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There was that wobble again. The feeling of not being good enough. Of letting her down every time she talked about her job, her favorite time of year.
Swallowing it down, he cupped her face, kissing her firmly, his lips warm and strong against hers. Her mouth parted and he slid his tongue in, loving the warmth, the fullness of her. By the time they parted they were both breathless.
“I can’t stay here long,” she whispered. “If I don’t get to the dining room before Mom she’ll have rearranged the seats, again. She seems to think it’s a puzzle she can solve.” She smiled at him.
Breck could feel his equilibrium slowly seeping back. Away from the decorations, the wedding, all the people, it was him and Caitie, plus a whole closet full of cleaning supplies. “This won’t take long,” he said, unbuckling his jeans. “Probably a couple of minutes.”
Her eyes widened. “Breck, we can’t… not here. What if somebody walks in on us?”
He tipped his head back with laughter, slowly buckling his belt back up. “I was kidding, baby. Even I don’t get turned on by brooms and mops.”
“You were?” She frowned. “Now I feel disappointed.”
He ran a finger down her arm. “I hate to disappoint you. You know, I could close my eyes and pretend the mops aren’t here.”
She smiled. “If I got my hands on you, you’d forget everything, including the goddamn mops. But since I’m trying to organize a wedding practically single handed, you’ll have to wait until tonight.”
“Tonight?” He lifted a brow.
“Yeah. You’re coming to my room, aren’t you?”
He cupped her face and kissed her again. “Do you need to ask?” Surely she could feel his need pressed so tightly against her.
“Just wanted to make sure,” she murmured. “It’s probably the only way I’ll get through this evening. It sounds awful, but I can’t wait until everything is over and done with tomorrow. I want to lie in bed with you and actually enjoy what’s left of Christmas. I barely managed to buy all my gifts.”
“Gifts?”
“Yeah, you know, those strange boxes people put under trees. The ones they give out on Christmas morning.”
His mouth turned dry. “Ah, yeah, I’ve heard of them.”
“Are you okay?” She frowned. “Jack said something about you being pale earlier. Do you think you’re coming down with something?”
He shook his head quickly. “Nothing a beer won’t fix. That and a night with my girl.”
“Speaking of which, you should probably join the others before they come looking for you. And I have a billion things to do.” She stopped talking long enough to press her lips to his. “I can’t wait to spend some time with you tonight. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too, baby. More than you’ll ever know.”
24
The rehearsal dinner was running smoothly as planned. Caitie took a sip of her champagne and tried to tell her body to relax, but it wasn’t getting the message. She couldn’t help but be on high alert, making sure each course came out on time, and the guests with special dietary requirements were given the right dishes. A glance to her left told her that Lucas and Ember were having a good time, and that was what really mattered.
Just before they’d gathered for dinner, the bridal party had done a quick run through of the ceremony in the ballroom which was all ready for the big day tomorrow. Caitie had watched with her heart full of joy as Ember and Lucas stood at the front of the room with the officiant, smiling at each other as they practiced their words. It had
been so beautiful to watch. She couldn’t wait to see the real thing tomorrow.
It was almost enough to take her attention away from the way Rachel kept grabbing Breck’s hand with excitement, and smiling up at him with an adoring expression.
God, that was excruciating.
The wait staff had cleared away the main courses, and there was a hush for a moment as they walked back into the room carrying a huge cake stand. On top of it was the groom’s cake, the traditional dessert at a rehearsal dinner. It was decorated to look like a firefighter’s hat, surrounded by a coiled hose, representing Lucas’s job.
The men around him cheered when they saw it, and Lucas laughed, looking over at Caitie to mouth a ‘thank you’.
She winked back at him, and nodded at the staff to cut it up and distribute it around the room.
In the corner, the band struck up a song. The Most Wonderful Time of The Year began to echo across the room, making Ember smile as the violins kicked in.
