by Elena Aitken
There was no need for either of them to finish the sentence. “Don’t worry about it, okay?” He reached out and squeezed her hand. “Tell me more about the wedding that you would have had.”
Katie laughed again. “I really haven’t thought about it that much. But it would have been nice to have a first dance and maybe a father-daughter—”
Tears filled her eyes and her hand flew to her mouth as she realized what she’d been about to say.
“Katie, I’m so sorry your dad wasn’t here.” Damon put his glass down on the table and moved so he could gather her into his arms. “He would have been so proud of you. You just finished your degree and now…you’re a remarkable woman, Katie, and I’m sure he would have given anything to be here today.”
She was silent for a moment, letting the emotion run its course, and he didn’t push her as the tears rolled down her cheeks. Finally, she sniffed loudly and wiped at her tears. “I’m sorry, Damon. I don’t know what came over me.”
“I do.” He tried a small smile. “It’s still new, Katie. It’s okay.” It was still new. Her father had only passed away a few months ago and she’d just gotten married without him giving her away. Of course, she hadn’t been worried about it before, because it was all meant to be fake. Just the way he’d thought about his mother more than once throughout the day. She would have loved to know that he was marrying Katie. Damon hadn’t given it much thought before, but now that there were real feelings involved…it was different.
And just as he couldn’t have imagined a few days ago that there might be some very real feelings involved with a marriage that wasn’t ever supposed to be real, now, he couldn’t seem to imagine it any other way.
Chapter Twelve
Damon took the trail that led from the cottage and away from the main house, avoiding it the way he had since he’d moved in. It was ridiculous, he knew that, especially now that he was actually married to Katie and they’d pulled it off. Not that he was even thinking of it that way anymore. Not really. It had been two days since they’d said their vows, and as crazy as it all was, it felt a little more real every day.
There really was no reason to avoid the main house, or his father. Not anymore.
Even so, Damon continued on the trail that led him to the hills, and farther away from his dad.
Before turning the corner that would take him out of view, Damon glanced back toward the guesthouse at the thought of Katie. He knew she was inside, writing out plans for her new store, and he couldn’t help but be impressed by her drive and dedication. She was so excited about the opportunity, and that excitement was contagious. He knew he’d been distracting her from her plans, but as long as he was in close proximity, he couldn’t seem to help himself.
Once he’d had a taste of her, he couldn’t seem to get enough. Katie was like a drug he’d never known he’d needed. And just like any drug, there was a very real danger of becoming addicted. He just needed to be careful, that was all. Because as much as he was enjoying himself with her—and he was—he needed to make sure he kept things in perspective. Not that he really knew what that perspective was anymore. They’d discussed the idea of actually staying married and he hadn’t really thought she’d agree, but when she did…well…maybe giving in to his addiction for her wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
They’d stayed mostly holed up in their cottage for the last few days, and they’d been some of the happiest days Damon had had in a really long time. Marrying Katie might just have been the best decision he’d ever made. Although, despite the lightness that came with the newness of a relationship, there was still a small part of him that couldn’t shut out the reality of the situation and the nagging feeling that he’d actually ruined things between them because he’d pushed for more. After all, wasn’t it historically a bad idea to sleep with your best friend?
Only if it didn’t work out.
His inner dialogue just wouldn’t shut up.
Damon focused on the view of the valley below. It never failed to calm him. He picked his way along the pathway that had become overgrown since the last time he’d taken it. Which, admittedly, must have been years ago. His dad likely didn’t come out this way. He’d never been much of an outdoorsman, preferring to enjoy the view from inside looking out. And now, with his health and the nursing care he needed—for what?—a flicker of guilt snapped through him. He hadn’t actually asked his dad how his health was. He hadn’t asked his dad much of anything. Not that they’d ever been big at communicating. But still, Damon should have tried harder. Reluctantly, he looked toward the house and decided to stop in on his way back from his walk.
His relationship with his dad might be hard, but that didn’t mean he had to be a total asshole about it. He shook his head in acceptance before continuing down the trail.
It had been his mother who’d been the one to venture outside with him. She’d shown him the beauty of the mountains and the trails that crisscrossed them. Together, they’d hiked up to the glaciers and along the river. She’d taken him on long drives on the back roads so they could explore. And explore they did. They’d found countless treasures hidden in the mountains, from an icy-cold, tiny, but impossibly deep lake surrounded by cliffs that they could jump off into the frigid water below, to the spectacular waterfalls that only happened in the spring with the runoff from the mountains as the snow melted down into the valley. Damon had loved those days with his mom. And then when he got older, he’d shown his friends all the places they’d found. Mostly.
He remembered the last time he’d wanted to take Katie to a particularly beautiful spot. They never got there because she’d insisted on bringing Jeremy along, so at the last minute Damon had pretended that he’d forgotten where he really wanted to go. But the truth was that he couldn’t imagine sharing the special hot springs with anyone except Katie. And definitely not the boy she was dating. Or worse, could be in love with.
The thought of Katie being in love with Jeremy stopped him short. Had they been in love in high school? He hadn’t thought so. Not really, but then again, they’d dated recently. Very recently, if Jeremy’s outburst on Main Street had been an indication of anything. Katie had said it was nothing, just a casual thing. But still.
Was that really all there was between them? And did he have any right to even ask about it?
Damon shook his head and took a deep breath. He was getting himself worked up for nothing. He really needed to keep things in perspective. He found a boulder and perched himself on top before digging his cell phone out of his pocket and pressing the numbers for his buddy, Nick.
“Hey,” Nick answered. “Are you back in town yet? Or still roughing it in the woods?”
Nick’s generally dismissive attitude about Damon’s hometown was always a bit of a burr in his side, but for the most part, Damon tried to ignore it. He’d met Nick at college and he’d been part of the team he’d worked with on the microchip, which meant that Nick was just as wealthy as he was, a fact that had been both a good and a bad thing in their relationship. It was hard to find real friends when you had a lot of money, but on the other hand, sometimes that money could change people. In Nick’s case, it had turned him into a bit of a playboy-party animal, a role Damon had joined him in for a little bit, which was why it was extra-hard for him to understand why Damon would choose to move back to his hometown.
“I wouldn’t call it roughing it.” Damon looked around at his surroundings. No, definitely not roughing it. “I’m actually calling because I have news.”
“News? Like you’re coming back to the city next week? Because there’s a party at—”
“No.” He cut him off. “Nothing like that. I’m actually calling because I got married.” Damon waited, sure that there would be a reaction.
Sure enough, Nick started to laugh. “Married? You? Like, now?”
“Like two days ago.”
“You’re not kidding.”
“I’m not.”
“Well, shit.”
&nb
sp; “Shit indeed.” Damon smiled. “And I want you to meet her.”
“Your wife?”
Wife. The word sounded so good. Damon nodded. “I do.” He wanted everyone to know Katie was his wife.
There was a silence on the other end for a few minutes, and then Nick said, “Okay then. When should I come?”
Faith looked around the barn, full of happy wedding guests, celebrating and dancing and generally having an amazing time. It was Saturday night and the room full of people had no idea that the woman who’d just pulled off the wedding they were enjoying so much barely even knew what she was doing, and only a few weeks ago would have panicked at the very thought of being in charge of such a thing.
A feeling a little like pride flowed through her as she stood in the door of the kitchen and watched. Hell, if she had time, she might even laugh at herself and the whole idea that she was in charge of a wedding business. Because even after the last month, it still struck her as hilarious. But that didn’t matter, because whether she believed in the whole thing or not, it turned out that she was actually pretty good at it. After all, she’d pulled off Katie and Damon’s big day, small as it was, all by herself.
Faith’s eyes scanned the room and landed on Logan, who was carefully trying to extricate himself from a wedding guest who’d clearly had a little too much to drink and was trying to get Logan to dance with her. As if he could sense her watching him, Logan looked up and met her eyes across the room with an unspoken plea.
She couldn’t help but chuckle. But despite the fact that he pushed all of her buttons, she couldn’t bring herself to leave him in the situation. In truth, he’d actually been quite helpful with not only this wedding, which had gone off perfectly so far, but with pretty much all of them since Hope and Levi left. Except maybe his sister’s. Ultimately, he’d shown up to give her away, which was arguably the best thing he could have done. So, even though he’d been pretty adamant about not being involved, he wasn’t as stubborn as he would have led her to believe.
So technically, maybe Faith kind of owed him. Besides, he hadn’t been so bad lately.
Faith tucked her clipboard onto a shelf just inside the kitchen door, straightened her pencil skirt and, with a slight shake of her head, crossed the room to help Logan out of his predicament.
“Come on.” The wedding guest, a cute brunette with a very low-cut gold dress, tugged on Logan’s arm as Faith walked up. “Just one dance. You won’t get in trouble.”
“Oh, but he will,” Faith said smoothly. Not missing a beat, she slid her hand over Logan’s back and pulled him into her. “Because he’s my boyfriend, and I have this weird jealousy about him dancing with other women. I’m sure you understand.” She spoke as sweetly as she could, with a gentle smile to the other woman, who clearly wasn’t used to being turned down.
Almost immediately, the woman dropped her hands from Logan’s arm and crossed them over her chest. “You didn’t say you had a girlfriend.” She stuck her chin up in defiance.
Logan gave both women an apologetic look, but it wasn’t enough for the spurned woman.
“How long have the two of you been together then?”
Faith was not ready for a challenge. She shook her head, ready to tell the guest exactly what she thought about her advances on Logan. Either that, or leave the man to figure his own way out of the situation that no doubt he’d had some part in. Faith knew enough about Logan to know that he was a merciless flirt, although she also knew he’d never mess with a guest, no matter how cute she was, or how low-cut her dress was.
“It’s still pretty new,” Logan answered smoothly right as Faith was about to say something that no doubt would have gotten her in trouble. “We’re still trying to figure a few things out.”
To her surprise, he pulled her close to him and draped his arm heavy over her shoulders. It was the last thing she wanted, but a completely unexpected shot of desire went through her at his touch.
Well, maybe it wasn’t completely unexpected. Or really unexpected at all. A little more every day, her annoyance with Logan was turning into something a little bit more, despite the fervor she’d used to tell herself otherwise.
The woman seemed to accept that as enough of an explanation, and with a final humph in their direction, she turned and somewhat unsteadily walked away to find someone else to get out on the dance floor.
“It’s pretty new, is it?” Faith turned but Logan didn’t remove his arm; he simply let it slide around her as she moved, so they were still in a sort of embrace.
“Hey,” he said with a small grin, his gaze fixed steadily on hers. “You’re the one who called me your boyfriend, which is funny because I didn’t think you went in for that kind of thing.”
“Boyfriends?” She shook her head. “I don’t.”
“Hmmm.”
“What does that mean?”
Logan brought his other hand up and brushed a strand of hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear. The move was so unexpected and intimate, that Faith immediately stiffened.
“Hey.” Logan’s voice was low, a little intense, and something about it sparked another shot of desire deep in her gut. “I don’t bite, you know.”
She couldn’t help it; Faith giggled. She giggled.
What the actual fuck?
Whatever was going on, it needed to stop, now. Before it went any further. Because even though there were some serious waves of want rolling through her at that exact moment, and he smelled really good and it had been awhile since she’d—no! This was Logan. Mr. Drives-her-crazy—annoys-the-crap-out-of-her—makes-her-stabby, Logan Langdon. This was not someone she could entertain, not even for a one single second, anything more than friendship. And even that was suspect.
Faith was so busy debating with herself that she hadn’t realized that Logan’s hand now cupped her cheek and somehow, they moved even closer together, until he whispered, his breath hot on her lips, “But I can do this.”
And then his lips were on hers.
And they were hot and soft and moving just right against hers.
And not only did she not want to push him away, she wanted him closer.
Faith knew she shouldn’t be kissing Logan for so many reasons, not the least of which was the fact that they were in the middle of an event. An event that she was responsible for, and making out, even if it was in a dark corner, was completely unprofessional. But despite that logical part of her brain telling her to stop before things got even further out of control, she pressed her body closer to his and groaned into his mouth.
Logan responded by pressing his hand to her back until they were so close there was a real risk that they were going to become one, and deepening the kiss. She could feel every part of him pressed up against the softness of her own body, and there was no doubt that he wanted it just as bad as she did. Maybe more.
The idea excited her, and for a moment, she almost completely lost herself in her own lust.
“Damn, Faith.” Logan broke the kiss to whisper roughly in her ear. “Let’s get out of here. I need to get you alone.”
Yes. Her body was screaming yes in a million ways. She was the type of woman who’d always been in firm control of her sexuality. She knew what she wanted and when she wanted it. And wanting what she wanted had nothing to do with a relationship. Logan was perfect.
Except…
Dammit.
Faith put both hands on his chest and pushed him a little so he was still close but no longer pushed up against her, affecting her ability to think straight. She shook her head and touched her fingers to her lips. “No,” she said. “We can’t do this.”
“And why not?” Logan bristled. “Because from what I could tell, you wanted to do it just as much as I did.”
Maybe more. But she didn’t say it out loud.
“Because we’re working,” she hissed. “We can’t act like some randy teenagers at the back of the barn in the middle of a wedding.” Faith moved to look at her clipboard and realized she’d
left it in the kitchen. “We have to get set up for the bouquet toss right away and the garter. We can’t just—”
She was interrupted by his hand around her wrist. Logan pulled her close again with a quick tug. Her body still vibrated with the need he’d stirred up in her, and more than anything, she wanted to give in to his kisses and forget the wedding completely. He kissed her hard and fast, sucking her bottom lip between his teeth as he pulled away. “Okay,” he said when he released her. “But this isn’t over.”
She took a step back, needing to pull herself together.
Logan licked his lips and watched her as she straightened her blouse and skirt, an outfit designed to blend in and be professional. “No,” he said slowly, the desire sparking in his eyes. “This is far from over.”
Chapter Thirteen
Katie had never been a vain person. She’d never given her clothing choices a second thought, something that had irritated her mother on more than one occasion over the years. Like when she’d shown up for her parents’ anniversary dinner wearing jeans and a plaid shirt. She’d been running late, and had come straight from the barns, where she’d been shoveling fresh hay into the horses’ stalls. At least she’d put a clean shirt on over her T-shirt. But she had definitely not expected her mom to get so angry. And then there was graduation, when she’d completely forgotten to buy a dress and had gone down to the local thrift store to find anything that would fit. It hadn’t been a total disaster, though, because she’d lucked out with a simple black sheath dress that had actually looked quite glamourous.
It wasn’t that she didn’t care; it was more that she didn’t think it was important to spend her time worried about what she was wearing.
Which was why it was so strange that she’d developed some sort of paralysis when it came to picking out an outfit just to go to the pub with Damon.
But it wasn’t just a trip to the pub. Not really. It was their first official outing as a married couple and even though that shouldn’t feel weird or that it was a big deal—it did.