by Jill Shalvis
“Hotel Burke,” Ben added, hoping the ritzy name would impress Chloe’s mom a little, or at least thaw her a bit. She didn’t bat an eye. Chloe groaned.
“Well, I’m relieved to hear you’re staying at the wedding venue. I figured you would have picked something clear across the city, just to be contrary.”
“See you tonight, Mom.” Chloe reached for her luggage, but Ben beat her to it, grabbing her scratched-up plastic suitcase in his left hand, his pristine black one in his right. “I got it.”
“What the hell was that?” Chloe whirled on him the second they stepped outside. The frigid wind whipped her hair around her head, and Ben set their suitcases down on the snowy sidewalk so he could shove his hands in his pockets.
“Unbalanced seating plans are wedding kryptonite.”
“Oh, God. You heard that?”
Ben shrugged his shoulders against the cold. “It’s a well-known fact. I can’t believe you weren’t aware of it, Chloe Marie.”
“I can’t believe you told her you’re my boyfriend.” Chloe jammed a hand through her hair. “Why would you do that?”
“I believe the words you’re looking for are ‘thank you, Ben.’”
“Why would I thank you? You’ve ruined everything!”
“What are you talking about? I just saved your ass.”
“In what world did you save me? Now I’m going to get a lecture three times as embarrassing as before because she won’t have a chance to even out the damn seating arrangement before I arrive solo at the big event.” She pulled her coat tighter around her. “Maybe I could just say you got hit by a bus, or you’re allergic to tulle—”
“Or I could just come with.”
“—or you ate some bad shellfish or—What?”
“What time does it start?”
Chloe stared up at him with no sign of understanding on her face. The tip of her nose was turning pink in the cold.
“The wedding,” he clarified.
“I, uh, let me check.”
“You don’t even know when the ceremony starts? Isn’t that like, the raison d’être of bridesmaids?”
She fished a thick, pearlescent envelope from the depths of her purse. “Oh, I’m not a bridesmaid,” she told him, pulling a fancy-looking itinerary out of the envelope.
Ben’s shoulders drooped. As an only child with no living family, he’d kind of romanticized the idea of having blood relatives. Chloe’s words shook him a little.
“According to this, the ceremony starts at six, appetizers and cocktails are at seven, late supper and speeches start at eight.”
“Perfect. My meeting should be done by five at the latest. Gives me a chance to shower and change.”
She stared up at him again, this time with skepticism. “You sure you want to do this, Masterson?”
“You underestimate the things I will do for a free dinner, Chloe Marie. Now c’mon. Let’s grab a taxi before I lose my ears to frostbite.”
* * *
THE VALUE INN had been adequate. Hotel Burke was spectacular. Vaulted ceilings, glittering chandeliers, sumptuous fabrics, and rich wood lent the place an air of old-world glamour.
Ben gave a low, impressed whistle. “So your mom takes a car service and your sister’s getting hitched here? What’s the deal? You’re actually some poor little rich girl or something?”
“My parents have money. I don’t have money.”
He’d been teasing, but something in her voice caught his attention. She’d gone very still.
“Hey, I was just teasing.”
She smiled to reassure him, but didn’t quite pull it off. “I know. It’s no big deal. I’m just… I’d kind of forgotten what this was all like, this life I left behind.”
Growing up with just his dad who’d often struggled to make ends meet, he couldn’t quite imagine anyone walking away from all this and being fine with it. It was the dream, what most people strove for. “Do you regret it?”
She shook her head, pretty green eyes darting around the ornate lobby. “No. I mean, in the big picture, there’s no difference between the Value Inn and this place. A hotel is just a place to sleep, right? But it reminds me of the person I used to be.”
Her hand drifted subconsciously to her hair. Boring old brown, she’d called it. He wondered what she was remembering as emotions flitted across her face—sad eyes, a ghost of a smile, the determined set of her chin.
The desire to pry was overwhelming. He wanted to learn everything there was to learn about the beautiful, complicated woman beside him. But right now she needed to be distracted.
“Shall we go check in?”
“Huh? Oh. Um, yeah. About that…”
He turned to face her.
“You know what my mom said? About me booking a room across town just to be contrary?”
The guilty look on her face made him smile. “Seriously?”
She nodded sheepishly.
“Stay with me.”
Chloe’s cheeks bloomed with color. “What?”
“I like you,” Ben confessed. “The real you. But you’re different when you’re around your mom. And I get it,” he hurried to explain himself, “because I’ve had people in my life like that, too. People you can’t quite be yourself with.” Melanie’s face came to mind, right on cue, but Ben was surprised that his bosses’ faces were also part of the mental parade.
“Thanks, Ben. That’s really nice of you, but…”
Uh-oh. He’d spooked her. He should’ve known better. Chloe preferred to keep things light.
To that end, he lowered his voice and leaned in closer. “Also I really enjoy getting you naked. So what do you say? How about we make this a two-night stand?”
Her smile told him he’d saved the mission. Well, him and the fact she didn’t have much choice now that her mother thought she’d be staying here. “Why, Mr. Masterson, are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”
“I really hope so.” God, did he hope so.
“I’m in, but only if you let me pay half,” she stipulated, “because I don’t want the guy at the desk to label me a hooker.”
“I accept your terms, because the room’s actually a comp. When you do business with Edward Burke, you stay free at his hotel. And for the record, there’s no way anyone working at a classy place like this would ever mistake you for a common hooker. This is call-girl territory.”
“Well, in that case,” she teased, grabbing his hand, “hurry up and get us a room already.”
The man behind the counter was extremely efficient and they were in the elevator and headed up to their room in no time.
Smiling and laughing, bumping into each other more than was strictly necessary, the low-grade sexual tension that had been simmering between them escalated the closer they got to the room. He loved this playful side of her.
“Look at this place.” Ben held the door open so Chloe could join him in the tiled foyer. A freakin’ foyer, with a shoe rack, and a closet, and a giant urn full of fake palm-fronds. The room was stunning, done in opulent shades of brown and cream. “And this isn’t even a suite.”
“Forget the foyer, I’m more interested in checking out the bed. You wanna help me with the inspection?” The wheels of her suitcase were quieted as they met carpet when she ventured farther into the room.
“Oh, hell yes.” Ben pushed the door closed behind them and locked the bar latch as he glanced at the emergency map.
In case of fire, use stairs unless otherwise instructed.
“Ben? Are you coming? Because I want to.”
Notify the operator (dial 0) or pull nearest fire alarm.
“Nothing? That was a grade A pun, Masterson. Right up there with ‘Mrs. Understanding.’”
If you hear the fire alarm,
evacuate, don’t investigate.
“Are you seriously reading about the fire escape routes?” Her voice was so close it startled him, and he spun to face her, embarrassed at being caught.
“It’s just good sense to know where the closest emergency exits and fire extinguishers are.”
She shook her head at him in faux disappointment. “You’re such a freak sometimes, Masterson.”
“Uh, yeah. A freak in the sack.”
“Prove it,” she challenged, squealing in surprise as he wrapped his arms around her and hoisted her up his body. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him back as he carried her over to the bed before dropping her unceremoniously on the giant mattress.
“With pleasure,” he said, divesting himself of his suit jacket and shoes.
“Ooh, I like the sound of that.” She reached up, pulling his tie down until he joined her on the bed. He pushed her down onto the pillows.
Then he settled beside her, propping himself on his elbows so he could stare down at her. Her makeup was different again. Today his little chameleon was sporting a clever blend of pinks and browns that made the golden flecks in her green eyes shine.
She raised her hand to his cheek, startling him out of his inspection, and he accepted her wordless invitation and lowered his lips to hers.
The soft meeting of their mouths was a revelation, so different than the last time she’d been in his arms. That had been the heat and passion of a match meeting gasoline. This was a slow burn, and he let himself revel in the sweet eroticism, the simple beauty of just kissing her.
The first sweep of her tongue made his breath catch. As much as he loved the soft brush of her lips on his, tasting, teasing, he was relieved as the pressure built because he was starting to go out of his mind with all this restraint. His breath came faster, his mouth grew more demanding, and he ached to touch Chloe everywhere.
She pressed her palm to his chest, curling her fingers into his shirt, tugging him closer. He loved knowing she was as turned on by their make-out session as he was. She had just started in on his shirt buttons when the shrill ring of her cell phone intruded on the moment.
He rested his forehead against hers. “Ignore it.”
“It’s my mom. She’ll only call back if I don’t answer. Again and again and again. Trust me. It’s why I assigned her a special ringtone in the first place.”
With a sigh, Ben flopped onto his back as she crawled across the bed in search of her phone. It took a moment of digging through her purse and four more rings to answer the call.
“Hi, Mom…Yes, we’re here…” She glanced over at Ben, rolling her eyes. “Right now?…Okay, I’ll be there in a minute…Yes, the fourth floor…I understand that you’re on seven, and I know how to use an elevator, so I’m sure this will all work out fine. Okay…Okay…Yes…Mom, I’m coming right up…I’m coming right up! We can talk about it when I get there. I’ll see you in a minute.”
“What, did she follow our cab to make sure we came straight here?”
“I wouldn’t put it past her.” Chloe tugged her T-shirt back into place as she stood. “I am really sorry about this. But I’m glad you’re coming to this wedding with me. I don’t know how I’d have gotten through this by myself, so thank you.”
He stacked his hands behind his head and waggled his eyebrows. “You can thank me later.”
God, he loved making her laugh.
“I really wish I didn’t have to leave.” She walked over to the mirror and fussed a little with her hair. “I have no idea how long this will take, so good luck with your meeting.”
“You can good luck me later, too.”
She turned and hit him with a sultry look that upped the heat simmering in his belly. “Oh, I’ll luck you all right.” She started walking toward him with a slinky, do-me walk that drove him crazy. “And it’s gonna be so good,” she promised, leaning over to plant a final kiss on his mouth. Ben grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down on top of him.
She giggled against his lips, squirming to get back up. “Ben, I have to go or she’ll send out a search party!”
He groaned as she got free of his embrace and pushed herself up off the bed.
“Fiona Masterson waits for no woman.”
“Fine,” he relented. “Get out of here already. I have a meeting to prepare for.”
“I’ll see you back here when I’m done.” She grabbed a tube of lipstick from her purse and did a quick touch-up before heading for the door.
“Hey, Chloe?”
She glanced over her shoulder at him.
“Bet you wish you knew where all the emergency exits were now, huh?”
She was still laughing when she pulled the door shut behind her.
* * *
CHLOE TRIED TO control her grin as she approached the bridal suite, but it just kept slipping out. It had been a long time since she’d liked a man this much. And really, this was the perfect situation for her. A two-night stand. A vacation fling—no commitments, no expectations, just fun, flirting, and—
“There you are, Chloe! I’ve got to get down to the ballroom to make sure it’s ready. Please go and keep your sister company.” Chloe accepted the key card her mother held out to her. “She’s all alone in there—talking some nonsense about needing a minute to herself.”
“Well, we can’t have that.”
“Exactly.” The word was so emphatic that Chloe almost laughed, until she realized the reason for her mother’s panic. It had very little to do with Caroline, and everything to do with a Saturday afternoon four years ago. The insight sobered her. “I’ll sit with her. Go take care of the catering.”
With a deep breath, Chloe unlocked the door to the massive bridal suite and stepped inside. Her sister was dressed in a white-satin robe with her brown hair pinned and curled into an elaborate updo. She was sitting at a mirrored vanity, looking beautiful and vulnerable, like some old-timey movie star.
“Mom, I’m fine. I promise. I just… Chloe! You made it.”
Caroline was so different than Chloe remembered, and it was more than the fancy hair and lack of makeup. Sure, they were friends on Facebook—she’d seen her little sister mugging for the camera in internet pictures, but they didn’t convey Caroline’s presence, her stillness. She seemed so grown up for twenty. Well, twenty-one.
“Happy birthday.”
“Thanks, Chlo.”
Chloe was surprised by the nickname. A remnant from grade school, when having matching four-letter nicknames that ended with O was the height of sisterly bonding—back when they used to get along. Caro and Chlo. It all seemed a lifetime ago.
“And thank you for coming. When Mom said your flight was delayed, I was worried you might not make it.”
Her sister’s sincerity made Chloe feel a little bad for not wanting to come.
“I know we haven’t seen each other for ages, but I need your help.”
Chloe laughed nervously. “Don’t you have a half-dozen bridesmaids around to do your bidding? Where is everyone?”
“They’ll be here soon. They’re just finishing up in hair and makeup in the suite next door. I just wanted a few minutes to myself. Today’s been flying by so fast I feel like I haven’t had a moment to breathe. Besides, I didn’t want them around when I asked you.”
“Asked me what?”
Caroline bit her lip, an old nervous habit. “Would you do my makeup?”
The question stopped Chloe dead. “What?”
“I want you to do my makeup. Like old times.”
She used to practice on Caroline constantly. At first, she’d done it against her little sister’s will, bribing her to play guinea pig with sweets or toys or money. Then later, she’d done it at Caroline’s behest, for dances and dates and parties. But all that had been many yea
rs ago.
“You want… I mean, didn’t you hire a professional makeup artist?”
“You’re a professional makeup artist. That’s what you do at work, right? And on YouTube?”
Chloe blinked. “You’ve seen my videos?”
“Of course! And don’t try to wuss out on me and say you don’t have your stuff, because I’m sure that giant purse of yours is full of every color and cosmetic known to man.”
It was true, so Chloe didn’t bother to deny it.
“You’re sure?”
At Caroline’s nod, she walked over and set her purse on the vanity, ignoring the way her sister’s eyes lit up as she began unpacking her stuff.
Chloe’s hand was shaking as she pumped some foundation onto a makeup sponge, and she forced herself to take a deep breath to still the tremor. She was just about to start the application when Caroline held out her hand to stop her.
Chloe raised her eyebrows.
“Listen, you’re not going to do my makeup exactly the way you do yours, right? I mean, you won’t use green or anything? And less eyeliner, okay? I’m not going to a rock concert. I’m getting married.”
Chloe laughed at that, and the overwhelming tension that had been tying knots into her shoulders since she’d stepped in the room lessened. “Shut up and trust me, brat.”
Caroline smiled and did just that.
Twenty minutes later, Chloe was pretty damn impressed with her handiwork. Her sister was glowing in soft shades of nudes and pinks, looking every inch the blushing bride. A second coat of mascara and she’d be ready for her big moment.
Chloe twisted the cap off the tube and leaned in to apply the finishing touch.
“I wanted to ask you to be a bridesmaid.”
Chloe’s hand jerked at the admission, and the brush touched her sister’s eyebrow. “Oh, God. Hold on, I can fix that!” She jammed the wand back into the tube with undue haste and started digging through her bag for her makeup remover. She didn’t notice her hands were shaking until Caroline touched her forearm and she froze.
“Don’t worry about the mascara.” The soft, understanding note in her sister’s voice gave Chloe the courage to look at her. “I just wanted you to know that I wanted you here.”