A month later, the two of us were married.

Ryder had suggested I hire Leo’s cousin Sienna to be our wedding planner, and since I had no idea how to plan a big society wedding on short notice, I’d agreed instantly. It was the best decision I made. Sienna knew every vendor in the city, and she was amazingly competent.

Which was good, because I was unexpectedly busy. The day after I signed the contract with Ryder, I’d gone to my boss’s office and offered my resignation. I’d hoped they would waive the two-weeks’ notice requirement, but instead, they’d begged for an extra week. “Please, Zoe,” the head partner had pleaded. “You’ve been here for eight years. You can’t just get up and walk away.”

I should have been more hard-hearted, but I couldn’t find the stomach to be stubborn. They’d hired me when I’d been desperate for the work. My fortunes had changed now, but I couldn’t abandon them.

Though it meant juggling college applications and wedding planning duties in the evenings, I’d ended up staying the extra week. I thought Ryder might have been upset, but he’d been called away to London for an emergency work trip and had been gone two weeks. He’d only flown back home last night, just in time for the wedding.

* * *

“That went well.” I slumped onto the couch in Ryder’s living room and kicked my shoes off. After the wedding, there had been hours of dancing. Sienna had found me a comfortable pair of heels, but my feet were still killing me.

“Your grandmother looked happy.” Ryder was standing by the window, a glass of scotch in his hand. “I didn’t get a chance to ask you. Did everything go okay with the property taxes?”

“I think so,” I said. “I mailed them a check. I tried calling them, but it’s still working its way through the system.”

“The city isn’t speedy in these matters,” he agreed. “We’ve been trying to get the next Drake Towers meeting scheduled, but the soonest they can do it is in five weeks. A ten-week delay.” He shook his head, his tone thick with exasperation.

“Sorry.” I couldn’t forget that it was my plea for a playground that caused the delay.

He looked up. “Don’t be,” he said. “That wasn’t a sly dig at you.”

He came and sat next to me on the couch, and pulled my feet up on his lap. His fingers started to knead at my soles, and I bit back a moan. God, that felt good. His hands were warm, and his touch was firm, and my body was reminding me that Ryder had been away for two weeks. I wanted him very much.

“Bianca Russo came up to congratulate me,” I commented. “I was afraid she’d give me the third degree, but she was very nice.”

“She was,” Ryder agreed. “She didn’t seem particularly suspicious, though I’m still wary of her. She’s smart, Bianca, and she doesn’t like being made a fool of.” His hand stroked up my leg, brushing up my calves, and I sighed and squirmed on the couch. My skin tingled where he touched me, and I wanted to throw myself at him like a mad woman. I held back, oddly shy. We were married now. Things felt different.

“You didn’t invite your friend Brad Wexley to the wedding.” Ryder’s voice was relaxed. “How come?”

“It just seemed easier to cut back on the drama. As it is, everyone’s already talking about the fact that I showed up to your town hall meeting and demanded you put in a playground.” That whole episode was the subject of intense gossip. More than one person had approached me about it. “How spunky of you, my dear,” one blonde socialite had said, her tone implying otherwise.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason Brad wasn’t at my wedding. I hadn’t talked to him since the day I’d stomped out of the bar. He hadn’t called, and I hadn’t either. I was sure we’d eventually get over our tiff, but I wasn’t yet ready for reconciliation.

Ryder chuckled. “Yes, it’s quite the story,” he agreed.

His fingers strayed higher, and I was having difficulty keeping my mind on track. “So what happens now?”

“Right now?” He grinned wickedly at me. “Right now, as beautiful as that wedding dress is, I think you should take it off.”

“Good to know.” My voice was tart, but I softened the bite of my words by smiling at Ryder. “I meant tomorrow. I guess I should move my stuff in here?”

“Mmm. I’ll get Paige to arrange for movers, but it won’t be tomorrow.” His gaze rested on mine. “Tomorrow morning, we’re flying to Paris for a honeymoon.”

“Paris?” I stared blankly at him.

His lips turned up in a smile. “I read the answers on your questionnaire,” he said. “You’ve always wanted to go to Paris. So, let’s go. The world expects us to have a honeymoon, and I could use a vacation.”

“You just came back from Europe yesterday.” There was a lump in my chest. He’d read my desires, and he’d acted on it. He didn’t have to. It wasn’t part of our deal. But he had anyway.

“Exactly. If I fly back tomorrow, I won’t have a chance to get on Toronto time.”

Paris. It was slowly sinking in. Ryder was taking me to Paris. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Zoe.” His hands cupped my face, and he kissed my lips gently. “It’s okay to relax a little. It’s just for a week. Your grandmother’s house is taken care of. Your college applications are in the mail. Let’s just go and have a good time?”

I forced a smile on my face. “Okay,” I agreed. “Paris sounds lovely. Thank you.”

But my heart was filled with trepidation. It wasn’t relaxing I was worried about. It was letting Ryder in and allowing myself to believe in his kindness. Already, I was looking forward to spending the next week in his company.

Our relationship was temporary, and I couldn’t allow myself to forget about it.