The Wedding Trap (Second Service #1)(32)
Author: Adrienne Bell

It was an odd disconnect. Though everyone at the table thought that he was a man of questionable repute, they all clearly liked him. It was almost impossible not to like Alex when he turned on the charm. Of course, she still had to remember to call him Charlie. She found herself slipping more than once.

A few people noticed and raised their eyebrows. Alex only winked. It was sweet. And sexy as hell.

She was falling for him. Hard.

It was a stupid thing to do. Not because of what he did—he was one of the good guys, after all—and not because she feared that she might mess up his concentration, but because she knew he would leave.

She figured she had about a fifty/fifty chance of making it through the weekend alive. She didn’t want her dying thought to be that she didn’t grab every moment of sweetness that life had to offer. On the other hand, if she did somehow manage to walk away form this whole thing, she knew that Alex would be walking in the other direction. She was just a job to him. A job with perks, sure, but a job all the same. If she gave too much of her heart away, she knew she’d be crushed.

Still, she’d suffered through broken hearts before. And with the help of a few sappy songs and more than a few quarts of Ben and Jerry’s, she’d survived.

But those guys hadn’t been Alex. She wasn’t sure anybody survived Alex. Not in any sense.

At least her appetite had returned. Good thing too. The béarnaise sauce that was slathered over her chicken was phenomenal. Her mother tsked across the table at her as she soaked some up on a piece of bread. Beth just smiled back before popping it into her mouth.

Her mother’s disapproving stare didn’t last long. Isobel stood at the head of the table and lifted her glass.

"I want to thank everyone for coming today. Thanks to my parents and to my family who traveled here from all over the world. Thanks to all the Masterson family for welcoming me. And thank you to all my friends who have come to share in the celebration. But I’d like to give a special thanks to my lifelong friend, Beth Bradley. We’ve always been there for each other, ever since we were kids. We’ve had a lot of adventures, and more than our fair share of misadventures. I just want you to know I wouldn’t give them up for anything, and I wish you all the happiness in the world."

Beth felt her eyes begin to burn. Big, fat tears slipped down her cheeks, but she smiled as she lifted her glass.

"Beth has been promising all week that she won’t cry at the ceremony tomorrow. But I’m kind of hoping that she will. Big emotions are nothing to be ashamed of. Showing how you feel about the people in your life is nothing to hide. So go ahead and cry all you want, Beth. Just don’t get any on my dress."

A chorus of cheers went up at the table.

Beth flashed a smile at her best friend. Just like that—just like the best friend that she was—Isobel helped Beth make up her mind.

Beth finished her dinner, but didn’t wait for dessert. She said her goodbyes, hugged her mom and kissed her best friend. She resisted kicking the legs of Spencer’s chair out from under him as she passed by. She probably didn’t need to make every emotion public.

***

Alex took a good long look at Beth as the elevator doors shut. She was beautiful—even with red-rimmed eyes. She wore her emotions openly, and her failure to hide them made her gorgeous. She was naturally honest, even when she was lying.

He knew why she didn’t stick around for dessert. It had nothing to do with fitting into a dress tomorrow. And it wasn’t because she was afraid. Earlier, he had felt her tremble when they first sat down, but now she was calm.

She kissed him as soon as the doors of the elevator shut. There was no pressing urgency spurred by fear, or relief at still being alive. Her lips moved slowly, deliberately over his. She lifted her hands to his face, and pulled him closer.

Her tenderness moved him. Just because the urgency was gone didn’t mean the passion was. Desire grew within him as her tongue caressed his bottom lip.

If she wasn’t careful, he was going to take her right here in the elevator. What the hell? It was probably the safest place in the hotel right now. The only place that he was absolutely sure there wasn’t anyone waiting to hurt her.

He eyed the emergency stop button before disregarding the tempting idea. They would only have time for a quick tumble against the walls before the maintenance crew found them. That wasn’t the kind of night he wanted, and, based on the slow promise of her kiss, it wasn’t what she wanted either.

Beth kept right on kissing him even after the elevator doors opened. He pulled away just long enough to walk down the hall. One of John’s agents was standing guard at the door of the stairwell. The man glanced his way, but didn’t acknowledge them in any way.

But if he had made the agent, someone else would too. It was a hard balance. They needed the place well guarded, but it was difficult to pull off without being obvious.

Not that Alex cared. Beth’s safety was the only thing that mattered. They would get this bastard some other way if they had to.

He hurried her into the room and resumed their kiss. He pulled at his tie. She unzipped her dress and began to unbutton his shirt.

Her feather-light kisses slowly stoked the fire building inside him. He slid his hands down from the curve of her waist, over her hips, to the flowing fabric of her dress. He walked his fingers up, lifting the material above the curve of her hips.

She shook her head, breaking the kiss as she did.

"Not here," she said.

Alex had to blink a few times to see through the haze of desire.

"Where then?" he asked, looking around the room.

She smiled. "That tub. You know how much I want to be in that tub."

A slow smile took over his face. Of course. It was perfect.

He went into the bathroom and started the water. Steam swirled around the room as a cascade of warm water filled the antique tub. He slid his shirt the rest of the way down his arms.

She stood in the doorway behind him, wearing only her bra and panties. Pink silk clung to her dramatic curves. Alex’s mouth watered. She was the tastiest thing he’d ever seen, full and ripe and ready to be slowly savored.

He went back to her kisses, wrapping his arms around her, reveling in the softness of her skin. With deft fingers, he unhooked her bra. He had to stand back to let it drift down to the floor. Her br**sts were perfect. Full and round and begging to be kissed. Even in the wet warmth of the bathroom her ni**les were hard and tight. He bent his head down and drew one into his mouth, twirling the hard nub with his tongue. Her head fell back against the door jam, and he was treated to the gorgeous sound of her pleasure-drenched moans.

Dear God, he couldn’t remember his c**k ever being so hard in his life, and he didn’t even have her pants off yet.