“Maybe she doesn’t have a whole lot going on and thinks we don’t want to hear about it?”
Now he shook his head. “No, I just think she enjoys her independence and doesn’t want any of us to know what she’s up to for fear we’ll disagree with it or tell her to stop doing what she’s doing.”
“Oh, come on, Ry. What could she possibly be doing that you or Sean would tell her to stop?”
“With her? You never know. She’s getting more and more adventurous in her old age and I don’t think she realizes she’s not as young as she used to be.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Tricia countered. “I say good for her. I hope she’s having fun with it.”
“And if she gets hurt?” he said a little defensively.
Looking at him, Tricia rolled her eyes playfully. “Ryan, she’s a grown woman and really, we all have the ability of getting hurt. Are you suggesting she should just stay home and be bored for the rest of her life?”
He looked like he was going to argue and then thought better of it. He maneuvered himself so they were facing one another and then wrapped his arms around her waist. “As much as I enjoy bantering with you – even if it’s in the middle of your driveway – I would much rather take this inside.”
She smiled knowingly and nodded, taking him by the hand and leading him to the door. Once inside, she only flipped on the foyer light before walking toward the kitchen. “I forgot to thank you for the wine earlier. It really was great.”
“Thanks. I had bought it for us to share before dinner – out on the deck. But then mom called and…”
“It’s quite all right,” she said, suddenly noticing the vase on the table. “Flowers? You bought flowers too? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“In front of my mother? Could you imagine how much different the night would have gone if she had any idea I’d bought you wine and flowers? We would have gotten the third-degree all night long!” He laughed at the image. “You know how she gets, Trish. As it is I think she was kind of on to us with that whole dessert thing. Do you guys really feed each other dessert when you go out?”
She nodded. “It started out innocently enough years ago and then she made it a thing. But tonight? I think you’re right. She was looking a bit pleased with herself during it all.”
“And that’s without her really knowing anything. If we had told her we are…involved, she would have certainly started pressing to see how serious we are and what our plans are for the future and whatever else goes with that.”
Tricia wouldn’t mind finding some of that out for herself.
Unsure of what to do with herself, she leaned against the counter and looked at him. “I was about to ask if you wanted anything to eat or drink but the thought of either of those things is making me a little green.”
He chuckled. “I know what you mean.” Then he approached – slowly – and caged her in, bracketing his arms on either side of her. “This was a little more of what I had in mind for when we came back from dinner.”
“Really?” she asked softly, looking up at him.
“Mmm-hmm,” he said, leaning down and nuzzling her neck. “My plan had been for us to have a drink out on the deck before dinner, and then I was going to take you out someplace romantic. Then we’d come back here – just like this – and go and sit out on the deck for a little while.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Stepping back, Ryan smiled at her and walked over to the French doors and opened them. He stood and waited for her to join him.
It was the perfect evening, plenty of stars in the sky and a gentle breeze blowing. Ryan led her to one of the chaise lounges before going back inside. Tricia thought of questioning him but decided to wait and see what he was doing. Two minutes later he was back with a glass of wine for each of them, but he never turned on any of the outside lights.
“I managed to make sure there was enough for us to have a little when we got home,” he said, handing her the glass.
When she sat up, Ryan swung a leg around and lowered himself behind her. She leaned back against him and sighed. “Now this is a good plan.”
His lips instantly went to her throat and she merely tilted her head to give him better access. “It’s about to get a whole lot better.”
“Oh, really?” she purred.
He nodded against her. “How private is this yard?’
“Extremely,” she said on a sigh. “I think.”
“Are you willing to find out?”
And as his hand began to roam all over her body, she would have willingly agreed to just about anything. “Out here? Really?”
“Do you trust me?”
Him? Absolutely. Herself? Not so much.
Slowly he began to unbutton the sleeveless blouse she wore and gently opened it. His hands cupped her lace-covered breasts and he let out a low growl of appreciation. She sighed his name.
“You’ll have to be very quiet,” he murmured, his hands teasing her into a frenzy.
Rather than argue, Tricia managed to turn in his arms so his lips could replace his hands. This time his growl was a little less than quiet. She chuckled. “Same rules apply,” she whispered huskily.
And it was the last words either uttered for a long time.
Eight
After the wedding Saturday, there wasn’t another one for almost a month. It was sort of the elephant in the room when Ryan was getting ready to leave the next day.
“So…the eleventh, right?” he asked, looking at his calendar.
Tricia nodded.
That was a lot longer than he wanted and his schedule was pretty packed in between, which is what he told her.
“Ryan,” she began, “it’s okay. We both have lives and you live three hours away. It wasn’t like our sleeping together was going to change that.”
He knew she was going for casual but for some reason, hearing her describing what they were doing as merely sleeping together made him uncomfortable. They were sharing breakfast out on the deck and the thought of leaving was unappealing, but what else was new?
“Why don’t you come by me next weekend? I can show you my neck of the woods,” he suggested and was relieved when she smiled at him.
“Are you sure? I know you have a very busy schedule and I don’t want to interfere. I’ve already disrupted your time enough with these silly weddings.”
Taking one of her hands in his, he squeezed. “Well, these silly weddings were the best thing that could have happened.” He waited until her eyes met his. “I mean it, Tricia. I know I wasn’t on board with all of it in the beginning but now? Now that we’ve had the time to get to know each other, I’m really glad things worked out like this.” Then he stopped and chuckled. “Not that I’m happy about Sean getting hurt, but…you know.”
She nodded. “I know exactly what you mean. It’s just…well…we live so far apart. I’m sure it’s going to be difficult and then it will just get old – commuting back and forth. And…”
He placed a finger over her lips to stop her. “Let’s not think about that right now, okay? For now, let’s just enjoy what we have and take it one day at a time, okay?”
Ryan noticed a hint of sadness in her eyes but refused to comment on it. Instead he kissed the back of her hand and turned the conversation toward more neutral topics. “It was good to see Sean this morning.”
Earlier, as promised, Sean had used a computer to Skype with them. She nodded. “He looks way too thin. I can’t wait for him to get home so he can heal properly and get back to his old self.”
Honestly, Ryan had been more than a little dismayed by his brother’s appearance but it still had been good to actually see his face while they talked. “Be careful what you wish for,” he said with a smile. “He’ll have you running all over town for his favorite foods or have you cooking at all hours of the day and night if he knows you’re worried about him like that.”
“Oh, please. Sean would never…” Then she stopped and though
t about it. “Never mind. You’re right. I’ll just have to make sure the pantry is well stocked.”
“Good girl.”
“Hopefully we’ll be able to get an actual return date out of him soon. I hate all this waiting around for answers.”
He couldn’t help but laugh a little. “You’re not big on patience though either.”
She gave him a wry look. “Seriously? You’re going to talk to me about patience?”
He knew exactly what she was referring to, what they both were referring to. “Sweetheart, where you’re concerned, I definitely don’t have patience. When I think about you and how much I want you, I almost can’t wait to have you.” His voice was low and possessive and he loved the way his words made her blush.
Standing, Tricia gave a long, sensual stretch before looking at him. She was wearing a snug tank top and a tiny pair of shorts. “How’s your patience level right now?”
Ryan kicked the chair out from under him in his haste to get to her. Without a word he lunged and swung her over his shoulder.
“Ryan!” she cried, laughing the entire time. “What in the world are you doing?”
He walked them into the house and was halfway up the stairs before he spoke. “I’m more demonstrative,” he finally said. “I mean, I could tell you where my patience level was at, but I think it would be a whole heck of a lot more fun to just show you.”
In her room, he playfully tossed her down onto the bed. He was peeling off his shirt before she even finished bouncing on the mattress.
“I do like a man of action,” she cooed, her eyes watching as each piece of clothing was tossed aside.
“And that’s why we’re perfect together,” he said before covering her body with his and kissing her senseless.
****
For the next month, they alternated weekends – one weekend in Jersey, the next back on the island. When it was time for wedding number four, they had pretty much established a bit of a routine.
Ryan would arrive on Friday afternoon, they’d go out to dinner, and then spend some time Skyping with Sean before they went to bed. Tricia was growing increasingly frustrated with her friend. She couldn’t understand why he wasn’t fighting harder for a release date from the hospital and coming home. Both Ryan and Steph seemed to agree with her, but Sean would only say that whenever he found out, he’d let them know.
Saturday morning, Tricia reluctantly got out of bed, kissing Ryan on the cheek.
“Where are you going?”
“My usual spa appointment. I had hoped to do it yesterday but my afternoon appointment ran over. So I’m going to get all pampered and pretty for tonight.”
He grinned at her. “You don’t need all that stuff, you know. You’re beautiful.”
She blushed. “And you’re very sweet for saying so but I’m never going to say no to a good mani/pedi.”
Shaking his head, he rolled over in the bed. “I don’t even want to know what that is.”
“Go back to sleep and I’ll be back in time for lunch.”
Once she was out in the car, Tricia let out a little happy sigh. She was excited about tonight’s wedding. Not that it was anything different from the previous ones, but it was the time she got to spend with Ryan that she was most looking forward to.
With their weekends together, they spent their time relaxing and just enjoying being with one another, but tonight? Tonight she’d get to dress up, dance with him and step out of their normal routine.
The dress she had purchased for the wedding was a little daring for her – strapless and cut above the knee in sapphire blue. There was a slit in the side that showed even more leg. The dress was so snug that only the tiniest of thongs would work with it. She thought of how Ryan would look at her and shivered.
They were more than halfway through this silly plan for the wedding season and once it was over, she couldn’t help but wonder where they’d stand. While Ryan had encouraged her to let things go one day at a time, it just wasn’t in her nature. She was a planner, a list maker. Making plans for her future was something she worked on daily. Once they didn’t have the weddings hanging over them, where would they be?
For the last month they’d made it work, but it was a bit exhausting to keep it up, probably more so for Ryan. Although the nature of Tricia’s job had her driving to her clients, Ryan’s job and clients had him traveling farther distances. It certainly wasn’t ideal for either of them to spend a large portion of their weekends driving to one another.
Don’t go there.
Pushing the thought aside, she focused on getting to Starbucks and grabbing herself something yummy and then the glorious hours of pampering she had ahead.
****
They were dancing to a slow song at the reception later that evening. Ryan pulled her closed and whispered in her ear, “You look incredible. Have I mentioned that?”
Actually, he had.
Multiple times.
But this was the first time he’d said it so intimately, his hot breath and the tone of his voice giving her the shivers she’d imagined earlier. One large hand was placed possessively at the base of her spine and made her feel very warm. As usual, she couldn’t wait for the end of the party when they could leave. As much as she loved celebrating with her friends, she loved being alone with Ryan even more.
When the music ended, they walked back to their table and chatted with friends. Everyone asked about Sean and when Tricia mentioned how they were currently Skyping with him, they talked about trying to use the app to get him on the phone so they could all see him.
“I…I’m honestly not sure if I know how to do that,” Tricia said. And before she knew it, someone had her phone and was installing the app and then everyone was encouraging her to make the call. Looking over at Ryan, he simply smiled and shrugged so she figured why not?
It took a little while for the call to go through but then there he was – a big smile on his face and a warm greeting and once he realized where she was, he seemed to brighten up even more. “This is freaking awesome!” he said. “Come on, pass the phone around! Let me talk to everyone!”
So Tricia handed the phone off and rested her head on Ryan’s shoulder.
“Hey,” he said softly. “You okay?”
She nodded. “I wish I had thought of this sooner. Maybe if I had done this from the beginning, he’d be more anxious to come home.”
He kissed the top of her head. “He is anxious to come home. It’s just that he’s in another country and he’s seriously hurt. The doctors want to make sure he’s okay to travel and his injuries are healed enough for it. You can’t take it personally.”
“I don’t, I just…I don’t know. Maybe I am. I just wish he were here and everything was back to normal.”
Ryan stiffened beside her.
“What?” she asked softly. “What’s the matter?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.” His tone was light and his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Someone called their names and when they turned, her phone was being held up and Sean was looking at them. “You two are adorable!” Sean said with a grin. “It’s nice to see you out and about together. Don’t you guys all think they’re adorable together?” He asked the group at the table. After a collective “yes,” he put his attention back on Tricia and Ryan. “I’m seriously happy for the two of you.”
Tricia knew Sean well enough to know he was up to something. She saw it in his eyes as a trickle of unease made its way down her spine. What in the world was he going to do?
“Which makes me wonder,” he said, his grin growing. “When will we all be sitting around a table celebrating your wedding?”
She didn’t have to look at Ryan to know he was shocked by Sean’s question and Tricia was certain she’d lost every ounce of color in her face. Soon, everyone at the table was inquiring about their future and all Tricia could do was stare mutely at the telephone screen. This was exactly the sort of thing she was hoping to avoid by having a date an
d Sean knew it! She couldn’t believe he’d say something so stupid!
Sean started to laugh. “Aww…don’t be shy. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that. Tell you what, since I haven’t had the chance to hang out with you two since you started dating, let me just see you kiss and I’ll drop all talk about any future wedding. What do you say?”
Tricia wanted to strangle him! What was wrong with him? She was just about to stand up and reach for the phone when Ryan spun her around and hauled her into his lap. “Ryan…what the…?”
She never got to finish. His lips claimed hers in a kiss so hot, so sensual that she almost melted to the floor from the pure heat of it. His tongue plundered, his hand anchored into her hair as the other held her securely against him. Everything in her clamored to wrap around him – even with the audience – but she managed to hold on to an ounce of dignity and just kiss him back as if her life depended on it.
When the wolf whistles and howls began to die down, Ryan lifted his head. His eyes were glazed and he gave her a look that promised pure sin when he had her alone. Carefully, he helped Tricia back into her chair and then he stood and reached for the phone. “Tell everyone goodnight, little brother.” His voice was calm – almost too calm – and Tricia knew he was angry.
“It was great to see everyone! I promise to get in touch when I’m back in the States!” Sean said and then grinned when it was just Tricia and Ryan looking at him. “So…having fun?”
Tricia was aware there were still a lot of people looking at them and gently nudged Ryan. “If you don’t mind, Sean,” she said sweetly, “I think they’re getting ready to cut the cake. We’ll talk to you soon, okay?” And before he could answer, Ryan had hung up.
He handed her the phone and joined the conversation around the table, which had turned to sports. For a few minutes, she was happy to simply sit back and listen but her mind kept going back to Sean. Why would he embarrass them like that?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the DJ announcing the bride and groom were indeed ready to cut the cake. This filled her with relief because she was definitely ready for this night to end. She had a feeling Ryan was merely holding his tongue where his brother was concerned until after they left the wedding and were alone. It really wasn’t a conversation she was looking forward to. She had primped and planned so much for this night and she wanted to strangle Sean for ruining it.
The Wedding Season Page 9