Otherwise Engaged (12 page)

“Yeah,” he
said. “Little bit.”

She raised her
eyebrows. “Only a little?”

“Well,” he
said. “Maybe a bit more than a little.”

“You know what?
You have the rest of your life to feel sorry for yourself, but you only have a
few more days in Puerto Rico.”

“And that
means…” He looked up at her. She’d never seen those exotic, gorgeous eyes look
so sad. She shouldn’t have let him sit here and wallow in his self-pity. No
more of that.

“You should go
out. Didn’t Manny invite you to his bachelor party? Get crazy. Get some digits
or whatever it is you do when you go out.”

He laughed.
“Get some digits?”

She laughed
harder than he had. “Yes, get some digits. Go turn on that charming smile and
go do whatever it is you lady killers do.”

“You and the
words tonight. Lady killer?”

“Isn’t that
what you are?”

“You’re
adorable. And of course.” A grin spread across his face.

She reached
over and grabbed his hand. “Seriously. I know you’re upset, but try to put it
behind you for just the next two days if you can. Just two. It’d mean so much
to Carolina. And…I’ll be here in any way I can for you. Okay?”

#

Rain looked
down at his hand wrapped in Daphne’s. She was right. He’d done enough to ruin
Carolina’s wedding celebrations. No more of that. He wasn’t going to mope
around and whine about how miserable he was on the most important day of her
life or the last few hours leading up to it. He could at least act the part of
losing gracefully. He owed her that much. The best man had won. He was going to
cheer him on through the victory lap even if inside it felt like a vice grip
was twisting his guts.

“Okay,” he
said. Fuck it. Sure. He could do anything for two days. He stood and stretched.

“Where you
going?”

“You’re right,”
he said. “I’m going to that bachelor party tonight, and we’re going to have a
hell of a time at that wedding tomorrow.”

She smiled.
“Glad to hear you say it.”

He nodded.
“Glad to hear me say it, too.” He rubbed her shoulder. It felt too awkward to
hug her. Apparently, he couldn’t be trusted to not overstep his bounds when
beautiful women were temptingly close. “You’re a good influence, Daph.”

“I’d like to
think so,” she said.

They laughed.

#

That night,
Rain got positively smashed, pissed, wasted—whatever you want to call it.
He lost count of the number of times he patted Manny on the back and
congratulated him. Manny took it all in stride, thanking him every time even
though Rain was clearly making an ass out of himself. What had he expected,
though? When was fucking Perfect Manny ever anything but a good fucking sport?

Julio had one
arm around Manny and one arm around Rain. Julio and Manny were telling a story
about the time Julio had ended up at a cockfight by accident, hadn’t realized
what was going on, and almost got arrested when the cops broke the whole thing
up. Rain was howling with laughter. Now that he’d blocked out the thoughts he
wasn’t allowed to have, he realized why everyone loved Manny. Manny tended to
bring out the best in the people around him. It was hard to be pissed off
around him, but Rain had managed to be for the most part until now. Rain had
been fighting it all along for obvious reasons. But now that he allowed himself
to hang out with the guy, and not hold irrational grudges against him, he could
see what all the hype was about.

Rain watched a
woman in a very short black skirt dance to Merengue music. God bless the
Dominican Republic and all the wonderful things that came out of
it—music, women, all of it. No use in even talking to her—bringing
her back to the suite he shared with Daphne would be beyond disrespectful. But
that didn’t mean he couldn’t admire the view.

He wasn’t so
sure he ever wanted to leave the Caribbean. Maybe he could convince his business
partners they needed to open an office in Puerto Rico.

He looked
around the darkened club. Everywhere, shapely
legs,
barely clad legs, huge breasts. He should actually pity Manny for giving all
this up. Damn. What the hell had he been thinking? Wait, he wasn’t allowed to
think about what he’d been thinking.

Rain jumped up,
focusing on other things so he wouldn’t think of The Forbidden. “Another round
of shots! On me!” He turned to the bar and ordered Bacardi shots. Ordering
anything but rum—and more specifically Bacardi—
among
Manny and his pals earned him dirty looks and a lot of flack in general.

Once everyone
had shots, Rain held his up and said, “To Manny. May his bachelor days rest in
peace.
”

Everyone
knocked glasses, some of them called out
Salut!
They then knocked back the shots.

Manny wobbled
over to him. “Man, I gotta say. You’re cool.” He laughed, throwing an arm
around Rain’s neck. “This went a lot better than I thought it would.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. Between
you and me,” Manny said in an exaggerated voice he probably thought was a
whisper, but everyone would’ve probably heard him if the music wasn’t so loud,
“I thought she would choose you.”

“Me? Really?”
He definitely didn’t want to talk about this.

“Yes,” Manny
said in a spittle-filled hiss.

Damn. He’d
definitely never seen Manny so plastered. Not that he had known Manny for very long.

“You’re…the
love of her life,” Manny said.

“Nah.” Rain was
not drunk enough for this conversation. Not in the least. Damned lightweight
Manny. Speaking of which, Manny would have to be cut off soon. Carolina
wouldn’t be too happy if he let her groom die of alcohol poisoning the night
before the wedding.

Carolina.
Damn. He’d been trying to not
even think that name. He’d been doing a good job of it, too, until Manny’s
drunk
ass came over.

“No, man. ‘
S’true.
Truth,” Manny said. He shook his head in an emphatic
way. “Man, she loves you so much, I thought she was going to walk away with
you. Like on a bad telenovela, man. And just leave me standing there, saying,
what the fuck just happened, you know?” Manny laughed maniacally hard.

Shit. Was the
fucking fiancé really about to pour his heart out to him? He wasn’t prepared
for this kind of thing.
More rum. Need
more rum
.

“But you’re
cool, man. You’re cool.” He drunkenly patted the pocket on the front of Rain’s
shirt.

“Thanks,” Rain
said flatly. “More rum for all!” he shouted. Everyone cheered. Rain turned back
to the bar to flirt with the bartender and order more shots. She’d been trying to
sneak looks at him all night. She would’ve been such an easy bag. If only
Daphne weren’t back in the room.

Daphne. Those
lips. That body. He’d love to see it naked. His mind had been running crazy
with fantasies ever since he’d first seen her in that damned bathing suit a few
days ago. So close to wearing nothing at all, yet so far away.

His mind was
still wandering into dangerous territory—just from a different direction.
He had to stop himself before he got into some real trouble.

Chapter Seventeen

Rain squinted
against an impossible light, his head pounding. He opened his eyes a little,
guarding against the bright light. He was mildly surprised that somehow, he’d
made it back to the suite.

Daphne hovered
above him, her long, black hair hanging down, tickling his neck. He hoped he
was still too drunk to get it up. Because waking up to an eyeful of Daphne, her
cleavage popping out of her
camisole,
was more than
enough to get him going.

“Hi,” he said
in a rough, scratchy voice.

“What happened
to you?” She was grinning in a way that made it seem she could barely hold back
a laugh.

“Rum,” he said
weakly. “Lots of rum.”

“Well,” she
said. “I hope a shower happens to you soon.”

She smelled so
sweet. He was sure he smelled like the alley behind the club he’d been at last
night.

“Don’t worry,”
he croaked. “It will. What time is it?”

“A little past
noon,” she said.

“Shit. Really?”
He tried to sit up straighter, but it wasn’t happening.

“Yeah. I wanted
to let you sleep as late as I could. You looked so peaceful. I didn’t want to
leave without getting you up, though.”

Interesting choice of words.
“Thanks. I think.”

“I have to
leave soon to go get ready and help Carolina get—ready.” She looked away
from him and toward her dress, which was hanging over the door of a closet near
the front door of the suite. “I wanted to make sure you were conscious first.”

“You have more
getting ready to do?” He was confused. She looked ready to go to him. “You look
great to me.”

“Aw. You’re
sweet.” She patted his cheek, and he realized he wasn’t too drunk. He hoped she
wouldn’t look down there. There was no way he could “casually” un-tuck his
shirt at this point. “Lots to do still.”

“Okay.”

“The
wedding’s
at five.
In the ballroom on the
third floor.
Then there’s a cocktail hour and the
reception’s
outside. I’ll be taking pictures with the wedding party during the cocktail
hour. You know how to find everything, right?”

His stomach lurched
a little at the mention of a cocktail hour. “Yep,” he said, struggling to pull
himself to a sitting position.

“I’ll see you
at the wedding then,” she said.

“You will,” he
said. “What you looking so worried for?”

“Nothing.” Her
smile was clearly forced as she said that.

“Everything is
going to be fine.
And beautiful.
The most you have to
worry about is your eyeballs burning out from too much camera flash,” he said.
“And if you’re worried about me, don’t be. I will behave, I will be charming, and
I will make sure you have the best time of your life. I won’t even so much as
step on one toe while we’re dancing. That’s a promise.”

She grinned,
and her shoulders seemed to relax a little. “See you in a few hours then.”

“Can’t wait,”
he said.

His words
seemed to not only hang between them for a few moments,
but
create an electric charge in the air. She gave him the fullest, most genuine
smile he’d seen on her face in a long time.

“Me neither,”
she said. He watched her walk from the room. Then he buried his head in his
hands.

He had to get
these thoughts out of his head. He was just horny. If he didn’t get in control
of his dick, he was going to lose another good friend and embarrass himself in
the process. Good going. Maybe he should’ve banged that bartender at the end of
her shift last night. Gotten it over with so he wouldn’t have been so tempted
to make things really awkward with Daphne by trying something he had no right
to try.

#

The wedding
flew by. Then it was time for more pictures. Next, the bridal party and the
bride and groom were introduced. Through it all, Daphne found herself wanting
to get to the part where she could sit next to Rain. She would never learn.
She’d found herself looking in his direction more than once during the
ceremony. The disconcerting thing was he’d been staring right back at her most
of those times. She made great efforts to keep her focus where everyone’s was
supposed to be—on the bride—but her eyes had other ideas.

The reception
was beautiful. Soft, violet shaded lighting filtered through the room.
Candelabras added a little extra light and a romantic golden glow to the
purple. Flowers were everywhere. Large vases of them stood on pillars. They
were in a huge tent behind the hotel, and through the open doorways, they could
catch glimpses of palm trees swaying in the purple and rosy colors of the setting
sun.

Centerpieces
overflowing with flowers graced the tabletops. The flowers in the centerpiece
were the same as the ones in the bouquets had been, and their arrangements
shared a similar theme. The sweet fragrance of the flowers hung in the air all
around them.

Finally, after
all the pictures and fanfare, Daphne got a chance to sit. Right next to Rain,
who was seated at their table as the date of a
bridesmaid.

“You clean up
well,” she murmured to him as they watched the bride and groom dance their first
dance. He wore a black tux and a crisp white shirt. His jet black hair framed
his tan face—he’d gotten a lot of sun over the past few days—and
those gorgeous hazel eyes drew her in as always. They were not quite almond
shaped, not quite round, and all the way gorgeous.

“Thank you,” he
said. “You look absolutely stunning.”

“What, this old
thing?” she asked with a smile. She really did like the dresses Carolina had
picked. They were ankle length, tight and made of a satin-like material, and
hot pink. One side of the dress was strapless and the other side had a broad
pink strap over the shoulder.

She looked
around the inside of the vast tent. The wedding doll sat on a table near a coconut
and rum cake. The doll wore a dress similar to
Carolina’s
as was the tradition. Carolina’s dress was cream-colored. It had a
halter top
, and the bodice was covered in rhinestones. She’d
gone for a slinky cut as opposed to a big skirt. It looked good on her. She had
one of those enviable figures that looked
good
in just
about anything. She always complained about her hips and ass, but Daphne didn’t
see where the complaints came from. Neither did her many admirers.

Speaking of
which, she glanced at Rain. Whereas everyone else was focused on the bride and
groom—and he would’ve had a legitimate reason to stare at Carolina for
once—he was focused on her. Taken aback by his steady gaze, she smiled
nervously and turned her attention back to the dance floor. She tried to fight
a smile, but couldn’t stop a small one from forming on her lips.

After the first
dance, dinner was served. The catering staff brought every course to them. Throughout
dinner, Rain was an absolutely perfect wedding date. He made great conversation
and charmed everyone at the table despite the fact that they must have heard
about him, The One who broke Carolina’s heart. Plenty of guests were probably
wondering what he was doing there at all. Rain charming everyone was especially
a challenge considering he was seated at a table with Emily Rose, who was
closest to Carolina and most upset by the whole ordeal. Emily Rose had told
Daphne she’d begged Carolina not to invite Rain. Also at the table were Emily
Rose’s husband, Michael, a friend of Carolina’s Daphne didn’t know well, Carolina’s
sister and her date, and two other relatives of Carolina’s who’d been
bridesmaids as well as a couple of Manny’s relatives who’d been groomsmen.

Still, Rain had
the whole table laughing and telling stories by the time dessert came. He
really had a talent for dealing with people. He had a special way of getting
them to like him. He really was good at that.
A little too
good in Daphne’s opinion.

A woman in a
red dress danced her way over to their table. “I just had to stop by here and
see what all is going on,” she said. “This seems to be the most fun table at
this whole fiesta.”

Rain said, “I
can’t help it. The party follows me.”

“I’m sure it
does,” the woman purred. “Would you like to dance with me?” she asked Rain. He
looked at Daphne, and she gave him a smile of encouragement.

“
Baile, baile!
” He clapped his hands and
sprang to his feet.

“
Si, baile!
” the woman responded. He
offered his hand, she took it, and the two headed out to the dance floor.

Daphne sat back
in her chair and sipped a glass of wine while she watched the two of them
dance.

Emily Rose
reached over and nudged Daphne’s arm with her elbow. “I know you said that you
guys were just pretending to be an item, but is that true or were you just
trying to spare Carolina’s feelings?”

“What, huh?”
Daphne looked at Emily Rose, completely stunned by the words that’d come out of
left field. “Yeah. It was all made up. Why?” Daphne took a larger sip of wine.

“He just seems
really into you is all. The way he’s been looking at you tonight…I’ve never
seen him look at anybody that way. Not even Carolina.”

Daphne choked
on her wine. Putting the glass back on the table, she tried to think of how to
respond to that while her coughing died down. Eventually, she said, “He’s probably
drunk. I think he’s trying to drink his way through this whole wedding thing.”

“No, I don’t
think it’s that. That’s still his first beer, isn’t it?” She pointed to a
half-full bottle of Medalla Light sitting on the table at Rain’s place setting,
which was next to Daphne’s.

“I don’t…know.
Maybe he had something to drink during the cocktail hour. While we were out
there taking a million pictures.” She laughed nervously.

“And maybe he
has it bad for you,” Emily Rose said matter-of-factly. “And maybe he’s not
alone in that. That kiss you two shared that night we went out dancing? That
didn’t look like acting, either. If it was, I’m nominating both of you for
Academy Awards.”

Daphne pressed
her fingers lightly to her lips and watched Rain Salsa with the woman in the
red dress.

“Daphne?” Emily
Rose said.

Daphne shook
her head, trying to clear it. “We’re just friends.” She forced a laugh. “You
know how Rain is. Everybody does.”
Please
tell me how Rain is. Remind me. I need so badly to be reminded right now of all
the reasons I can’t fall back into my old habits of wanting what I can’t have.

Emily Rose
shrugged. “People change.”

Shit. Thanks a lot, Em Rose.

“Even Rain,”
Emily Rose added. “If they have a good reason to change. You just might be
Rain’s good reason.”

The song
changed. A man crooned over a band that sounded like it was playing an old
Cuban ballad. Rain came back to the table.

“Ready to get
out there?” Rain asked, holding his hand out to Daphne.

She knocked
back the rest of her wine and put her hand in his. “Sure.”

He helped her
to her feet and held her close, leading her out to the dance floor. Putting one
hand low on her waist, he pulled her even closer and held her hand with his
other hand. She could smell the clean scent of his shampoo. Hear him humming
along with the song under his breath. His hand tightened around hers. She was
all too aware of what’d happened the last time they danced like this.
So close together.

“How am I doing
so far?” he whispered in her ear.

“Great.”

“Told you I
could be a good wedding date.” His lips had moved closer and were under her
earlobe.

She was going
to need more wine tonight.
A lot more wine.
“You were
right,” she said. She didn’t know what else to say. She could barely use her
words. They didn’t even want to form in her mind talk about getting past her
lips. Lips. She had to stop thinking about lips.

Rain was
dancing entirely too close to her. He’d ditched his jacket back at their table
and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his dress shirt, so maybe the heat that
was driving her crazy and making her dress stick to her skin was getting to
him, too. She couldn’t think, couldn’t speak.

She didn’t know
how long they danced. Her feet didn’t bother her in the silver high-heeled
sandals she wore because they weren’t terribly uncomfortable to begin with and
because her mind was focused on Rain, not shoes. Fast songs, slow songs, they
stayed pressed together.

Eventually,
Julio asked to cut in, taking the dance she’d promised him. She watched over Julio’s
shoulder as Rain kissed the bride chastely on the cheek and danced with her
while Manny danced with his new mother-in-law who chatted him up. Manny didn’t
look worried, but he did keep glancing in Carolina and Rain’s direction. It was
more like he couldn’t keep his eyes off his lovely bride. And Carolina was
positively glowing that evening.

Carolina and
Rain were talking and laughing, so things must have been almost back to normal.
Daphne couldn’t help noticing, though, that they didn’t dance all that close
together.
Not nearly as close as Daphne and Rain had danced.
They looked like friends sharing a friendly moment together.

That was the
way Daphne and Rain were supposed to look. She wasn’t sure they had, though.
Especially from the looks she’d caught on people’s faces before they could
avert their eyes when she’d caught them staring while she was dancing with
Rain. Then there were Emily Rose’s words from earlier to consider.

Carolina was
gesturing, her toned, tanned arms flying, as she apparently told some story.
Rain laughed and nodded. Daphne was glad to see they had their old friendship
back. Now what would happen to her friendship with Rain when they got back to
D.C.? Would she really see him more as he’d promised? Did she want to?