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hing was up when Cruz answered the phone this morning. I could sense it in his voice,” Kate said, shaking her head. She turned sideways to look at Payton. “And?”
“And what?”
“And what happened this morning? Did you guys talk about it?”
They certainly talked, talked about how the heck they were going to get out of their mess. But did they talk about all the emotions that had been building that led to that moment? That up until things got hazy thanks to the barrel of tequila she’d consumed, she’d been having strong feelings for the best man that had left her confused but also excited?
“No. Not really,” she answered truthfully. “We focused on getting here.”
Kate snorted. “That must have been some ride back. Well, now that you’ve had some time to process it all, how are you feeling? Do…do you like him?”
Man, she knew confiding as much as she had with Kate was going to be trouble. “Do I still think he’s a complete Neanderthal with no redeeming qualities other than his silence? Probably not.”
Kate laughed and pushed Payton’s shoulder. “Come on, tell me the truth. You like him. You did when you first saw him, no matter how much you talked yourself out of it. And now that you’ve dumped Brad and have nothing stopping you from getting to know him better…”
“Actually, I do have something stopping us. Or someone. You know this huge deal Cruz has been putting together? Did you know that it’s with Eastman Motors?”
Kate’s brows furrowed for a moment. “Eastman Motors? As in… Oh. But you’re not engaged to Brad anymore. I’m not sure if this is as big as you think it—”
“Did I tell you that Dick already had a nice chat with Cruz yesterday? About trying to bring me around to resolving things with Brad?”
“What a slimeball. But Cruz didn’t do it. He was upfront with you…” She trailed off when Payton shook her head.
“He wasn’t initially. But you’re right; he did own up to it and apologize when I caught onto him. But it just goes to show you how important this deal is to him. So whether I have any feelings for him or not, that isn’t what’s relevant here. Not when I can’t see Cruz running the risk of jeopardizing this deal by ticking off Dick Eastman. This is the only thing that that matters to him right now.”
Kate’s eyes softened. “So maybe you might have feelings for him?”
She was relentless. And Payton couldn’t help but laugh.
She took a deep breath in and thought about the man who she’d spent the past two days getting to know. Thought of that hard, stern face that sometimes looked like it didn’t know how to smile, those eyes that sometimes glared at her in exasperation and anger. “He’s definitely moody,” she started. “And he makes me crazy enough that I want to throw something at him or tease him until he stomps out of the room.”
But other moments were beginning to eclipse those more tense times, when his eyes softened as they looked at her, like warm, melted dark chocolate and his lips curled up into that sensuous smile that made her heart feel like it was going to pound right out of her chest. “Sometimes I think that’s just a front to hide his true emotions. He has a great smile if he’d relax once in a while and not worry himself to death.”
She remembered the easy way he’d guided her on the dance floor, the way he had wrapped her in his arms, bringing his lips to hers, watching her so intensely she was ready to melt. “When he does loosen up, he’s actually quite…charming.”
She covered her eyes with her hands as other images of Cruz played in her memory, a generous and sensuous Cruz who for all his stoicism and reserve…was actually an incredible lover. But she wasn’t going to share that just yet with Kate. He was going to be her brother-in-law after all.
“By the blush on your face I would bet there are a few more attributes about the man that are definitely on the plus side.”
Payton smiled. A few.
A few attributes that made her lose all sense of reason and sanity and throw caution to the wind and actually say…I do.
Attributes that made her think whether it was such a mistake after all.
Chapter Twelve
Cruz got off the phone with his assistant and stared straight ahead into the mirror above the dresser of his hotel room. Finding yourself married in a foreign country on a bright Saturday afternoon certainly posed challenges to finding any legal counsel available to offer some guidance. He’d told his assistant to keep trying, wanting to know as soon as possible what exactly he and Payton had gotten themselves into.
For a fraction of a second, he thought about asking Kate for her opinion. But sanity returned. That was not ever going to happen. He’d never hear the end of it from his brother or the rest of his family when they found out he, Cruz Sorensen, whose longest commitment to anyone was his hairstylist, had gone and tied the knot.
Best to keep it quiet, as he and Payton had agreed, and wait. First thing Monday, they’d find someone to get them out of this mess.
He glanced at his watch. Ten minutes before brunch. With a suitcase filled with actual clean and unworn clothes waiting for him, he was itching to get out of the pants he’d worn the past three days. He could squeeze in a shower and maybe even a quick shave.
Other emotions seemed to keep pushing up at him, wanting to battle him for attention, demanding to be analyzed, considered, pondered, but he pushed it all to the back of his mind. Today was his brother’s wedding day. Whatever other emotions he might be feeling would have to wait.
Fifteen minutes later, and with some help from the front desk, Cruz found the Garden Room where the pre-wedding lunch was scheduled. The room itself, though bright and airy thanks to the natural light that filtered through the full ocean-facing windows, wasn’t very big and he doubted at first he was in the right place. Then he heard the laughing and shouts from the open patio door and looked out to see several tables already filled with food and people.
