“I don’t think—”
She held him fast, staring into his dark eyes. “That’s your problem. You don’t think. But you also think too much. I find you very easy to live with. And you’re certainly not boring. As for being unkind? Duncan is proof enough of that lie.”
He pressed his lips together like he was trying to stop himself from arguing with her.
She bent and kissed him, a soft gentle touch of her mouth to his, before straightening again. “What you might also be is a little blind.”
He frowned. “Blind?”
Nerves tripped through her, but she was past caring about consequences. She was a valkyrie. If she couldn’t find the courage to speak her mind, what hope did anyone else have? “Yes, blind. Before you stands a woman who you can’t see is falling in love with you. And I know I’m not your type, but if I can fall in love with you, then that should make you realize that someday, you’ll find another woman who—”
“You…you. With me?”
She sucked in a ragged breath. “Yes. Don’t worry. I’m not letting the marriage go to my head. I know it’s part of the—”
He came off the bed in a graceful burst of energy to pull her into his arms and kiss her soundly. He wrapped her in his embrace, holding her close. His kiss was wild and a little rough and she swore she felt the scrape of his fangs over her bottom lip.
Warmth suffused her and put an end to her jangling nerves.
At last he broke the kiss, leaning back to look into her eyes as his blazed with the glow of his kind. “I feel the same way toward you. And I don’t know how or why you’re falling for me, but I promise you, I will endeavor to be worthy of your affections. You are absolutely my type. I just didn’t know it until I met you. I’m sure I don’t deserve you. Or this sort of result from my mangled machinations, but thank you for being so kind and understanding.”
She stared at him. “Are you saying you care about me?”
“Irreversibly.”
“Even knowing what you do about my past? My temper?”
He kissed her again, a gentle, brief press of reassurance. “You were sixteen. Have you done anything close to that since then?”
“No.” But she hadn’t drawn her sword in all that time, either.
“And even if you do, what harm could you bring me? I’m an old, old vampire. Very dangerous in my own right.” He cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t know me that well yet. I might have a little temper of my own.”
“Do you?”
“I suppose. If provoked enough. Who doesn’t?”
“Yes, but my temper almost got a man killed.”
“Almost means it didn’t. And I’m willing to take my chances if the reward means I get to spend more time with you. And build a real relationship. Look, this marriage will be in name only. I’m not going to expect anything different, if you understand what I’m saying. In fact, once Evangeline is packed off, I’d very much like for us to attempt as close to normal a relationship as possible. Dating and all that. I’ve never actually done it, but I suppose it can’t be that difficult if my brothers can manage it.”
She laughed softly. “Okay, I’d like that too.”
He held on to her. “Maybe…if it’s not too forward of me to suggest it, you could stay here?”
“You mean live here? In the house?”
He nodded. “You’d have your own room, of course.”
It was a very sweet offer. Not to mention the perks of being close to him and having access to that incredible library. “I don’t know. That might be a little awkward with you being my boss and all.”
He hid his disappointment poorly. “Yes, I guess it would be.”
“I might be talked into the guest house, though.”
His eyes lit up again. “It’s yours. It’s not very much space, but if you want it, it’s yours.” He smiled. “I will insist you come for dinner at least three nights a week, however.”
She laughed. “You mean take out?”
“I’ll hire a cook. I’ve been meaning to do it for ages.”
She raised her brows. “I doubt that.”
“Well, Greaves has suggested it. He’ll be thrilled.” Sebastian smiled. “I like this plan. And if you run out of space over there, you can always move back in here.”
“Just how small is the guest house? Will Duncan’s new cat tree fit?”
Sebastian’s smile flattened. “Hmm. It hadn’t occurred to me you’d be taking him with you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Did you think I would leave my cat here?”
“He is rather settled in.”
She rolled her lips in. “For someone who didn’t want him here at all, you’re suddenly very attached to him.”
They both turned to look at the kitten, who was attacking something only he could see on the comforter.
Sebastian nodded. “He’s…good company.”
“You have Greaves.”
Sebastian gave her a look. “My rook hardly compares. And he’s never half as entertaining as the little beast.”
He leaned in and kissed her again. “I feel as though I owe you my life, Tessa. You’re doing so much for me. I will be in your debt for an eternity.”
“No. I don’t want that. You’ve already had that with one woman.”
“True. But what you’re doing for me isn’t something that’s easily repaid.”
She smiled. “It’s what friends do. And we’re friends now, so…” She patted his chest, a little embarrassed by his sharp focus on her. She knew she was doing him a huge favor, but she couldn’t imagine not doing it. There was too much at stake for him. “I’m pretty sure I remember a bridal shop in town. I don’t know if they can supply me with a dress on such short notice, but I should probably give them a call.”
“The woman who owns it, Corette, is engaged to Hugh’s rook, Stanhill. She’ll make it happen. She’s a witch and if she has to use her magic, she will. I’ll go down to my office and call Corette now and tell her you’re on your way. I’ll make sure she knows I’m taking care of the charges, too.”
Tessa didn’t argue. She wouldn’t be buying a wedding dress if not for this new drama. “And I’ll call my sister and see if she wants to go over there with me.”
Sebastian hesitated. “Is she going to give you a hard time because of this?”
“A little, but nothing serious. She’s pretty good that way. And really, what can she say? She’s the one who offered me up in the first place.”
“True.” He tipped his head. “I’m sorry we’re not going to dinner tonight. I’ll make up for that as soon as I’m able.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
He gave her a quick kiss and left smiling. She pulled out her phone and sat on the bed next to Duncan. She gave him a little scratch on the head and he immediately started gnawing on her thumb. She pulled her hand away to tap her sister’s number.
“Deputy Blythe,” Jenna answered.
“Are you still on duty?”
“Hey, Tessa. Sorry, I didn’t look at the caller ID. Yep, on duty until six. You need me?”
“Sort of. There’s been a new wrinkle in the situation.”
“Oh boy. What now?”
Tessa took a breath. “How would you like to go wedding dress shopping with me?”
Sebastian called Corette, filled her in on what was happening, then asked Greaves to drive Tessa into town to Corette’s shop. Once they’d gone, he closed his office door and made another phone call.
“Ellingham residence.”
“Stanhill, it’s Sebastian. Is my brother in?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’m on my way over.”
“I’ll let him know.”
As much as Sebastian loathed leaving Evangeline in his home alone, it couldn’t be helped. The talk he was about to have with his brothers couldn’t happen where she could hear it. And Greaves was just dropping Tessa off at the bridal shop. He’d be home again until she called him to be picked up, so Evan
geline would be unattended for only twenty minutes tops.
Sebastian locked his office and drove to Hugh’s, calling Julian’s cell on the way.
“Hello, Sebby. Please tell me you’re not calling because you suddenly decided to change more things in the budget.”
“I hate that name.”
“Sorry, I do know that. Guess I heard Evangeline say it one too many times. Apology accepted?”
“No, but if you meet me at Hugh’s in the next ten minutes, I’ll give you far less grief about it than you can imagine.”
“I can manage ten minutes.” Julian hesitated. “Does this mean I’m getting the catering team?”
Sebastian nearly drove off the road. “Catering team? A wedding chapel doesn’t need a catering team.”
“That’s too bad. My schedule just filled up. I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it to Hugh’s on such short notice after all.”
“We’ll talk about it.” There was no way Sebastian was going to approve additional funds for catering at a wedding chapel. Not with all the capable restaurants in town. But now was not the time to hardline that issue with Julian. “I need you at Hugh’s. It’s imperative I talk to both of you.”
Julian’s voice finally took on an edge of concern. “Did something happen to Tessa? What’s Evangeline done now?”
“Show up at Hugh’s and I’ll tell you.”
And to Julian’s credit, he did, arriving eight minutes after Sebastian. Once they were seated in Hugh’s living room and Stanhill had started pouring a round of whiskeys, Sebastian explained what had occurred.
His brothers blinked at him.
Hugh was the first to speak. “You can’t seriously mean to do this.”
“Tessa’s agreed to it. I wouldn’t be going through with it otherwise. And what’s my alternative? Let Evangeline go to the council? That’s all well and good until the outcome is in her favor.”
Julian shook his head. “But truth is on your side. She’s the one who abandoned you.”
Sebastian nodded. “I know that. We know that. But you know what she’s like. She’s very convincing. And I have no physical proof that she ever cheated on me.”
“We’ll testify on your behalf,” Hugh said.
“I appreciate that but as convoluted as it sounds, marrying Tessa is easier. And it might be the only way to get Evangeline to sign the dissolution papers.”
Julian swirled his glass, turning the amber liquid within into a miniature cyclone. “Sounds like you have your mind made up, but have you really thought this through? What if Tessa gets a grand idea about what this means? What if she turns into another Evangeline?”
“She won’t. She’s nothing like Evangeline. And we’ve talked about it. She’s doing this to help me.”
Hugh snorted. “And the job you offered her has no part in this? Do you think she’d be so agreeable if the position of dean suddenly evaporated?”
“I’m not about to rescind that offer. But yes, I think she would be. She’s…not like any other woman I’ve ever known.”
Julian let out a loud, “Oh.” He shook his head. “I see exactly what’s going on now.”
“What?”
Julian’s eyes sparkled. “You like her.”
“Of course, I like her. She’s whip-smart, funny, kind and doing me an incredible favor. What’s not to like? She’s the anti-Evangeline if ever there was one.”
Julian smirked.
Hugh glanced from Julian to Sebastian. “Is that true? You can’t be in love with the woman. You’ve only known her three days.”
“I’m not in love.” Not that he would confess to his brothers. “But I do like her. And what if I was in love? That’s my business.”
Hugh stood, leaving his drink behind on the coffee table to pace toward the French doors that led into his garden. “Sebastian, you deserve happiness more than any of us, but to tie yourself down again before the first entanglement is even over is ludicrous.”
“I’m not tying myself down to Tessa. I am, at most, starting a relationship with her.” Sebastian massaged the back of his neck, trying to keep his emotions at bay. “I appreciate your concerns, I do, but I came here seeking your assistance, not your judgment on my life.”
“We’re not judging you.” Julian looked suddenly very much like the little boy Sebastian still remembered him as. “But you’re our brother and that gives us some right to be concerned. That’s all. We don’t want you mucked up again just as you’re about to be free. But if you care about Tessa, truly care about her, then I say good for you. You’ve been alone a long time and that can’t have been easy.”
Julian’s words couldn’t have surprised Sebastian more if his youngest brother had suddenly announced he was joining the priesthood. Julian was the last of them he’d expected to understand.
Even Hugh turned to stare at his playboy brother with an expression that said he wasn’t sure what he’d just heard. “This is one of those rare occasions when Julian is right. I cannot imagine my life without Delaney. To think how long you’ve been without that sort of companionship…” He shook his head. “We’ll do whatever you need. That goes without question.”
“Thank you.” Sebastian took a sip of whiskey, then set the glass aside. “I would like you both to be at the chapel when Tessa and I marry.”
“Done,” they said in unison.
Sebastian nodded, thinking to the future. “I also need you to make sure Evangeline doesn’t leave until she signs my life back to me. And you may use any means necessary to ensure that outcome.”
Ever After was a gorgeous store dedicated to the icon of womanliness that was the wedding dress. Yes, there were racks of other kinds of formal gowns, but those were tucked away in little alcoves, just like the small corner that held the tuxedos.
The wedding dress, in all its pristine, fairy tale wonder, was front and center. And there were more of them than Tessa could make sense of. Maybe part of her snow-blindness wasn’t just the billows of white fabric surrounding her, but the whole idea that she was actually in a shop like this.
And not because she was a bridesmaid.
Sure, this wedding wasn’t about her spending the rest of her life with the groom, although anything was possible, especially now that she and Sebastian had decided to see where things might go, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t a little excited about the process.
Regardless of the circumstances, she was still here to purchase a wedding dress. Happy little nerves danced through her. No sign of Jenna yet, but she’d be here.
“Hello there. You must be Tessa.” An older but very handsome woman extended her hand. “I’m Corette. Sebastian said to expect you.”
Tessa nodded and shook the woman’s hand. “Yes, I’m Tessa. Thank you for doing this on such short notice.”
Corette gave her a knowing look. “Fortunately, I didn’t have any other appointments. Although I still would have worked something out. It’s not good business to disappoint the Ellinghams.”
The door behind them opened with a soft chime and Jenna strode in, wearing her uniform. She grinned at Tessa. “Okay, you’re here. For a second I thought I might walk in and find out this was some elaborate joke.”
“No joke,” Tessa said. “This is happening.”
Jenna shook her head good-naturedly. “So I see.” She looked at Corette. “How does this wedding dress shopping work?”
“Normally, I’d have a rack of dresses already pulled, but that’s after I’ve already had a phone consultation with the bride. In this case, Tessa, why don’t you tell me what you have in mind?”
“Um…” Tessa blinked. She’d pretty much thought she’d be single for life after she’d removed herself from society in order to avoid intense situations that could result in her temper spiraling out of control. “Whatever I can take with me, I guess, since I have to have it for tonight.”
Corette smiled. “Yes, that is definitely a consideration for us today. It also means a floor sample is the best I c
an do, but I promise I won’t show you anything that isn’t in excellent shape. Now, about the dress. What sort of style do you like?”
Jenna snorted. “Style and Tessa aren’t two words that often go together. Although, I have to say, sis, you’re looking pretty good at the moment.”
“Thanks.” Jeans were Tessa’s new best friend. They made you look good and held everything in. She could see why they were so popular and she was getting over the idea that they were unacceptable for anything but farmers or ranch hands. They could be dressed up very nicely.
Corette tried again. “How do you want to look on your wedding day?”
“Pretty,” Tessa answered without thinking. She put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, that sounds shallow, doesn’t it?”
“No.” Corette smiled gently. “That sounds like a bride. Let’s take your measurements and I’ll pull a few things to get us started.”
Twenty minutes later, Tessa had been fitted into a bustier and was being zipped into her first gown. Corette used a few large plastic clips to secure the extra fabric in the back and form the dress to Tessa’s shape perfectly.
Corette turned her to face the mirror. “What do you think? Would you like to show this one to your sister?”
Tessa’s lips parted, but words escaped her. She’d never seen herself in a fancy dress before, let alone a wedding gown. It was like looking at another version of herself in the mirror. Someone who might as well have been a stranger.
“It’s…lovely.” And it was. Staggeringly so. “But it’s a lot of skin, isn’t it?”
“Most wedding dresses are strapless these days, but this has the single shoulder strap, so it actually covers more than most.”
Tessa’s fingers went to the strap and the delicate embellished flowers that covered it. They trailed down the bodice, ending at the waist. Other than that, the dress was unadorned. The soft, shimmering fabric hugged her body in a very becoming way.
“Maybe you don’t like the ruching?”
“I don’t even know what that is.”
Corette patted the small pleats that covered the dress. “It’s the way the fabric is sewn with these small gathers. Ruching can conceal a multitude of body issues, not that you need help with that. Maybe it’s too much? Would you prefer something simpler and a little more body conscious?”
The Vampire's Fake Fiancée (Nocturne Falls Book 5) Page 18