The Best Man & The Wedding Planner

by Teresa Carpenter

  He sipped at the last of his wine, enjoyed the warmth as it rolled down his throat. The fire had burned down to embers and he stirred himself to get up and feed it. The thick stone walls and bare wood floors kept the room cool so the fire gave nice warmth to the room. Plus, he imagined Lindsay would find it a comforting offset to the storm.

  She was more pretty than beautiful, her delicate features overshadowed by that lush mouth. His gut tightened as heat ignited his blood just as flame flared over the fresh fuel.

  Oh, yeah, he wanted a bite of that plump lower lip.

  He’d have to wait. He’d put her off limits when he concocted the sabotage plan. He couldn’t use her and seduce her, too. That would be too much. But she didn’t need to know of his restraint. Just the thought of him making a move on her would keep her on edge, making it easier for him to cause a little chaos.

  A glance at his watch showed the time at just after nine. Early for him to go to bed most nights but tonight, fatigue from travel, the time change and the concentration needed to drive an unfamiliar vehicle on unfamiliar roads weighed on him.

  The room held no TV so it was sleep or talk.

  He wouldn’t mind getting to know his companion better but somehow he knew she’d choose the escape that came with sleep. Whether she actually slept or not. His feisty little pixie had a bit of the ostrich in her.

  The door opened and she slipped inside.

  “You’re still up?” She avoided his gaze as she crossed to the bed and zipped the case that still sat on her side.

  “Just feeding the fire.”

  She lifted the case and he stepped forward to take it from her.

  “I can do it,” she protested, independent as always.

  “So can I.” He notched his chin toward the bed. “You’re falling asleep on your feet. Go to bed.”

  “What about you?” Caution filled her voice and expression.

  “I’m going to tend the fire for a bit. I’ll come to bed soon.”

  Relief filled her blue eyes and he knew she thought she’d gotten a reprieve; that she hoped to be asleep before he joined her in the far too small bed.

  Truthfully, he hoped she fell asleep, too. No point in both of them lying awake thinking about the other.

  * * *

  Lindsay pretended to be asleep when Zach came to bed. His presence kept her senses on edge. Between him and the storm that still raged outside her nerves were balanced on a fine-edged sword.

  She tried to relax, to keep her breathing even so as not to disturb Zach. The last thing she wanted was another discussion on why storms bothered her. It was a weakness she preferred to ignore. She usually plugged in her earphones and let her playlist tune out the noise.

  Tonight there was nothing in the still house to disguise the violence of the weather outside the window. Everything in her longed to press back into the strong male body occupying the other half of the bed. Instead she clung to the edge of the mattress determined to stay on her side.

  Thunder boomed and lightening strobed at the edges of the closed drapes. Lindsay flinched then held herself very still.

  “Oh, for the love of dog, come here.” Long, muscular arms wrapped around her and tugged her against the hard planes of a male chest.

  Shocked by both action and words, Lindsay chose to focus on the latter. She glanced over her shoulder into dark eyes. “What did you say?”

  “Woof, woof.” And his lips settled softly on her cheek, a simple human-to-human contact that left her wanting more.

  She sighed and made a belated attempt to wiggle away. Her body and nerves might welcome his touch but her head shouted, Danger! “I know it’s silly. It’s something my mom taught me when I was little. It kind of stuck.”

  “I think it’s cute.”

  She went still. “I’m not cute. I’m not a pixie. And we’re not going to be lovers. You need to let me go.” One of them needed to be smart about this.

  His arms tightened, pulled her back the few inches she’d gained. “Tell me about the storms.”

  “There’s nothing to tell!”

  His silence was a patient demand.

  “What’s to like about them? They’re angry and destructive.”

  “A storm is cleansing. It can be loud, yes, but it takes the old and washes it clean.”

  She thought about that. “Destruction is not cleansing.”

  “It can be. If something is rotten or breaking, it’s better to come down in a storm than under a person’s weight. You might have to finish the cleanup but life is fresher once you’re done.”

  “I doubt people who have lost their homes to a hurricane or tornado would agree with you.”

  “Hurricanes and tornadoes are different. This is a simple summer thunderstorm. Nothing to get so worked up over.”

  “I know.” She lay with her cheek pressed against her hand. She should move away, put space and distance between them. But she didn’t. Couldn’t. Having strong arms surrounding her gave her a sense of belonging she hadn’t experienced in way too long. It didn’t even matter that it was all in her head. Her body had control right now. With a soft sigh she surrendered to his will and her body’s demand.

  “It’s not even my phobia. It’s my mother’s that she passed on to me.” She blamed the kiss for loosening her resolve. Hard to keep her wits about her with the heat of his kiss on her cheek.

  “How’d she do that?”

  “She hates storms. They don’t scare her, though, they make her cry.”

  “Why?”

  “She was only seventeen when she got pregnant with me. My dad tried to step up and they got married, even though he was barely eightteen. My mom is very high maintenance. Her dad always gave her everything she wanted. Took care of things for her. She expected my dad to do the same. She was too demanding and he finally left. It was during a storm that he took off and never came back. She was left pregnant and alone.”

  “So she cries when it rains.”

  “Yes.” Lindsay had pieced the story together through the years. She loved her mother; she was fun and free-spirited. But Lindsay also recognized her faults; it had been a matter of self-preservation.

  “Her dislike of storms comes from sadness.”

  She nodded, her hair brushing over his chin. She’d never talked to anyone about this.

  “But your jumpiness suggests a fear-based reaction.”

  A shiver racked her body and she curled in on herself. Everything in her tightened, shutting down on a dark memory. She wanted to tell him it was none of his business, but then he might let her go and she wasn’t ready to give up the cocoon of his embrace.

  His arms tightened around her and his lips slid over her cheek, giving her the courage to answer.

  “It’s a lingering unease leftover from childhood. It’s distressing to hear your mother cry and know there’s nothing you can do to help.”

  “It seems the mother should be comforting the child, not the other way around.”

  “She’s more sensitive than I am.”

  A tender touch tucked her hair behind her ear, softly trailed down the side of her neck. “Just because you’re tough doesn’t mean you don’t need reassurance now and again.”

  She relaxed under the gentle attention. Though she rejected the truth in his words.

  “This storm caught me when I was tired. I’m sorry I disturbed you. I usually put my earbuds in but I left my phone in the Land Rover.”

  “Ah, a sensible solution. I should have known.” He shifted behind her, leaving her feeling chilled and alone. And then his weight settled against her again and earbuds entered her ears. “You’re stuck with my playlist, but maybe it’ll help you sleep.”

  She smiled and wrapped her hand around his. “Thank you.”

  His fingers squ
eezed hers.

  She felt the tension drain away. Now she had the music, she’d be okay. She no longer needed the comfort of his arms.

  Her eyes closed. In a minute she’d pull away. There was danger in staying too close to him. Already her body recognized his, which made it all too easy for him to hold sway over her. She needed to stay strong, to stay distant...

  The last thing she knew was the feel of his lips on her cheek.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  LINDSAY WOKE JUST before eight with the earbuds still in her ears. The tunes had stopped. She felt around for the phone but came up with the end of the earbuds instead. Her hand hadn’t encountered a hard male body, but the stillness of the room had already told her Zach was out and about.

  She threw back the covers and her feet hit the floor, her toes curling in her socks against the chill of the hardwood. Padding to the window, she pushed back the drapes to a world awash in sunshine. The ground was still wet but the greenery and rock fences had a just-scrubbed brightness to them.

  Or was that Zach’s influence on her?

  A peek down the hall showed the bathroom was free so she quickly grabbed her things and made a mad dash to claim it. Aware others may be in need of the facilities she kept it short and soon returned to the room to dress and put on her makeup.

  Before going downstairs, she packed her things so she’d be ready to leave when a car arrived. In spite of Zach’s comfort and kindness last night, or maybe because of it, she fully intended to make her break from him today.

  The heavenly scent of coffee greeted her in the dining room. Some fellow occupants of the B and B were seated at the long wooden table, including Zach. Cheerful greetings came her way as she moved through the room.

  “Breakfast is buffet style this morning as there’re so many of us.” A gray-haired gentleman pointed with his fork toward the buffet she’d passed.

  “Henry, don’t use your utensils to point.” An equally gray-haired woman pushed his hand down. “They’ll think we have no manners.” She smiled at Lindsay with a mouth full of crooked teeth. “That handsome husband of yours made you a cup of coffee he was about to take upstairs. I’m glad you could join us. I’m happy to meet up with some fellow Americans. We’re Wes and Viv Graham from Iowa and the folks there on the end are Frank and Diane Murphy from Oregon.”

  “Nice to meet you all.” She sent Zach a questioning look at the husband comment and received a shrug in reply. Right. She’d get him for that. Hopefully they wouldn’t be there long enough for it to be an issue. She backtracked to the buffet.

  Croissants, sausage, bacon, quartered oranges and some cappuccino. No eggs. She took a couple of pieces of bacon, one sausage and a few orange wedges.

  “I was just about to come wake you.” Zach appeared beside her and took her plate. “I’ve arranged for alternate transportation and it’ll be here in about half an hour. How’d you sleep?”

  Huh. If he was leaving in half an hour maybe she’d stick with him, after all. It would take her longer than that to get her phone. “I slept well, thank you.” Truly thanks to him.

  “You’re going to want one of these.” He placed a croissant on her plate. “It’s called a cornetto. There’s a wonderful jam inside.”

  He took off for his seat, leaving her to follow. Their audience watched with avid curiosity. At their end of the table, Lindsay smoothed her hand across his shoulders. “Thank you, sweetie.” She kissed him softly, lingering over his taste for a beat longer than she intended to, then slid into the chair around the corner to his right.

  She pressed her lips together. Okay, that bit of payback totally backfired. But playing it through to the end, she glanced shyly down the table. “I’m sorry. We don’t mean to be rude. Newlyweds.” She rolled her eyes as if that explained everything.

  A pleased smile bloomed on Diane’s face. “Oh, my dear, don’t mind us old folks. Congratulations. You two enjoy yourselves.” She turned to her husband. “Frank do you remember on our honeymoon when we—”

  “Well done.” Zach pushed her coffee toward her. “But that’s the first and last time you ever call me sweetie.”

  She flashed him a provocative look. “We’ll see.”

  Let him stew on that. He was the one to say they’d be lovers, after all.

  “Be nice to me or I’ll take your cornetto.”

  “I don’t think so.” She picked up the horn-shaped pastry and bit in. Chewed. Savored. “Oh, my dog.”

  “I told you so.” Satisfaction stamped his features as he leaned back in his straight-backed chair.

  “This is wonderful.” She pointed at the jam-filled roll. “We have to have these at the wedding.”

  “We’re a long way from Monte Calanetti.”

  “Oh, I’m aware.” Censure met unrepentance. “Tell me again why we’re in Caprese and not Monte Calanetti?”

  “An errand for the prince.”

  She waited for more. It didn’t come.

  “I took care of it this morning. I’m ready to go when the new transportation gets here.”

  That was a relief. She finished the last of her cornetto with a regretful sigh and a swipe of her tongue over her thumb. “Maybe not these exact rolls but definitely cornettos.”

  “I’m all for it, but I suggest you discuss that with Christina.”

  She nodded, eyeing him speculatively through another bite. “How well do you know Christina?”

  “Not well.” He glanced down, snagged one of her orange wedges. “I met her once. Theirs has been a long-distance relationship.”

  “She seems really nice. And she showed a lot of enthusiasm when we first started planning, but she’s cooled off lately.”

  “Really?” That brought his head up. “Do you think she’s having second thoughts?”

  Lindsay gave a half shrug. “Very few brides make it to the altar without suffering a few nerves along the way. It’s probably nothing. Or nothing to do with the wedding, anyway.”

  “Tony’s been off, too. He got me to come all this way a month in advance of the wedding, but now it feels like he’s avoiding me.”

  “I’m sure they both have a lot on their plates right now.” So much for the reassurances she’d been hoping for. The fact Zach had noticed something off, too, gave her some concerns. “I’ll know more after my appointment with Christina, which was supposed to be this afternoon. I’ll have to reschedule. Oh, that reminds me. I need to get my phone out of the Land Rover.”

  “Sorry, I forgot.” Zach reached around and pulled something from his back pocket. He set her phone on the table. “I had Luigi bring it by this morning.”

  “Thanks.” She picked it up, felt the warmth of the glass and metal against her flesh and tried to disengage from the fact it had absorbed the heat from his hot bum.

  A loud whopping sound overhead steadily got louder. Everyone looked up. Then, in an unchoreographed move, they all stood and rushed to the back terrace. Lindsay, with Zach on her heels, brought up the rear.

  As she stepped out onto the cobblestone patio, a helicopter carefully maneuvered in the air, preparing to land in the large farmyard.

  Zach watched Lindsay’s face as the big bird neared the ground, knew by the pop of her eyes exactly when she spied the royal insignia on the door. She turned to stare at him as the inn occupants wandered forward to examine the helicopter and talk to the pilot.

  Zach surveyed the royal conveyance with a smirk. “Our new transportation.”

  “You have got to be kidding me.”

  He liked the look of awe in her eyes. Much better than the fear she’d tried so hard to hide the night before. There was something more to her dislike of storms than a leftover agitation from her mother’s distress. Something she wasn’t willing to share, or maybe something she didn’t fully remember.

  He w
ished he could have done more than just lend her his earbuds.

  “It’s good to have friends in high places. When I told Tony you were concerned about missing your appointment with Christina, he insisted on putting the helicopter at my disposal in assisting you for the duration.”

  Actually, Zach had suggested it; still Tony jumped at the chance to accommodate Christina. Forget bending over backward, Tony was doing flips to give Christina the wedding of her dreams. Because he knew their lives were going to suck.

  For Zach’s part, he figured the sooner he got to Christina, the sooner he could talk sense into her. They’d only met once, but Tony lauded her with being a sensible, caring person. Surely she saw the error in what they were about to do.

  He could only hope she’d listen to reason and end things now. Then he and the wedding planner could spend the next month exploring the wonders of Tuscany.

  Shock had her staring wide-eyed at the big machine. “I have a helicopter for the next month?”

  “I have a helicopter until after the wedding. The pilot takes his orders from me.”

  “Ah. But you’re here to help me.” She rubbed her hands together. “So, I have my very own helicopter for the next month. Oh, this is going to make things so much easier.”

  “I’m glad you’re happy.” And glad he’d be able to keep tabs on her. Things were falling nicely into place. “I told him I had designs on his wedding planner and I needed something to impress her.”

  All wonder dropped away in a heartbeat.

  His little pixie turned fierce, getting right up in his space.

  “Listen to me, Mr. Sullivan.” Her blue-diamond eyes pinned him to the spot. “You may not think much of what I do, but it’s very important to me, to your friends and, in the case of this wedding, to this country. I was starting to like you, but mess with my business and you won’t like me.”

  Dog, she was beautiful. She may be tiny but she worked that chin and those eyes. He’d never wanted to kiss a woman more in his life. Defensive, yes, but not just for herself. She honestly cared about Tony and Christina. And the blasted country.