‘Yes. I put Aerin in the blue room and Harper in the yellow room.’ She paused for a beat and added, ‘I told them you weren’t feeling very sociable at the moment and don’t like weddings. I couldn’t think of any other excuse for why you weren’t keen to meet them.’
A twinge of guilt jabbed him for being so hardnosed about keeping out of everyone’s sight. ‘I’m sorry, but it’s best if I stay in the background.’
He heard the floorboards creak as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. He sensed she had something to confess. He could read the little tell-tale signs so well—the hitched in-breath, the rustle of her clothes, the wringing of her hands.
‘Lucas...? I’m sorry, but I did tell the girls about us...about our fling. But they won’t tell anyone else. I trust them to keep it out of the media.’
Lucas let out a stiff curse-word and rolled his chair back from the desk. ‘Was it necessary to tell them? They’re only here for a couple of days. Surely you could have kept it a—’
‘I don’t know how close you are toyourfriends, but, no, I couldn’t keep it from them,’ Ruby said in a tight little voice. ‘In any case, they guessed—or at least Aerin did.’
‘Guessed?’
He was so attuned to her he heard her lips part softly before she spoke. ‘I didn’t realise having amazing sex for the first time in my life would leave signs upon my person, but apparently it has.’ Her tone was decidedly wry.
Lucas moved to where she was standing. He slowly stroked his hands down the length of her arms and then captured her wrists. ‘I’m sorry for being touchy about my privacy. I just want to keep my private life out of the press—but not because I don’t want to be seen with you.’
‘I understand...’
Lucas put his finger beneath her chin and lifted her gaze to his blurry one, wishing with all his heart he could see her expression in finer detail. ‘Do you?’
Her tongue slipped out and swept across her lips. ‘I’m not sure it’s going to do my image much good being seen with you, either.’
He frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m in the wedding business. What does it say about me that I’m having a fling with a playboy who’s made it perfectly clear he will never settle down?’
Lucas tightened his hold on her wrists as the blood thickened in his veins. Being this close to her always sent his blood racing south. He was addicted to her and he could do nothing to stop it. It was a fever in his system—a raging fever that took over his rational brain, pushing aside all his reasons for keeping his distance.
He didn’tdolong flings, and yet he was already thinking of ways to keep her with him. Not for ever, but for longer than he would normally consider. He was starting to find it hard to imagine making love with anyone else. That had never happened to him before. In the past, the lure of the next lover had always pulled him forward.
But not this time—which was deeply concerning. He had to get a grip and keep control of this escalating need for her before it got out of hand. A fling was a fling, no matter if it lasted a week, a month or a couple of months.
He wasnotfalling in love.
‘I hardly think people are going to judge you for having a bit of fun,’ he said.
Ruby moved a little closer, and he felt her lower body igniting his with flickering flames of lust.
‘Is that all I am to you? A little bit of fun?’ Her tone was light and playful, but he sensed a chord of disquiet underneath.
Lucas released her wrists and framed her face in his hands. ‘You are way much more than that.’
And then his mouth came down on hers like a magnet drawn to metal. Her lips tasted of strawberries, and he wondered if he would ever eat that fruit again without thinking of her. His tongue met hers in an erotic dance that made a tingle move down his spine and the backs of his legs.
No, he was not falling in love. But he was falling deeper in lust.
And, if he was any judge, so was she.
The day of Delphine Rainbird’s wedding arrived and Ruby was up before dawn, working with her team in the kitchen. The florist had been the day before and the castle looked stunning, with whimsical floral arrangements everywhere. The ballroom where the reception was being held looked like a fairyland, with gleaming candelabra on the tables and scattered rose petals in an array of colours. The silverware was polished and the starched white tablecloths were set with silver-embossed crockery.
Ruby wished Lucas could see everything, but even if he had his sight she knew he would avoid coming anywhere near the wedding. It would be too triggering for him, given the three weddings of his parents, all held at Rothwell Park, and all subsequently ending in acrimony and bitterness.
Harper came in with her camera bag and a sophisticated digital camera slung around her neck. ‘Looks fabulous, Ruby. I’m heading upstairs to take some shots of Delphine and her bridesmaids getting ready. It’s great that the weather’s looking good.’
Ruby glanced out of the windows and smiled. ‘Yes, but Delphine’s so happy she wouldn’t mind if it was sleeting or snowing outside.’
‘Miguel seems pretty chuffed too,’ Harper said, fiddling with the settings on her camera.