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Her heart jumped into her throat and she swallowed it back down. Easy. Calm. She’d been down this path before. Unexpected situations were par for the course when it came to wedding planning. The key was to keep her head and think. “Get him an Alka Seltzer and meet me in the reception tent.”
“You think that’s going to help?”
“It can’t hurt.” She clicked the off button and turned back to face the megalicious cowboy standing behind her. She would talk to him, get everything straight and if he truly had said what she thought he’d said, then maybe …
The thought faded as she found herself staring at the empty spot where he’d been standing.
Her gaze swept the crowd, but he was nowhere to be seen. Proof beyond a doubt that her imagination had kicked into overdrive thanks to her deprived hormones.
I like you.
Yeah, sure.
She gave herself a great big mental shake, turned on her heel and went to find the MIA disc jockey.
“I’M SURPRISED YOU had the balls to show up,” Brent said as he shoved Travis up against the backside of the barn.
Travis blinked and stared at his younger brother. One minute he’d been admiring the very attractive rear end of Cody’s wedding planner, and the next, he’d been gripped by the collar and whisked away at preternatural speed by the vampire in front of him.
Green eyes so much like his own stared back at him. “Hello to you, too.”
The green shifted and Brent’s gaze fired a bright, vivid red. “If you’re here to start trouble, you can forget it. I’m not letting you screw this up for Cody. No arguing tonight.” The red flickered and anger sizzled in the air surrounding them. “I mean it.”
“Easy.” Travis held up his hands. “I’m not here to start anything. I just came to talk.”
“You really expect me to believe that?”
He didn’t. The last time he’d been face to face with his brothers, he’d blamed them for the massacre that had taken their family.
But he’d been wrong.
Travis eyed his brother. “Where’s Rose?”
Silence stretched between them for a long moment before Brent relaxed his grip just a little. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
“Believe what you want.” He shrugged. “I don’t know jack about her. That’s Cody’s bomb to drop and he’ll drop it when he’s good and ready. And I can promise you it’s not right now. We’re in the middle of pictures, for Christ’s sake.” Agitation washed over him as the photographer’s voice echoed in the distance. His grip loosened. “Listen, if you want to talk, we’ll talk. But later.”
He wanted to argue, but then Brent disappeared as quickly as he’d first appeared, leaving Travis no choice but to bide his time until the photographer finished.
He straightened his shirt and started back around the barn. His attention shifted to the huge white tent that towered in the far distance before he chanced a glance at the spot where he’d last seen Holly Simms talking on her headset. She was nowhere in sight and damned if that didn’t bother him. Not that he expected her to hang around, waiting for him. She undoubtedly thought he’d ditched her on purpose.
A damned fine idea.
That’s what his head told him. There were too many women to choose from for him to set his sights on one who obviously didn’t have the time to get up close and personal. She was the wedding planner after all, and busy as all get out. He needed a guest to kill some time with. Or a bridesmaid. Someone who wouldn’t be missed for a few minutes.
Someone who would actually respond when he looked deep into her eyes and willed her to get naked.
The thought conjured a vision of long blond hair trailing down his bare chest. Feathering over his abs. Brushing his thighs. Swirling around his cock.
His stomach hollowed out and his mouth went dry. He picked up his stride, his boots kicking up dust as he headed for the tent and the bar that had been set up along one length. Sliding onto a bar stool, he ordered a beer and took a long swig. The golden liquid went down smooth, but it didn’t quench the thirst that yawned in the pit of his stomach.
The tent filled up quickly. The sound of laughter echoed around him. Glasses clinked as the bartenders shifted into action. The scent of vanilla candles wafted through the air, blending with the sugary-sweet smell of the stacked wedding cake that sat center stage on a nearby table.
Travis tried to focus on the women surrounding him. A tall brunette with a purple dress. A shapely redhead wearing a pink suit. A blonde in a hot, tight, red number with lips to match. There were plenty. All his for the taking.
All except for Holly Simms.
The thought struck and he signaled for another beer. She was just one woman, he reminded himself. A damned infuriating one at that since she didn’t seem susceptible to his vamp charisma. No falling into his arms or rubbing her soft curves up against him. Nothing. Just that crazy disbelief.
As if his thoughts had conjured her, she rushed around the bandstand toward the pale looking man who’d just taken his place behind a large mixing board. Static cracked open the steady chatter of guests and in a split-second, a slow, twangy Jason Aldean song spilled from the speakers.
Jason sang about big green tractors and taking a ride, and relief seeped into Holly’s expression. She actually smiled and his chest hitched. It was the damndest thing, considering his response was always centered below the belt when it came to women.
He took a swig of his drink and watched as she touched her headset and informed the person on the other end that the music was on and the dancing could commence. Disaster averted. Or so she thought until she got the news that the champagne was missing. Her smile faded in the blink of an eye and he had the sudden insane urge to cross the distance between them, haul her into his arms and do any and everything to bring the smile back to her beautiful face.
Her tight skirt pushed and pulled, hugging her shapely ass as she made a bee-line for the house. His groin tightened, throbbing to the point that a growl worked its way up his throat.
She was different, all right.
But not that different.
While he hadn’t wowed her with his vampness, he’d still read every thought that had flashed through her pretty blond head. He knew she was sexually frustrated and that she had a thing for cowboys, that she’d been hurt by one. She’d sworn off love and relationships, and had resigned herself to brief, meaningless, one-night stands.
Exactly what he needed at the moment.
Not an entire night, mind you. In the deprived state he was in, a good fifteen minutes would do him just fine. He was already this close to the edge. Pain twisted at his gut. His hands trembled. His throat tightened. His fangs tingled.
Travis downed the last of his drink, set the glass on the bar and went after Holly Simms.
“I heard the words echo inCAN’T BELIEVE they misplaced the Cristal,” she murmured into her headset as she entered the house through the back kitchen door and glanced frantically around the large room. Platters of food covered every available granite countertop. Boxes sat stacked against the walls and in front of the custom cherry cabinets, but not one had the familiar name she was looking for. “How do you lose ten cases of ultra expensive champagne?”
“I love Cristal,” Evan declared. “Bob ordered it on our first date. After dinner, we went up to Lucky’s Point and watched the sun set. Say, maybe someone snuck off with the champagne because he wants to propose to his girlfriend. Why, they could be sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck as we speak, bottles in hand, watching the stars dance across the sky.”
“Are you on medication?”
“It’s called love, dearest. In case you’ve forgotten.”
If only.
But she remembered all too clearly the pounding heart, the rush of excitement and the pie-in-the-sky notions—
“The bartender said all ten cases were supposed to be delivered to the bar,” Evan cut in, effectively killing her spiral down memory lane. Thankfully. “I called the delivery service and they said someone in the kitchen signed for it.”
“Which means it has to be here somewhere.” Holly moved out into the massive hallway and headed for the walk-in pantry a few yards down.
The Braddock spread was one of the newest and biggest ranches in the area. The house itself was over nine thousand square feet with tons of closets and way too many places to stash several cases of the bride’s favorite beverage.
“Maybe it’s in the barn,” Evan offered.
“Who would move it all the way from the kitchen to the barn?”
“A loony tune who needed more room to craft her masterpieces.” Evan referred to Millicent Dupree, the one and only gourmet chef in Skull Creek, Texas. Millicent was temperamental, stubborn and very focused when it came to her work. “I asked her, but she told me she couldn’t listen because she was in her pigs-in-the-blanket zone. She also said if I bothered her again, she would come after me with a pair of cooking shears.”
“You check the barn,” Holly told him, “and I’ll look in the house.” She pushed open the door to the walk-in pantry area which rivaled the size of the small bedroom she’d grown up in. A ray of light pushed back the shadows and illuminated stacks of catering boxes, crates of fresh fruit and vegetables, and the empty white boxes that had carried all the petit fours and cheesecakes over from the bakery. Shadows hid the rest and she reached for the light switch.
She was just about to flip it on when she felt the presence directly behind her.
“I’ve been looking for you.” The deep, familiar voice slid into her ears and stirred every nerve in her body. And then a hard wall of muscle urged her forward, the door shut and she found herself standing in the darkness with Travis Braddock.
3
HE’D PROBABLY GOTTEN lost on the way to the men’s room.
No way was he in this closet with her on purpose. Because he wanted her and she wanted him and it was meant to be. Definitely a great, big, fat no.
That’s what she told herself but then he turned her around, his mouth descended on hers and just like that, he was kissing her, his lips covering hers, his tongue thrusting deep. Yes.
He tasted like cold beer and hot, decadent thoughts and the air stalled in her lungs.
Stop!
That’s what her head said.
Wrong time.
Wrong place.
Wrong man.
If only he hadn’t felt so right. Like a cold drink of water on a blistering hot summer day. She couldn’t help herself. She kissed him back and kept kissing him. Longer. Deeper. His hands were everywhere, trailing down her back, tugging up her skirt.
It was the best thing that had ever happened to Holly.
And the worst.
Not because it was exciting. Heaven knew she needed a little oomph in her life. A little wild, mindless sex with no second thoughts. But it was the worst because she was smack dab in the middle of a wedding reception for two hundred guests. And the champagne was missing. And Evan kept repeating as much over the headset every few seconds, in between humming the tune from “Unchained Melody.” And she was wearing a pair of heavy duty Spanx to keep her tummy flat and her thighs shapely. And it was just too friggin’ dark.
“Please tell me you found it,” Evan declared.
She managed to tear her lips away. “Not yet, she gasped, her lungs struggling for air, “but I’m getting warm.” Boy, was she ever.
A slow, chuckle rumbled over her lips and goose bumps chased up and down her arms.
Evan’s voice, along with the sound of music and laughter, faded into the sudden pounding of her heart as she became acutely aware of the man standing in front of her, surrounding her. His fingertips seemed to melt through her skirt and the dreaded Lycra smoothing her thighs.
Okay, so dark was good considering the last thing she wanted was for him to see her struggle out of her modern day version of a girdle. But the thing was, she couldn’t see him.
And despite all the extra baggage on her hips, she really wanted to see him. The broad shoulders and muscular arms rippling beneath her touch. The long, hard thighs braced on either side of her own. The prominent erection pressing just below her belly button.
She reached out a hand to her left to feel for the light switch, but he caught her wrist and pinned her arm above her head. He went stiff in the next instant and if she hadn’t known better, she might have thought he was purposely trying to keep her in the dark. But just when his grip grew a little too tight, he eased his hold and drew the palm of her hand to his lips.
His lips pressed against her palm. The kiss was soft, tender, loving and for a split-second, she actually forgot this was meaningless sex.
“Exactly how warm are you?” Evan’s voice pushed past the frantic staccato of her heart and yanked her back to reality and the fact that she was getting naked in a storage closet with a man she’d met less than five minutes ago.
Romeo and Juliet it wasn’t.
“I think it’s here somewhere—” she offered, but then strong hands plucked off the headset. A heartbeat later, it clattered to the floor.
“But I’m working—” Strong, sensual lips silenced the rest of her protest in a fierce, determined kiss that scrambled her common sense and drew her full and complete attention.
He tugged the blouse from her skirt. Long, determined fingers worked at the buttons until the silk parted. A flick and her bra clasp opened. The cups fell away. Thumbs rasped her nipples and her breath caught.
Before she had a chance to drag some much needed air into her lungs, he dipped his head and drew the aching tip deep into his mouth. He sucked her so hard that she felt the tug between her legs.
She shuddered as he slid his hot, wet mouth to her other nipple. He caught it with his teeth and flicked her with his tongue, over and over, making her squirm until he opened his lips and suckled her again.
Heat spiraled through her body and pleasure gripped her for several sweet, intoxicating moments before she felt the sharp prickling sensation on her sensitive skin. His teeth, she knew. But it felt different. Sharper.
Just as the thought struck, he pulled away. His mouth closed over hers, drawing her tongue deep. She thought she felt the same sharp sensation against her bottom lip, but then he plunged his own tongue deep and the floor seemed to tremble.
Desire welled up inside her and suddenly she couldn’t help herself. Since she couldn’t see him, she needed to feel him.
Now.
Frantic fingers grappled at his shirt, pulling and tugging until she found her way underneath. Soft, silky hair met her hands and she trembled. Muscles rippled beneath her palms as she trailed them over his chest and down to the waistband of his jeans.
She unbuttoned him with several fierce, frantic tugs. He sprang hot and huge into her hands and she stroked his length. Her fingers slid back and forth, tracing the bulging head, the hard, smooth shaft. She cupped his testicles and massaged them, and his arousal pulsated against her.
He reached for her skirt then, tugging it up and hooking her underwear. He pushed them down her legs until the lycra sagged around her ankles and she stepped free. He reached down, dragging a finger over her sex in a smooth, sweet rhythm that made her moan.
For a fierce moment, she thought she saw a flash of blue in the darkness, like twin laser beams aimed directly at her.
Eyes. His eyes. Staring back at her.
A red alert went off in her brain. His eyes were green. She’d seen them herself.
She blinked and the bursts of color faded into the nothingness that surrounded them.
Still, something wasn’t right.
She reached for the light again, but then he caught her hand and guided it around his neck. “We’re not finished yet, sugar. Hold on tight,” he murmured, his voice deep and raspy. And then he was inside of her and her thoughts scrambled as exquisite heat flooded her body.
He moved in and out in a fierce rhythm. Pleasure needled her brain with each thrust until she couldn’t take any more. She closed her eyes as her orgasm crashed over and consumed her entire body. Tremors racked her and her knees buckled. She went limp, but Travis was there, his strong arms around her, holding her as he plunged deep one last time.
He followed her over the edge, his body rigid. A growl rumbled in her ears and she saw the pinpoints of blue light again. Brighter this time. Fierce.
Gone.
She blinked, but there was nothing there. Just the consuming darkness and the tiniest sliver of light underneath the door that illuminated her discarded Spanx and the forgotten headset.
She became keenly aware of the noise and Evan’s frantic voice buzzing in the earpiece.
“I have to find the champagne,” she said, but Travis had already stepped back to give her some space.
Cool air washed over her and a strange sense of loneliness crept through her. It was an absurd reaction. She should be feeling anything but lonely. Relieved. Satisfied. Smug.
The sex was over. It was time to get back to work and forget all about this yummy cowboy.
No strings.
The thought stirred an expected rush of disappointment and she stiffened. Not that she wanted the past fifteen minutes to mean something. No sirree.
She’d been there, done that. Not once, but three times as a matter of fact. Each time she’d inched a little closer to wedded bliss. Allen had been her first serious boyfriend. They’d dated exclusively for six months, but he’d bailed before popping the question. Ben had been number two. They’d dated a year and a half and he’d gone so far as to give her an engagement ring. But then he’d asked for it back the next day so he could run off with a waitress from some truck stop. Chad had been number three. They’d dated for two years before he’d asked her to marry him. She’d spent the following year planning her dream wedding.
Third time’s a charm.
That’s what everyone had said, but in Holly’s case, the third had been the last and final piece of evidence that she just wasn’t the marrying kind. Chad had literally left her standing at the altar.
Which was why she’d joined Love Busters and decided to fall into lust instead of the big L.
Sex was easy. Fun. Satisfying.
Over.
Still … It had been awhile.
A long, long while.
No wonder her fingers tightened around the doorknob and she paused. Meaningless sex was hard to come by for Holly. It stood to reason that she wouldn’t want to turn her back on her sudden good fortune.
“We could try for round two if you’re game,” Travis’s stirring voice slid into her ears as if he’d read her thoughts. “But I think we might be doing it in front of an audience.”
She became aware of the distinct footsteps that grew louder with each moment that passed. A steady click of leather on tile that told her Evan and his new Feragamos had given up on the barn.
She bent down and snatched up the headset. “Meet me on the back patio,” she blurted. “Now.”
“Where have you been? I’ve been calling you forever!”
“I was busy going through all the boxes the caterer left on the back patio. Stop with the twenty questions and give me a hand.”
“But we found the champagne already. It’s being served up now. That’s what I was coming to tell you. I figured you had a malfunction on the headset and—”
“We have extra on the back patio,” she blurted. “Lots of extra. I’m practically drowning in the stuff. Help!” The footsteps turned abruptly and then a fading clatter signaled that Evan had bought the distraction and was heading to the opposite end of the house.
“Does that mean you’re staying?” Travis asked when the footsteps finally disappeared and Holly could actually breathe again.
“He’ll be looking for me again when he realizes I’m not on the patio.” She turned the knob.
“Wait.” Before she could pull open the door, he stepped up behind her and pressed her up against the wood.
She could hear his voice distinctly, his lips feathering over her ear. But there was no warm rush of breath against her temple. No heartbeat pounding against her shoulder blade.
He was there, yet he wasn’t there.
Just as the strange thought struck, he murmured “Thanks.” The knob seemed to turn beneath her fingers and suddenly the door was open and she was free.
She resisted the urge to turn and catch a glimpse of him standing in the shaft of light from the hallway. His hair mussed. His shirt hanging open. His pants still undone. His eyes still gleaming with passion—
She stiffened and ignored the image whispering through her head. Sure, it was a purely sexual image. But that was beside the point. If she turned around now, they would have sex again. And possibly again. And then before she knew it, she would be hopelessly in love. A repeat offender.
These boots were made for walking. She squared her shoulders, stepped forward and went to intercept Evan.
4
TRAVIS MANEUVERED HIS way through the crowd gathered on the front lawn just in time to see Cody follow his bride into the back of a black stretch limousine. It was barely nine-thirty, but there was no mistaking the birdseed in the air and the shouts of congratulations. The crowd waved goodbye and panic sucker-punched him smack dab in his gut.
“They had to cut the reception short to catch an early plane,” Brent’s deep voice sounded next to him just as the limo door closed, “otherwise they won’t make it to Colorado before sunrise. They’re going to Aspen for the honeymoon.”
Travis glanced at his brother. “You’re kidding me, right?” When Brent shook his head, he ran a hand over his face and damned himself a thousand times for following Holly Simms into that storage closet and wasting precious time. What the hell had he been thinking?
But then that was the point—he hadn’t been able to think. Not with the lust raging through his veins, the hunger gnawing at his gut. He should have stopped to feed before he left Wyoming, but he’d been in a hurry to catch his plane. He’d figured on holding out until after he talked to Cody.
But then he’d seen Holly—her soft lips and lush body and those sparkling, surprised eyes—and all his figuring had gone to hell in a hand basket. Now it was too late to talk to Cody. To find out the truth.
Like hell.
He shoved a hand into his pocket to retrieve his keys. “Which airport?”
“They’re flying out of San Antonio.”
“If I leave now, I can catch him before he boards the plane—” The words died as a vice grip tightened on his arm. His gaze swiveled to his brother and he saw the steely determination in his eyes.
“You’re not going after him,” Brent told him. “It’s his honeymoon, for Christ’s sake.”
“I just need five minutes. He’ll tell me what I need to know and that’ll be that.”
“No.” The grip tightened and Travis knew he wasn’t budging a step without a fight. “He’s not talking until Colton gets here and that won’t be until Saturday. Cody will be back Saturday night and we can all have a sit down.”
“That’s a week from tomorrow.”
“That’s the way it is. Rose was Colton’s wife. He should be the first to know.”
“We all have a right to know.”
“Damn straight we do, but not until Colton gets here and we’re all together.”
Which meant he was stuck here for the next seven days.
The truth sank in as he stood there, staring at the crowd that walked past him. People laughed and smiled as they headed back to the reception. While Cody and Miranda had cut the evening short, their guests weren’t inclined to do the same. The DJ had kicked up the music and the promise of a great party hung in the air.