Protecting the Bride

by Shelley Munro

“And Julia—the neighbor on your other side? Is she still living there?”

  “Yes, that Julia.”

  “What were they doing?”

  “What do you think they were doing? They were doing the naked mambo in my bed.” She glared at him. “Fucking, in case you’re in any doubt.”

  “Crap.”

  “Yeah, Jeff blamed it all on me and said it was my fault he had to look elsewhere because I’m introverted and not adventurous in bed. He disapproved of my behavior.”

  “What?” Cullen was having problems following this conversation. “What behavior?”

  “I decided I needed a weapon when I went to investigate. Although I know how to use a knife, I figured that wasn’t a sound idea, so I grabbed the ketchup and a whipped cream spray and crept into my room. I found them…” Grace paused and shuddered. “Well, anyway, I lost my temper and squirted them with ketchup and cream. Until that point, they’d been too busy to notice my arrival.”

  “Ketchup?” Cullen managed, trying not to laugh at the picture that formed in his mind.

  “Yeah, and whipped cream. One of those spray cans. I made a mess of my sheets and mattress, but it’s not as if I’d sleep on them again, anyway. I’ll have to fumigate the place just to get rid of their sex cooties.”

  Cullen stared at her, the urge to control his laughter a real challenge.

  “Jeff was horrid. I’d packed for our honeymoon, and I had to get out of my place, so I grabbed my suitcase and used my key to get into your house. I hope that’s okay because I didn’t know what to do.”

  “No prob,” Cullen said. “You’re always welcome.”

  “Barman, another whisky, please,” Grace called. “And a glass of sauvignon blanc.”

  “She’ll have a steak burger too,” Cullen said when the barman arrived with the drinks. “You can put them on my credit card.”

  Grace picked up the shot glass and downed it in one gulp. She shuddered at the burn before turning to Cullen, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. “He took my money. All of my savings.”

  Cullen straightened from his lean at the bar. “He stole from you?”

  She nodded, and he stared helplessly as one lone tear trickled down her cheek. She swiped it away, a touch of anger in the gesture.

  “Did you report it to the police?”

  “Can’t. Well, I can, but I doubt the cops will charge him. He had signing rights on the account. We were each going to pay money into a joint account. A deposit for an apartment in the city.” She shook her head. “He had no intention—no, that’s not true. I don’t know his intentions, but he withdrew my money the day after my deposit and never said a word to me. He never deposited the money he told me he planned to transfer. I trusted him, and now I feel dumb.”

  “It’s not stupid to trust someone you love,” Cullen said.

  “Huh!” Grace snorted. “It’s obvious he didn’t love me. It appears Jeff was spinning me a line, and I fell for his charm and his flowers. I don’t even know if he meant to go through with the marriage. Why are you here? I understood you were meeting a friend.”

  “I am. I did. My friend is here. Come and sit with us while we play pool. The kitchen staff will deliver your meal to the pool table area.” He glanced at the lanky barman and received a nod. “Come on. Stop moping.”

  “Really?” Grace’s brows rose, ire in her expression.

  Cullen bit back another inappropriate laugh and leveled her with a steady gaze. “Can you fix any of your problems right this minute?”

  “No, although I’d like to punch the scumbag in his tiny dick,” she muttered fiercely.

  A laugh escaped Cullen this time, and he caught the barman’s grin before the guy behind the bar wiped his expression as clean as his counter. Cullen lifted Grace off the barstool and picked up her glass of wine before urging her toward Josh, who was waiting patiently at the pool tables.

  “I don’t want to be a bother,” Grace said. “You play with your friend, and I’ll stay at the bar.”

  Cullen hid his grin and decided Josh had heard Grace because the smirking man winked at him. “No, don’t drink too much. You’ll regret it.”

  “I’ll be numb.”

  “And have a hangover in the morning,” Cullen informed her. “You’ll suffer needlessly. What you want is revenge. That will improve your mood faster than a hangover. Josh, this is my neighbor, Grace.”

  “I need the restroom,” Grace said.

  Cullen nodded. “Don’t try to sneak out without saying goodbye. I won’t be happy if you try that maneuver.”

  Grace reared back as if he’d hit her. “How are you going to stop me?”

  “Next time I catch up with you, I’ll spank that curvy backside of yours.”

  Her mouth dropped open, and she stared at him in apparent shock.

  “Shut your mouth.” He tapped her chin and smiled at her, way more cheerful now than when he’d first arrived at the pub. “Say hello to Josh.”

  Grace turned to Josh, apology set on her face. “I’m pleased to meet—”

  Cullen spotted the instant she recognized his friend. She whirled back to Cullen. “I’m interrupting a work meeting. Sorry! I’ll just…just head back to the bar and take my drink with me.”

  “Josh is my friend. We worked together. Army,” he added in a brief explanation that short-changed the bonding that occurred when men worked together in danger. Josh was more brother than a friend.

  “Cullen is right. We’ve been friends for years.”

  Grace glanced over her shoulder and leaned closer to Josh. She would’ve fallen flat on her face if Cullen hadn’t grabbed her around the waist. Not that he minded. Any excuse to get close to his sexy neighbor.

  “But you’re the first man,” she whispered, her voice way louder than she imagined. “You’re married to the PM.”

  “Doesn’t mean I can’t be Cullen’s friend too,” Josh said with a broad grin.

  Cullen would’ve been pissed with his friend’s flirting if he didn’t know how much Josh loved Ashley.

  “Sit at this table,” Cullen ordered. “Ah, here’s your burger. Please, do me a favor and eat as much as you can before you drink more. Grace?”

  “Yes, Cullen.” She blinked at him like a sleepy owl.

  Cullen wanted to cheer. He’d caught her checking him out. The sizzle that neither of them had ever acted upon still lay between them.

  “You really know Cullen. I’m not butting in where I’m not wanted?”

  Josh winked at Cullen. “You’re wanted, sweetheart. Do you play pool?”

  “Badly,” she said, her tone more cheerful. “I’m much better at baking cakes.”

  “That’s true,” Cullen agreed. “Grace made the finals of New Zealand’s Best Baker contest.”

  “That’s why you look familiar,” Josh said. “Ash taped that program and watched every episode. Ash thought you should’ve won.”

  “There! What did I tell you?” Cullen said, giving Grace a side-eye.

  “Ash likes to bake, too,” Josh said. “But she doesn’t get much time these days. She made cheese scones for the reporters last week. She felt sorry for them when they were waiting outside the gate to get a photo of her baby bump.”

  Grace’s brows rose. “Did they get their photo?”

  Josh grinned. “No, she sent me out with the scones and to tell them she was staying indoors for the rest of the day and working. She is having terrible morning sickness at present, although it seems to last all day.”

  “Should you be here?” Cullen asked.

  “Yeah, when I spoke to Ash on the phone, she told me to come. She says friends are important, and I would get in the way, hovering if I’d flown to Wellington with her. That’s true,” he confessed. “It’s hard seeing Ash puking out her guts and looking so pale. I feel as if it’s my fault.”

  Grace chortled. “Your wife has to accept half the blame.”

  “I won’t be telling her that,” Josh said.

  “Sit, Grace,” Cull
en ordered. “Eat your burger.”

  “I don’t need food. I wanna drink away my troubles,” she muttered.

  “Fine. It’s up to you. Sit there anyway.” He wanted to monitor her because the last thing she needed was to get drunk.

  He and Josh started a game of pool.

  “Is that her? The woman?” Josh murmured.

  “Yeah.”

  “It’s easy to understand your attraction. She’s pretty. She’s also funny.”

  “Yeah. I’ve always enjoyed Grace’s sense of humor. Her fiancé stole money from her. It was her money, but he had authority to sign on the account. He withdrew the lot and didn’t mention it to Grace.”

  “She should still file a complaint with the police,” Josh said. “She could get the money back.”

  Cullen broke. The balls split apart with a loud crack as the white struck them, and one rolled into the side pocket. He studied the ball placement before he crouched over the table for his next shot. He glanced at Grace and relaxed when he noted her nibbling fries. Any food in her stomach would help. “I’ll boot him out of her house if he’s still there. He made her cry. I’ve never seen Grace cry.”

  “You have a plan?”

  “Not yet, but I will soon. I need to discover what she intends to do next. Once I know, I’ll start with my strategy to win her around to thinking about me in the romantic sense.”

  3

  DROWNING SORROWS

  Grace stared at the impressive steak burger and the surrounding thick-cut fries. Not even the meaty aroma enticed her appetite. How could she eat with a knot the size of Stewart Island sitting in the pit of her stomach? But she took Cullen’s advice to heart. Drinking without taking responsibility rated as plain dumb.

  Jeff had cheated on her with her neighbor.

  Every positive characteristic she’d ascribed to him, had liked about him was a lie. Instead, he’d played her, and the knowledge increased her ire. Idiot! Excited to meet a fascinating man who’d shown interest in her, one who’d wanted a family as much as her, she hadn’t questioned Jeff’s behavior. His timetable had been all over the place, and she’d accepted his explanations, not once asking him for complete details.

  No, not entirely true.

  She had asked questions once when he’d come home smelling of heavy incense and amber—an Oriental fragrance she’d never wear because it had brought on a headache the instant she’d identified the perfume. Jeff had acted as if she was making a problem where there was none. Didn’t she trust him? Later, he’d apologized profusely, saying the long meetings had made for little sleep, but he’d made her feel small and uncertain despite his explanation.

  In hindsight, she should’ve asked more probing questions.

  She hadn’t truly wanted to move to the central city, nor to sell the house her parents had left her. Thank goodness she hadn’t allowed him to talk her into listing her home with an agent. He’d hinted they should do that in the future but hadn’t pushed.

  Grace plucked a fry off the plate and absentmindedly shoved it in her mouth. Salt and oil burst over her taste buds as she crunched down on the fried potato.

  One thing—she wouldn’t miss the judgmental expression on Jeff’s face whenever she ate. She’d tried to explain tasting and analyzing flavors was part of her job, but Jeff had chastised her for over-eating. Oh, he’d couched the comment as concern for her health. Nevertheless, it had still speared her to the heart. Defiantly, she shoved another fry into her mouth. The fry was crispy and evenly browned. The perfect fry.

  She reached for her wineglass and took a sip. Yeah, too bad what Cullen thought, too. She was getting good and drunk. Grace gulped another slug of wine.

  “Is that wise?” Cullen asked after he’d potted the black. He reached over and shunted the plate of food closer to her. “Eat.”

  She glared at him.

  “Don’t you have wedding stuff to cancel? You’ll need a clear head for that.”

  “No, I don’t need a sober mind to do any of that.” Crap. She should’ve thought of that first. She’d been so upset with finding Jeff and Julia together, then learning he’d taken her money. The wedding was in two days. No, dammit, she could cancel everything tomorrow. It was after hours, anyway. She bounded to her feet and strolled toward the bar, staggering the first two steps before she righted herself. A masculine arm curved around her waist, the heat of it searing through her silky tee. She gasped at the physical contact and the sudden yearning that clubbed her over the head.

  “It’s all right,” Cullen whispered. “I’ve got you.”

  Grace straightened and yanked from Cullen’s touch before she did something idiotic. “Please, just let me be.”

  Cullen finally nodded, although she had no inkling of what was going through his mind. “I’ll be playing pool with Josh if you need me. But do me a favor—please eat the burger if you’re going to drink more.”

  Grace studied him for a moment longer before jerking her head in affirmation. She shuffled back to the table and took a seat, the weight of a stare on her back the entire time. Grace scowled at the burger, and her stomach twisted. The last thing she wanted was to eat, but Cullen was correct. She picked up the knife and fork and poked at the top bun. She flipped it off and dragged out the steak. He was right about another thing. The meat was excellently seasoned and perfectly cooked.

  Her mind drifted to the aborted wedding and the list of people she’d need to contact. Luckily, they’d kept the celebration small, but there were still fifty people on the guest list. While she’d done a lot of the catering herself and spent hours laboring on the wedding cake of her dreams, she’d still outsourced. Money lost since there would be no refunds at this late stage.

  What a mess.

  Grace ate the piece of steak and half of the fries before pushing away the plate.

  She pulled a notebook out of her handbag and jotted a list. Telling her parents was going to be the worst thing. They intended to help with last-minute things. With a sigh, she pulled out her phone and composed a text.

  Mum and Dad. Bad news. The wedding is off. I’m fine. Will call tomorrow.

  Grace hit send and placed her phone on vibrate. Her mother would demand details, and right now, the subject was a gaping, raw wound. She’d been blind. An idiot. Admitting that to her parents… She exhaled. Jeff had acted so sincere, and he’d cared for her, but in hindsight, she’d missed the huge signposts in their relationship.

  Until today, he’d seldom spoken a harsh word to her. Huh! He’d been too busy romancing her and planning to rip her off. It’d been in his interests to keep her on the hook, keep her sweet. It surprised her he’d let the wedding date get this close. A thought occurred. It was early last week when she’d agreed to open the joint account. She’d been so busy it’d been difficult to find the time to open the bank account.

  Wow, she was so stupid.

  He’d been biding his time until he could get his hands on her money. He hadn’t cared about her and had never intended to marry her.

  Her phone vibrated, and she hesitated before checking the screen. Her mother was replying to her text—a message in capital letters. RING ME.

  Grace ignored the text and blinked hard to contain the tears stinging her eyes. The discarded burger bun blurred, and she screwed her eyes shut. She refused to cry over that man. Much better to focus on payback. That was a productive direction for her thoughts.

  Her right hand tightened on the pen she held, and she forcibly made herself relax to ease the strain. No, revenge was a waste of her time too. A list. What did she need to do tomorrow?

  1. Cancel the caterer.

  2. Cancel the wedding celebrant.

  3. Inform guests.

  4. Return wedding gifts.

  5. Cancel the hall rental.

  The honeymoon. Grace paused. The trip to Stewart Island was nonrefundable. The area behind her eyes throbbed again, and she squeezed her eyes shut. When that didn’t help, she reached for her wine and downed the contents.


  She set down the glass and shoved her notebook and pen back into her handbag.

  Nope.

  Tomorrow would be soon enough to confront this shit-show that was her intended marriage to Jeff.

  She stood and wandered to the bar. She awkwardly scrambled onto a barstool and waved her hand to grab the barman’s attention. “Scottish whisky,” she said. “D-double.” Her tongue thickened, and she had difficulty forming her words. Too bad. She wanted this day from hell to end. The sooner she numbed her pain and injured pride, the better.

  * * * * *

  “She’s gonna regret those drinks come morning,” Josh murmured.

  Worry flowed through Cullen, but he held the emotion in check. “Yep, but sometimes you have to let people learn their lessons.”

  “True.” Josh placed his cue back in the wall stand. “It’s been great seeing you. Don’t be a stranger while you’re home. You’re welcome to visit our place, or I can come to you. Ring ahead, otherwise the security team gets agitated. Sometimes I like to sneak around to keep them on their toes since it’s my wife and child at stake should anything go wrong.”

  Cullen laughed. “I bet that goes down well.”

  “I warned them I’d test security. It’s not my fault Ash’s men ignored my comments. Dillon, Nikolai, and Frog were in our lounge having a beer before the security guys noticed. Man, it riled Nelson. He’s the big Māori guy who has worked as personal protection since Ashley became the Labor party leader. I trust him and Gavin, Nelson’s offsider, but the others don’t have the same experience. Them, I like to test now and then.” Josh’s gaze drifted to Grace and the man who was chatting her up. “I’d better go. Do you need a hand to get Grace home?”

  “Thanks, but I’ll be fine. You ring your lady. When is the baby due?”

  “Only six months to go.”

  “Is Ashley taking time away from her job?”

  “Yeah, she’s taking a month off after the birth. The deputy prime minister will stand in for her.”

  “Does she trust him?”

  Josh flashed a grin. “Mostly, but don’t quote me.” He glanced at Grace again. “You sure you’re okay with her?”

  “Yeah.” Cullen stood and hugged Josh. “It’s great to see you, man. Time spent with people who get it helps.”