Platinum Grooms: Pregnant at the Wedding. Sara Orwig

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      They danced around the floor in silence. Finally, she looked up at him. “All right, Ryan. We’ll have a real wedding night.”

      “Fantastic!” he exclaimed. His eyes glittered with eagerness and he gave her a dazzling smile with a flash of white teeth, creases bracketing his sensual mouth. “Aah, I’ll try to make you thrilled about that decision. I know I’ll be happy.” He pulled her close.

      An actual wedding night. She thought about the tempestuous weekend she’d had with Ryan with all inhibitions gone, and her cheeks burned.

      “Ashley …” He leaned back, starting to say something, and then his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “You’re remembering our weekend together, aren’t you?” he asked in a husky voice.

      She inhaled deeply and looked away. He tilted her chin up and gazed at her intently, with pinpoints of flame in the depths of his eyes. “I remember, too, and I want to love you by the hour. Ashley, this marriage can be damn good.”

      She closed her eyes, hurting inside. She wanted to shout at him that she needed love, not lust!

      She pulled away from him and left the dance floor, hurrying to the table. He caught up with her immediately.

      “Still angry with me?” he asked.

      “Of course I am! Ryan, what we’ve got is lust and nothing much else.”

      “If I really thought that, I wouldn’t go through with this marriage. But there are moments when your feelings for me do a complete turnaround. I think we can fall in love if you’ll give us half a chance.”

      They ate in silence for a few minutes, and then he put down his fork. “Ashley, I’ll pay for the wedding. I want to. I have enough money that you can hire who you need to get this pulled together in two weeks. Besides, since that’s your area of expertise, it should be easy for you.”

      Her appetite was gone, anyway, so she placed her fork in her plate. “I assume we’ll have a big wedding.”

      He nodded. “Afraid so. I have a lot of people I think I should invite.”

      “Our church at home isn’t large. It probably holds about five hundred.”

      He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll make a list, but I’m guessing about a thousand guests. Do you mind having the wedding at my church here in the city? We can go Sunday and you can look it over.”

      “It’s all right with me. My family will understand. So will our friends, and a lot of them will think it’s fun to come to Dallas for a wedding.”

      “I’ll put your family, other relatives and attendants in my hotel, whoever is in the wedding party or close to you. Whoever you want.”

      “That’s generous, Ryan.”

      He smiled. “I’m happy I can do something you like.”

      The man was a charmer, and she couldn’t resist him. Already her anger wasn’t as intense as it had been this morning. At least at moments it wasn’t.

      “The thought of doing it in two weeks makes my head spin.”

      “You’re a professional wedding planner. You’ll have all the money you want at your disposal. It shouldn’t be too difficult for you,” he remarked dryly.

      “How do you know you can trust me not to bankrupt you?”

      He smiled. “I suspect you’re way too practical, far too honest and fair and unaccustomed to living lavishly.”

      “You’re right,” she said in surprise, and he grinned.

      “See, Ashley, I’m getting to know you. If you’d set aside your anger, you’d get to know me.”

      “Oh, I’m getting to know you. Arrogant, self-assured—”

      “I remember your description,” he said, interrupting her as he stood and shed his coat, draping it over the back of his chair. “Since we’re not going to eat, let’s dance again.”

      He took her hand and led her to the dance floor for two fast numbers. She danced around him, watching his sensual moves, remembering his lovemaking, knowing exactly what he looked like beneath the brown slacks and snowy shirt.

      At one point he reached out and pulled the clip from her hair so her blond locks tumbled across her shoulders. Dropping it into his pocket, he continued to dance, never taking his gaze from her.

      How could she keep resisting him? she wondered. Even on the dance floor he was seductive, moving his hips in a sensual manner, while longing burned blatantly in his eyes. A band had appeared, replacing the piano player. The trumpet was loud and the drums had a throbbing beat that made her want to be as tempting to Ryan as he was to her.

      Then it was a Latin number, and his sexy dancing intensified as she circled him. Sweat dotted his brow and his gaze undressed and caressed her, while she forgot her anger and the wedding and their future. There was only music and Ryan. Locks of his black hair fell over his forehead and he unfastened the top buttons of his shirt, loosening his dark brown tie slightly. Every move he made was evocative and she was on fire.

      With a crash of drums, the song ended, and Ryan caught her, hauling her against him and leaning over her while he looked into her eyes. “I’m going to love you until you are drowning in need,” he whispered, making her blaze with desire.

      The band began a slow ballad. He swung her up and she moved into his embrace. Breathing fast, their thighs brushing, they held each other tightly. Fast and slow, the music played, and they continued to dance for another hour. Ashley was barely aware of anything around them—the other diners, the waiters, their table being cleared. Even the wedding had been temporarily forgotten.

      Finally, when a number ended, Ryan took her hand. “If you want to get back to Dallas, we’ll have to go now. Of course, if you want to stay the night, this is my hotel and we can have a suite.”

      She shook her head. “Let’s get back to Dallas.”

      They returned to the table so she could get her purse, then left the hotel and rode back in the limo to the plane. As the jet lifted over Houston and she saw the splash of twinkling lights, her gaze shifted to the diamond on her finger. In one unforgettable day her life had changed forever, taking a turn she’d never dreamed would happen.

      She was still stunned by all that had occurred, unable to lose her apprehension over Ryan’s arbitrary ways. His profile, his straight nose and firm jaw indicated his determination to get what he wanted in life.

      He was gazing out a window. He’d shed his coat and pulled off his tie, and had his shirt partially unbuttoned. She could see tufts of dark hair on his chest, and inhaled, remembering vividly how it felt to kiss and caress that chest.

      With his long legs stretched out and his thick hair tangled by the wind, he was blatantly attractive.

      She was marrying this man in two weeks! Whenever she thought about it, the realization stunned her. When he wanted something, he went after it exhaustively, and she’d better remember that. In this case, she knew it wasn’t a wife he wanted, but his СКАЧАТЬ