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It wasn’t until that moment that Harper realized she was crying. But it wasn’t because of the beautiful service—it was because she knew she was right about her future with Sebastian. She dabbed her eyes, took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face for the cameras.
No matter what, she still had a wedding reception to get through.
* * *
The new Mr. and Mrs. Aidan Murphy walked down the aisle together, holding their adorable toddler. Both of them were beaming with happiness and it took everything she had to not scowl at them as they went by. She put a fake smile on her face and clutched her program as the rest of the wedding party followed in their wake.
First was tech heiress Emma and her rebellious, gaming CEO husband, Jonah. The two of them were so beautiful together that she already hated their daughter. She was still a baby, but she would no doubt grow up to be a Victoria’s Secret Angel or something. Behind them was the formerly poor but incredibly lucky Lucy, who’d managed to inherit half a billion dollars from her boss, then married her boss’s nephew, Oliver, with his computer empire. She wished she’d had that kind of luck, but she’d learned she had to take control of her own destiny.
Last down the aisle was Harper on the arm of a groomsman that must be a friend of Aidan’s because she didn’t know him. She’d only studied the people with enough money to matter on this trip. This guy didn’t matter. None of these people really did. Once she got her money, she was pretty sure she’d never see the likes of most of them again. That is, unless she uncovered another scandalous tidbit to make some more money off of them.
The guests at the wedding stood and started filing out of the gallery toward the dining hall for the cocktail reception. After thirty minutes of that overly romantic ceremony, she needed a drink. Maybe two. Or four by the time dinner rolled around. This was going to be a long night.
They were headed back to the States soon and she could feel time was running short. Time in Ireland. Time with all of these people. Time to execute her plan and make off with the money she needed.
The blackmail payment was supposed to be at the front desk before the reception ended, but she wasn’t holding her breath. Every other deadline had passed with disappointment. Why would this one be any different?
She wanted her money. She didn’t want to have to pull the trigger and expose Harper. That wouldn’t do either of them any good. No, Harper was being obstinate, insisting she couldn’t pay when they were surrounded by people who could just write a check for that amount if they wanted to. Harper only had to ask. But she wouldn’t.
Harper was going to ruin things for her. So that meant that she had no choice but to ruin things for Harper.
Nine
Sebastian spun Harper on the dance floor and then pulled her tightly against him. Dinner had been excellent, but he couldn’t wait to take Harper out for a spin. He wasn’t much of a dancer, but it was the only socially acceptable way he knew of to hold her body against his in public.
“You really look beautiful tonight, Harper. Have I said that yet?”
“No,” she said with a smile, “but thank you. You should know, though, that I’m just a bridesmaid, so I can only be pretty. At a wedding, only the bride can be beautiful. It’s the rules.”
He leaned in to her and the scent of her floral perfume tickled at his nose, putting his nerves on high alert. It made him want to pull her closer. Or better yet, to tug her off the dance floor and head upstairs to their hotel room. His medical restrictions on sexual activity should be over now. He’d take it slow just in case, but he needed to indulge in Harper at least once before all of this came to an end.
Sebastian pressed his lips to the outer shell of her ear. “Well, don’t tell Violet, but I think you’re the most stunning woman here tonight. I don’t care who the bride is. You take my breath away even when you’re wearing that ugly purple dress she picked for all of you.”
When he pulled away, he could see Harper blush before she glanced down to look at her dress with a critical eye. “You don’t like my dress? I like it. I mean, I like it for a bridesmaid’s dress. I wouldn’t wear it to the Met Gala or anything, but it’s pretty enough.”
He didn’t know what one would wear to the Met Gala, but he was pretty sure this pale purple frock with flowers on the shoulder wasn’t it. “To be honest, I think you would look much prettier without it.”
Her brow arched in suspicion. “I think you just want me to be naked.”
Sebastian shrugged. “If you want to look your best, my vote is for naked.”
“Just like a man,” she groaned. “No respect for the power of fashion.”
That was true. For all his money, Sebastian didn’t know one designer from the next, nor did he care. He’d be just as happy buying all his clothes at Target, if Finn would let him. He was more about function than style most days. He couldn’t even tell you the name of the designer he was wearing right now. It was someone important. Finn had made sure of that. But without slipping out of his jacket to look at the name sewn inside, he had no clue.
What he did know was that the tuxedo was getting hot. Or maybe it was dancing so close to Harper that was overheating him. Looking around, he spied a door that opened onto a courtyard.
“You want to get some air? It’s getting a little warm in here.”
Harper glanced around the room for a moment and nodded. “Sure. I think we still have a little time before they cut the cake.”
Sebastian took her hand and led her off the dance floor. They made their way around a few tables before they reached the door that opened up to the courtyard. Out there, half a dozen small bistro tables and chairs had been set up. Each table was decorated with a floral arrangement and a flickering pillar candle protected from the breeze with a tall hurricane glass. At the moment, no one was outside, giving them some privacy.
He stepped over to the stone wall that separated the patio from the gardens beyond. It was a clear, cool night with a sky full of stars. He couldn’t imagine this many stars existed if he lived in Manhattan his whole life. He’d only seen this many on nights in Maine as a kid. Even so, it hardly held a candle to the beauty of the woman standing beside him.
He hadn’t just been flattering her earlier, it was the truth. It would be so easy in a moment like this—with candlelight highlighting the soft curves of her face and stars reflecting in her eyes—to let his guard down and fall for Harper once and for all. The music and the moonlight seemed to be conspiring against him tonight, wearing down his defenses. This week was supposed to be relaxing and yet he’d spent the entire trip fighting with himself.
He hadn’t expected any of this when he’d agreed to come to Ireland. Yes, he’d thought he would spend a few days holding hands with and kissing a beautiful woman overseas. He’d never imagined that he would be tempted to take their fake relationship seriously and open up to her. That he might look forward to returning to New York and spending time with her instead of rushing back into his lab at the first opportunity.
