with Emma, the cupcake caterer.
Read what happens next!
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Acknowledgments
As always, I am so grateful to everyone who helps make each book possible, helping me shape the ideas in my head into a story. Huge thanks to my critique partners, editors, beta readers, ARC readers, Street Team, and you, the reader! Thank you for spending time with me with characters I love.
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Lisa Carlisle loves to write stories about wounded or misunderstood heroes finding their happily ever after. They often face the temptation of fated and forbidden love--so difficult to resist!
Her romances have been named Top Picks at Night Owl Reviews and the Romance Reviews.
She draws on her travels and experiences in her stories, which include deploying to Okinawa, Japan, while in the Marines, backpacking alone through Europe, and living in Paris before returning to the U.S. She owned a bookstore for a few years as she loves to
read. She’s now married to a fantastic man, and they have two kids, two cats, and too many fish.
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Book List
Anchor Me
Navy SEALs, Marines, and hometown heroes. Each one encounters his most complicated mission yet, when he will find a woman from his past—who changes his future.
Antonio (a novella available for free here)
Angelo
Vince
Matty
Jack (All Released in 2020!)
Underground Encounters
Steamy paranormal romances set in an underground goth club that attracts vampires, witches, shifters, and gargoyles.
Book 1: SMOLDER (a vampire / firefighter romance)
Book 2: FIRE (a witch / firefighter romance)
Book 3: IGNITE (a feline shifter / rock star romance)
Book 4: BURN (a vampire / shapeshifter rock romance)
Book 5: HEAT (a gargoyle shifter romance)
Book 6: BLAZE (a gargoyle shifter rockstar romance)
Book 7: COMBUST (vampire / witch romances)
Book 8: INFLAME (a gargoyle shifter / witch romance)
Book 9: TORCH (a gargoyle shifter / werewolf romance
Book 10: SCORCH (an incubus vs succubus demon romance)
Chateau Seductions
An art colony on a remote New England island lures creative types—and supernatural characters. Steamy paranormal romances.
Darkness Rising
Dark Velvet
Dark Muse
Dark Stranger
Dark Pursuit
Highland Gargoyle
Gargoyle shifters, wolf shifters, and tree witches have divided the Isle of Stone after a great battle 25 years ago. One risk changes it all…
Knights of Stone: Mason
Knights of Stone: Lachlan
Knights of Stone: Bryce
Seth: a wolf shifter romance in the series
Knights of Stone: Calum
Stone Cursed
Knights of Stone: Gavin
Stone Sentries
Meet your perfect match the night of the super moon — or your perfect match for the night. A cop teams up with a gargoyle shifter when demons attack Boston.
Tempted by the Gargoyle
Enticed by the Gargoyle
Captivated by the Gargoyle
Night Eagle Operations
A paranormal romantic suspense novel
When Darkness Whispers
Berkano Vampires
A shared author world with dystopian paranormal romances.
Immortal Resistance
Blood Courtesans
A shared author world with the vampire blood courtesans.
Pursued: Mia
Visit LisaCarlisleBooks.com to learn more!
Angelo: A Second Chance Navy SEAL Romance Page 18
