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He glanced back at reception. “Tell him to hold a minute, I’ll be right there.”
Laine was already walking his way, the guy right beside her, his head bent to hers in intimate conversation as they headed toward the exit.
The guy was smiling wide. Laine’s head tilted back and—oh, shit—genuine laughter tittered out.
As they passed, their voices became clear.
“You know we’d be great together.” The guy turned around and started walking backward, keeping his eye on Laine as he headed toward the exit. “Just think about it.”
She cocked a scrutinizing smile at him and nodded thoughtfully. “Okay, Max. I will.”
Jason almost choked, his fists balled at his sides. He wanted to pound this Max for making a move on Laine in his hotel.
Christ, who was he kidding? A hundred guys made moves on her, and right under his nose. It was the fact that this guy had gotten some genuine emotion from her that got under his skin.
Damn, damn, damn.
He’d wanted Laine for too long to let some punk come in and get the jump on him.
Laine headed over Jason’s way and then walked with him toward the office. “Sorry. You didn’t have to wait.”
“No problem. Let’s go find out about that cake.”
Game face. Keep the game face. Don’t ask who he was, or what he wanted. You’ll look like a jackass. Be cool. No problem… Except that cool guys were never at a complete loss for words, and he couldn’t think of a damn thing to say.
Back in his office, Jason hunched over the expansive desk and connected the line on speaker. “Okay, let’s have it.”
“Jay, I’m coming up empty so far.”
Not what he needed to hear. He wanted to be the man who made Laine’s dreams come true, not the schmuck who couldn’t get a freaking cake delivered. “There are literally hundreds of weddings scheduled to take place in this city alone today. Somewhere, some girl, wrapped up in her favorite terrycloth bathrobe and wearing a two hundred dollar veil, is sitting at home, crying her eyes out because the groom-to-be forgot his future father-in-law was there when he got a blowjob at the bachelor party the night before. Someone doesn’t need a cake.”
The voice across the line was tight. “I’ll keep looking.”
“Whatever it takes, just get it over here.” Disconnecting, he planted both hands on his desk and looked up at Laine as she leaned against the doorframe to his office, rubbing one delicate foot while he struggled to make good on his promise.
She cocked her head to the side, a cascade of shiny chestnut hair falling over her shoulders. “Well, that certainly is a romantic way to look at it.”
“Save the indignation. You and I both know I’m right.” He didn’t like the sound of his voice. He was thinking about that guy, Max. The way his lips grazed her cheek. The echo of their words.
“Think about it…”
“I will…”
“How about your groom today? The wedding is still on, so I’m assuming this one didn’t try any games of grab-ass in the kitchen.” The words were out of his mouth before he’d found enough sense to stop them. He was being a prick, because he was jealous. Bringing up the almost-wedding from three weeks ago, where the groom had gotten grabby with Laine, was a blow below the belt. If he could kick his own ass he would.
“Oh, right. You saw that. So nice of you, by the way, to intervene on my behalf. That guy had me pinned against the room-service cart.”
Jason’s jaw clenched at the memory. He’d walked around the corner an instant before Laine’s knee rocketed through the hip-high split in her gown and into the groom’s thigh. The man had gone down into a writhing ball, clutching his leg and screaming in pain. Laine wasn’t in any danger, but she’d been livid. Jason hadn’t trusted himself to approach them. The possessive rage that overcame him in that split second had every cell in his body calling for blood. The groom got off lucky with the girly dead-leg assault; another second of unwelcome contact and Jason would have been on him… and the damage he’d have inflicted wouldn’t have left the bastard abl
e limp out of the hotel.
When the staff had rushed to her aid, Jason backed away, trying to get past the veil of red that blinded him to the idea of anything but punishment.
“By the time I came in, it was done.” What a limp apology.
He’d been a jackass to bring it up. But now that he had, there was something he’d been wondering about. Trying to get back to a cavalier tone, he went fishing. “The bride’s mother walking in then was perfect timing, took the pressure off of you to do anything about it.”
Laine fixed him with a hard stare, but he couldn’t stop. “Connie has a strict policy of one freebie for grab-ass grooms, but this guy was serious. Would you have told the bride if her mother hadn’t been there?”
