Chapter Two
Daisy tucked the last bud of pure white baby’s breath into Alex’s hair, then stood back to assess her handiwork. Everything had to be perfect for her best friend’s wedding.
Alexandra Romano, soon to be Alexandra Yates, was the most beautiful woman Daisy had ever seen. With blond hair, blue eyes, and a slim, graceful figure, she looked just like a modern-day Grace Kelly. The classic up-do that had taken over an hour to create framed her friend’s lovely face with cascading blond ringlets. She really did look like a Scandinavian princess, as her fiancé, Gray, liked to say.
I could only look this good in my dreams.
“My work here is done.” A lump formed in the back of her throat as her eyes met Alex’s smiling blue ones. “You look stunning.” She swiped at the unexpected tear rolling down her face.
“Don’t you dare cry on me.” Alex blinked rapidly. “It will only make me cry, and then you’ll have to do my makeup all over again.”
Alex reached for Daisy, and the two women hugged each other tightly, sniffling the entire time. Daisy took a deep breath, then stepped away before she really did smudge Alex’s makeup or muss up her hair.
“The gown is amazing.” She leaned down to smooth out the long, flowing skirt. “You look better than Barbie did when she married Ken.”
As Alex laughed, Daisy reexamined the ivory Oleg Cassini wedding gown with the same critical eye she’d give any arrangement before it walked out the door of her Manhattan flower shop.
The dress was a classic silk A-line with richly textured, hand-beaded, corded lace appliqués on the bodice. Slim straps set off Alex’s delicate shoulders, and a sweetheart neckline dipped down just enough to expose a tasteful amount of cleavage.
“The way that dress hugs your body, it’s a good thing Gray won’t see it before the wedding.” She bobbed her eyebrows. “Or you guys might not make it to the altar.”
Alex gasped as she smacked Daisy’s shoulder. “It’s not that low cut.” Her eyes widened. “Is it?”
“Relax.” Daisy laughed. “It’s the perfect blend of beautiful, sweet, and sexy. I only meant that when he sees you walking down the aisle his man-brain will be torn between how elegant and exquisite you look and how much he wants to tear that dress off you so the honeymoon can get rolling.”
“You’re sure?” A slight wrinkle marred Alex’s forehead.
“Positive.” She grabbed one more bud of baby’s breath and tucked it into Alex’s hair. When it came to all things floral, Daisy was a perfectionist.
A loud pop came from the other room, followed by giggling.
Alex nodded to the open doorway that led to the chapel’s other ready room. “Sounds like Cassie, Moira, and Emily cracked into the champagne already.”
Daisy was grateful that everyone in Alex’s bridal party was such a gem. It had made her job as maid of honor that much easier. Alex’s sister-in-law-to-be, Cassie Flannery, was a woman after her own heart—full of energy and oozing warm friendship. Hopewell Springs’ Police Chief Michael Flannery’s sister, Moira, was now Daisy’s new foodie bestie, and even Alex’s twenty-something designer assistant, Emily, was fun to have around, although the girl was constantly on the make.
“You want me to get us a couple glasses?” She turned to head for the door. Though it was only ten in the morning, she could use a little liquid courage. In less than an hour, she’d have to face him again—Detective Dominick Carew. He’d been oddly absent last night at the rehearsal dinner so today would mark the first time she’d seen him in six months, and only the second time since they’d slept together a year ago.
Her insides were already clenching with an odd combination of anger, anxiety, and butterflies. The anger she totally understood. It was the other two unexpected emotions that had her stumped.
“Stay here with me.” Alex grabbed Daisy’s hand. “Moira and Cassie will bring us champagne soon enough. I asked them to give us some time alone.”
“Are you okay?” She squeezed her friend’s hand.
“Never better.” Alex sighed and got that dreamy, faraway look that told her she was thinking of Gray.
I wonder if I’ll ever feel that way about someone.
She choked down a tiny sob, covering it up by pretending to clear her throat with a tight cough.
More giggling from the adjacent room seemed to shake Alex from her dreamy reverie. “So where was I?”
“Never better,” Daisy prompted. She really was happy for Alex. If she could find even half the love and joy that her friend had with Gray, she would be beyond thrilled. If only Dom could have been more like Gray. Loving. Honorable. Loyal.
Not a chance with that guy. I sure can pick ’em.
“I have my something old from Gray’s mother.” Alex touched her fingers to the vintage hair clip studded with white cloisonné flowers and clear rhinestones that Daisy had artfully used to pin up Alex’s hair. “My something new.” Her graceful fingers skimmed the pearl and diamond necklace twinkling at her throat and the matching earrings. A gift from her fiancé. “My something borrowed,” she continued, holding up her wrist to which Daisy had clipped an exquisite antique diamond tennis bracelet intermingled with tiny pearls.
The bracelet had been Daisy’s mother’s, one of many expensive pieces her father had given her mother before they’d both died in a train derailment when she was eleven. Daisy loved the bracelet but hardly ever wore it, preferring larger more colorful statement pieces that seemed more appropriate for her size—five foot nine and busty.
“And lastly, my something blue.” Alex held up her other wrist, showing off the silver and blue charm bracelet that Alex’s eight-year-old son, Nicky, had given her.
“You’re all set. Tradition has been dutifully complied with.” And now I could really use that drink. Again, she turned to fetch them both a glass of champagne.
“Not so fast.” Alex grabbed Daisy’s arm. “I know it’s going to be hard on you today. Seeing Dom again after all this time.”
“No it won’t. I’m fine. Really.” Not. No matter how hard she tried, it was impossible to forget how badly he’d hurt her. Or how horrible it had been to wake alone in a cold bed and discover that he hadn’t even left her a note.
Noticing the concern in her friend’s eyes, she took a deep breath and smiled. “Please don’t worry about me. This is your day, and you deserve everything wonderful that’s coming to you.” A major understatement.
If it hadn’t been for Gray’s incredible bravery, Alex and her son wouldn’t be alive. Gray had saved Alex from being burned alive by a Pyramid assassin, then gotten shot in the process of saving Nicky from Alex’s ex-husband. If Gray hadn’t gotten Nicky to a doctor in time, the little guy would have died of the rare illness he suffered from. Thank God Gray had found them both. Daisy didn’t know what she would have done if she’d lost either of them.
“Thank you.” Alex gave her a sympathetic look that she knew was meant to make her feel better, but unintentionally made her feel pathetic. “You deserve the kind of happiness I found with Gray, and one day you’ll have it.”
I doubt it. Daisy began to shake her head.
“Yes, you will.” Alex took both of Daisy’s hands in hers. “I love you, and I’m here for you. My marriage won’t interfere in our friendship.”
“Well, maybe during the honeymoon it will.” She laughed to cover her emotions. She fervently hoped Alex and Nicky would continue to be a part of her life. Being alone was something she wasn’t looking forward to. She’d been alone since her parents had been killed and her grandparents had dumped her with a foster family.
Smiling, Alex turned to pick up a small, green velvet jewelry box from an adjacent table and handed it to Daisy. “This is for you from me. A small token of our friendship, our love, and yours.”
“My what?” She eyed the box speculatively.
Alex rolled her eyes. “Just open it.”
She flicked open the lid, and her eyes immediately began to fill. Resting on the dark green velvet was a gold locket on a fine chain. She opened the locket. On one side was a tiny photo of herself, Alex, and Nicky. The other side of the locket was empty.
“The empty side is for that special someone.” Alex took the box from her hand, extracted the locket, then came behind her and linked it around her neck. “He’s coming for you. I know it. I feel it.”
She turned to see Alex’s eyes shimmering and pulled her into a fierce hug. For the briefest of moments, she dared to believe there really was hope. Her friend’s optimism was so contagious it was impossible not to. A second later that tiny sliver of hope died an abrupt death.
I can’t put myself out there again.
She’d done that once in her life, and look where that had gotten her. She’d fallen prey to the oldest male trick in the book. What she’d thought was incredible chemistry—something truly special—had been nothing more than an illusion, and she’d wound up feeling used and like a total slut for sleeping with Dom after knowing him for only a few hours.
Even though they’d run into each other twice in the last year, they hadn’t spoken a word about what had happened either time. And she hadn’t slept with any man since. She couldn’t. The experience had totally shattered what little self-confidence she’d had, and now she felt as if she were starting at ground zero all over again.
She didn’t know exactly where her lack of confidence and self-esteem came from. Yes, I do. It came from what her grandparents and the rest of the Van Rensler clan had done to her. And as a result, she’d learned to put on a happy, smiling façade and get what she needed from people without having to emotionally invest.
Never again. Ever.
Unwilling to spoil Alex’s moment, she abruptly ended their hug. “I think I’ll get that champagne now.”
As they broke apart, she couldn’t bear to look at her friend’s face. She knew what she’d see. Sympathy. Alex knew everything, including what had happened between her and Dom. Alex had later tried to convince her that Dom wasn’t such a rat bastard, but Daisy knew better. Dominick Carew had suckered her in, made her feel like they had a connection that only came around once in a lifetime, then left her bed in the middle of the night without so much as a gee, you were great in the sack, babe.
Inside the little chamber adjacent to the bride’s ready room, Cassie, Moira, and Emily were busy clinking glasses and sipping champagne.
“Is she all set?” Cassie asked, looking radiant in the long, pink silk bridesmaid dress Alex had chosen for all of them.
Considering that five months ago Cassie had given birth to an eight-pound seven-ounce baby boy, she already looked svelte and fabulous again. Daisy had been looking forward to meeting the little tyke, but Cassie and Mike had dropped him off with Mike’s parents for the weekend.
“All set and ready for champagne.” Daisy plastered on a beaming smile that she so didn’t feel. She watched the other women grab their glasses and hustle next door to be with Alex.
She remained behind to examine herself in the full-length mirror, wishing she were slim like Alex, or lithe and athletic like Cassie, not tall and with more curves than she cared for. Not that she was fat. Hardly. Three Body Combat workouts a week, jam-packed with aerobic punches, kicks, and strikes kept her weight in check, but she’d never have that elegant style or delicate grace she envied. Alex had it. It was in everything her friend said and everything she did.
Her best friend was not only inordinately beautiful but innately kind, backed by an inner core of steel. That, at least, was one thing they had in common. Like Alex, she wasn’t the kind of woman to be shoved aside or walked on. Except for that one time when she’d let down her guard and gotten her heart stomped on by a pair of size twelve police-issued shit-kickers.
More like mashed into the ground.
Turning to the side in front of the mirror, she craned her neck to look at the back of her dress. It was similar to the other bridesmaids’ dresses, but instead of a sweetheart neckline hers had a V-neckline and crisscrossing back straps to accommodate her well-endowed bust. As bridesmaid dresses went, this one was quite flattering. And she had to admit she didn’t look half bad.
More laughter and giggling came to her ears from the room next door. Rather than partake of champagne, Daisy headed out to the church to check on the flowers she’d so painstakingly selected and adorned the pews and altar with.
From the back of the church, she breathed in the scents of polished wood and fresh flowers. All around her, the church was coming to life in preparation for the impending nuptials. The photographer and his assistants were busy setting up cameras and lights. The ancient organ piped in music from somewhere high above the rows and rows of pews. Every pew end was adorned with a cascade of white roses, orchids, stephanotis, and long, wispy strands of variegated ivy, all courtesy of her shop, Highland Floral.
She scanned the interior of Saint Bartholomew’s Church, Saint Bart’s as it was affectionately called. It was a lovely old church on Park Avenue in Manhattan. Built in 1835, with magnificent bronze doors, barrel-vaulted, stained-glass panels and windows, and the most beautiful bas-reliefs depicting the Old and New Testaments. The perfect setting for Alex and Gray’s wedding.
A few early guests mingled at the back of the church, waiting to be seated by groomsmen. Daisy frowned at one of the cascades that had come partially detached and hung at an odd angle from a pew end, threatening to fall onto the white aisle runner. As she moved down the aisle, her silk dress made delicate swishing noises. Several of the groomsmen waved to her from the altar, including Cassie’s husband, Mike, and Gray’s brothers, Nick and Jess. All looked incredibly tall and handsome in classic black tuxedos adorned with tiny red rosebud boutonnieres in their breast pockets.
Leaning down, she put her nose to the flowers, inhaling that wonderful, fresh smell she’d loved since she was a child. Her mother had always made sure there was a vase of pretty flowers in Daisy’s bedroom every day.
Watching Gray’s groomsmen together at the front of the church, she was reminded of how much fun they’d had at the rehearsal dinner the previous night. Not only were they all gorgeous to the max, they were funny, intelligent, and successful in various law enforcement jobs. Gray’s brothers were single, and they’d both flirted with her mercilessly, making her laugh more than she had in months, but there were simply no sparks. It was just as well, since the last time she’d been sparked, the results had been disastrous.
She was suddenly hit with a desperate longing, a veritable sense of loss for something she’d only experienced for a brief period of time and feared she never would again. A family of my own. Her throat began to close up, and she swallowed, fisting her hands. I will not keep doing this to myself.
It hit her hardest whenever she watched other couples or families with their children. She’d always wanted kids and to show them what it was like to be truly loved in a way she hadn’t been after her parents died. There were nights she wanted to scream from the awful emptiness and loneliness.
As she uncurled her fingers, white petals fell to the aisle floor from the rosebuds she’d crushed in her hands. “Shit,” she muttered, then began picking up the petals. After she’d collected every one in her hand, she rose and plowed into something solid.
“Sorry, I—” Her pulse began racing wildly. She’d known this moment would come at some point during the course of the wedding, but now that it was here she was totally unprepared for it.
Dom Carew gripped her upper arms to steady her. Heat emanated from his touch straight through her skin, lighting up every one of her senses as if her body had been in a deep sleep. Raw sexuality emanated from the man, and to her immense embarrassment, her cheeks instantly heated in response. He was all that she remembered…and so much more.
Gorgeous didn’t begin to describe the man. He was tall, around six-three, with broad, powerful shoulders that tapered to a trim waist. She already knew firsthand that his body beneath that tailored black tuxedo had nary an ounce of fat, including ripped abs, thick biceps, and long muscular legs. And he had the most amazing hands. Big and rough, but so unexpectedly gentle.
If anything, he appeared even larger and more intimidating than she remembered. With sandy blond hair, a chiseled face, and striking blue eyes the color of a clear sky, he totally had that whole Thor thing going on. Aside from the ginormous purplish bruise on the left side of his face.
“What happened to your face?” she asked as sanity took hold. Do not let him get to you. He may have shed his skin, but beneath that tuxedo he’s still a snake.
“Hazards of the job.” He grinned, revealing a set of even white teeth that completed his Thor-surfer dude look. “Miss me?”
“Like a bad case of poison ivy.” She twisted from his grip, dropping a few rose petals in the process and getting a good whiff of whatever pricey aftershave he wore that smelled all woodsy and manly. Damn, but why does he always have to look and smell so good?
He narrowed his eyes. “You don’t really mean that.”
“I do.” She took a step back, grabbing some much-needed space from the man she’d sworn never to acknowledge again for the rest of her life. “You truly are like a bad itch that won’t go away. I’m surprised you even showed up today, given how you blew off the rehearsal dinner.”
“Unavoidable.” His expression turned serious, and his brows furrowed. “But when it comes to standing up for my best friend at his wedding, I’m Semper fi.”
“Semper fi?” She let out a huff. “Doesn’t that mean, always faithful?”
“I’m impressed.” His voice seemed deeper to her than she remembered. “Most women don’t know Marine-speak.”
She shook her head. “You’re missing my point entirely. If there’s one thing I learned about you during our profoundly brief and completely unmemorable encounter, it’s that I’m certain you’ve never been faithful a day in your life.” Truthfully, she didn’t know whether she was more pissed at him for walking out on her after what she’d perceived to be a life-altering encounter, or at herself for being such a liar about the unmemorable part.
He clenched his jaw, making his face appear even more chiseled and masculine. “Leaving seemed like the best thing to do. For both of us,” he added.
“I can’t believe I ever let you inside my apartment, let alone—” Make love to me. A gross lapse in judgment was all it was, and she needed to get over it. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. “Oh, never mind.”
For a moment, he didn’t respond, then he took a deep breath, tightening his tuxedo shirt and jacket over his impossibly broad chest. “Can’t we try to get along for one day? For Gray and Alex’s sake? Because like it or not, the maid of honor and the best man are fated to have at least one dance together. It’s tradition.”
“Oh, no.” She waved a finger at him. “To hell with tradition.”
“Not gonna happen, sweetheart.” The corners of Dom’s mouth lifted. “I’m a traditional kind of guy.”
“I seriously doubt that.” Or he wouldn’t be sleeping around with so many women. Including me, dammit.
“It’s true. Ask around.” He extended his arms to encompass the church, which was beginning to fill up with guests.
“Nice shiner, Carew,” one of the men said as he walked by. “Fall down drunk again on the job?” As the guy continued down the aisle, he shot Dom a nasty look over his shoulder.
“What was that about?” She’d sensed real hatred coming off the man.
“Nothing,” Dom said, although from the hard line of his jaw she doubted it was. “He’s just jealous because I’m the one talking to the most beautiful woman in the church.”
Do not fall for his insincere flattery.
Dom’s face really did look like he’d walked into a door. She was sure that whatever he’d done to get that way, he deserved it. But it did present a real problem. She wanted every aspect of Alex’s wedding to be perfect, including the wedding photos, which wasn’t about to happen with Dom’s face looking like purple mashed potatoes.
She rolled her eyes heavenward, thinking she must be out of her freaking mind. Because she couldn’t believe what she was about to do next.
Daisy tossed the crumpled petals under a pew, then sent out a silent prayer and grabbed Dom’s big hand, dragging him down the aisle. With every step they took, his hand in hers brought back unwanted memories. Of his fingers skimming over her belly and breasts to her nipples. His tongue deep in her mouth while hot flames licked her from the inside out. God help her, but she’d never forget what those strong, masculine hands had done to her body that one night so long ago.