Falling for the Groomsman (Wedding Dare #1)(33)
Author: Diane Alberts

If she weren’t careful, he’d do it to her all over again. She was only protecting herself by pulling away now. Which only made it even harder to keep him at a distance.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Yeah. It’s beautiful.”

“Absolutely perfect,” he said, his voice hushed. When she glanced up at him, more out of habit than anything else, he was watching her with hooded eyes. Not the sunrise. “Red, I know we have a hell of a lot of—”

Loud voices came from the left, cutting him off, and Christine recognized one of them. It was Julie and another man. Maybe Reed? Christine looked through the trees, catching a brief glimpse of color. Any second now, they’d be here. Saved by the bell.

“You can put me down now,” she said.

His grip on her tightened. “Just because we have help doesn’t mean you’re walking yet. I’ll carry you to the resort, and I’ll take you to your room. Then, and only then, will I put you down.”

“Yes, sir,” she bit off, hating the way he was acting—all bossy and domineering again. Hating that she’d made him act this way with her behavior.

Julie stumbled into view, with Reed right behind her. Judging from the tight lines around both their mouths, Christine would place her money on the fact that they’d been fighting. Julie rushed forward, her brow crinkled. “What happened?”

Christine opened her mouth to reply, but Tyler cut her off. “Ankle sprain.”

Julie paled. “Oh, you poor thing. Let’s get you back to the resort right now. Ice and elevation, that’s what you need. We’ll get it fixed up real good. Don’t you worry, sweetheart. I’m going to have room service bring you up a big old cup of coffee and some chocolate. Aunt Sylvie always said there’s nothing you can’t cure with chocolate and time.” She patted Tyler on the arm. “Can you carry her the rest of the way or should—”

“I’ve got her.”

Christine balled her fists. “I can—”

“I said I got it,” Tyler snapped. It. Not her. “Julie, you can go lead the way with Reed, since you have the flashlight.”

Julie raised a brow at Christine but nodded. “Fabulous. Let’s get moving.”

Chapter Fourteen

Tyler stood in the crazy, crowded lobby, watching everyone fight to be heard over one another. He was getting sick of the ever-increasing noise all around them. His patience was wearing dangerously thin. Especially since he wanted to put Christine down in her bed, and go to his room for some f**king peace and quiet.

Ever since she’d woken up cold and distant, he’d been on edge and ready to snap. It’s not like he’d expected her to be in love with him or anything, but here he was thinking about the future, and she was pushing him away. It was as if they were already a done deal.

In her head, maybe they already were.

“Guys, I’m fine.” Christine let out a sigh. “Seriously.”

No one heard her. They just kept planning and shouting and talking. Tyler pulled her closer and looked down at her. She had bags under her eyes and looked as if she would pass out at any given time. He hugged her closer and cleared his throat.

“Excuse me.” No one turned around. “Excuse me!” he shouted.

Everyone stopped talking and turned around. His mom stepped closer, her blue eyes wide with concern, and rested her hand on his arm. “I’m taking Christine upstairs. She needs to rest.”

“But shouldn’t a doctor check her out?” someone asked from the back of the crowd. He couldn’t even see who, that’s how crazy the lobby was right now. All he could see was a fake tree. “Make sure she’s okay?”

He shifted her in his arms. “She doesn’t need another doctor poking at her. I already checked her out, but if the pain persists, she should get an X-ray. Until we give it some time to heal, we’re wasting all of our time arguing about it. I’m taking her up to her room for some sleep. Don’t disturb her for a couple of hours.”

Julie nodded. “If you’re sure…?”

“I’m sure.”

He gave them all a tight smile and headed for the elevator with long steps. The sooner he got her in bed, the sooner he could find his own and crash. And man, he needed some sleep stat. Maybe once he was rested, he’d be able to make sense out of the fact that he’d fallen for Christine, while she’d basically shoved him away the second the sun rose.

How f**king ironic was that?

“Hello? Earth to Tyler?” Christine tapped him on his chest. When he looked down at her, he stiffened. There was something in her eyes that made his heart lurch in reply. “Thanks for doing that. Rescuing me from the masses.”

At least her monotone voice from earlier this morning was gone. She sounded like herself again…whatever the hell that meant. The elevator doors opened, and he walked inside the elevator. “Don’t mention it. What floor are you on?”

“The same one as you. Five doors down.”

Five f**king doors down?

If he’d known she was that close, nothing short of a disaster would have stopped him from breaking down her door so they could finish what they had started the other night after she’d run away from him. But he didn’t say anything. Just watched the numbers climb higher as the elevator gained floors.

When it hit their floor, he stepped off the elevator and headed toward his room. “What’s your room number?”

“308,” she said.

He passed his room and kept walking until he stood in front of hers. “Do you still have your key?”

“Yeah. It’s right here.” She tried to swipe the card down the lock, twisting in his arms, but she couldn’t reach it. “You’ll have to put me down so I can open the door. I’m fine on my own.”

“Not yet. Just give it to me.” He plucked the card from her fingers and ran it through the lock. “I’ll put you down on the bed once we’re inside, but I don’t want you putting any weight on that ankle until absolutely necessary.”

She sighed. “You don’t have to—”

“Yes, I do,” he snapped. “Do you have to argue with me every time I f**king open my mouth?”

She blinked up at him, but the surprise was quickly overcome by anger. “Maybe if you weren’t always being Dr. McBossy, I wouldn’t.”

He kicked the door open and entered her room. There was no point in replying to that statement. It would only make her even angrier, and he’d done nothing but anger her ever since she woke up. He might as well quit while he was…well, behind. After laying her down on the bed, he straightened and glanced around. Her room was spotless. It looked as if no one lived in it right now. It was that tidy. He felt as if he made it dirtier just by stepping inside.