Destination Wedding (Crimson Romance) (17 page)

“Should we go try to talk to the bride?” Miles interrupted her thoughts. “We could say you thought he was Luke and jumped him. I’ll tell her you haven’t had sex in months.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t think that’s going to work.” She sighed. “We should go up though and try talking to her. Perhaps by now Drew’s gotten her to believe that I was only trying to prove a point.”

“What point?”

“Never mind.” She wasn’t ready to share with Miles what she had learned. She first needed to get some answers. There was only one person that could clear things up and she hadn’t seen him since he had fled the beach with his NYC girlfriend in tow. “Do you know what room Lauren’s in?”

Miles nodded. “I was up there this morn — ” He stopped and looked past Kate to the courtyard. “Oh, no.”

“What?” Kate spun around. Leaving the courtyard were Lauren and her parents. A bellman followed with suitcases on a rolling cart. “Oh, God. They can’t be checking out tonight. I need to fix this.” Jumping off the barstool, she darted after the family.

She sprinted through the courtyard. She’d tell Lauren everything and beg her to forgive Drew. Not only did she not want to lose this wedding; she couldn’t handle the thought that she was the reason her bride and groom broke up. Her reputation in the industry would be ruined.

She reached the fountain and turned when her foot caught on the jagged pebble concrete. She fell hard to the ground. “Damn it.” She tried to move but her ankle hurt.

“Let me help you.”

Drew stood over her, extending his hand.

“I’m fine. Go after her,” she screamed.

“Who?”

“Lauren. She’s leaving.”

He pulled her up. “It’s Luke.”

Kate yanked her hand out of his. “Why can’t I tell you two apart?” she shouted in frustration and limped past him.

“Kate.”

“Don’t follow me.”

“Kate, you’re hurt.”

“I’m fine.”

“We need to talk,” Luke pleaded.

She stopped at the entrance. The taxicab carrying the Kincaids had driven away. She was too late. “Is Drew with them?”

“No, he’s upstairs.”

“Is the wedding off?”

Luke nodded.

Kate closed her eyes. “I do. I do,” she muttered, trying to calm down. This wasn’t happening. Thousands of dollars in preparation down the drain, not to mention this would be a huge embarrassment for Tie Your Knot. “I’ll be canned.”

“Over this? It wasn’t your fault.”

“I think Lauren feels differently.” She opened her eyes and bit down on her lip. She was not going to cry. Not in front of Luke, anyway.

Luke touched her shoulder. “Let’s go talk. Maybe take a walk on the beach?”

She jerked away. “I’m not strolling the beach with you anytime soon.” She turned and took a few steps but stopped and whirled around. “Just one question. Why did you pretend you were your brother and kiss me?”

Luke’s warm smile caught her off guard. “I can explain everything.”

“Go ahead.” Her heart raced by his merely being next to her. Stupid heart. “I’m listening.”

“Luke!” Kate turned to see Olivia rushing toward them. She had changed out of her power suit into a sexy black top and skinny jeans. Her blonde hair flowed past her shoulders. “Hi, Kate,” she smiled brightly.

“Oh, right, the NYC girlfriend,” Kate said coolly. “I forgot about you.”

“Excuse me?” Olivia linked her arm into Luke’s. “Luke, your father needs you now. We’ve got the New York office calling in an hour. Jack’s ready to officially go on record about his retirement.”

“Now?” Luke freed his arm. “It’s the middle of the night in New York.”

“You know your father. He’s got the communications team ready to announce the news tomorrow.” She pulled Luke to follow her. “We need to go.”

“Wait.” He looked at Kate. “It will only take an hour and then we can talk. Meet me by the fountain?”

“Sure. Fine.” Kate watched as Luke and Olivia walked through the courtyard. That was a promise she didn’t intend to keep.

• • •

Kate slammed her door, flinging her clutch purse across the room. She opened her closet and yanked her clothes off their hangers. She was getting off this island tonight if she had to jump into the ocean and swim to Waikiki. The situation with Luke, Drew, her mother, their father, Lauren, Olivia. Pick a name. It was all too much.

There was a knock at the door. It was probably Miles. He’d have to stay and take care of the cancelled wedding. She flung it open.

Luke stood in the hallway. At least she thought it was him. He had changed into jeans and a dark blue button-down shirt. The same shirt he’d worn the night they had dinner and strolled along the beach.

“I thought New York needed you?”

“It can wait.”

“Well don’t let me stop you. I’m checking out soon.” She pointed to her suitcase.

“You’re leaving?” He stepped in and she closed the door.

“Might as well. There’s no wedding to plan.” She fought back the tears once again and crossed her arms. “What do you want, Luke?”

He walked over to her, standing inches from her. His eyes locked with hers.

“How’s your ankle?”

“Fine.” She challenged his stare. “Shouldn’t you be with your girlfriend?”

“She’s not my girlfriend. I made that up after I saw you kissing Drew.”

“What? Why would you do that?”

“I was jealous.”

Did she hear him correctly? He was jealous? “So you made up a girlfriend to get back at me?”

“Appears so.”

“That is so f’d up, Luke.”

“Not any more than you kissing my brother.”

“I only did that to prove a point.”

“Which was?” His eyes dared her to confess.

She accepted his dare. “This.” She grabbed onto his shirt and attacked the buttons. Reaching the last button, she walked behind him and yanked it off.

No tattoo. She ran her hand up and down his flawless back.

Luke turned around and pushed her gently up against the door, holding her hands over her head. She could feel his breath on her lips.

“I have a plane to catch.” She let her fingers slide into his.

“Not anymore.” His lips came down nearly meeting hers. “Not tonight.”

“You’re really not interested in Olivia?” There was no way she was going to let this go any further if he was.

“No.” He laughed. “Not in the slightest.” He nuzzled her neck. “You’re really not interested in my brother?”

“No,” she giggled. “Not in the slightest.”

His lips landed on hers, and there it was, the kiss that had shot her into another orbit the first and second time she experienced it. There was only one Cannon twin that could do this to her, and she now knew which one it was.

He continued to kiss her and she responded, letting him go deeper. He was the first to break contact, whispering in her ear. “Kate, I’m going to make love to you now.”

She smiled. “Do you always make that declaration?”

“I want my intentions to be clear.” He kissed her neck and then picked her up off of the ground, carrying her over to the bed.

She ran her hands all the way up his body, finally touching his handsome face. She studied it for a few seconds. Her fantasy with the mysterious stranger was about to come true. She kissed him as they sunk into the bed.

Kate rubbed Luke’s muscular arms that were wrapped tight around her as they spooned. If this was what it was like to feel incredibly happy, she never wanted to let go. “Are you up?”

“Ready if you are,” he whispered into her hair.

She laughed. “That’s not what I meant. Are you awake?” She wiggled her body to face him.

He smiled and stroked her cheek. “Hi.”

“Luke, I’m sorry.”

“For what?” he asked. His voice showed concern.

“All of this. Kissing your brother and ruining his wedding.”

“It’s not your fault. Drew’s had cold feet for quite some time. You were just the catalyst for a conclusion he should have come to a long time ago.”

“Really?”

“Really. That’s why I wasn’t next to you when the plane landed. Drew begged me to sit with him to talk. He told me then he wasn’t sure he could go through with the wedding. I just thought it was cold feet.”

“And now.”

“It’s over.”

“Wow. So there’s no chance that they will make up?”

“No, I don’t think so. At least not anytime soon.”

“Oh.”

He put a finger under her chin and lifted it up. “It will be okay, Kate. You won’t lose your job over this. I’ll make sure of it.”

“I don’t mean to sound like a jerk. If they aren’t meant to be together, then it’s probably a good thing … for both of them. It’s just this wedding was a really big deal to Tie Your Knot. My boss and a ton of paparazzi are arriving tomorrow. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

He chuckled. “We could ask our parents to get married.”

She sat up and looked over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes. “Tell me you’re not serious.”

“Think about it. My dad’s got way more money than the Kincaids and your mom’s already said yes.”

“Not to get married in two days, she didn’t.” She turned her head away and swung her legs over the bed, planting her feet on the ground.

Luke sat up and began massaging her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to upset you. It was a bad idea. Let’s forget about it.”

“No, it’s … well it’s been my mom and me for so long. She hasn’t always made the best decisions in the love department, and now she’s engaged after only a month.”

“Do you think she’s making a mistake with my dad?”

“Yes.” She shook her head. “No … I don’t know. She seems really happy and I do like your father.” She turned and leaned over, giving him a soft kiss. “I know how tough things have been for your family losing your mother. I’m just not sure my mom’s ready to be engaged.” She sighed. “Who am I kidding? I’m not sure I’m ready.”

“My dad’s a great guy.” He lied back on the pillows, and pulled her into his embrace. “He won’t hurt her.”

She wrapped her arms around him. Doing so felt like the most natural thing in the world. “You do realize you would become my stepbrother?”

His eyebrows burrowed. “I forgot about that. Maybe we should encourage them to wait.”

“Agreed,” she murmured and inhaled his delicious scent. They laid in silence for a few minutes. She could feel his heartbeat on her bare chest. It had synchronized with hers.

“Now it’s my turn.” He stroked her hair. She’d never tire of the feel of his hands on her.

“Turn?”

“To say I’m sorry.”

Kate positioned her head and saw the sincere look of regret on his face.

“I never meant to lie to you. You seemed so terrified when we first met. I thought it would be easier to say I was Drew than tell you that you’d freaked my brother out and he begged me to switch seats.”

She laughed. “Is that what happened? Was I really that bad?”

“In a completely adorable way.” He chuckled. “I didn’t plan that kiss. Don’t get me wrong. I’m so glad it happened, but then I find out that you’re my brother’s wedding planner and that you pretty much had the hots for him.”

“Wait, Let’s clarify. I had the hots for you. I only thought those feelings were for Drew.”

“I was being completely stupid. Then when you said Drew’s name in the waterfall … well … I thought that after deceiving you, you’d never be able to fall for me like you had him.”

Kate grinned. “I hope tonight cleared up that misconception.”

“I think it did.”

“Still, if you need more convincing … ” She ran her foot along his muscular leg. Oh, did she hope so.

“I just might.” He sat up. “Wait, I have something for you.”

“You sure do.” She pulled herself up and began rubbing his back, giving his shoulders a squeeze.

He jumped out of the bed and slipped on his boxers. “You’re going to love it.”

She groaned, laying back down and propping up on her elbow. “Where are you going?”

“To my room. I brought it from headquarters. It’s in my suitcase.”

She loved seeing him so giddy. What on earth could have he brought her from his toy store that he must retrieve now. Oh crap. What if it was toy handcuffs or some other ridiculous fetish? She watched as he dressed. Would this night get a little
Fifty Shades
?

“I’ll be back before final descent.” He leaned down and gave her a quick, gentle kiss.

She raised an eyebrow. “Is that what guys are calling it these days?”

“No. It’s what I said to you before I left to sit with Drew. You were sound asleep.”

Kate sat up and grabbed Luke’s hand, guiding him back to bed. “You know. I have it on good authority that this time it’s going to be a slow, gradual descent.” She unbuttoned his shirt. He wasn’t going to need it anytime soon. Whatever he wanted to retrieve from his room could wait.

Luke laughed. “Long and slow, huh?” He gave in, letting her undress him.

“Oh, yes.” She peeled his shirt off. Kissing her way up his neck, she whispered in his ear. “Very slow. It could take hours and I’m going to need a co-pilot to land this.”

Kate stretched out on her bed, letting the sunlight warm her face. Her body ached but in a ‘just had a night of hot sex with the most amazing guy in the world’ kind of way. The best way as far as she was concerned. She reluctantly let Luke leave her bed earlier this morning to check on Drew and then talk to Olivia. He promised that tonight would be exactly like last night; only start much, much earlier.

That was a promise she intended to hold him to. She inhaled his cologne lingering on her pillow. Luke was probably talking to Olivia at this very moment. He assured her that his ex would understand and might find it humorous.

According to Luke, the breakup had been hard, but they were now friends. Still, it couldn’t be easy for Olivia having her former lover be her boss’s son. Kate hoped he was right and there wouldn’t be any awkwardness when Olivia learned that Luke and she were together.

She jumped out of bed and headed for the shower. It was time to get started on her own damage control. First, she needed to meet Miles and come up with a new game plan. Janet’s plane would land this afternoon. Kate regretted her decision not to call her boss yesterday and break the news. Now, what were the odds of Miles and her finding an A-list celebrity couple vacationing in Hawaii and talking them into a quickie wedding that was already planned with paparazzi and all?