Lifting my chin, I stride purposefully, but taking smaller steps so Layne can keep up in her hot spike heels. We head straight through the crowd to Ron.
He takes one look, then shakes my hand while clapping me on the back. "Mack, you old bastard. Haven't seen you in far too long."
He stands back and clasps Layne's hand. "And your wife is every bit as lovely as you said.” He kisses Layne on the cheek. "Thank you both for coming."
"Thank you so much for having us. It’s a beautiful hotel, and the weather is going to be perfect all weekend."
While we chat, I'm surreptitiously looking for the perfect spot to survey the room. "We won't keep you," I tell Ron once I find it. “Have a wonderful night."
I lead Layne over to a spot near the door to the patio. There's a perfect view of the entrance, the bar, and the bride and groom. She sips her wine, then nods approvingly. "This is quite nice for zero alcohol stuff, actually. And you picked a great position," she looks around. "I can see everyone at once."
Another quick glance around confirms what I've been worried about. "Layne, you know that many bachelors go to weddings stag in the hopes of meeting tipsy women who are suddenly in a romantic mood, right?"
She looks up at me with a smirk. "I guess I've never thought about it. But okay."
"Okay. Now, I know you're just playing the role of my wife.” My arm snakes around her waist to hold her close as I lean in, smelling the faint wisp of sweet almond and apple around her hair. "But I'm finding it hard to focus with so many men staring at you."
Her head whips left and right as she looks around the room. "You've got to be kidding."
"I’m not. And here's the thing."
I'm a class A bastard for using this as an excuse, but this sexy woman is driving me crazy, and I cannot have my attention splinter. "If men are coming over and asking you to dance or trying to chat you up every time you're alone for ten seconds, it's going to be a distraction all weekend while I try to focus."
She catches my drift. "So you think now is the time to show everyone how happily married we are?"
"Yes. And since this is your first assignment, I think you should be the one to decide the best way to do that."
Her lips fall open slightly, then snap closed. My entire body tenses at the urge to kiss her, but I force myself to hold back.
"We should do everything we can to maintain our cover story, right?" she whispers softly.
"Right."
She finishes her glass of wine, then nods her chin for me to do the same. She sets the empty glasses aside on a cocktail table, then turns, her fingers walking up my lapels and straightening my tie.
"If we’re a couple, maybe we're laughing about an in-joke?" She stretches up on her toes to whisper in my ear. "Like the fact that you were so rude in your emails that it forced me to drown my sorrows in pie and ice cream?"
I laugh, wrapping my arms around her. "I'm still sorry about that. I'm going to be better, I promise."
Her back is still to the room as she stretches up to whisper again. "Are those guys still looking?"
"Yeah. I’m sure they’ll see your wedding ring, but in that dress, I can't blame them for not noticing jewelry."
She shakes her head. "I know you're teasing. But if I said something really funny, like super hilarious, and you just grabbed me…" Her lips tip up to mine.
She wants me to kiss her, I can tell. She just doesn't want to beg for it.
My hand slips into the back of her hair, pulling her face to mine. "From a distance, it probably looks like we're kissing right now. Should we fake it, or be authentic?"
Layne's hitching breath lifts her breasts, displaying a slight flush just under her collarbone. "This is a very important job,” she murmurs. I think authenticity is the way to go."
I lean in slowly, reading her body for any point of tension. She has every chance to step away. Instead, she moves closer, until I capture her mouth with mine.
She's exquisite.
Her silky full lips melt against my mouth as my arms pull her to me, her hands slipping under my jacket to explore my chest and sides.
I want to tell her she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. That this weekend is a dream come true. That I'm already thinking of places I want to take her next week, and somehow spinning this crazy scenario into a real relationship. Instead, I simply murmur, “You're delicious, Layne."
