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Her super short black dress gave him a stellar view of the legs he’d enjoyed having wrapped around his neck this morning. Her shoes were tall with a lot of straps. Even as he thought she must be swearing with every step she took, he appreciated how damn sexy they were. How damn sexy she looked wearing them. Her confidence accompanied every sharp heel tap, the short ruffly sleeves of the dress lifting in the breeze she made on her way to him.
“I didn’t think you could pull off fifteen minutes.”
“I have my routine down.” She adjusted her purse on her shoulder and smiled, gifting him with those cute dimples. “Plus, I left everything in the office at the TCC yesterday, so I didn’t have anything to pack up”.
She pushed her bangs off her forehead. Her mid-length, pale blond hair was down in loose waves. Had she run out of time to pin it back? Or had he put her into a loose, relaxed mood that her hairstyle was reflecting? He liked the idea that he could be partly responsible for her literally letting her hair down. He also hoped he’d had something to do with the spring in her step and the bright smile on her beautiful face.
“I didn’t think you could look any better than you did naked next to me in bed.” He handed over her coffee as she jerked her eyes around the practically empty lobby. “I was right. You look better naked. But you still look amazing.”
“Just when I think you’re going to be serious.” She shook her head, but she didn’t appear the least bit upset that he’d teased her.
“I’m completely serious. Do you need me to go over which body parts are my favorite? Which sounds you make that I like best? What about—” She pressed her fingers to his lips, something she’d done before. He smiled against her fingertips, kissing them lightly before she pulled them away. “What’s on our agenda today?”
“The usual. Planning a wedding.”
They walked into the parking lot to her mother’s car that she’d borrowed for the week. On the short drive to the TCC, Rylee detailed the “ten million things” she had to do before the wedding on Saturday.
The list made him instantly fatigued. He took a deep drink of his coffee, glad he’d gone for an extra shot of espresso. His agenda wasn’t so much an agenda with a timeline and bullet-pointed tasks—he shuddered—than him waiting for the right moment to turn on the camera. After filming for years, he had a sixth sense about what to shoot and what angles were best. He operated on instinct, not pragmatism. Too much planning gave him hives.
“And then the rehearsal dinner tonight, of course.”
Shit! He’d forgotten about that. She caught his alarmed expression as she parked near the side entrance.
“You forgot.”
“I didn’t. Okay, I did, but I would have remembered way before that.”
“Don’t worry. You will have a break late afternoon to go back to your room and freshen up if you need to.” She patted his cheek. He caught her hand. They sat in her car, keys off, the interior heating in the Texas sun, staring into each other’s eyes. Her blues exactly matched the clear sky. Unbidden, the moment took on a different vibe. Serious.Meaningful.One of those moments in life that is not to be missed for other seemingly more important ones. To keep from wading into the deep end far too soon, he rerouted the conversation to sex.
“Not unless you come to my room with me. We didn’t use every item in that gift box, you know.”
“You’re not going to waste a single second while you’re here, are you?” The question was rhetorical, he assumed, since she left him in the car rather than wait for him to answer.
He shut his car door and followed her to the building, the strangest sensation spreading over his chest. What had started out as mind-blowing sex with the wedding planner who’d been his nemesis for the last few months had changed into something more.
And without his permission.
Did they...have a future? A terrifying prospect for a guy who rarely planned ahead. The premonition didn’t fade for a good hour or two. He tried not to obsess over what that might mean.
Thirteen
Her morning had started with a bang. Not only was she on the phone answering questions from the caterers about table settings, but while she was on the phone, Ariana had sent texts.
Multipletexts.
For good reason, Rylee calmly reminded herself as she took a deep breath. She’d asked Ari to let her know of any last-minute seating changes so that Rylee could let the caterer know. A cancellation or an additional plus-one was to be expected. What Rylee hadn’t expected wassevenadditional guests and a request from a couple in the middle of a divorce to sit at different tables. Now the entire seating plan was thrown off.
“Here we have our cool under pressure wedding planner,” Trick narrated. He’d warned her he’d be filming this morning. She forced an amiable smile for the camera, but on the inside she was Edvard Munch’sThe Scream.
Rylee had already phoned the calligrapher, who’d thankfully answered. The bad news was, she was out of town. As inGermany.Rylee couldn’t very well demand that the woman stay in the States until after the wedding, but she wondered if she should make that request in the future.
She had explained the seating kerfuffle, asking the calligrapher to pen, scan and email the files. Rylee would figure out a way to print them onto Ari’s and Ex’s specialty card stock so that they matched the others. Unfortunately, the calligrapher had just boarded her flight and would be staying in a small town without Wi-Fi as part of a “digital cleanse.” Rylee had been tempted to swear or beg or cry—or a combination of the three—but in the end had wished the other woman a happy vacation.
Trick swept the camera over the reception area, pointing out the large chandeliers and the dance floor. He mentioned that Colin Reynolds, Irish-born head chef for the local restaurant, Sheen, would be catering.
Rylee shook her head in bemusement as she thought back to her mini meltdown a few months ago. When she’d been wishing Trick would have chosen any event other than hers. Now, she didn’t wish that. She found his presence, including his attention to the details she’d so carefully orchestrated with the vendors, soothing.
It was funny how drastically her feelings had changed.
