by M. Malone
All she had to do was get through the ceremony and the reception.
And somehow manage to forget about Jamie’s parting words. He’d never said anything like that to her before. Jamie either treated her like an annoying little sister the same way King did or ignored her completely.
He’d certainly never looked at her like that.
James Hamilton III, also known as Jamie to everyone other than her uptight brother, was usually just a royal pain in her ass.
Her face heated as she remembered the last time she’d seen him. A few months ago, Georgie had done something a little crazy. She’d discovered her brother’s girlfriend owned an exclusive sex club and she’d asked Olivia to get her in. Not because she wanted to actually do anything there but just out of curiosity.
Georgie sniffed. People acted like it was such a big deal if a woman wanted to explore her options a bit. Was it really so wrong to wonder if sex was supposed to be so… boring?
She winced. It felt disloyal to even think it but the truth was that sex wasn’t something she looked forward to about married life. Alex was very traditional which translated to polite missionary sex every Saturday night. Georgie had just wanted to see what it was like for people who weren’t afraid to branch out a little. No big deal. She’d been perfectly safe until Jamie barged in and dragged her out in front of everyone.
She’d never been so humiliated.
For months, she hadn’t been able to look him in the eye. Although she shouldn’t have been the one embarrassed. He should have been embarrassed about sticking his way too good-looking nose where it didn’t belong.
Determined to forget about it, she carefully unfolded the note she’d written for Alex on her signature pink stationery. Her business, Sweet Nothings, was a unique greeting card service that delivered handwritten notes and cards for special occasions. She had agonized over what to write for Alex on their wedding day. Finally, she’d decided to keep it simple.
Forever starts today.
I love you.
Georgie
Her hands shook slightly as she refolded the note and tucked it into the matching envelope. It was an old tradition for wives and husbands to exchange gifts on their wedding day, one that most people didn’t bother with anymore. But Georgie had always thought it was sweet and wanted Alex to have something unique and personal from her rather than a store-bought gift. She’d decorated the envelope with little hand-drawn wedding images like a wedding dress, a tuxedo and a bouquet of flowers. She thought it was a nice touch although Alex probably wouldn’t notice.
Alex didn’t notice a lot of things.
Georgie placed a hand over her suddenly churning stomach. Nerves were normal but she was starting to panic. Maybe if she could see Alex and talk to him, this horrible feeling that she was making a mistake would go away.
Regina would have a fit if she asked to be taken to where the men were getting ready. That wasn’t in the plan and God forbid they do anything that wasn’t on Regina’s to-do list.
Screw this, she thought and walked over to the door. Pulling it open, she peered into the hallway.
No one would know if she snuck away to see Alex for a bit before the ceremony. Sure, there was that old tradition about it being bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding, but they weren’t superstitious people. She’d been raised by a businessman and her debutante mother was just as cunning as her father.
Their home had several wings and she knew exactly where her mother had put Alex. He was in her father’s office. Several of the cleaning staff bustled by before she reached the door to her father’s domain.
This room had always held special memories for her. No matter how busy her father might have been, he’d always had time for a hug and he used to let her play on the floor while he was on the phone or working at his desk.
Laughter and voices greeted her as she pulled the door open slightly. She was hardly a wedding expert, hers had been planned by her mother and Regina, but she assumed the groom’s party was all in there with him getting dressed. The last thing she wanted was to surprise anyone and then she’d have to get through the entire ceremony with naked groomsmen naked on the brain.
But when she peeked in, she didn’t see anyone. Then she heard voices again. Alex and his father were over by the window talking. They hadn’t seen her yet.
“Now that you’ve gotten in with the Kingsleys, we’re going to be in a very good position going forward. Their contacts alone are worth millions.”
Georgie paused in shock when she heard what Mr. Summerland was saying. Her hand curled around the doorknob. He’d always been very nice to her, inviting her over for dinner and telling her to say hi to her parents.
“We all have to make sacrifices,” Alex replied. “Georgie will make a good wife. I would have had to settle down at some point anyway.”
“Good way of thinking about it, son. Now if only I could get your brother on the same page.” Mr. Summerland seemed annoyed that one of his offspring had his own ideas about life.
“Make him the right offer and he will be. You think I’d be getting married if you hadn’t dangled the partnership carrot in front of me?”
Georgie’s hand flexed on the doorknob, moving it slightly. Alex’s laughter cut off when their eyes met. His eyes narrowed. “Georgie?”
She turned and fled. Her mind was racing with everything she’d just learned but there was only one thing that stuck out in her mind.
She had to get out of there.
A half an hour later, the wedding still hadn’t started and Jamie was getting restless.
Yeah, yeah, he was supposed to be gone by now. But who could look away if they knew a train wreck was about to happen? It wasn’t so easy to nonchalantly stroll in the other direction when someone he cared about was standing on the edge of a cliff and about to jump off.
He took another bracing sip of Macallan, enjoying the smooth texture and then the crisp bite at the end. Mr. Kingsley had always maintained a well-stocked bar. Something that he was grateful for now that they were stuck in this hell of waiting to find out what was going on.
“My baby girl can’t get married. She used to sit in my office while I worked and play with her dolls. Now she’s supposed to be someone’s wife?”
Colin, the second oldest of the Kingsley siblings, kept his eyes on his phone. He was the only one with light brown hair, unlike Georgie and King who had their father’s dark hair and blue eyes. He’d never gotten along with King so he’d moved out as soon as he could and didn’t spend much time with the rest of the family.
King glanced at his father’s now empty glass and raised his eyebrows. Mrs. Kingsley had asked him to make sure his father didn’t drink too much but Mr. Kingsley was already three sheets to the wind by the time they found him. So technically it wasn’t their fault. It was more like damage control at that point.
“I’m not sure what’s holding things up. Mom is checking. Alex probably did something,” King growled. “I swear if Georgie caught him fucking a bridesmaid or some other cliché shit, I will kill him.”
“Me too!” Mr. Kingsley raised his glass in agreement but his coordination was so off that he almost fell.
King caught his father and got him settled back on the stool before glancing over at Jamie. “You don’t have to stick around, man. I know weddings aren’t your thing. Didn’t you have somewhere to be tonight?”
That was his perfect out. He was being handed an excuse to walk away from the train wreck but he couldn’t do it.
As perverse as it was, he needed to witness Georgina Kingsley walk down the aisle to a man who didn’t deserve her. He needed to hear her perfect, pillowy lips utter the vows that would place her permanently out of reach. Maybe then his brain would stop entertaining impossible fantasies and he could finally get over it.
Although the fact that he’d seen her half-naked certainly didn’t help with the fantasizing situation.
His brain immediately shut down
that line of thought. Jamie couldn’t think about Georgie naked while sitting next to her distraught father. That was just weird. And wrong.
And weird.
Besides, there hadn’t been anything sexy about accidentally encountering Georgie at a sex club. King had gotten a membership to the exclusive Club VIP last year and ended up dating one of the owners. After realizing that his usual wingman was going out of commission, possibly forever, Jamie could freely admit that he was a little thrown. He’d gone back to the club to let off a little steam and relax.
Only he’d gotten way more than he bargained for when he ran into a scantily clad Georgie looking like a virgin sacrifice in a den of sinners.
“I’m going out of town tonight. Meeting up with an old friend.”
King chuckled. “Yeah, I figured. You have more old friends than any man I know.”
Normally Jamie would have laughed but somehow the joke made him feel worse. Just another reminder that King knew more about him than anyone else. The good, the bad and the really fucking ugly.
“I’ll stay a little longer. Just in case you need my help rearranging Alex’s face or anything.”
King grunted in approval at that. But before he could respond, Mrs. Kingsley ran up looking harried.
“Georgie is missing! We’ve looked everywhere. No one knows where she is.”
King stood immediately. “I’ll check the attic. Maybe she got cold feet and decided to hide out up there.”
Mr. Kingsley staggered to his feet unsteadily. “Maybe she’s in the pool house.” Colin followed his father.
Unsure how to help, Jamie volunteered to check all the guest rooms upstairs. As he walked through the expansive family room, he could see outside to the back lawn where the guests were waiting. Seeing that long white runner going up the aisle to the altar really brought it home.
Georgie was missing from her own wedding and there weren’t too many ways this could end well.
The guest rooms upstairs all proved to be empty as he’d figured they would. His fascination with Georgina meant that over the years he’d spent a lot of time watching her at social events. Unlike the others, he knew Georgie had a long history of hiding out when she was nervous or scared.
King and the rest of his family were outgoing extroverts that loved parties and socializing. Georgie played the role well, the result of a lifetime of practice. But he could tell when she was faking it and when she got uncomfortable, she would usually disappear from the event only to reappear much later.
It had become like a game for him, to predict when she would sneak out and see if he could catch her. He’d followed her a couple of times to find her raiding the pantry, an area that the rest of the family rarely used.
The Kingsleys were stupid rich, the kind that most people only saw on television or in movies. They had year round live-in staff so they never went in their pantry. If they got hungry, they called for someone to bring them food.
Making the pantry the perfect hiding spot.
Of course.
Jamie turned abruptly and retraced his steps. He skipped down the stairs and walked back across the family room. The entrance to the servant’s wing was through a set of double doors and down a hallway. As he walked, the sounds behind him became more muted. Most everyone was outside, roaming the house carrying out tasks for Fiona or on the other side of the lawn making preparations for the reception.
He looked around the corner and then waited until one of the waiters left the kitchen. Then he crossed to the pantry door and pulled it open.
Empty.
His heart sank until he noticed a rice bag moved awkwardly in the middle of the floor. Jamie walked forward and then looked behind it and into the far right corner. Georgie was sitting directly on the floor, her arms curled around her knees. The long train of her gown was hitched up behind her making it look like she was sitting in the middle of a huge scoop of whipped cream.
He wasn’t going to be the guy who started with the obvious questions. Something was wrong and she didn’t want to be found. So he got right to the point.
“Do you want to get out of here?”
Chapter 3
Georgie looked up warily when she heard footsteps. Was Jamie coming back or had someone else found her?
She’d come down here to hide because no one would ever look for her in the pantry. After what she’d overheard, she hadn’t wanted to go back to her room and smile and pretend everything was perfect.
But everywhere she turned, she saw something that reminded her of the wedding. Decorations, flowers, people.
So many people.
It had driven home what was at stake. This was no small thing. There were three hundred people outside waiting for her to marry Alex and she wasn’t sure she could do it.
The pantry door opened and she tensed until she recognized the distinct scent of Jamie. The man always smelled amazing. Not that she followed him around sniffing like a weirdo but considering how often he was at the house to visit King, it was almost impossible to avoid being in close contact with him.
“I wasn’t able to get into your room since everyone is there so I got my gym bag from my car. The T-shirt will be huge on you but it’ll do for now.”
She stood, placing a hand on the wall and the other on his shoulder so she didn’t fall as she maneuvered around her huge train. As she looked at the clothes in his hand, heat started climbing her neck. How could she have forgotten the dress?
“I’m going to need your help to get out of this thing.”
As his face paled, her humiliation doubled. “Never mind. I’ll just go back upstairs. I’m probably overreacting anyway.”
His head snapped up. “You’re not overreacting. You’re the sweetest person I know. If you’re upset, then you have reason to be.”
His praise pleased her way more than it should have. Jamie was known for being direct and exacting. Not the type of man to give out praise easily so if he said something, he meant it. And he wasn’t easy to impress. Something about the way he said it made it seem like he not only approved of her but also maybe… liked her, too. A surprise since he usually seemed annoyed by her. Something that hurt her feelings although she’d never admit it.
She straightened. You don’t need anyone’s approval. That’s what got you into this mess.
“Thank you. I just want to get out of this thing and then I guess I have to go talk to Alex.” She turned her back so he could start on the row of buttons on the back.
“You don’t have to do a damn thing you don’t want to do.”
She couldn’t see his face but felt the first tug as he started pushing the buttons through the holes.
“If only that were true,” she whispered. But this whole incident had forced her to take a good, hard look at her life.
Now that her anger had cooled a bit, she saw the situation clearly. Her relationship with Alex wasn’t a love match and all the things she’d thought were wrong were warnings from her subconscious trying to tell her to wake up.
Well, she hadn’t gotten the message until she’d actually heard it from the source and where did that leave her?
All of her friends were also friends with Alex. Her entire life revolved around being the perfect future wife for him and now she saw how much she’d truly lost. The only person who would take her in without a lot of questions was Olivia, King’s girlfriend, but she was currently at the wedding along with the rest of her family.
She had nowhere to go.
“Tell me he didn’t hurt you, Georgie.”
Jamie’s quiet, intense voice touched something deep inside. Something she wasn’t ready to examine just yet.
“He didn’t do any of the things you’re imagining.” She sighed. “He just doesn’t love me.”
Cool air bathed her back as the last button popped free and it was like breathing for the first time. She sucked in breath after breath until the room spun and she saw stars.
“Whoa. Take it easy.” Jamie held her up when s
he slumped slightly.
“Sorry.” Georgie couldn’t look at him as she pulled down the sleeves of her dress.
“Shit. I’ll… uh, I’m not looking.”
The discomfort in his voice amused her but there was no time to dwell on it. If Jamie had been sent to look for her, it meant she’d been down here feeling sorry for herself longer than she’d thought. It wouldn’t be long before her mother finally asked one of the staff if they’d seen her and then she’d be out of time.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
The shirt fell to her knees and the drawstring shorts hung dangerously loose on her hips even after she’d yanked and tied the string. But it wasn’t the torture device she’d just been wearing so it would do.
Jamie put her dress in the corner behind the rice bag. “Let’s put this out of the way just so no one steps on it when they come in here. I’m sure it’s outrageously expensive.”
“Yeah. Everything about this wedding was outrageously expensive. It was supposed to be a fairytale. I guess I wasn’t supposed to overhear Alex’s father congratulating him on locking down a successful business merger with the Kingsleys.”
When Jamie glanced at her over his shoulder, she braced herself to see all the emotions she was expecting once everyone found out the wedding was off. Sympathy. Pity.
Poor Georgie, saved herself for the perfect man only to find out that perfect doesn’t exist.
But there were none of those things reflected in Jamie’s eyes. Only a shared outrage that made her lift her chin a little higher.
“Well, let’s get the hell out of here and leave them all to wonder what happened to their business deal.”
Jamie opened the door to his Range Rover and waited while Georgie climbed in. He’d expected it to be harder to sneak her out of the house but everyone had been upstairs or outside with the wedding guests.