Liz had just turned around to face the bride. At that moment, Stephanie, standing with her back to the group, tossed her bouquet into the group with an over-the-head, backward pitch that would have made any major league baseball player proud.
And just like that, all hell seemed to break loose. The women within the group scrambled to catch the bouquet. Liz just wanted to get out of their way. How she wound up being the one who actually caught the bouquet was an absolute mystery to her.
But suddenly, there she was, holding the stunning arrangement of pink and white roses, and guests all around her were cheering—except for the few who had viewed her as an interloper. They were less than gracious and appeared rather crestfallen.
Meanwhile, Liz could only stare, dumbfounded, at the flowers she had somehow wound up clutching against her chest.
“You know what this means, don’t you?” a disembodied male voice somewhere in the crowd asked with a wicked chuckle.
Before Liz could even pretend to hazard a guess in response, someone else gleefully answered the question for her. “It means that Ethan gets to put the bride’s garter on your leg!”
Loud whistles and clapping melded together, drowning out the rest of whatever the disembodied voices were saying.
When this part of the reception had initially gotten underway, Liz hadn’t been paying much attention to whatever games were being engineered. However, she was aware that Ethan had been the one to catch Stephanie’s lacy garter after Joel had slipped it seductively off his bride’s leg and tossed it to the gaggle of waiting friends and groomsmen.
That was just after Ethan had coaxed her to take part in the group vying for the bridal bouquet.
Once she heard what was about to happen next, her heart began to beat twice as hard and fast. She decided that it was all part of the mystery surrounding her completely unexpected, unplanned catch of the bridal bouquet and not her very personal reaction to Ethan.
Liz looked around for a means of escape.
Instead, from out of nowhere, a chair was pushed forward and Liz found herself being seated on it. She was still holding the bride’s bouquet.
The seductive slit on her gown played right into the scenario, leaving her leg exposed and ready for the garter. It was almost as if her gown had been created with just this event in mind.
Ethan came closer to her and their eyes met.
“You okay with this?” he asked her so quietly that she doubted anyone else could hear. She almost hadn’t heard him herself.
Rather than answer verbally, she merely nodded her head, her mouth curving ever so slightly, indicating that it was all right.
Ethan knelt down beside her. His eyes holding hers, he moved aside her gown. And then, very slowly, he slipped the garter over her high-heeled shoe and then up along her leg.
Liz caught her breath. She could have sworn that she felt a tingling sensation sliding up and down her spine, rendering her hot and then cold all at the very same time. Her breath remained almost lodged in her throat as she never took her eyes off Ethan while he painstakingly secured the garter up on her thigh.
Because he wasn’t playing to the crowd, which was urging him to go “Higher! Higher!” Ethan removed his hands from the garter when he had only gotten it halfway up her thigh.
Holding his hands up in the air like a rodeo competitor who had finished tying the calf he had roped, Ethan rose to his feet. He stood beside her chair and offered one hand to Liz, his unspoken meaning clear.
She offered Ethan a grateful smile as she wrapped her fingers around his hand and stood up beside him.
“Okay, c’mon now, kiss her!” someone within the crowd shouted.
“Yeah, kiss her!” Another voice from within the group seconded the motion.
The request was immediately caught up by others until “C’mon, kiss her!” became a full-fledged chant repeated over and over again.
Ethan turned toward Liz. “They’re not going to stop, you know.”
She took a breath as she nodded. “Yes, I know.”
Still, his eyes held hers as if he was searching for something there to tell him whether she wanted him to back away or to move ahead.
After a beat, when she hadn’t taken the opportunity to pull away, he took that as Liz’s way of saying he had her permission to proceed.
So he did.
Leaning in, he brushed his lips over hers. Initially he thought that would be enough to satisfy the wedding guests.
Maybe it might have satisfied the guests, but it didn’t do that for the participants.
The simple contact had unearthed something between them, a pull that he swore all but sucker punched him, robbing him of his very breath. It almost sealed him to the spot where he was standing, while his very soul seemed to be begging for more, for a second take.
A second take to show him that what had been created by the first kiss couldn’t have been real. It had to have been a mistake.
To test his theory, Ethan brushed his lips against hers again, this time more forcefully and definitely with more feeling than the first time.
The results nearly blew him away.
He hadn’t been wrong about the kiss. If anything, this time around it packed even more of a punch than it had the first time.
Just for a split second, Ethan found himself forgetting everyone else, even where he was. The only thing he was aware of was that something really special was happening.
As if to underscore that, his pulse began to hammer almost uncontrollably, setting what felt like a brand-new record for speed.
Liz had absolutely no experience when it came to kissing someone in front of an audience. She’d never been in a school play. She had never even been caught by a friend or relative while kissing her date. The main reason for the latter was because for the last number of years, there had been no dates. There’d only been work and more work, whether it took the form of school or the kind of work that yielded a paycheck. Work had completely dominated her life. There had been no time for socializing, no occasions of being set up by friends on blind dates. Nothing like that had even come close to happening.
Consequently, she had no idea how to handle what was going on now, how to respond to the people around her who were laughing and applauding, entertained by the kiss that she and Ethan were sharing.
At a loss as to how to react, Liz looked up at Ethan, waiting for him to take the lead.
What he saw when she looked up at him was vulnerability. That seemed to shoot straight into his gut. It dictated what he did next. Even though he wanted nothing more than to kiss her at least one more time, to give in to the chant that his friends had taken up, crying over and over, “Do it again!” Ethan deliberately put an end to it.
“Okay, you voyeurs, back off,” Ethan announced loudly, albeit good-naturedly. “You’ve had your show. Now go back to your corners and behave.”
Not waiting for a response, Ethan took Liz’s hand and brought her over to where the seven-tiered wedding cake had been set up.
She had no idea why, since he had practically undone her just now with his lethal mouth, but she felt safe with Ethan. She smiled at him now, her manner conveying as much.
“You’re a good sport,” Ethan told her quietly. His eyes swept over her face slowly, as if to assure himself that she was all right. “Would you like to step outside for a breath of fresh air?”
Oh God, yes! she thought. It took effort not to blurt the words out.
She was relieved that Ethan was being this understanding about her feelings. And because he was, that put an entirely different perspective on the situation in her eyes. Had he been tempted to push his advantage—which part of her had a feeling that he must have somehow felt—she would have probably wound up walking out on him and the reception itself.
But Ethan had been exceedingly decent about the whole thing, even
telling her again that they could leave at any time. That very fact made her feel as if Ethan was totally on her side.
And because she believed him when he made the offer to leave, that meant the world to her.
Smiling at Ethan, no longer the slightest bit wary, she answered, “I’d like that very much.”
Taking her hand again, Ethan led her to the double doors that opened up to a private garden.
There were lanterns set up along the perimeter, giving the area a warm, golden glow. Part of the garden had been set aside for dancing after the meal had been consumed and the cake had been cut.
Right now the entire area was all but deserted except for a couple of hummingbirds that were swooping around, their wings going so fast they sounded like bumblebees getting ready to attack.
Surprised at first, Liz realized what was making the noise and smiled at the birds. “Hard to believe they can sound so ominous,” she said.
“Just nature’s way of protecting itself.”
Liz laughed softly to herself. “I know how that is,” she commented.
Ethan wasn’t sure what he was going to say to her by way of a reply. He was aware of turning toward her—aware, too, of having her turn her face up to his.
The rest of it seemed to happen so naturally; it felt as if he had no choice but to react the way he did. Like it had all been written down somewhere in a sacred book and he was just following the steps.
Cupping Liz’s cheek ever so gently with his hand, he tilted her head back just slightly and brought his mouth down to hers.
This kiss was strictly private, something to be shared and enjoyed just by the two of them, without an audience, without a single person there to so much as comment on it.
Liz felt her blood surging through every part of her body, responding to the man who had simultaneously created chaos and ecstasy within the very same space.
Her heart hammering wildly, Liz wove her arms around his neck and leaned her body into his, absorbing the warmth that Ethan was generating within her.
Trite as the sentiment might have sounded, time seemed to stand still as he went on kissing her.
As she continued kissing him.
She realized that, if she wasn’t careful, she could very easily get lost in both the man and the kiss they were sharing, never to be heard from again.
It was only through exercising supreme effort that she managed to draw her head back, separating her lips from his. It was particularly difficult for her especially when every fiber of her being wanted nothing more than to continue kissing Ethan, continue getting lost in his arms, in his kiss.
In him.
Her churning adrenaline racing madly through every part of her body, Liz focused on separating herself from Ethan. Separating herself from the delicious moment and from the very real, very strong desire to see this through to the very end.
She couldn’t very well make love with him here in the country club garden—if for no other reason than the fact other people at the reception would be coming out here soon. Being caught out here making love with this man—which was what she now knew she desperately wanted to do—was not in anyone’s best interest. Not hers, not even his and certainly not in the best interest of the bride and groom. With that one simple act, the spotlight would be irrevocably stolen from them.
So, moving like someone caught up in a dream, she stepped back even as she pressed her lips together, both to end the kiss and to seal it in.
“I think I might have had enough fresh air for now,” she managed to get out.
Her cheeks were an intriguing shade of pink, he observed. Ethan smiled at Liz as he nodded. “Then I guess that means we should go back inside.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “We should.” Because if they remained out here much longer, she knew she couldn’t be held responsible for her behavior.
Even as Liz agreed with Ethan, her feet felt like lead, wanting nothing more than to remain exactly where they were, out here with him. She had no idea if this was a fluke, a onetime occurrence that would never be repeated again, or a preview of what was to come. All she knew was that they needed to go back inside—before she wasn’t able to comply.
“They’re probably getting ready to serve the meal now,” she said, grasping at straws for something logical to say.
He nodded. “That would be my guess.” He looked at her just before they began to go back inside. “You’re sure you’re all right?” he asked quietly.
From somewhere, Liz managed to summon what she hoped was a carefree smile and flashed it at Ethan. “Oh, I’m just terrific,” she assured him.
“Yes,” he agreed, nodding his head, his voice rumbling along her bare skin, “you are.”
The sound of his voice, with its unspoken promise of what was to be, all but undid her. With all her heart, she prayed that what was going on here wasn’t just something that would pass, that this all-but-palpitating moment would be revisited in the not-too-distant future.
She truly wanted to see if they were as in sync as she felt they were. If they weren’t, her imagination had just gotten carried away because this was the first time in forever that she didn’t have to be rushing from one point to another, didn’t have to juggle more than one thing at a time.
This was the first time that she could actually think of herself, not as a driver or a bartender or a student, not even as someone’s daughter, but as a woman with needs and desires that had to be addressed. More than that, she had needs and desires that begged to be met.
She truly hoped that this was a sign of things to come and that when these things did come, they wouldn’t wind up being wrapped in a tissue comprised of disappointment.
She felt Ethan’s hand gently pressing on hers as they walked back through the double doors, as if to silently reassure her everything was going to be all right.
Somehow, she had a feeling that when the time finally came, she was not going to be disappointed.
Chapter Twelve
All in all, Liz had to admit that she had had a wonderful time. Up until the very end of the reception, just before she and Ethan finally left. Until that point, Ethan never left her side, making her have to fend for herself.
Whether they were at the table, or dancing, or mingling with the other guests, he was always with her, and he was the reason why she had enjoyed herself so immensely.
It was Liz’s trip to the ladies’ room before they left the reception that provided the only trouble spot to what had otherwise been a really fantastic day and evening.
Because it was while she was in the ladies’ room, using the facilities, that she wound up overhearing a conversation. It was between two of the more aggressive bridesmaids who had tried to catch the bouquet. The women had gotten in each other’s way, one all but body slamming the other.
Liz recognized their voices. Neither one of the women had looked very happy that she had accidentally caught the bouquet.
“Why didn’t he bring Catherine?” the taller of the two bridesmaids asked. “If you ask me, Catherine is a much better match for Ethan than that aggressive flower catcher.”
“Who knows? Maybe Catherine came to her senses and decided that she could do better,” the second woman answered.
“Better than Ethan?” the first woman scoffed. “C’mon, are you kidding me? Anyone with eyes can see the man’s a hunk.”
“Yes, well, the word is that he’s always going to be a poor hunk.” The second bridesmaid lowered her voice as if she was imparting a secret. “He’s working at that free clinic.” She said the term as if she was uttering curse words.
This seemed to be news to the first woman, who drew in her breath, surprised. “What happened?”
“Beats me,” her friend answered as they made their way out of the ladies’ room. “But Catherine was smart to cut her losses,” the woman said, her voice fading away.
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br /> It was only when Liz was certain that the two women had left the ladies’ room that she finally ventured out of the bathroom stall. Washing her hands, then drying them quickly with a paper towel, she made her way out of the ladies’ room.
This was not the way she would have wanted to end a perfect evening, Liz thought as she made her way back to Ethan. She had never been the type to let cattiness get to her. She certainly never took vain, petty words to heart.
But the short exchange she’d overheard between the two shallow women did raise a few questions in her mind. Questions that she knew wouldn’t give her any peace until she had answers.
“You ready to go?” Ethan asked the moment he saw her crossing to him.
“You have no idea how ready,” Liz answered with undue emphasis.
Ethan caught the inflection in her voice, and it made him wonder if something had happened. “Anything wrong?”
She offered him a small smile even as she took herself to task for being too transparent. “I’m just tired.”
Ethan had a feeling there was more to it than that, but she was entitled to her privacy and he wasn’t going to press.
“Small wonder,” he agreed. “I shouldn’t have made you dance to so many of the songs, but you turned out to be such a great partner, I just didn’t want to stop.” He offered her what he hoped would pass as a contrite look. “I’m sorry.”
Liz couldn’t help laughing. “You have the nicest way of apologizing. Even if I was upset, I certainly can’t find it in my heart to hold it against you after you put it so nicely.”
Ethan shrugged as he helped her with her shawl. “What can I say? You bring out the best in me,” he told her.
Right back at you, Liz thought.
As they worked their way to the door, she and Ethan said their goodbyes, pausing to exchange a few pleasantries with the groom and the bride’s parents, all of whom seemed to be properly anesthetized, thanks to the champagne that had been downed that evening. Liz had a strong feeling that none of the words exchanged would be remembered by the parties involved by the time they reached the parking lot.
Coming To A Crossroads (Matchmaking Mamas Book 24) Page 11