10 Ways to Handle the Best Man (12 page)

The man gave a polite nod and set about putting his luggage in the truck. A light breeze brushed over Sabrina, pebbling the skin on her arms and making her painfully aware that she was standing out in the driveway with no shoes on, no knickers on and the thin satin of her maid of honour dress moulded by the breeze to her bullet-tipped nipples.

But when his attention returned to her and she opened her mouth to say that final goodbye, the joy at their embrace fading fast, he placed a palm on her cheek.

‘I’ve got a favour to ask you now.’

She closed her mouth, folded her arms across her chest to contain the sudden surge of anticipation. ‘Okay.’

She tried to swallow down the joy, the hope, the giddy rush of possibilities. They’d shared one hand grope in a restaurant, one cheeky sexting session, one endless night of hot, dirty, sweaty, mind-blowing sex, and a really spectacular, mind-altering kiss. But that was all they’d shared. And all they probably ever could share.

Because they lived on different continents, led conflicting lives. Because she still needed stability, security, safety—as well as hot, sweaty dirty mind-blowing sex—while he never even used the R word in jest. The prospects really didn’t look that promising when you considered their situation with any degree of pragmatism or practicality.

But then he said: ‘Come to New York with me. We’ve got a week before you have to go back to work. Let’s see where we’re going with this? Cos it doesn’t feel like it’s over to me.’

And then the weirdest thing happened: her mind stalled, completely, and her swelling, beating, frantically happy heart took over.

Fuck practically and pragmatism. If there was one sure thing the past week had taught her, sometimes you just had to go with the flow

She laughed, flung her arms round his neck, bounced up on her toes and kissed him hard.

He kissed her back, then held her waist, chuckling down at her. ‘I’m gonna take that as a yes.’

She nodded, her heart too full to speak.

‘Then put a damn fire under it.’ He swotted her bottom, the sharp slap sending the now very familiar sizzles migrating all over her body, and whipped his iPhone out of his pocket. ‘You’ve got ten minutes to pack while I book you a ticket.’

‘Oh, shit. I’ll never make it.’

But as she shot round, preparing to race back into the hotel and grab as much of her stuff as she could cram into her suitcase in ten minutes, his arm whipped out and he snagged her wrist.

‘Just one more thing.’ He dragged her back, tucked a knuckle under her chin and kissed her again. Clearly he was becoming a bit addicted to the sensation. She liked it, as well as the naughty glint in his eyes when he murmured into her ear, ‘Don’t bother to pack your panties. You won’t need them.’

She stepped back, fluttering her eyelashes at him, and grinned through the blush lighting up her cheeks. ‘Nothing doing, big boy.’

The naughty glint became a wicked twinkle. ‘I really hope you’re not planning to disobey me, Sabrina,’ he said in that deep, husky voice, that he had to know by now made every pulse point in her body throb in unison.

‘Well, now,’ she said, taking careful steps backwards, out of his reach. ‘That’s for me to know and you to wet your pants wondering about, isn’t it.’

‘Goddamn it.’ He made a dive for her and missed as she turned to run.

She was still laughing ten minutes and five seconds later as the limo sprayed pebbles across the lawn, speeding off to the airport—and Connor set about finding out the answer.

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USA Today
bestselling author Heidi Rice lives in London, England. She is married with two teenage sons (which gives her rather too much of an insight into the male psyche) and also works as a film journalist. She adores her job which involves getting swept up in a world of high emotions, sensual excitement, funny feisty women, sexy tortured men and glamourous locations where laundry doesn’t exist. Once she turns off her computer, she often does chores (usually involving laundry!).

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Heidi has a further 12 titles available as ebook that were published in Harlequin Presents and Presents Extra. Check out Harlequin.com

ISBN-13: 9781460324974

10 WAYS TO HANDLE THE BEST MAN

Copyright © 2014 by Heidi Rice

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