I was getting to Talia.

She would never admit it, but I could see the truth of it in the way her eyes flared with unbanked desire, the way her mouth parted ever so slightly when I stood too close. And my personal favorite, that delicate slip of skin at her throat that fluttered like a butterfly’s wing in my presence. It could just be annoyance, but always the optimist, I like to think it was desire.

That’s why I was standing in the doorway to her office, watching her in a teal dress that clung to her hips and ass. It was a thing of beauty, round and heart-shaped. Just a bit more than a handful, her ass was pure perfection. Even though the dress stopped just above her knee, it looked as sinful as if she were naked. And then it happened. The moment she realized she wasn’t alone and froze with her ass aimed right at me, such a blissful few seconds.

But when she straightened up and turned, there was a war within me. Do I let my eyes drop down to her amazing tits that looked like a solid D cup, which is what my dick wanted, or do I keep my gaze trained on her face, so I could see that flash of lust and happiness when she saw me? It was a no brainer, my brain overrode my cock, reveling in that flash of emotion before it quickly disappeared from her sweet face.

“Hey Talia.”

“Lukas. What are you doing here?”

Not exactly a warm welcome, but I was tough. “I’m here because we have plans.”

Her auburn brows furrowed, and I lasered in on three little freckles on the bridge of her nose in the shape of a triangle. “No, we don’t.”

She took a step back when I moved forward, but my hands landed on her shoulders before she could get too far away and slid down her arms until her hands were inside mine. “Do you trust me?”

“Not in the least,” she laughed lightly, but she was shit at hiding her emotions, and I could see excitement shining in her eyes.

“Okay fine.” I rolled my eyes, ignoring the disappointment kicking my gut at her answer. “Don’t trust me, just come with me, and know that I won’t let any harm come to you.”

She sucked in a breath, and her raspberry lips curled up into a smile. “I can do that.”

Thank fuck. “Come on then.” I stood by the door, and when she was ready, kept my hand at her back until we were in my midnight metallic blue Porsche 918 Spyder.

“Of course you have this car,” she muttered as she slid into the passenger seat.

I kept quiet until we were on the road. “What do you mean?”

“You’re a cliché, Lukas.”

“Please call me Luke.”

“You’re a cliché, Luke. Rich, gorgeous playboy with the fancy sports car. Makes me wonder if you’re compensating for something.” I laughed and reached for her wrist. “What are you doing?”

“Letting you decide for yourself if I’m compensating.” Her whole body tensed, but my hold was light, and one gentle pull from her separated us.

“Not necessary,” she said, relaxing into the seat. “So, where are we going?” But I held her off with questions about wedding details, because I wanted this to be a surprise.

“We’re almost there.” By the time we arrived at our destination, Talia was anxious. Restless. She jumped out of the car and began to stretch, making my mouth water as her ass came into view again. I adjusted my pants before she noticed.

We were an hour outside the city, the air was fresh and dewy, and I knew the moment Talia spotted the church. “It’s gorgeous!” She grabbed at my arm, looking up at me with a wide-eyed smile that hit me right in the cock. “Look at those stained glass windows,” she pointed as I pulled her along, towards the entrance. “Oh my!” She ran up ahead and ran her hands along the thick wooden doors with the oversized steel handles. “Wow, just wow!”

I caught up to her, and pushed the doors open with a flourish as though I’d done something great.

“Go on in, you know you want to.”

She hesitated for one second and then dashed in, taking in all the details carved into the wooden pews, the imagery in the blue, red and yellow stained glass windows. The sun sent in thick shards of light, giving the pulpit an unusual glow.

“How did you find this beauty?”

“Someone I know mentioned it was available.” She didn’t need to know that I’d put out feelers for wedding locations even among my former bedmates. I didn’t owe Talia an explanation, but I felt like I did, and that irked me. I stood by the door watching her take in the view, walking down the back hall to check out the other details.

“A bridal suite!” Yeah, I’d done a good job. The smile she wore when she came back was evidence of that. “It’s perfect. I took a thousand photos, but I know Poppy will love it.” She stepped outside and looked at me. “Do you think it would be too much to ask people to drive to another location for the reception after driving all the way out here for the wedding? Maybe we could charter a bus or something.”

“Stop right there. No one is showing up to my brother’s wedding in a fucking bus.”

“Snob.”

I rolled my eyes. It might be true, but I was also right. “This is a friends and family event, no networking, or media, or any of that bullshit. The church won’t fit more than a hundred, maybe one hundred and fifty people, so if we need to, we can get a fleet of limos, but we might not have to.”

I loved that shocked look on her face, when her plump lips formed a sexy little ‘o’. I imagined she’d wear that same expression the moment she came undone around my cock. I would have loved to look at her longer, but we had a long walk ahead, and I didn’t think her fuck-me heels would manage in the dewy grass, so I scooped her up into my arms.

“What in God’s name are you doing?!”

“Pay attention, Talia. And don’t swear, we’re in front of a church.” I whispered in her ear, nipping it and enjoying the shiver that rolled up her body. My body practically vibrated from having her lush curves in my arms. Her squirming wasn’t making things better, but I was a fit, and soon we were at our next location. I set her down, so we were face to face. “Okay, keep an open mind, and let me know what you think.”

She turned and sucked in a breath while I held mine, waiting for her to say something cutting, something guaranteed to put me in my place.

“It’s perfect.” Her smile was satisfied, and I finally exhaled. “We have a lot to do to get it ready, but it’s doable. Totally doable. This is…so great, Luke.”

That smile right there, it made me feel ten feet fucking tall. For once. “See, I’m not totally useless.”

She frowned. “I never said you were.”

That was true, she was never that openly rude. “You didn’t have to,” I grumbled and headed back to the car.

I hated that I let Talia’s words get to me. It’s not like I expected her to fawn all over me just because other women did—all other women did—but I was charming and handsome, with the cherry of being rich on top. Besides all that, I knew Talia wanted me too. Maybe it was pride or ego, or maybe I needed to just move on.

I would, too. As soon as I fucked her and got her out of my system.

“Okay, what’s going on Luke? All of a sudden I have the ability to hurt your feelings?”

I snorted, angry and simmering. “Don’t flatter yourself sweetheart.”

“Good,” she spat at me. “Then stop acting like a baby. We have a lot of work to do, and it’d go a lot faster if you weren’t sulking the entire time.”

I should have been pissed off, at least offended by her harsh words. But I wasn’t. I was amused and impressed. I was turned on. “Just because you don’t like me Talia, doesn’t make me a bad person.”

“I don’t think you’re a bad person, and I don’t dislike you either.”

“I call bullshit. You go out of your way to let me know what you think, and that’s fine, you don’t have to like me. Just don’t disrespect me.”

I realized being an asshole wouldn’t get me what I wanted. To part those creamy thighs, I would have to pursue her. I hadn’t chased after a woman in a long time, but the challenge might be nice.

“I wasn’t trying to, but I’m sorry Luke. You act like nothing can get to you, so I guess I just assume it’s true.”

“Have dinner with me.”

“What? No. That’s not a good idea.” She shook her head and continued to mumble about what a bad idea it was, trying to convince herself more than me. “A very bad idea.”

I smiled. She was nervous. Good. “It’s a great idea. We can eat while we work. We have a lot to accomplish over the next few months and it’ll be easier to get it done if we do it more than one hour at a time.”

“And how do you propose we spend five hours working at a table at some exclusive restaurant downtown?”

I grinned. “You’re right. I’ll make us dinner at my place.” She opened her mouth, and a strangled sound came out that made me chuckle. “Can’t think of a good reason to say no?”

“No, dammit.”

I laughed outright that time, not even giving a damn when she smacked my chest or pinched my arm.

“Good. I’ll see you at six.”