Seducing the Best Man (Wild Wedding Nights #1) Page 8
“That’s a good policy.” He nodded, clearly disappointed.
Her phone barked, her text sound for Bianca. “That’s my ride.” She let out a slow, relieved breath.
“Interesting ringtone.” He grinned. “Have a nice night.”
She nodded, pulling her purse off the back of the leather office chair in the conference room. “I will. You enjoy your weekend.”
She waved at him before hurrying to the elevator. On the ride down, she shed her blazer and the scarf she had knotted around her shoulders. She traded her business pumps for some strappy-heeled sandals, tucking everything into her gym bag.
Bianca sat in her red Jeep, her sparkling sunglasses winking in the evening sun. “Hey girlie, climb in.”
“TGIF,” Cady announced, pulling herself up and into the Jeep. “Tell me, does cake tasting come with adult beverages?”
Bianca laughed. “We have five stops. And then Zach and I will take you and Patton out for dinner.”
Patton. Of course. Adult beverages would definitely be in order. She tried for enthusiasm as she said, “Great.”
“I heard that.” Bianca pulled away from the curb and into traffic. “What’s up between you two? And don’t tell me nothing, because there’s definitely...something.”
Cady sighed. This was one time she wasn’t going to fill Bianca in on all the details. And it wasn’t just because Patton was Zach’s brother. “Bibi, please.”
Bianca looked at her. “Zach thinks there’s something going on.”
She forced a little laugh then swallowed, looking out the window at the buildings and shops. “What made you think he was my type? That’s the part I don’t get. He’s—”
“He might not be your normal beefcake pick but come on, there’s something about him. I’ll admit, I hadn’t met him. If I had, maybe I wouldn’t have pushed so hard for the blind date. I don’t know. Zach had this picture of him and his brothers, they were all smiling and so cute. When he told me Patton was single, I thought, why not. You can’t fault me for wanting you to end up with Zach’s brother.” She shrugged. “So Patton’s intense and brooding—but I thought you sort of liked that in a man.” She glanced at Cady. “And very handsome.”
“He is not handsome,” Cady argued. Handsome wasn’t enough. Patton was hot. “But feel free to add insufferable and egotistical.”
Bianca laughed. “Whatever. Think you can behave? Just until the wedding is over? Please?” Bianca asked.
“I’ll try,” she offered.
But the sight of Patton, plaid shirt sleeves rolled up over muscular forearms and old jeans that hugged thickly carved thighs and a perfect ass, made her warm in all the right places. She didn’t want to behave. She felt it the minute his eyes found her.
“You might not be into him, but he definitely wants to jump you.” Bianca giggled as she slid out of the driver’s seat.
Cady drew in a deep breath. Her door opened and Patton held out his hand. “Hey.”
She glanced at his hand. It was a perfectly normal thing to do—lend a girl a hand. But staring at his hand made her insides quiver. She took it, ignoring the lick of heat as his fingers brushed across her wrist.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
Bianca and Zach were wrapped up in an enthusiastic make-out greeting.
“How about we get those two thinking cake and not...” Cady pointed at them, giggling.
Patton’s low chuckle caught her off guard. She glanced at him, the crinkles at the corner of his eyes only adding to his masculine appeal. As if he needs to be more appealing. She nodded, heading toward the door of Angela’s Cakes. She stepped forward, away from him, looking for space. But his hand rested on the small of her back, guiding her to the door and playing havoc on her nerves. What would he do if she turned into him? What would Bianca and Zach do?
A portly middle-aged woman glanced up as they entered. Her badge announced she was in fact Angela. “Come in, come in.” Angela waved Bianca and Zach forward. “It’s so nice to meet you. I have everything ready, so let’s get started, shall we?” Angela led them to a small table. “After we spoke on the phone, I decided classic was the way to go. I have samples of our classic champagne cake with raspberry-crème filling.” She pointed as she spoke, leaving Cady dazed by the variety of cake, fillings and frostings.
“Who knew?” she murmured to Patton.
“Cake is cake, right?” he agreed.
Cady popped the sample square into her mouth, the vibrant flavors of crème and fruit causing her to groan softly. “Mmm.” She pointed at the plate, nodding. “Perfectly sweet and delicious.”
Patton’s gaze blazed into hers, capturing her undivided attention. She shivered as he brushed a dollop of frosting from her lower lip with his thumb. She could hardly breathe when he sucked the fluffy sweetness off. Cady stared, speechless, her heart thundering.
“You’re sweeter,” his whisper sent a jolt of arousal straight to her throbbing core.
“This is my favorite. What do you think, Cady?” Bianca waved her over.
An hour and a half later, Cady was feeling a nervous energy from too much sugar and too many of Patton’s not-so-innocent touches. Holding doors open and pulling out chairs for her was one thing. Accidentally brushing against her, trailing a finger down her knee under the table or just staring at her in that I-want-you-now way of his was something else. By the time they sat down to eat dinner, she decided turnabout was fair play.
“Whiskey Special.” She didn’t even look up from her menu. “Lots of olives, please.”
Once drink orders had been placed, Bianca spoke up. “Okay, thoughts?”
Patton shifted in his seat, shooting Cady a glare before asking, “Didn’t your grandmother want you to go with your cousin Diandra?”
Cady grimaced. Bianca’s cousin should not be baking anything. The brightly colored, artificially flavored specimens she’d offered up had barely been edible. But, she knew Patton’s angle... She wasn’t sure she was ready to join him.
Patton watched as she took her drink from the waiter. His eyes narrowed as she lifted the toothpick from her drink and smiled at him. Patton scowled, but didn’t look away as she slowly tugged an olive off her toothpick and into her mouth.
“Angela’s were my favorite,” Zach offered. “To be honest, Diandra’s didn’t make my top five.”
Bianca shook her head. “We only went to five bakeries.”
“Exactly.” Zach nodded, taking a swig off his long neck.
Cady nodded. She pulled an olive off the toothpick, ignoring the faint hiss of Patton’s indrawn breath. If she hadn’t been expecting it, she wouldn’t have heard it. As it was, the thrill of power left her grinning from ear to ear.
“Why not take your grandmother to the two bakeries?” Zach offered.
Cady sat back in her chair, crossing her legs and stirring her drink with her toothpick. She knew her thigh was exposed. She knew Patton was watching her, so she didn’t bother smoothing her skirt down. He couldn’t touch her here, the table was too big, but he stared at the exposed length of her thigh. She felt beautiful and sexy...and in control. She liked being in control. Liked it even more if it meant he wasn’t.
Cady shot Bianca a look. “She won’t go if she knows what you’re doing.”
Bianca nodded. “It’s true. Diandra is family. Period.”
“Well, tonight was a giant waste of time,” Zach murmured, clearly unhappy.
“I’m sorry.” Bianca frowned into her wine. “I had no idea it would be that bad.”
“For a minute, I couldn’t feel my tongue.” Zach stuck his tongue out for emphasis. “It would be wrong to subject our guests to that.”
Bianca’s laugh was forced.
Patton’s foot nudged hers under the table. “Is it really that big a deal?”
“I want you to be happy, Zach.” Bianca’s smile disappeared. “But it’s hard to disappoint GG. She raised me. She’s taken care of me—”
Zach drew in a deep breath. “It’s just cake, hon.” He rubbed his thumb along her cheek. “I’m getting what I want—you. Making you happy makes me happy, so we’ll choke down Diandra’s cake.” He shrugged. “We can use the gifts we return to pay off any civil suits that might be filed after they eat the cake.”
Cady watched them, plucking another olive from her toothpick. If he wasn’t trying to ruin her best friend’s life by marrying her, she might actually like Zach. She chose that moment to look at Patton. He was watching them, too, eyes narrowed and intense. But when he turned her way, his intensity turned to hunger. She trailed the toothpick along her lower lip, biting the tip before putting it back in her drink.
“We’ll make sure there’s lots of alcohol to make up for it,” Zach said, trying his best to console Bianca.
The intensity in Patton’s eyes was unbearable, so she forced her attention to Zach and Bianca. While Bianca was dabbing her face with her linen napkin, Zach was looking at her. And from the way his gaze bounced between her and Patton, she knew he’d seen her little performance.
* * *
PATTON IGNORED HIS brother’s questioning gaze. It was his brother’s fault he was in this situation. He hadn’t figured out how to shut her out, not yet... Cady had him stuck on some sort of hormone-fueled rampage. And if she kept it up with the olives, he’d end up giving his brother and Bianca an eyeful. He shifted, his arousal making his pants tight.
Her big brown eyes were staring into her Whiskey Special.
He took a deep breath and said, “You’re not giving me much time to plan a bachelor party.”
“I don’t need one,” Zach argued.
Patton snorted.
“No bachelor party?” Cady asked. “That’s unhealthy.”
Everyone laughed.
“Bachelor parties are about cutting loose one last time,” Patton agreed. “Before you’re stuck with the same ol’ ball-and-chain day in, day out.”
Bianca was still laughing. “Thanks, Patton.”
“No offense,” he mumbled. He might not want her to marry his brother, but he had no problem with Bianca. Not yet anyway. He’d wait and see what the background check turned up.
Cady was laughing. A husky, rasping sound that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He crossed his legs, glancing her way.
“No bachelor party,” Zach confirmed.
Bianca argued. “Please let Patton give you a proper send-off. If for no other reason than people will assume I’m the reason you don’t have one.”
Patton watched the exchange. Not many women would argue for a bachelor party. He had to give her props for that.
“Any parameters?” Cady asked him, her eyes sparkling as she continued. “No exotic dancers? No gambling... That sort of thing? If you’re pulling out all the stops, then I guess I need to do the same for her party.”
“Wait.” Zach leaned forward. “I thought a shower is supposed to be a joint thing, right? With cupcakes and finger sandwiches and...crap.”
Cady laughed. “A bridal shower is. I was talking about her bachelorette party.”
“When did men get sucked into bridal showers?” Patton asked. One more afternoon of enduring small talk, family and forced enthusiasm. He and Cady needed to get to work, soon. Besides, if he didn’t get her alone soon, he feared the consequences. He glanced at her as he said, “Sounds like we need to have a planning session.”
“We do?” she asked.
Cady tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He wanted to stroke her hair and suck on that earlobe. “You’re the maid of honor. I’m the best man,” He said, hoping like hell that would sound like a good reason for the two of them to be spending time together.
She nodded, her eyes never leaving his face. She was beautiful.
He took a long swig off his beer bottle. “Good.” He hoped he’d be able to focus on getting information from Cady—versus getting Cady into bed.
“It’s not like you’re organizing a stakeout,” Zach laughed.
“You know I’m a planner,” Patton bit back. “I don’t do surprises.”
“Cady loves them,” Bianca murmured. “What was I thinking? Trying to get the two of you together?”
“I have no idea.” Cady’s teasing answer was too quick. For reasons he didn’t understand, her words stung.
“I had a dream,” Bianca confessed, smiling at Zach. Zach rolled his eyes.
“A dream dream?” Cady looked impressed. “That sort of dream?”
Zach groaned. “No, no, don’t say it like that. She’s been fixating on the damn thing.”
“You lost me,” Patton interrupted. “Why is Bianca’s dream a good or bad thing?”
“I know it sounds silly but...most of the women in my family are matchmakers,” Bianca started. “It’s their dreams that tell them who is meant for each other.”
“O-okay.” Patton shook his head.
Bianca laughed. “I’ve only had one before... I’m still learning, reading the signs. But I had one that I thought was the two of you. I’d seen your picture.” Bianca glanced at him. “In my dream you were there and Cady was smiling. There was more, but I just knew... You two, as a couple.” She shrugged, clearly upset. “But I must have read it wrong. I mean, obviously it’s silly, right? Right.”
Patton looked at Cady. But Cady was looking at Bianca with true sympathy, her features soft and feminine. Looking at her did something to him...something more than lust.
“I’m sure GG didn’t know how to read her dreams in the beginning either. And just because it wasn’t me and Patton doesn’t mean there’s not some other lucky couple out there—just waiting for you to connect them,” Cady finished. “Who was the other dream about?”
“Me and Zach,” Bianca said with a blush. “I know you don’t really believe in it. I guess... I just don’t want to get GG’s hopes up. She’d be so disappointed that my dreams are just regular old dreams.”
Zach pulled her close, kissing her cheek. “You could never disappoint her, hon.”
Weddings and matchmakers? Really? Patton turned away from the kissing couple, his gaze wandering the dimly lit restaurant. He felt...restless. He didn’t want to sit here, pretending he was gung ho for this disaster. He was a man of action. And it was time to act. He needed to get this breakup going and soon, for everyone’s sake. Then everyone could get on with their lives.
“See anything shady?” Cady asked.
“Shady?” He couldn’t hold back a smile.
“Questionable? Dangerous? Risky?” Cady kept going. “Someone in need of frisking?”
He looked at her then, unable to stop himself. “Yes.”
Cady’s eyes went round, her cheeks coloring prettily. So she hadn’t been baiting him? Interesting. There was no denying her response to him. Besides her flushed cheeks, her fingers trembled ever so slightly as she reached for her drink. He liked it.
“What’s next on the wedding-planning calendar?” Zach asked.
Patton didn’t say a thing. Instead he watched his brother, closely. It was possible that, right now, his brother actually loved Bianca. But he’d loved a lot
of girls. And none of them had lasted for longer than six months. Zach’s commitment issues aside, he actually had a lot to offer a woman. He was handsome, came from a good family. And he had money.
His attention shifted to Bianca. What did she have to offer Zach? Unease settled in his gut again. Yes, things were busy at work, but he needed to carve out more time to investigate Bianca—to find answers. He’d start with Cady and go from there. In his line of work he knew there were always logical answers.
“Tomorrow is on for dress hunting.” Cady’s shoulders were stiff, hinting at her inner tension.
“We can hit the tux shop,” Zach added, winking at his brother.
“And get started on the bachelor party.” Patton grinned.
“How about I make everyone dinner after? We can touch base on what needs to happen next?” Cady glanced around the table before looking at him. “If everyone’s free?”
Dinner. At Cady’s place. He wouldn’t miss it for the world. He nodded.
“That would be great,” Bianca gushed, pulling a pink leather organizer from her bag and explaining the tabbed entries to Cady and his brother.
Right, he needed to get down to business. He sat, assessing the three people at the table. He was trained for this. He should have a sense of their motivations by now, a feel for who they were and what they wanted. His instincts were good, no point in doubting them.
Bianca Garza. A nice girl. Pretty, soft-spoken and self-employed. From the bits and pieces he’d collected, he knew she was raised by her grandmother, had no siblings, but a huge extended family. According to Cady, she didn’t drink and rarely dated. So her sudden involvement with his brother was very out of character for her. He took a sip of his beer, watching the play of emotion on the young woman’s face. She had an easy smile, clear hazel eyes, the kind of face that revealed all... But Patton knew she was hiding something.
He faced Zach. After their brother Russ died, Zach had become the golden child. Their mother showered Zach with adoration, and their father had extended a tolerance to Zach’s youthful antics and recklessness that didn’t apply to anyone else in the family. Zach had outrageous confidence, charm and—normally—a strong sense of intuition. How many times had he professed perpetual bachelorhood was his idea of the perfect life? Three months ago Zach had hooked up with some model while he was on a business trip overseas. Now Bianca was what he wanted forever?