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“Oh, I don’t know.” She walked her fingers up his chest, giving him a look from beneath flirtatiously lowered lashes. “I’d say you were fairly adventurous tonight.”
He grinned and leaned down to kiss her. “Like I’ve said, I’m different with you. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
He seemed to view her as an anomaly in his usual life—a vacation, of sorts, from the expectations of everyone else. She could live with that, she thought with a private smile. If Jason remembered her with fond smiles and maybe a little gratitude for the welcome break from his routines, she would consider their brief time together well spent.
There were many more things she would have liked to know about him. More details about his family, his practice, his hobbies, his plans and dreams for the future…but those were all the sort of questions that would come up between people who were getting to know each other with the possibility of continuing their relationship. The type of real-life information that would take some of the mystery and fantasy out of the time they’d spent together thus far and any discreet encounters they might have during the next two days, if opportunity presented itself. She suspected that Jason would prefer
to leave those ordinary details unspoken, their whimsical charades intact.
“You should leave now, Dr. Jones,” she murmured in “Esmeralda’s” sultry voice. “It could be dangerous for you to be discovered here at sunrise.”
His grin flashed white in the shadowy room, validating the choice she had made. “A kiss for luck before I go?”
Burying her fingers in his hair, she pulled his head down for a kiss that nearly singed the pillows beneath them. She felt his heart pounding against her when he lifted his head and said somewhat hoarsely, “Sunrise is still a few hours away.”
As much as she would have liked for him to stay, she pressed her hands against his chest and gave a little push. They both needed rest if they were going to function coherently the next day. And besides, it really would be better if he slipped out without being seen. “Sorry. Time to go.”
He sighed heavily, but reached for his clothes without further procrastination. She tied her short robe loosely around her to walk him to the door so she could bolt the lock behind him. He stole one more kiss before opening the door, then drew a deep breath and glanced carefully out into the deserted hallway. “Sleep well,” he whispered as he slipped out.
“Oh, I will,” she assured him with a smile before closing the door and securing the lock.
She predicted very pleasant, if decidedly erotic dreams for what remained of that night.
What was left of the night passed all too quickly. Madison woke reluctantly when her cell phone alarm buzzed. As much as she would have loved to burrow into the Jason-scented pillows and snooze a while longer, she knew better than to be late for the bridesmaids’ breakfast BiBi had scheduled to start this day. The breakfast would be followed by a visit to the hotel spa, a yoga class and a ladies’ luncheon before the wedding rehearsal during the afternoon. After the rehearsal, two hours had been left free for everyone to change for a semiformal rehearsal dinner, followed by another dance, though this one would be much more genteel and sedate than the rowdy costume party Thursday night.
The groom’s parents were hosting the postrehearsal festivities. BiBi had confided to Madison that it would probably be rather stuffy, but BiBi was leaving all the arrangements to her future mother-in-law for this part of the weekend, at least. No need to get off on the wrong foot with the woman even before the wedding, BiBi had added with a laugh. Very little about the day sounded like Madison’s idea of fun. She’d never particularly enjoyed being pampered in a spa, wedding rehearsals were notoriously dull, formal dinners tended to be stilted and uncomfortable, and the dance would be equally awkward if her every move was watched by BiBi and Corinna whenever Jason was in the vicinity.
Reaching into the closet for the skirt and blouse she’d brought to wear to the breakfast, she shook her head. She would be changing at least three more times that day. She’d packed as light as she could, but BiBi’s numerous plans had required a rather extensive wardrobe selection. It was no wonder she’d had no room to bring her own costume for the first night’s party.
She spent a little extra time in the shower, letting the hot water soothe muscles that ached a bit from yesterday’s activities—both daytime and nighttime. She didn’t regret any of them. She hummed as she donned the red top and black-and-white-print skirt, then brushed her hair to a soft sheen. Suddenly realizing that she was humming “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” she set down her brush and shook her head with a stern warning to herself. She had two more days to get through without upsetting BiBi and Corinna. Floating around with a sappy smile on her face and humming romantic songs was hardly the way to keep them from becoming suspicious.
Now if only she and Jason could pretend in front of the others that nothing had happened between them. She didn’t like this feeling of slipping around, she thought as she tucked her key card into a small bag and headed for the elevator. Still, even if the awkward situation with Corinna hadn’t been an issue, she would have chosen to keep her time with Jason private. It wasn’t her style to flaunt her dalliances. All too familiar with wedding drama, she wouldn’t have risked taking any of the spotlight off the bride with an open flirtation that would have been bound to stir gossip and speculation. But maybe she wouldn’t have felt as much pressure to pretty much avoid Jason altogether when others were around.
That was going to be difficult.
BiBi stood at the door of the lovely glass-walled garden room where the bridesmaids’ breakfast was being held a short while later. She greeted each of her friends with air kisses and hand squeezes. BiBi was smiling, but Madison thought she detected a faint edge of tension beneath her friend’s deliberately cheery behavior. Was all the stress of the busy wedding weekend beginning to wear on BiBi? Madison had been concerned all along that BiBi had tried to cram too many activities into too few days.
BiBi’s glossy lips brushed just over Madison’s cheeks. “I can tell you slept well. You look rested and refreshed.”
Thinking of the three hours or so of sleep she’d managed, Madison merely smiled. It wasn’t sleep that had left her glowing this morning. “You look great, yourself. Love that top.”
BiBi glanced down at the glittering, draped-neck blouse she wore with black pants. “You know I can never resist purple or sparkles.”
“Well, it looks lovely on you. So, how are you holding up? Is everything going okay?”
BiBi hesitated only a moment before giving a little shrug. “There are a few last-minute complications in the arrangements. Things that shouldn’t have cropped up because I’ve been planning and organizing everything for months, so you’d have thought everyone would know by now exactly what they’re supposed to…”
She stopped and drew a deep breath, then shook her head in determination. “But I’m not going to worry about those things just now. First I’m going to enjoy this breakfast. Go, sit. They’ll be serving mimosas in a few minutes and Corinna wants to start things off with a toast.”
Because this was an intimate breakfast with only ten guests—the bride, her six bridesmaids, her mother and future mother-in-law, and the five-year-old flower girl, who was the daughter of one of the bridesmaids—one large, round table had been set to accommodate them. Bouquets of white and deep purple roses decorated the center, sitting low enough to allow guests to see across the table. Silver place-card holders sat on the snowy tablecloth next to settings of fine white china and gleaming silverware. Madison was almost resigned to find that she was seated to the right of Corinna, whose mother, Tina Lovato, sat on Corinna’s left.
Madison forced a big smile as she slipped into her chair, nodding to those already seated, who greeted her with smiles and a chorus of “good mornings.” She was one of the last to arrive, even though she wasn’t late.
She glanced to her left. “Good morning, Corinna.”
“Good morning.”
Madison couldn’t tell any difference in Corinna’s manner toward her, so if Corinna was still unsettled because Madison and Jason had delivered a baby together, she wasn’t letting it show.
