“None of your business, that’s what they are.” Why did everyone seem to think this was the worst possible idea? Even he’d first thought it. But now he wasn’t so sure. The more he saw of her, the more he liked being with her. And despite his current issues, maybe her calming presence in his life would be a help, not a distraction. Even the chaplain had suggested it wouldn’t be an automatic disaster.
Which was all well and good, except for the part where he basically told her he didn’t want her. Oh, and the part about her having a guy already.
Great timing. Couldn’t be better.
The rest of the crowd gathered in the lobby, chatter echoing off the high ceilings, waiting for everyone before carpooling over for dinner. Normally he’d be in the middle of the chatter. He wasn’t feeling too social at the moment.
Madison nudged him with her elbow. “Okay, I’m a bitch. I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”
“Thank you.” He kept his eye on Veronica, across the lobby of the hall where they were having the ceremony and reception the next day. She was talking with Skye and Tim’s parents. And he wanted to walk up behind her, pull her back against him, and nuzzle into the soft pillow of hair at her shoulders. Except at this point, she’d likely step on his foot with her heel rather than let him touch her. Worse, he’d deserve it. And that sucked.
Okay. He could do this. They weren’t engaged or anything. He wasn’t breaking up a marriage. He still had a shot.
“Just be there. You don’t need anything elaborate, you know.”
Madison’s soft words jarred him from his thoughts. “Be there…”
“Just simple as that. I have my suspicions that this thing with David won’t work. And when it runs its course, then just be there. I think that would be the best option of all.”
Except that meant waiting around, sitting on his hands, and generally feeling helpless. Not his favorite situation. So maybe he might just move things along. Nothing so drastic as stealing her out her bedroom window at night or anything. But if she was mentally comparing David to, oh, say, someone who made her pulse race, and realized it wasn’t happening, then that wasn’t so bad, was it?
He’d just keep telling himself that.
***
Dwayne took his chance at the end of the rehearsal. Everyone broke up, and he quickly claimed Veronica as his passenger. Though she didn’t appear thrilled, she kept mum. Probably thinking that now wasn’t the time for a scene or a fight. Thank you, timing and manners.
“I promise I’m doing better. No dodge and weave on the highway,” he told her as she climbed up into the cab’s passenger seat. He’d offer a hand, but she’d likely bite it.
“I don’t have any concerns about your driving,” she said, words short and clipped. Before he could tell her that was good, she yanked the door closed on her own.
The moment he started up the engine, she turned the Dixie Chicks CD full blast and stared out her window. Not-so-subtle message received. There was no way she wanted to speak with him. He smiled at the little attitude she was putting out. With him, she didn’t play the quiet mouse. Oh, her tactics might involve the silent treatment. But she wasn’t afraid to let her displeasure be known. And he liked it.
After a few minutes of driving, he took the risk of turning the music down. She glared at him, then whipped her head back to stare once more into the night.
“I have to apologize. Again.”
She said nothing.
“For what I said before, about our kiss. That was wrong of me.”
“Yes, it was.” The dressing down was short and sweet, but potent.
“Agreed. So I’m hoping you’ll forgive me. Because the truth is, I’d like to do it again.”
“What, apologize?”
Damn, she was cute when she got feisty. “No. Kiss you. I liked it.”
Nothing.
“A lot,” he prodded.
Nope. Still nothing.
He sighed. “You can’t be upset at me forever. I’m just a simple country boy who doesn’t quite well understand matters of the heart.”
She snorted in laughter, then clamped a hand over her mouth.
Bingo.
“Fact is,” he continued, his Deputy Dawg accent in full force, “I just don’t right know what to do with womenfolk that I happen to take a shine to.”
She giggled, and he knew he had her then.
“But when one sure is purdy, I just seem to lose myself and I say the darndest things.”
“Okay, okay.” She waved a hand at him in surrender. “Stop. I get it.”
He grabbed the hand before she could pull it back and pressed a lingering kiss to the inside of her wrist, over her pulse. “Do you? Get it, I mean.”
Her breath was shaky when she took her hand back. “I thought so. Now I’m not sure.”
Sneakiness be damned. He had to go with his gut on this one. “I like you, Veronica. A lot. I’m sorry I made a mess of it earlier, but I was just nervous and being stupid. I thought things weren’t the right timing, and I let that do the thinking for me.”
She was quiet. So quiet he wondered after a minute if she’d gone back to the silent treatment. When she finally spoke, her soft voice had him breathing a sigh of relief.
“I accept your apology.”
Such a formal little phrase. He smiled and held out a hand. When she placed hers in his, his heart did a little dance.
***
“So Dwayne’s picking you up, huh?” Madison gave her a sly wink as she grabbed her purse and heels. Like Veronica, she was wearing flats until they reached the ceremony site, where they would change into their official bridesmaids heels.
“Yes, as I said four other times. He’s giving me a ride.” She fiddled with the hem of her matching shawl, not wanting to look her friend in the eye. She’d guess far too quickly that Madison wasn’t as cool about the simple ride as she tried to seem.
“I, for one, am glad I’m driving myself. I hate depending on rides with someone else. But remember I’ve got my car, okay? If you wanna leave for whatever reason, come find me.”
“Thanks.” She sat back on the couch and forced herself not to check the clock for the ninth time in two minutes. He wasn’t late. He wasn’t even remotely late. She was disgustingly early. Eagerness, much?
As Madison picked up her keys, she stopped and looked back. “Uh, I thought I should mention that I sort of hinted to Dwayne that you and David were still an item.”
“Madison!” She sat up and stared. “Why would you do that? And what do you mean, still? We were never an item to begin with!” She’d told Madison about her decision to break things off with David the same night of their disastrous last date. She knew better.
“Come on. It totally forced him to make the move. You can’t be mad at me for that. Males are notoriously slow at everything they’re in charge of, including letting girls know whether they’re interested or not. It’s some deficiency with the Y chromosome. You learn about it in nursing school. Anyway, the fact is, it worked, right?”
She sat back and crossed her arms. “I’m not exactly thrilled that it took a threat to get him to ask to be my date.” Was that the only reason? Some ingrained, natural male instinct that wanted what they couldn’t have? She didn’t want that. Nothing about that said here’s a spark! or this could be love. It was more akin to a wild dog who didn’t want a bone until another dog came along and sniffed at it.
Madison didn’t seem at all concerned at her deception. “Meh. I don’t think that’s why. He stared at you through most of rehearsals last night anyway. I think he was holding back ’cause he thought you were happy with David. A little hint, a friendly nudge, and here you two are. Cutie-pie dates for the wedding. Are you really upset about that?”
Veronica, soothed by the thought he’d stared at her, could only laugh. “No. Fine. Shoo, go aw
ay. I can handle myself just fine, thank you very much.”
Madison paused, hand on the doorknob. “You know, I thought David would be a good choice for you.”
“So did Skye. So did I,” Veronica reminded her wryly. How wrong they’d all been.
“Yeah. See, the thing is, I think that David probably is a good guy overall. But the reasons for wanting him were wrong. I think what you want in a guy wasn’t exactly what we were looking for.” She headed out the door, shutting it quietly behind her.
Veronica thought back to what the three had discussed when brainstorming men. How many of those ideas had actually been hers, anyway? Had she really let Skye and Madison—however well-intended—steamroll her into who she should be dating?
Oh boy. She had.
A knock on the door jolted her. She stood, straightened her dress, grabbed her purse and shoes. And realized this was definitely a big moment.
From the time she was born until the moment she stepped into the United States as a grown woman, her parents dictated every single decision for her, sheltering her, keeping her from learning about life, from living. And she let it happen again with well-meaning friends.
No more. She was going to go with the moment, let her heart and her instincts dictate what she should do next. And stop shying away from taking chances.
They couldn’t all be bad, right?
Chapter 12
At some point, Dwayne was sure there was a wedding. Or, rather, a recommitment. But he was too busy watching Veronica watch the ceremony. Every expression crossed her face, from joy to soft envy and back to pure contentment. He could read her like a book, no hiding it.
Imagine that. A woman who didn’t try to hide things. Novel. Now if only he knew what was hiding under that bridesmaid’s dress…
“Move,” Jeremy hissed behind him.
What? Oh, shit. Madison stared at him, arm out, ready for him to escort her back down the aisle. He missed the entire thing while mentally undressing Veronica. Luckily they weren’t in a church, or he’d be toast from a lightning bolt.
He walked with Madison, glowing with happiness, down the aisle and led her to the little area where the bridal party would congregate, ready to enter the reception room next door. The girls all huddled together in a little hidden alcove, gushing and doing their little happy dances over Skye in her dress. That it was white was a surprise in itself. Dwayne was sure she’d buck tradition and wear something more multicolored than Joseph’s dreamcoat. But the little dress, while a little more daring in cut, was definitely appropriate enough to have Tim’s parents beaming with joy while still not looking like a cookie-cutter bride.
Veronica caught his eye and gave him a shy smile. And he went with instinct to walk over toward her, ignoring the guys behind him attempting to herd guests to their assigned tables in the hall. That was likely where he should be too, but he couldn’t resist the pull of her eyes, her body language. Neither of the other women seemed to notice when he reached out a hand and pulled Veronica away, down the hall of the conference center and into a small, unused room. A boardroom table with a dozen chairs dominated the center of the room, a whiteboard took up all of one wall, and that was all.
She still hadn’t said a word. But she watched him with careful eyes, meandering through the room, tracing the tops of each chair with her fingertips as she put the table between them.
What would those fingers feel like running down his body? Would they make him shiver, or heat him up?
“Do we need to have a meeting?”
He watched her, knew automatically she was forcing the confidence. This thing, this spark between them, got to her almost as much as it did him. She was on the same level of confusion as he was. Thank God.
“Meetings come in all shapes and sizes.” Judging her reaction, he started to walk around the table. She didn’t move, let him draw closer. No fear, no panic. Just a sense of curiosity, as if she was watching a lesson in progress. Only the underlying heat, the small tremble of her hand as her fingers outlined the top of one chair, told him she was interested.
“And what are you hoping to accomplish with this meeting?”
“Test the waters.” When he came up to her, she turned, bottom pressed against the table, between two chairs. He watched as she unconsciously placed one hand on the table, then bent back a little to look up at him.
Perfect.
He dipped his head and gave her a soft kiss that she returned easily. Then he increased the pressure of his lips, partly for pleasure, partly as a warning.
This is going to get hotter. Now’s your chance to say no.
But she only kissed back, angling her head, and taking it a step farther by tracing the seam of his lips with the tip of her tongue in a sweet request.
Without breaking the connection, he lifted her up. She stiffened a moment at the surprise, but relaxed instantly when he placed her butt on the table. And when he finally let loose, cupping her face with his hands and putting his everything into the kiss, she moaned like a starving woman eating her first meal in weeks.
God, she was good for a man’s ego. Every little movement, every action was given an instant response, verbal or silent, and he never questioned whether she was enjoying herself. And when he gently, tentatively slid his hands down her neck, over her shoulders, and grazed the sides of her breasts, she didn’t even budge. He tried his luck and slid his hands down to her hips to squeeze. She only squirmed, but in the good way. Not the “Hands off, cretin” sort of way. So he took one more chance and lifted her enough to scoot her dress out from under her ass.
Veronica gasped, the sound wet and unbelievably sexy into his mouth. Well, the table was probably cold on her skin. He’d warm her up fast enough. Hands creeping over the tops of her thighs, he was about to inch them apart when—
Thump.
Veronica seemed completely unaware of the muffled sound, if her little mewling sounds of desperation were any hint. And hell, if she didn’t give a rip, then why should he? He wasn’t about to give up a perfectly good—
Knock knock.
Fuck. He stepped back, hands quickly shifting to her shoulders so she didn’t lose balance and face-plant off the table. Now there would be a delightful way to woo a woman. In a voice that sounded too gruff to be his own, he barked, “Occupied.”
Some giggling, a male grunt of annoyance, and then nothing.
He looked back down at Veronica, whose hand was now covering her mouth, eyes wide with shock. “Hey, are you—”
“Oh my…” She tilted her face to look at him, eyes glassy. Was it really that upsetting to almost be walked in on?
“It’s fine. The door’s locked.” He helped her off the table, knowing the moment was officially over, whether he liked it or not. Almost in a daze, she straightened her dress and brushed invisible wrinkles from the front of her skirt.
“We almost… I mean, I almost let you…”
Okay, not everyone was in for the thrill of a semi-public tryst. But she really seemed to be startled that they’d gone so far. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
That seemed to snap her out of whatever funk she’d dug herself into. “No, please. Don’t apologize. That was wonderful. Just a little shocking, actually.” Her lips twitched, then she seemed to give up the fight completely and a full-on grin broke out. “Thrilling is a better word, I think.”
Thrilling. Not the adjective he’d use to describe it, but it sounded positive enough so he’d take it. When she looked down again once more to assure herself she was decent, he took the opportunity to face away and straighten his pants and shake a leg. A much-needed feel of relief washed through him, and he could breathe again. Jesus. He wasn’t into being watched any more than the next guy. The knock should have sunk his battleship faster than a torpedo. Not with Veronica. If she asked for it, he could have his battleship docking her harbor in moments.
Glancing up, he laughed to himself when he saw her standing by the door, hands primly laced in front of her. Looking like a damn schoolteacher waiting for her pupils to show up for the day.
Yup. She wasn’t going to ask him for a boardroom quickie any more than he was going to give her one. Miss Veronica Gibson required more than that. And so did he, he realized as he walked to the door and opened it for her. He needed more than one quick table-shaking hour to see where things were headed. If she was as special as he thought she might be, as important as she might be, then it just wasn’t the right way to start things out.
She paused before they hit the ballroom entrance and bit her lip, eyes shifting between him and the door. “Do you think they missed us?”
Was that code for Does anyone know what we were up to? Probably. “I doubt it. But we can just slip in through the side. Little more inconspicuous.”
Ten pounds of worry slid off her shoulders and her smile was back. “Good. That’s good. I don’t want to mess anything up for Skye’s beautiful day.”
Her consideration and care for her friends was just another feather in her cap, as far as he was concerned. Walking them around to the side, where servers had been slipping in and out discretely with plates of food, they quickly melted into the crowd surrounding the dance floor with ease. But it soon became apparent, while their entrance was discrete, their absence had not been.
***
Madison fought back tears, watching her brother twirl his wife around the floor for their first dance. They’d been married almost a year now, but since she’d missed the wedding, this felt like the first time. And her happiness for her brother was trumped only by the smugness that she was right from the start. He needed a wife just like Skye to shake up his world and keep him on his toes. Thank God he found her.
Officer and the Secret (Semper Fidelis. Always Faithful.) Page 13