“Snoop away.” He headed toward her, fire in his eyes. “It’s nice to see you. Are you having a good day?”
“Yeah. I just tried my hand at one of your slot machines. The machine won.”
“I’ll let you in on a secret.” He leaned in and whispered, winking. “They usually do.”
His pleasing scent teased. It wasn’t overpowering like some men’s colognes. With herbal undertones, it reminded her of the scents men wore in the old days.
“How was your evening?”
“Oh, that. It was fine. At least, what I remember was fine.”
Gentle creases formed at the outer corners of his eyes. “And how are you feeling today?”
“A little sick. And mortified.”
“Don’t be. We’ve all been there. Come. Let me introduce you to someone.”
He put his hand on the small of her back and walked her down the aisle, in a weird parody of the wedding march she would never have with Tommy.
Only it was hard to think of Tommy with Alex’s hand on her back. Heat shot into her body and into all her extremities. All from one innocent touch.
If he put his mind to it, he was likely capable of incinerating a woman.
As they marched down the aisle, for one crazy moment, she thought of her aborted wedding plans.
She would have carried roses, scarlet roses, and she would have worn a stark white gown…
Yeah, you need to throw that fantasy into the trash.
“Dana Hamill.” Alex gestured to the other woman. “This is Marissa Flores. She’s head of design here at Vice. She’s the brains behind Covet. I’ve asked her to give our wedding chapel a makeover.”
“Nice to meet you.” Marissa shook Dana’s hand.
“Likewise. I wouldn’t have thought the chapel needed a makeover. It looks brand new.”
“In this line of work,” said Alex, “not only do we have to keep up with trends, we have to invent new ones. Weddings are a huge part of our business.”
“Of course.” Even though Dana dealt with business travel in her work, she was just as familiar with the numbers when it came to leisure travel.
“Marissa wanted my opinion on color schemes but if she left it up to me, I’d probably just paint everything builder’s white.”
“Alex, you’ve never given yourself enough credit. You have a great head for design.” Marissa laughed and touched his arm.
The brief contact made Dana bristle.
They seemed to know each other well. She never touched any of her co-workers like that.
Alex and Marissa clearly had history but what kind?
Really? Girl, you’re too messed up to be jealous of this woman.
“Can I ask your opinion on the paint and fabric swatches?” asked Alex. “Marissa has already made recommendations, but I could use a second opinion before I sign on the dotted line.”
“Sure.”
Marissa spread out a number of coordinated swatches. Some featured bright, eye-catching colors but Dana’s eye went straight to the more classic, muted shades. They were all laid out on a small table.
“What do you think?” Alex’s hand made contact with her lower back again.
