Annie decided not to mention that her glow might already be fading because she no longer had a ticket on the sex train. Last night had been an unexpected bonus, but she and Jeremy had come to the end of the line. The finality of that hadn’t hit her yet, but she knew it would, probably about the time she saw him this afternoon looking yummy in his tux.
‘‘I wouldn’t count on Isabel to find you a guy,’’ Annie said to Gwen. ‘‘I like your Internet plan to locate a Frenchman much better.’’
‘‘Yep, me, too. Well, gotta go. I have white roses to arrange. I just wanted you to know the good news about the great penis caper.’’
‘‘Thanks.’’ Annie was smiling as she hung up, but as she thought of what lay ahead, her smile faded. In a matter of hours she and Jeremy would have to go through the charade of pretending to be casual lovers when they were no longer lovers at all.
And as for the casual part, it had never been that. She was through kidding herself. She was in love with him. But that didn’t mean she had to give in to that emotion, abandon her dreams and come back to Big Knob to be with Jeremy. She was tougher now. She could walk away.
After hurling in the bushes next to the lake road the night before, Jeremy had figured he’d have to battle a stomach flu all day today. But once he’d left the lake area, he’d been fine. Well,
fine
being a relative term. Knowing he would lose Annie soon meant he might never be fine again.
Going to the lake had been dumb, anyway. He’d had some idea that he could sort things out if he went back to the place where he and Annie had first made love. But he’d forgotten his kayak, which was a good thing, considering that his stomach had been so messed up.
Fortunately, he was cured of the stomach problem now, so he’d been able to fulfill his duties as best man throughout the day, which mostly involved keeping Bruce sober. Jeremy and the two groomsmen, Jeremy’s buddy Sean Madigan and Jeff Brady, hung out at the bar playing pool. The guys let Bruce win a lot and monitored his beer intake.
It wasn’t the most fascinating day Jeremy had ever spent, but joking around with his friends had helped take his mind off Annie. Sort of. He’d still caught himself wondering what she was doing and whether she was thinking about him. He was glad he’d gone to her house last night and discovered she’d been as hot for him as he’d been for her.
Apparently she wouldn’t let that keep her from going through with her plans, though. If he’d hoped she’d call him first thing this morning and say she wanted to spend the rest of her days in Big Knob, it hadn’t happened. Barring that impossible fantasy, he would have liked her to call and say she’d come to her senses about the lake monster and was now doing an exposé on Dorcas and Ambrose.
But she hadn’t called with either news flash, which had left Jeremy free to concentrate on the grumpy groom. Nothing the guys dreamed up—pool, darts,
South Park
reruns—had improved Bruce’s sour mood. He’d spent the whole day complaining that this was the biggest mistake of his life. He was still babbling about it as he stood beside Jeremy at the altar of the Big Knob Interdenominational Church.
‘‘What kind of idiot gets married
before
he moves to Hawaii?’’ Bruce muttered under cover of the pre-ceremony organ music. ‘‘The minute I got that promotion, I shoulda broken off the engagement.’’
‘‘Hey, you love Melody. You guys will have a great time in Honolulu.’’
‘‘This was my chance to party, man. I blew it. I coulda had me a ukulele baby who knew how to hula and wore those sexy grass skirts and itty-bitty bikini tops.’’
‘‘Get Melody hula lessons and a grass skirt. You can have it all—a Hawaiian fantasy and safe sex.’’
‘‘Wouldn’t work. Melody has two left feet. Annie, now, would be great at the hula. That woman has moves.’’
Jeremy didn’t want to think of Annie dancing the hula. That image could leave him standing at the altar with an erection denting the front of his tux pants.
The organist switched to the processional. ‘‘This is it, buddy,’’ Jeremy said. ‘‘You’re up to bat.’’
Bruce groaned. ‘‘You got the ring?’’
‘‘Yep.’’
‘‘Shit. Wish you’d forgot it.’’
‘‘Shut up and smile.’’
Bruce’s dark-haired niece Emily, age four, trotted down the aisle strewing rose petals from a white basket. She flung them with enthusiasm, taking great wads and throwing them everywhere, including on the guests sitting in the pews.
Bruce chuckled. ‘‘Wouldn’t mind having a munch-kin like that someday.’’
‘‘See?’’ Jeremy relaxed a little as the first brides-maid, Bruce’s sister Georgia, walked slowly toward them in a pale blue dress. ‘‘You actually do want to get married.’’
‘‘I guess.’’
That was the most positive thing Bruce had said all day. Jeremy decided he might not have to put Bruce in a headlock to get him through the ceremony. ‘‘Think of all the good stuff you can look forward to.’’
‘‘Yeah. Melody makes great spaghetti. Lasagna, too.’’
Jeremy hoped Bruce and Melody weren’t basing their attraction mainly on Italian food. But then again, it wasn’t his problem. No, his problem had just walked in.
Annie stood inside the door of the vestibule poised to follow Melody’s best friend, Carol, down the aisle. Jeremy’s mouth went dry.
She’d complained about the peach dress, but it must be a girl thing, because Jeremy had never seen a more beautiful woman in his life than Annie as she started toward him. The dress’s scooped neckline revealed cleavage that made him remember every single time he’d touched her there, kissed her there, taken her nipples in his . . . No, he couldn’t think about that or he’d be in big trouble.
Maybe he could admire her hair, instead. The women had been over at the Bob and Weave for most of the morning, and these tricky arrangements must be the result. Annie’s hair had been caught up in some swirly deal on top of her head and decorated with rosebuds, but a few strands curled softly around her face and neck in the sexiest look Jeremy had ever seen. He wanted to kiss her so much he started to shake.
‘‘There she is,’’ Bruce murmured.
‘‘Yes.’’
There she is, the woman I love. But she doesn’t love me, at least not enough to hang around this tiny town.
‘‘She’s beautiful,’’ Bruce said.
Jeremy glanced sideways, not sure he liked the idea of Bruce describing Annie in that worshipful tone. But then he realized Bruce wasn’t looking at Annie. His gaze was focused on Melody, who stood at the back of the church, arm in arm with her mother.
Jeremy gave Melody a passing glance. ‘‘Yeah, she’s okay.’’ Then he returned his attention to Annie, who had taken her position on the opposite side of the altar.
‘‘Okay?’’
Bruce sounded angry. ‘‘What do you mean by
okay
?’’
‘‘She looks very nice.’’ Belatedly Jeremy figured out that Bruce’s devotion to Melody had finally kicked in.
‘‘She’s way more than nice. She’s
hot,
man.’’
At this point, Jeremy wasn’t sure whether it was wise to agree with Bruce or not. If he also proclaimed Melody hot, Bruce might punch him for being disrespectful of his bride-to-be, but if he said nothing, Bruce might punch him for lacking the proper admiration for his beloved.
Finally he settled on, ‘‘She’s perfect for you, buddy.’’
That seemed to work for Bruce, because he grinned. ‘‘Damn straight. I deserve a hot woman like Melody.’’
Jeremy wondered if he deserved a hot woman like Annie. From all the evidence, apparently not.
The ceremony passed in a blur, and before Jeremy was quite ready for it, he had to walk Annie, a vision of peaches and cream, back down the aisle. He offered his arm and she slipped her warm hand though. He could feel the burn all the way through his jacket.
The scent of the roses in her hair and in her bouquet filled his head with dreams of making love to her on a bed of rose petals. He made sure he kept his gaze far away from her cleavage. There was only so much a guy could take.
He ached for what he couldn’t have and had to swallow the lump in his throat before he could speak. ‘‘You look great,’’ he said as they walked past the applauding guests.
‘‘You, too.’’
‘‘Ah, it’s just a monkey suit.’’
‘‘You look good in a monkey suit.’’
The gentleness of her tone gave him courage. He turned his head but kept his attention firmly on her face. Anything below her neck was off-limits. ‘‘Thank you for last night.’’
Color bloomed in her cheeks, but she didn’t look at him. Instead she smiled at the wedding guests. ‘‘It was a crazy thing to do, wasn’t it?’’
‘‘Yeah, and I loved every minute.’’
‘‘How are you doing?’’ she asked softly.
‘‘Miserable. How about you?’’
‘‘I’ve been better.’’
They’d barely made it to the end of the aisle before Bruce’s sister Georgia swooped down upon them. ‘‘Pictures, pictures!’’ she said. ‘‘Everyone has to hurry over to the square for pictures!’’
In the hubbub that followed, Jeremy was separated from Annie for the short walk to the square. The picture taking was chaotic, too, and Jeremy wondered if that brief trip down the aisle would be his only private moment with her.
Eventually the pictures were all taken and the wedding party moved to the far side of the square, where white canopies had been set up along with round linen-draped tables surrounded by white folding chairs. The trees were strung with twinkling white lights and the DJ from Evansville had set up his sound system in the gazebo. A temporary dance floor was laid out nearby.
As dinner was served, Jeremy figured now he’d have a chance to spend some time with Annie. After all, they were sitting at the same head table. But each time he made an attempt to talk to her, she found a reason not to be drawn into conversation with him.
After the third coincidental interruption, he faced the truth—she was deliberately avoiding him. Moments after that concept registered in his love-besotted brain, he began to drink.
After the meal and the cutting of the cake, the dancing began. Annie had been avoiding Jeremy ever since she first caught a glimpse of him in the black tux with the dove gray vest and tie. She’d wanted him so much at that moment that she’d had trouble catching her breath.
Sometime during the evening his tie had come undone and now it dangled on either side of his shirt collar. He’d unfastened a couple of shirt buttons, and he couldn’t have looked more appealing if he’d tried. She was deathly afraid of what she might do if she had to be in close contact with him. Embarrass herself in front of the whole town, most likely.
Half the population of Big Knob was here, from babies to octogenarians. If she kissed Jeremy the way she wanted to kiss him, with open mouths and plenty of tongue involved, she’d shock everyone, plus she’d steal attention from Melody, which she’d promised herself not to do. But wow, did she want to kiss Jeremy.
Because of that, she was reluctant to dance with him for fear temptation would overcome her. But refusing to do that would have brought even more attention to the situation. When the DJ called for them to come out, she told herself to be strong and joined him on the floor. She’d stay for one dance, and one dance only.
‘‘Hey, schweet thang,’’ he murmured, gathering her close. ‘‘Wanna see some magic?’’ Then he pinched her butt.
She gasped. ‘‘Jeremy, you’re drunk!’’ She struggled to hold him upright as he staggered around the dance floor.
‘‘Mm-hm.’’
‘‘How much have you had, anyway?’’
‘‘Dunno. Lost count.’’
At least she didn’t have to worry about a hot French kiss in the middle of the dance floor. Jeremy wouldn’t be able to manage it without falling down.
‘‘You need coffee.’’ She steered him in the direction of the table where Madeline was serving coffee and wedding cake.
‘‘Nope. Need you. With nothin’ on. Nekkid. Hot.’’
His drunken mumblings shouldn’t have had the slightest effect on her, but between the tux and his rumpled, sexy appearance, she was an easy mark. Even totally smashed, he had the power to turn her on.
She pretended to be unmoved. ‘‘As blitzed as you are, you wouldn’t know what to do with me.’’
‘‘Would so. I know
zackly
what to do with you.’’ He leaned down and put his mouth close to her ear. ‘‘Screw you blind.’’
‘‘Stop it.’’ He’d never talked to her like that, probably hadn’t talked to any woman like that before. She ought to be highly incensed. She wasn’t. She liked the concept of Jeremy screwing her blind. But that wouldn’t be happening for a number of reasons, including how large doses of alcohol affected a man’s sexual abilities.
She noticed that Sean and Maggie were out on the floor. ‘‘Sean, could I get a little help, please?’’
Sean glanced over. ‘‘What’s the—oh, I see the problem.’’
‘‘No problem, buddy.’’ Jeremy’s grin was lopsided. ‘‘I be dancin’ with schweet Annie-fanny. She’s sooooo hot.’’
‘‘And you’re soooo wasted.’’ Sean put an arm around Jeremy’s shoulders. ‘‘How about if Annie and I buy you a cup of coffee?’’
Jeremy shook his head. ‘‘Don’ wanna sober up. Feel good.’’
Guilt washed over Annie in a huge wave. She was to blame for Jeremy soaking up the booze.
Nice going, babe.
She’d known from the beginning that Jeremy could fall hard, but had she worried about it? Not much, at least not as much as she should have.
Sean helped her lower Jeremy into a folding chair near the coffee and cake table. ‘‘I’ll get the coffee,’’ Sean said. ‘‘You stay with him.’’
‘‘Don’t worry. I will.’’ Annie pulled up a second chair and sat knees to knees with Jeremy. She took his hand and rubbed it, as if she could rub out all the damage she’d done. ‘‘I’m so sorry. I should never have allowed us to become involved with each other. Now I’ve hurt you.’’