His 24-Hour Wife (The Hawke Brothers 2) (10 page)

And for this sweet moment, she was.

* * *

“Another glass?” Adam asked two hours later, holding up the bottle of red.

“Just a little one.” Callie held her glass out as he poured the wine, and then settled back into the deck chair on his balcony and breathed in the view. The sun would be setting soon over the Pacific Ocean and the colors were vibrant.

“I’m going to miss this house once this is all over,” she said on a sigh. “You have to promise me you’ll take advantage of it more, even when you’re back to working long hours.”

Adam was silent for a moment, so she glanced over. He was deep in thought, his gaze on the far horizon over the water.

“I don’t have a quarter on me,” she said, “but I’ll offer the last piece of brie for your thoughts.”

The corners of his mouth quirked and he took a sip of his wine before reaching for her hand.

“I was thinking about what you just said. About after this is all over.” The weight of his gaze landed on her. “What if it doesn’t have to end?”

Callie’s heart picked up speed, racing double-time. “I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

He let out a long breath. “I’m not sure, either. All I know is I’m not ready for this to end.”

She remembered him saying that whenever he grew too emotionally close to a woman, he backed away. If he was willing to continue things, that meant he didn’t have feelings for her.

The realization hurt more than she would have expected. She didn’t know quite what she felt for him, but whatever it was, it clearly wasn’t reciprocated.

She carefully placed her glass on the small table between their deck chairs and crossed the few steps to the railing. She’d known this was a plan with a time limit, and Adam had been completely up-front about not being able to offer more than they’d agreed to, but clearly some naive part of her had been holding on to a shred of hope...

She felt him come to stand beside her. “Callie?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted with a small shrug.

He was silent for a beat, and when he spoke, his voice was low and tender. “What, specifically, don’t you know?”

“Anything.” She let out a humorless laugh. “Everything.” Finding his gaze, she bit down on her bottom lip. “Except that I’m not ready for this to end yet, either.”

His eyes softened, and then heated. “Well, let’s not let it.”

Her hands trembled. That sounded so easy, and yet...

“If we continue, there’s a good chance one of us—” namely her “—would become emotionally compromised.”

“If you’re worried about hurting me, Callie, don’t be. You know I’ve become good at guarding my heart over the years. And if you’re worried about you falling in love with me, there are things we can do about that.”

Curiosity piqued, she grinned. “So how do you plan to stop me falling in love with you?”

“We’ll start with a visit to my brothers,” he said with a poker face. “They’ll be eager to fill you in on all my failings. No fledgling love could withstand the way they’ll gleefully delve into my faults. And it will all be true.”

She crossed her arms under her breasts, smothering a laugh. “And if it’s not enough?”

“I’ll be sure to stomp around the house and be cranky for an hour each night.” He rubbed a hand over his lightly stubbled jaw. “Maybe buy some unattractive underwear.”

She let her chuckle loose, but as it faded, she turned to face the ocean. If he thought those few things would stop her falling the rest of the way in love with him, he was sadly deluded about the effect he had on her.

“In all seriousness,” he said, pulling her closer, “surely we’d have fallen in love by now if it was going to happen? We’ve been pretending for the world, and spending all our time together, not to mention burning up the sheets on my bed. If we’ve held out this long, I think we can make it a bit longer safely.”

The skin on the back of her neck prickled, and she rubbed a hand under her hair, trying to ease the sensation. “So you think we should continue our fling indefinitely?”

“We’ll already be married. All I’m saying is that we could hold off on the divorce as long as the arrangement is still working for us. As soon as one of us wants to call it quits, the divorce is put in motion, no questions asked.”

It sounded so clinical. The opposite of how their marriage had begun, all passion and excitement and spontaneity. Now their divorce would be denied the same energy, of ending in a bang of emotion. Instead, their marriage would slowly peter out until nothing was left, and one of them wanted to move on.

“Let me think about it,” she said with an attempt at a smile. “My mind is so full of next weekend’s rehearsal dinner, and the bachelor-bachelorette party, there isn’t much room to think clearly.”

It was an excuse and she saw in his eyes that he recognized it as such, but he didn’t call her on it, and for that she was grateful.

“Take all the time you need,” he said and fetched their wineglasses. “Now tell me the latest on the rehearsal dinner and our combined bachelor-bachelorette party.”

Back on safer ground, she took a sip of her wine and filled him in on all the arrangements she, Jenna and Faith had made in the past couple of days. But even as she spoke, a small part of her mind kept drifting to his suggestion. To the idea of extending her time with him. In his bed. Married to him.

And she wondered—when the time came and he called it quits, would she be able to walk away from Adam Hawke?

Nine

A
dam tugged at the collar of his tuxedo and cast another glance around the assembled guests on the four-hundred-foot super yacht. He was looking for Callie, which was pointless, because he’d positioned himself next to the entrance so he wouldn’t miss her and she definitely hadn’t boarded yet.

Many of the guests for the joint bachelor and bacherlorette party had already arrived, and were milling about drinking the champagne the waitstaff was distributing. Several people had stopped to congratulate him. He’d been polite, but had ensured he could still see new guests over their shoulder.

A hand clapped him on the back, and Dylan’s voice came from beside him. “Adam, my favorite brother.”

“Hey,” Liam said, coming from behind.

“Best to let him think that,” Dylan said in a stage whisper to Liam. “It’s his night, after all.”

Adam snagged another glass of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray and tried to ignore his younger brothers. They always found the most inconvenient times to get in his face.

“I haven’t seen Callie yet,” Liam said, frowning as he looked into the crowd.

“She’s not here.” Adam adjusted his position so he could see past Liam in case Callie was arriving as they spoke. “She didn’t have anything formal enough at my house, so she went to her place a few hours ago to get ready.”

“She and Summer are holding back to make a grand entrance?” Dylan asked.

Adam snorted out a laugh. “Nope.” That was so not Callie’s style.

“Okay, listen. Since this is essentially your bachelor party, I have a few ideas. How about—”

“No,” Adam said, swinging his gaze to Dylan. “Nothing. Not one thing, I’m warning you.”

The youngest Hawke brother held up his hands. “Okay, okay. I wasn’t serious.”

Liam chuckled. “I told you he wouldn’t be in the mood for jokes.”

Adam heard the comments as if from a distance, because he’d just spotted Callie. The world stopped spinning and all he could see was her. She was in a figure-hugging bloodred gown, with lips and nails painted to match. Her caramel-brown hair, glossy under the lights, was swept back from her face and trailed down past her shoulders. Her beauty shone so brightly it held him captive. The need to touch her, to have simple skin-on-skin contact, was overwhelming.

As she drew closer, she caught sight of him and their gazes locked. He noticed the slight falter in her step, and his chest swelled.

When she reached them, he held out a hand for her, and she came into his arms as if she truly belonged there. For a moment, as he felt her against him, he let himself imagine it was true—that he’d found someone he could love, the way Liam loved Jenna, and Dylan loved Faith.

But it was dangerous to think that way. He was different from his brothers. He didn’t have the same luxury of falling in love.

No matter how breathtaking Callie was in that dress, or how she made his heart sing.

She eased back, and he murmured hello and kissed her cheek, careful not to ruin her makeup. Then she was claimed by Dylan and Liam, who had already greeted Summer, and were now congratulating Callie on the success of the rehearsal dinner two nights earlier.

The dinner had been a resounding success. The adults had all dressed as characters such as fairy godmothers and princes, and the looks on the children’s faces when they saw them and the room decorations had melted the hearts of everyone there. Jenna was already considering making a dinner for children aided by the trust an annual event.

Callie modestly protested. “Your fiancées and Summer did most of the work.”

Liam shook his head. “That’s not the way Jenna tells it. And the next day when Anna Wilson’s article about it hit the web, the trust had another boost to its donations, which looks like it will have a long tail.”

While Liam spoke to Callie, Adam pulled Summer into a brotherly hug.

“Good to see you again,” he said, meaning it. He was coming to see Summer as a sister, much like Jenna and Faith.

It was a funny thing—he’d spent most of his life in a family that was dominated by men, with his father, two brothers and himself, and only his mother holding the flag for women. Now he had a wife, three sisters-in-law and two nieces. The gender balance had definitely tipped in the other direction. He liked it.

“You, too,” Summer said. Then she laid a hand on his forearm and pulled him back a step, where they couldn’t be overheard. “I’ve finished writing the vows for the wedding. I have a copy in my purse, or would you rather I email them to you so you can check them over?”

Vows. One more detail that he was glad he didn’t need to take care of himself for this wedding. “No, I trust you. With your PR experience, you’ll be much better at this kind of thing than I would. Whatever you’ve done is fine.”

Callie finished with his brothers and came to stand beside him again, lacing her fingers through his. Summer discreetly slipped away, following his brothers back to mingle with the crowd—something he and Callie should do, as well, but he wanted a little time alone with her first.

“I missed you,” he said, close to her ear.

She shot him a teasing look. “Did you think that before or after you saw this dress?”

He chuckled. “Before. After I saw it my thoughts went in another direction entirely.”

The teasing light faded from her silver-blue eyes and her expression became serious. “I missed you, too.”

Everything inside him seemed to settle into place. That was a good omen for their continuing the fling after their wedding. Surely, if she missed him, she wouldn’t be keen on running off straight away. But he wouldn’t ask. He’d told her she could have as much time to think about it as she needed and he’d meant it.

“Regardless of what you said to my brothers, I know you did most of the work organizing the rehearsal dinner and this party tonight. And it’s very good work. Both events have come off flawlessly.”

She smiled and seemed to stand taller. “Thank you. Your standards are high, so I appreciate that feedback.”

“In fact, I’ve been thinking that your work is so good, that perhaps you should be working for Hawke’s Blooms.” In truth, the thought had only just occurred to him, but it made complete sense. She was good at her job and their company could use someone with her skill set.

She dropped her voice. “How do you think that would go once we divorce?”

It was good she was looking at the issue from all sides—it was one of the things he liked about her—but he couldn’t imagine ever having a strained relationship with Callie. They got on too well.

“That won’t be a problem for us,” he said, shrugging a shoulder. “Unlike most divorces, ours will be a well-planned and friendly parting.”

“You don’t think it will be—” her teeth worried at her bottom lip as she searched for the word she wanted “—awkward to see each other at work once we’re no longer involved? No longer sleeping together?”

He rubbed a thumb over the inside of her hand, trying to soothe away her concerns. “If we’re no longer involved, it means that what we’ve had will have run its course. When I look into the future, I see us still being friends.”

She blinked. She obviously had a different vision of their future, but that didn’t mean his was wrong.

“The offer is on the table,” he whispered just as an older couple approached them. Callie introduced them and she and Adam spent the next hour mingling with their guests, sometimes together and sometimes individually.

“Adam,” Callie said a little later, laying a hand on his arm.

He turned to find her standing behind him. She was radiant.

“There you are,” he said and kissed her cheek. “Ten minutes is entirely too long to be away from me.”

She gave him a quick smile, and then stepped away to reveal two men standing with her. “Adam, I want you to meet two of the partners at my firm, John Evans and Ted Parker.”

Adam shook the men’s hands, resting one arm securely around Callie’s shoulders.

John, the taller of the men, planted his hands on his hips. “Good to meet you, Mr. Hawke.” Then he turned back to Callie. “I have some news you might be interested in about Terence Gibson.”

Adam felt Callie tense beside him. It was the name of the coworker who’d tried to blackmail her into giving him the trust’s account.

“Oh?” she asked politely.

John nodded. “He seemed unnaturally interested in your work on the Hawke Brothers Trust account, so I pressed him for a reason, and he told us what a bad choice you’d be for partner.”

Callie’s face paled, but Adam saw red. After all her work, would they really believe that guy’s trash talking? He cleared his throat. “The opinion of one coworker hardly seems to be enough to base an important decision on.”

John’s expression gave nothing away. “I’m afraid he had quite a detailed list of the disadvantages to us of promoting you. Coincidentally, he also had reasons we couldn’t promote Michael, Angela or Diane.”

Callie’s eyes widened. She obviously hadn’t realized how broad an agenda her coworker had. “They’re great workers, especially Diane—”

Her boss held up a hand. “We agree. And after we started asking the right questions, we realized Terence had been undermining his coworkers for some time, which is not the way we like our team to operate. So we fired him.”

“You fired him,” Callie repeated.

John’s mouth pulled into a tight smile, but it was far from warm. “Just thought you might like to know. Anyway, I’m going to find one of those waiters and grab another glass of that very fine champagne you’re serving. Congratulations again to you both.”

And suddenly the partners were both gone.

“Are you okay?” Adam whispered near her ear.

Callie only had time for a quick nod when Summer made a beeline for them through the crowd. Her cheeks were a little flushed, possibly from the champagne, but her eyes said she was focused.

“How do you think it’s going?” Adam asked her when she reached them.

“Definitely a success,” she said with barely contained delight. “Hey, since we’re creating new traditions all over the place by having the bachelor and bachelorette parties combined, how about another new tradition?”

“Should I be worried?” Adam asked.

Summer grinned. “Just a dance between the happy couple. Do you two have a special song?”

“No—” Callie said, just as Adam blurted out, “‘The Lady in Red.’”

Summer glanced down at Callie’s bloodred dress and grinned. “Good choice. I’ll tell the DJ.”

After she left, Callie smiled at him. “That was quick thinking.”

“Actually, it’s a coincidence that your dress tonight is red,” he said, still considering how much to say. Almost by unspoken agreement, they’d never talked about the night they’d met. The time they’d spent together over the three conferences hadn’t involved much talking at all, and ever since she’d hurtled back into his life they’d barely mentioned their time in Vegas. But for some reason tonight felt like another first and had him thinking back to that time.

He lowered his voice. “Do you remember the first night we met?”

“At the conference a couple of years ago?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

He nodded. “We were sitting at the bar the first night.”

She’d been a few places down the bar and he’d been watching her, mesmerized. She’d turned away a couple of guys who’d tried to hit on her, so he’d wondered if she just wanted to be left alone. Then their gazes had snagged as she took a glance around, and he’d felt a connection, and knew he had to try his luck, even if she might shoot him down.

“You asked me if you could buy me a drink,” she said, her voice nostalgic and hypnotic.

“Not very original of me, I know.” In fact, he’d been tongue-tied for the first time in his life. Possibly his first clue that maintaining self-control around this woman was going to be difficult.

“It worked.” She moistened her lips. “I’d been trying to think of a line to introduce myself to you.”

“Really?” He’d had no idea, and it changed the way he thought about that night. Made it even more special, because it meant she’d felt it right from the start, just as he had.

“If you hadn’t come over—” she arched an eyebrow and looked as majestic as she had that night “—you probably had about four minutes before I found a line and came to your bar stool.”

“Now part of me wishes I’d waited, just to hear your line.” He grinned and was rewarded with a laugh. Her eyes, already impossibly large with the dark makeup, shone from within, and he wondered if he’d ever be able to look away.

“It would probably have been worse than yours,” she said, shaking her head.

He waited for their amusement to subside, before he said, “And do you remember what song was playing in the bar?”

She frowned. “No.” Then her eyes widened. “‘The Lady in Red’? Seriously?”

He nodded, inordinately pleased with himself. “You weren’t wearing red that night, but it was definitely playing.”

“And you remembered,” she said, a touch of awe in her voice.

Keeping her gaze, he placed a kiss on the back of her hand. “That moment is indelibly etched in my memory.”

There was an announcement that dancing was about to start, and then the strains of “The Lady in Red” came through the sound system.

Adam put out his hand. “Would you like to dance?”

* * *

Callie took Adam’s hand and walked with him out to the dance floor, but it felt as if they were doing more. Taking a step into their future.

The old-fashioned ballad was designed for swaying so many other couples joined them on the dance floor. And it was also a thinly disguised chance to be in each other’s arms and sneak a kiss or two.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” he murmured near her ear. “You wouldn’t have rather had a stripper, or a toilet-paper wedding-dress game?”

“A bachelorette party like that would have been awkward with a journalist along.” She nodded in the direction of where Anna was collecting quotes from their friends and family to go with the article she’d write about tonight. “And what about you? An opportunity for drinking and strippers has passed you by.”

He caressed her back slowly. “I’m sure I’ll cope with the disappointment.”