Rescuing A Runaway Bride (18 page)

Monica looked up at her approach, and gave Samantha’s formal attire an appreciative once-over. “Nice dress.”

“Thanks.” Samantha smiled at her surprised reaction. The gown was very feminine
not to mention sexy without being blatant and at the same time elegant. And Jake’s hot branding gaze on her earlier told her that he liked it. She could hardly wait to have him peel the slinky dress off her and get wild with him. Her new feminine confidence and sexual appetite was attributable to one man. Jake. “So, how’s it going?”

Monica frowned. “Not so good. Someone spilled bleach on our red table linens.” She took the lid off a plastic bin and pulled out a red napkin now marred with white and pink splotches. A strong odor of bleach wafted into the air. “The whole batch is like this. The laundry swears they had nothing to do with it.”

Samantha gazed at the mess, alarmed.
Red was her dad’s favorite color and she’d chosen the color scheme to please him.
Who the hell would do this?
The whole
batch was a complete loss.
“Oh no!
We don’t have time to bring in our back-up supply.”

“Don’t worry, boss. All is not lost. The hotel has agreed to let us use theirs for a small fee. So I guess white linens will have to do.”

“Right.”
Samantha relaxed. “Are there any other mishaps I should be aware of?”

Monica winced. “The florist delivered lilies instead of the
red
roses we were expecting.” She handed the statement to Samantha. “He said you changed the order. Did you?”

Samantha glanced at the bill in frustration.
“Of course not.
Someone must have messed up at Parkinson’s Floral. It’s too late to get new flowers delivered.”

“Don’t panic, boss. Gary, Rose, and I did a little creative arranging. We’ll make do.”

Samantha gazed at the sparse but colorful arrangements. “Thanks. You three did great, considering what you had to work with.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you, for all your hard work. You guys are absolutely the best staff ever. As long as you have the situation well in hand, I’m going to go meet my date.”

“Have a great time,” Monica called out.

Samantha stepped out of the ballroom and into the shadows, making her way down the corridor.
In the secluded doorway of a nearby room stood a gloom-cloaked shape.
She shivered, stopping in her tracks. The ghostly image transported her back to the stalker in the woods. The shape separated itself from the darkness, and her terror evaporated. “Uncle Delbert. What are you doing here so early? The party won’t start for an hour.”

Delbert Logan smiled, his genial, round face crinkling. “
I’m meeting a client at the bar for a drink before the ball.” He peered into the ballroom. “I trust your staff has the affair well in hand.”

Samantha was a little surprised by his statement. She’d bid on the job in secret and once her father had hired her, and been surprised that it was her, he’d promised to keep it quiet. She didn’t want others to think she’d gotten the plum assignment because of nepotism. “Everything’s fine, thank you. I was just heading for the bar myself. Why don’t you walk with me?”

Delbert fell into step at her side, gallantly taking her arm. “I was so sorry to hear about your falling out with Grayson.”

Samantha stiffened. She hoped he’d decided to let the su
bject drop. Maybe he felt a sense of obligation having played matchmaker for the two of them. Had he deliberately hunted her down now to try to patch things up? “Some things just don’t work out. Our parting will turn out for the best. You’ll see.”

“I can’t agree, my dear. Why, if you could see the poor lad’s face. All he’s done is mope around since you jilted him. Please give him a chance to make things right.”

So, he was here on false pretenses. No amount of well meaning persuasion on his part would induce her to change her mind. He seemed to be in the dark about Grayson’s obnoxious visits yesterday and his kinky sex life. “I have seen his face.”

His eyes narrowed as he studied her mutinous expression. “You have?”

“Yes, indeed. Twice as a matter of fact, and he certainly didn’t look forlorn. He looked like the cheating jerk he is. If he sent you here to plead his case, you’re wasting your breath. It’s over!”

Delbert blinked rapidly and patted her hand.
“Very well, my dear.
I don’t want to upset you.”

“I’m sorry if I sounded harsh. But it’s been an upsetting time for me lately.”

“Just as you say, my dear.
I understand you’ve had a difficult time of it, what with Grayson’s recent error in judgment and the trouble up north. Rest assured
,
you won’t hear another word out of me.”

Samantha let out a sigh of relief at his sympathetic tone. She was happy knowing Grayson St. James was out of her life for good. “Thank you for being so understanding.”

Delbert’s kindly gaze lingered on Samantha’s smile for a moment before slanting over to Jake who was seated at a corner table. “You’re seeing Mr. Ramsey now?”

Samantha bit her tongue.
No more matchmaking. Please!
Her and Jake’s love life was complicated enough without any of Delbert’s meddling. For whatever reason, he seemed even more anxious to marry her off than her own father. It was time to set some boundaries. “Yes, we’re seeing each other, and it’s going very well.”

Delbert hesitated. “I’ll go up to the bar and wait for my buyer. Just remember to be careful who you give your heart to, my dear. You never know whom you can trust. Have a lovely evening, Samantha.”

“Thanks.” She watched him toddle away, wrinkling her nose at his cryptic warning. He was probably worried Jake was taking advantage of her while she was on the rebound. Nothing could be further from the truth.
She’d seduced Jake and she was glad of it. She
walked over to Jake and saw him gazing at Delbert sitting at the bar. “Did you talk to your staff?”

“Sure.” Jake turned his attention to her. “Things are going okay.
How about for you?
The party ready to go?”

“A few hiccups. Some jerk poured bleach all over my linens and screwed up my floral order. But thanks to my staff, it’ll be okay.” She saw his sharp look and sighed. “Don’t go looking for evildoers at every accident. People make mistakes and other more established catering firms get pissed when they lose clients.”

“You’re probably right but I’ll be happier when I get you home and naked.”

She grinned. “I was thinking the same thing, stud. You’re the best looking man in the room, handsome.” She watched a startled smile kick up the edges of his hard mouth as he loosened up his watchful focus.

“What were you doing with Delbert Logan?” He cast an inquisitive look her way.

“I found him wandering the hall, lost. He was looking for the bar. You know Uncle Delbert. He’s got a poor sense of direction.”

Jake’s brow wrinkled. “Wandering the hall? Isn’t he early for the party?”

“He’s meeting a buyer for an early drink.”

Jake raised an eyebrow.
“Male or female?”

“He didn’t say, but I’d bet it was female. He’s a born romantic, my Uncle Delbert.”

“What was all the yelling about?”

“I wasn’t yelling at him. I was just reiterating the fact that Grayson and I are through. Uncle Delbert was playing matchmaker for Grayson and me. He seems to be taking our split personally.”

Jake frowned. “Do you want me to have a word with him?”

Samantha shook her head. “No, I think he got the message. He meant well but I’ve finally convinced him to drop it.”

* * * *

Samantha circulated the ballroom by Jake’s side.
She beamed at her father and step mom holding court by the dance floor feeling pleased that this was going so well. After the bleached linen and wrong flowers she’d half-expected the worst but everyone was having a good time. The swing band was glorious and the dinner had been perfection. But best of all was the way that Jake had stayed by her side, wordlessly showing the crowd of family, friends, and LI employees that they were a couple. It was probably the reason she hadn’t been the recipient of pitying looks or awkward questions about Grayson. And luckily he’d had the good taste not to show up for the party.

On the ride home, she sat back in her seat and smiled. The evening had been a complete success for her business and Jake supported her. It meant a lot. Her client list was sure to grow making this her home base so she could stay by Jake. Best of all, he’d publicly acknowledged her place in his life.

Jake parked the car and turned to look at her, his expression softening. “Your hair shines in the moonlight, sunshine.” He leaned across the seat to capture her mouth with his, his tongue coaxing and demanding a response.

Samantha melted in his embrace. Their love was right, come what may. They’d go back to the rhythm of the magical night at the cabin before things got complicated. They’d go back to the way things were before, warm, loving, and passionate.

Jake broke off the kiss and looked questioningly at her, his hands moving down to skim over her arms. Feeling her tremble, he asked, “Cold?”

“No,” she whispered. Samantha gazed into his stormy gray eyes, drinking in the heat of his desire. She moved forward, slipping her arms around his neck, and tugging his head down to hers for another kiss. “Please don’t stop.”

Jake smiled. “There’s no power on earth that could stop me. But I think we’d better take this inside before we give your neighbors a free show.”

He tugged her out of the car, stopping to drop a scorching kiss on her lips, then scooped her up and carried her up to the house. He took the key from her, opening the door and resetting the alarm. He held her close as he walked through her apartment to the bedroom. He stood her next to the bed and reached behind her to unzip her gown, letting it skitter off her shoulders.

Samantha stepped out of the pool of silver fabric and stood unashamedly in front of him clad only in skimpy silver underwear. She reached behind her, unhooked her bra, and let it slowly slide down her arms. He sat on the bed, his body tensing. A slow appreciative smile curved his lips. Samantha reveled in her strip tease. She let the silver satin bra linger over her breasts for a teasing moment before tossing it aside.

Then she curled her fingers into the waistband of her matching panties and inched them down, shimmying out of them and kicking them aside. She stood before him totally and unabashedly naked and flashed him a shameless grin. “See something you like, cowboy?”

Jake smiled.
“One or two things.”

Samantha pouted and playfully reached out to loosen his bow tie. “Is that all?”

Chuckling, Jake stood up and shrugged out of his tux jacket. “If pressed, I can think of a few more.” He ripped his shirt off and bent down to nibble on her ear, whispering, “I’m crazy about each delectable inch of you, sunshine.”

Samantha sighed blissfully, his warm breath causing the most scorching sensations to course through her body and
curl
her toes. Practically purring, she curved closer to him, running her hand through his hair. “You’ve still got too many clothes on.”

While trailing a line of kisses down her throat, Jake quickly unzipped his pants. Then he scooped her up in his arms and laid her tenderly on the bed. He slid into bed next to her, stopping to teasingly swirl his tongue around her nipple.

Samantha arched against him. His talented mouth tugged on her tight nipple, giving it the most exquisite attention. She cried out. It was wonderful, so wonderful. Her fingers curled into his thick dark hair as she pressed him to her, trying to hurry him along. She needed him so much.