“It’s nice to meet you too, sir.” The man looked younger than I expected.
“Call me Tad. We’re going to be working together, aren’t we?”
I inclined my head. Now wasn’t the time to bring that up.
“I’m so glad you’re coming on board. I’ve got plans for the international arm of my business. Big plans.” He pumped my hand a few times, then let it go. “Chyna tells me you’ve been doing an incredible job with this event.”
“It’s been a pleasure working for you, and the penguins, well, they’ve been a very accommodating group.”
“That’s good to hear. Listen, about that job we talked about. I need someone on the ground right away. Think you can leave Sunday morning and head down to the Caymans to take a look at a property?”
“Um, sure.” I wanted to politely decline. But I didn’t want to piss off the father of the bride right before the wedding. Besides, the thought of sinking my toes into the sand forced everything else out of my head. For the first time in days my problems seemed to fall by the wayside as I pictured the white sandy beaches of the Caribbean.
“Great. I’ll have my assistant set it up. Can’t wait to see those penguins in action tomorrow.” He turned a smile on Chyna. “Can you show us where we’re staying? I’d like to get settled in before the rest of the wedding party arrives.”
“I’ve got a fleet of luxury RVs parked just down the road. Right this way.” Chyna linked her arm through Tad’s, leaving me standing in the middle of the aisle, wondering why I hadn’t said no.
CHAPTER 31
ZINA
The rehearsal dinnerwent off without a hitch. I took in a deep breath and stood with my back against the wall, waiting for the last of the guests to depart before I could oversee clean up and try to get to bed at a reasonable hour.
The interior of the Phillips House sparkled with candlelight reflecting off of bare branches that had been coated in fake ice. Candles decorated almost every horizontal surface. After the fiasco at Lacey and Bodie’s wedding last year, real candles were prohibited, but the Munyons had sprung for LED lights that looked incredibly realistic.
We’d made it through tonight but tomorrow was going to be the real test. The pressure that had been tightening in my chest for the past few weeks was almost too much to take. And in less than twenty-four hours, it would all be over.
“What are you thinking about?” Alex stopped in front of me. He’d been out at the warehouse all evening avoiding the event. I wished I’d been out there with him instead of micromanaging high-profile guests for the past several hours.
“I’m just thinking about all the things that could go wrong tomorrow.” I looked up and gave him a nervous smile. Eventhough his top priority was penguin patrol, he’d made it clear we were a team and would sink or swim together.
He took my hands in his and gave them an encouraging squeeze. “We’re ready. Lacey’s documented every contingency in her monster binder. We’ve got backup plans for backup plans. Everything’s going to be fine.”
“Do you really believe that?” I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so unsure. We had a plan… a good plan. And Alex was right… Lacey had thought of every possible scenario.
“Yes, and you should too. We’re ready for this, Zina.” He leaned in and nudged his nose into my hair. His breath tickled my ear and sent a shiver racing down my spine. “I think you need something to take your mind off things tonight.”
I let out a low laugh, already knowing exactly where this conversation was headed. “And I bet you’ve got the perfect distraction?”
“Come with me.” He twined his fingers with mine and tugged me into the front room.
I nodded at a few guests as they headed out the front door and followed Alex toward the closet under the stairs.
“Where are we going?” The house was still full of caterers and event staff. And that closet was nowhere near big enough for one of us, much less both of us together.
He pulled the door open and ushered me inside. The lingering scent of lavender mingled with dust and the faint smell of mothballs. Except for a few boxes against the far wall, the space was empty.
“We can’t go upstairs. They’ve got all the damn tablecloths stored in the bedroom,” he grumbled. “And I’m committed to finding some way to help you relax so you get a good night’s sleep.”
“Shoving me in a closet is really helping, I can’t wait to—” He cut me off by capturing my mouth with his. We’d both been sobusy lately that we hadn’t been able to find much alone time. My pulse spiked as he took the kiss deeper and heat rushed to my core.
Alex pulled back and barely let me catch my breath before his lips found mine again. His hands roamed down the front of my shirt, pausing to undo the buttons on the way to my hips. I wanted to tell him we couldn’t do this here, that someone would hear us, that we’d get caught and ruin the entire event.
But then he got down on his knees and lifted my skirt. I gasped as he slid my panties to the side.
“You’re already soaking wet for me, aren’t you?” He didn’t give me a chance to answer before he slid one of this thick, long fingers inside me to find out for himself.
I leaned against the wall for support before my knees buckled. He knew exactly how to touch me, where to apply pressure and just how much I needed. I felt around for something to hold onto, but the walls were bare.
