Without warning, he licked her right nipple. The unexpected contact made her shudder. Then he drew the tip into his mouth and sucked deeply. A second later, her orgasm burst to life, vibrating through her, making her writhe and cry out.

She rode the pleasure, pressing down on his finger. He replaced it with two, filling her more, letting her grind against him. Waves and waves of pleasure crashed into her, taking her along for the ride of a lifetime.

The sensations slowed, then gentled before fading. Katie felt at one with the universe and a little embarrassed by her out-of-control reaction. What would he think of her? That she was some sex-starved crazy woman? Self-doubt, her least favorite personal companion, slid into bed with them.

But before it could get comfortable, Jackson shifted so that he was kneeling between her legs. He parted her, pushed his way inside, and braced himself above her. It was only then she noticed his arms were shaking.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he asked as he filled her. "You could kill a man like that."

She stared up at him. Her first thought was that he was beautiful. Her second was to ask, "What are you talking about?"

He swore again, even as he pushed into her, then withdrew. "You were incredible. So sexy. I could feel you getting close, and then you were coming and I couldn't get enough of it. I don't know how long I can hold back."

He spoke with wonder, but there was also a guttural need. She felt it and saw it. Any lingering doubt faded. She absorbed the feel of him filling her over and over, shifted so she could wrap her legs around his h*ps and keep him in place.

"You don't have to hold back," she whispered, reveling in his urgency. "I want you."

She moved her h*ps in time with him, drawing him in deeper. She noticed his gaze kept dropping to her full breasts, moving with every thrust. Acting on instinct, she cupped them in her hands and ran her fingers across the nipples. Instantly he shuddered inside her and groaned out his release.

Later, when they were under the covers in her bed, tangled up together, he kissed the top of her head.

"I'm an idiot," he murmured.

"Why?"

"My mother has been trying to get me to ask you out for years. If I'd listened, we could have been doing this for a whole lot longer."

"I've resisted, too," she admitted, looking at him and smiling. "So we're both stupid. We could send small but tasteful gifts."

"Then they'd know we had sex."

"Based on what I know about my parents' sex life, I don't think that's a problem," she told him.

He laughed, then shifted so she was on her back and he was leaning over her. "Katie," he whispered, right before his mouth claimed hers.

They spent the night together, then woke early, showered and discovered a whole new level of fun with hot water and soap. Katie found herself leaning forward, arms braced against the tile walls, the water pounding on her back, while Jackson knelt between her thighs and used his lips and tongue to reduce her to a quivery mass. She returned the favor. By the time they stepped out of the steamy bathroom, she was hungry, achy and feeling better than she had in years. Maybe ever.

A quick glance at the bedside clock showed her that it was already past nine.

"Much as I would like to play with you all day, I have to get dressed," she told Jackson. "I have family stuff to take care of. The rehearsal is this afternoon and the dinner is tonight."

He kissed her nose. "I'll come with you."

She blinked at him. "To the family stuff?"

"Sure. I'll distract them with my wit and charm."

She touched his bare chest. "Or you could just take your shirt off. That will distract the women."

"I don't want Aunt Tully getting any ideas."

She pressed her mouth to his shoulder. "Me, either. I suspect a man is never the same after knowing Aunt Tully."

They were both still laughing when someone knocked on her door.

"Katie? Are you still in there?"

Katie winced. "My mom."

He grabbed his clothes and ducked into the bathroom. "I'll be quiet," he promised.

"Thanks."

Katie tossed her towel on the bed and slipped into her robe, then crossed the room.

"Hi, Mom," she said as she opened the door.

Her mother frowned. "You're still not dressed?"

"I, ah, didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"Me, either. All this stress. Swear to me you won't have a huge four-day event like this when you get married."

"I promise. It's not my style."

Her mother collapsed onto the chair in the corner and rubbed her temples. "It's a nightmare. In no particular order, Aunt Tully made a pass at Bruce and no one is sure if he took her up on it or not, Alex is missing and Courtney is having second thoughts. I've never been someone who medicates her way through life, but I'm thinking this is a good day to start."

Katie stared at her mother. Bruce was Alex's dad. And married. "You think Aunt Tully slept with the groom's father?"

"Honestly, I'm trying not to think about it."

"His wife can't be happy."

"She's not. Let's just say I asked the kitchen staff to inventory the knives until this is all cleared up. There was quite the shouting match this morning over breakfast. You should have been there."

Katie thought about what she and Jackson had been doing instead. "Yes, it's a shame," she murmured, trying not to smile at the memory. Just remembering was enough to get her body tingling. The aching parts of her might be sore but they sure weren't done.

She shook off the memories and focused on the problems at hand. "Is Alex really missing?"

"No one has seen him since the party. Apparently he was drunk."

Katie remembered his visit to her room. "Um, Mom?"

"What?"

"He came by here. He said he loved Courtney but he wanted to have sex with me."

Katie expected shrieking, but her mother only closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the chair.

"Mom?"

"I'm imagining myself in another place. A quiet place with running water and the sounds of happy birds. I am one with the universe."

"Can you be one with the universe and look for the groom?"

Her mother opened her eyes. "No, but you're right. Wedding first, breakdown second." She drew in a breath. "I know those two really care about each other. I've seen it and heard it and believe it. It's just they're both so dramatic. His car is still here, so he has to be somewhere. Maybe he went into the woods to sleep it off."

"Or be eaten by a bear. Didn't you say Courtney was having second thoughts? The untimely death of the groom would give her all the attention without the wedding."

Janis's mouth twitched. "Don't be mean."

"I'm just saying."

Her mother stood. "All right. I'll deal with Aunt Tully and Bruce. We'll leave Courtney to pout in her room. She always loved a good sulk when she was little and that hasn't changed. You go looking for Alex." Her eyes narrowed. "You're not still in love with him are you? If so, I'm not throwing you two together."

Katie thought about the delicious man hovering in her bathroom. How he made her feel when he was around. Jackson listened and appreciated her. He was magic in bed. Smart, funny, charming.

"It's not possible for me to be more over Alex than I am. He is complete history. Has been for months now."

"Good. Then find him and talk some sense into him. Use force if you have to. There will be a wedding tomorrow. I swear there will be."

"You go, Mom."

"Don't mock me. I'm a woman on the edge." Her mother gave her a brief hug, then kissed her cheek. "Thank you for being normal."

"You're welcome."

When her mother had left, Jackson came out of the bathroom. He'd already dressed.

"Looks like you're safe from Aunt Tully," Katie told him. "She's replaced you."

"So it seems. Do you really think she's sleeping with the father of the groom?"

"With her, it's not hard to believe anything."

He winced. "There are going to be some wild fireworks."

"There always are."

He grabbed her hand. "Want some help looking for Alex? Divide and conquer?"

"That would be great. I'll take the kitchen and the lower floors."

He nodded. "I'll change into jeans and check the grounds."

"Watch out for bears. You're pretty enough that they'll want you."

"No guy wants to be pretty."

She smiled. "It looks good on you."

"You look good on me."

He kissed her, then left. Katie stood there, wearing nothing but a robe, thinking this was probably the best wedding ever.

Seven

Divide and conquer might make sense, Katie thought a half hour later, when she'd dressed and made her way to the kitchens. But there was a flaw in the plan. A tall, red-headed flaw with long legs, a perfect pouty mouth and an ability to only think about one thing.

"You're with the wedding, right?" Ariel asked as Katie entered the kitchen.

Jackson's ex stood by a counter, carefully assembling a four-tiered wedding cake. Smooth, white fondant covered all the layers. Stacked trays contained already-made flowers in pale pink and yellow. Silver dots lined paper sheets.

"Yes. My sister is getting married."

"Good, so what do you know about Jackson? I saw you with him. You guys are friends?"

Katie thought about Jackson's intimate kiss that morning, in the shower. The way he'd pressed his open mouth on the most sensitive part of her. There wasn't an inch of skin he hadn't touched or tasted. He'd made her come in ways that were borderline illegal.

"We're friends," she said, hoping she sounded calm and slightly disinterested. Her instinct was to rip off Ariel's face, something the other woman might resist. And there was the cake to consider.

"Is he..." Ariel sucked in a breath. "Is he with anyone? We used to go out. I left him because I was stupid. Now I see we were great together. He's amazing, and I totally blew it. I made a mistake. I want him back."

Tears filled her perfect, almond-shaped eyes. No red nose and blotchy skin for Ariel when she cried, Katie thought bitterly.

What Katie wanted to say was that she and Jackson were together. Practically in love. Because they--

The world stood still. She'd heard the phrase, read the phrase, but this was the first time in her life she'd felt it. Everything stopped moving. There was total silence. Even her heart was quiet.

Practically in love? She couldn't be in love. She barely knew Jackson. Okay, yes, he was everything she'd ever wanted and nice and funny and kind. The man had agreed to be her date for the weekend because his mother had asked him. How many guys did that without being scarily attached to the mother in question?

If he was everything she'd been looking for and they had amazing chemistry in bed and he made her feel like a goddess, was it unreasonable to assume that there was the tiniest possibility that she was falling in love with him? Crazy, maybe, but possible?

The world lurched into place again.

"Are you okay?" Ariel asked.

"Fine," Katie murmured, feeling more than a little dazed. "I, uh, don't know anything about his love life." She was speaking the truth. Well, excluding his relationship with her.

While she was sure he wasn't seeing anyone seriously--his mother wouldn't have asked him to do the wedding weekend if he was--she didn't know about casual relationships. For all she knew he had a string of women lined up, waiting for their turn. If last night was only a sampling of his talents, then it made sense there would be plenty of takers.

Ariel sighed. "I want to talk to him. Explain. I want him back. I can't believe how stupid I was. A guy like Jackson doesn't come along very often."

"No, he doesn't," Katie said, backing toward the door. "You haven't seen the groom, have you?"

"No. Only your mom. She's really nice."

"We all think so. Thanks."

"Wish me luck with Jackson."

Katie waved instead, and left the kitchen. Dazed, she walked into the lobby, then out into the bright morning light.

She was falling in love with the man her mother had tried to set her up with a thousand times. Talk about ironic. Even more confusing was the fact that she couldn't begin to have any idea about how Jackson felt. Asking him was out of the question. She refused to be one of those scary, needy girls who wanted to talk marriage on a second date. She was used to hiding her feelings from the world. Why should this time be any different?

She glanced toward the hotel. Maybe because Jackson was different, she thought. Or maybe he wasn't. Maybe she was making too big a deal out of a great smile and even better sex.

Jackson didn't have to go very far to find the missing groom. He was passed out on a bench in an outbuilding probably used to store skis in the winter.

Jackson shook Alex's shoulder a couple of times. The other man groaned, rolled over and blinked sleepily up at him.

"Hey," Alex said, his voice hoarse. "I know you. You're here for my wedding. I miss Courtney. She's great. Have you noticed how great she is?"

"Courtney's amazing," Jackson told him. "And you're going to marry her tomorrow."

Alex slowly pushed into a sitting position. "I know. She's beautiful and stuff, but she can be selfish and it makes me crazy. Then I think about not being with her and it hurts to breathe. What do you think that means?"