His Sister's Wedding (14 page)
Read His Sister's Wedding Online
Authors: Carol Rose
"Yes," she responded, feeling completely off-balance. Never had she expected a dinner
this elegant from Luke. He just didn't seem the type to wine and dine a woman.
Inside, the Chateau was lit by beautiful chandeliers and softly glowing candles at
every table. The tables were covered with linen and gleaming cutlery with sophisticated
flower arrangements gracing each one.
In the background, classical music played.
Lillie watched Luke as he spoke to the maitre'D
.
With his dark suit jacket molded across his broad shoulders, he almost seemed like
a different man.
Immediately, a waiter appeared to lead them to a table situated next to a great expanse
of window overlooking a garden. Spangled with a hundred hidden lights, the green lawn
ran down a slope to the edge of the lake. Beyond the shore, the water glittered like
black diamonds, reflecting a heavy golden moon.
The beauty of it caught at Lillie like a dream. She could imagine lovers lost in such
a place, winding their way through the trees and artfully arranged shrubbery.
After the waiter held a low-voiced conversation with Luke regarding which wine they'd
prefer, the man disappeared as quietly as a ghost, leaving them alone.
Luke stretched his hand across the table to clasp hers. "You look terrific." His smile
widened, the sudden devilish glint in his eyes more like the Luke she knew. "But I'd
have loved to see their reaction if you wore that red dress you tried on at the bridal
shop."
A startled laugh escaped her. "The waiter would throw a tablecloth over me."
"He doesn't look like he has much appreciation for natural beauty," Luke agreed, his
dark eyes skimming her face.
Lillie smiled self-consciously, unprepared for this new, almost gallant side of the
man who'd invaded her dreams.
"I was only teasing you the other day," he said softly. "I never meant to upset you
so much."
"You only meant to upset me a little," she concluded with a lift of her eyebrow.
"That's right," Luke chuckled. "For some reason, I like getting a response from you."
The heated look in his eyes seemed to scorch her.
Drawing her hand back to fuss with her napkin, Lillie searched for a smooth change
of subject. "So, are you making any progress with the vice-president of that company
you want to work with?"
He leaned back in his chair. "I'm almost finished with my proposal."
"What made you go into landscape design?" She'd wondered about that as her curiosity
about him grew.
"I fell into it." Luke shrugged. "I needed a way to work my way through college. Mac
McPherson gave me a job."
"But something made you stay in the field," Lillie persisted. "You got a degree in
it, right?"
"Yes." Luke's face turned thoughtful. "I like the solidness of it. Putting something
into the ground and watching it grow. I get to arrange each project the way I want
it and I get immediate results."
"You're not a desk job type," she murmured.
He shook his head, ruefully. "I'd go nuts. I don't mind the details of the office
stuff for the business, but I couldn't ever see myself working for some big corporation."
"Your wine, sir." The waiter appeared at the table.
Lillie watched Luke as he went through the ritual of tasting the wine.
She'd been wrong to dismiss him as a Neanderthal in the beginning. True, he did have
a problem sharing his emotions, but she couldn't doubt that he had passion. She saw
it when he talked about his work, the complete sense of commitment in his face. The
only subject that brought more conviction to his voice was Melanie.
Loyal to a fault--he'd jump off a cliff to save his sister. Why couldn't he find room
in his heart to forgive his mother? It was hard to make sense of the combination of
devotion and apparent callousness.
As she watched him across the candlelight, Lillie heard again his mother's words.
Bob is great at sweet words and big promises, but he isn't the type of man you can
rely on.
Certainly, no one could ever say that about Luke. He might have his faults, but unreliability
wasn't one of them.
More than once, Lillie had heard her mother giving thanks for her father's steadfast
nature. He'd remained committed to her in every word and deed through the toughest
of times.
"Would you care to order now?" Their waiter murmured.
All through dinner, Lillie puzzled over the thoughts chasing through her mind. Just
what was love? What made one man commit for a lifetime to one woman? In all her fantasies,
her dream lover poured out his emotions for her like a fountain--openly and without
reservation. Wasn't communication just as important to love as loyalty?
Eating her meal on auto pilot, she responded politely to Luke's conversation, but
her heart kept up its struggle. Everything in the atmosphere conspired to keep her
tangled up. The soft music and beautiful surroundings. The seductive garden in the
moonlight.
And Luke across the table, looking good enough to eat.
Lillie lay down her fork, giving up on any pretense of hunger.
"Luke!" An older man in a dinner jacket materialized beside their table. "Henri told
me you were here with your lovely date."
Luke stood to clasp the other man's hand. "How are you, Tom?"
"We're doing well," the man glanced conspiratorially at Lillie, "as you will see when
you get the check."
"I'm sure I will." Luke's smile was easy. "Tom, this is Lillie Parker. Lillie, Tom
Clarenden. He owns the Chateau."
"Nice to meet you," she murmured, wondering at the connection between the two men.
"Your gardens are magnificent as always," Tom said, nodding toward the window.
Luke laughed. "They're your gardens. I just planted them."
"You do more than that, my friend. You keep them groomed to perfection."
"I'm glad you're pleased with our work."
"Very pleased." The older man smiled at Lillie. "You must bring him back soon. This
is his first visit for dinner. He usually just comes here to work."
Lillie smiled back, unsure what to say. Would she and Luke even see each other after
the wedding?
The drive home was even more quiet. Unable to resolve the churning in her mind, Lillie
lapsed into silence.
"Are you sure you don't want to go dancing?" Luke asked as he pulled the car into
her drive.
"I'm really tired." She met his gaze briefly, her heart hammering at the warmth she'd
never seen there before. "But it was a lovely dinner."
Getting out of the car, she made her way up the sidewalk, his presence behind her
sending all her senses into chaos.
Her key slipped into the lock and turned smoothly.
"I appreciate you accepting my offer of truce," he said, his face intent in the glare
of the porch light.
He stood there, so solid and strong, an unspoken question in his eyes. She knew she'd
been too quiet all evening. Luke probably had no idea of what was going on in her
head.
Without thinking, Lillie slid her arms around his neck and reached up to kiss him.
His arms closed around her in an instant, bringing her up tight against his body.
What started as an impulse to reassure him, turned swiftly into something much more
potent. With his lips crushing hers, she felt the thunder of his heart through his
shirt.
Surrounded in his touch, the sweep of his tongue against hers, the heat of him flooding
her, Lillie kissed him for all she was worth. Luke so rarely needed reassuring; she
couldn't let the moment pass.
Pressed against him, her breath tangled in his, Lillie lost herself in him, felt herself
evaporate in the heat of his tongue against hers. For an instant, she knew completeness,
soul-deep connection, the marvel of union.
Pulling back minutes later, Lillie gasped out, "Good night," and fled into the house
before she surrendered to her desire. She wanted Luke too much, wanted...everything
with him. But would he ever allow himself to really love again?
* * *
Lillie shut the door to Luke's office. Tamping down her nervousness at seeing him
again after their date last weekend, she pushed up the sleeves of her pink top and
wished she'd worn something cooler over her leggings.
At least, she'd managed to anchor her riotous curls in a high pony tail--not the most
professional look, but better than having it escape into unruly ringlets.
Luke had been too much in her thoughts, staking claim to her dreams and disrupting
her peace of mind. All her preconceived ideas about love seemed tumbled by him, his
presence, his touch. She didn't know what to think anymore, only that he held an energy
that made her vibrate. Just coming here made her tremble in anticipation.
The office was empty, only the hum of the air conditioner giving evidence that someone
was still here on a Saturday afternoon. Opening a door at the back of the utilitarian
office, Lillie found herself in a store room, rimmed by heavy shelves stocked with
gallons of pesticides and fertilizers.
Wrinkling her nose at the acrid, chemical-laden air, she crossed to another door at
the back of the room.
A tall, open-air warehouse extended beyond the store room, consisting of a concrete
floor with a metal-frame roof supported by posts all around. The air was fresh here,
still thick with heat, but redolent of woodsy, earthy smells. Beyond neat piles of
bags and bales, Lillie saw rows of shrubs ready to be planted.
She spotted Luke in an instant, his head and torso visible through the taller shrubs.
Getting a grip on her unruly pulse, Lillie coached herself
That was the plan. Unfortunately, Luke had a way of disrupting the best of plans.
Just the thought of him standing on her porch, the faintest uncertainty in his eyes
after the fabulous dinner he'd arranged, touched her heart.
Lillie glanced around. The warehouse was empty except for Luke and herself.
Walking briskly down the wide aisle between the various stacks of landscape supplies,
Lillie tucked the cake design book more securely under one arm. As she came closer,
she saw that he was standing in the middle of some kind of display.
He looked better than fantasy, a t-shirt molding his broad shoulders, his muscular
thighs encased in well-worn jeans.
Luke stood, critically surveying what looked like a miniature lawn. Tastefully arranged
shrubs of differing heights and appearances were clustered around a square of artificial
turf, ringed by a stone fence. Bright flowers overflowed their pots and huddled near
a bench.
"Hello," Lillie called cheerfully, determined to get the better of her thundering
heart.
Luke swung around, startled out of his concentration on the project. A welcoming smile
dawned in his eyes. "Hi."
"I brought a sample book for you to pick the cake design." Stopping at the edge of
the artificial turf, she glanced around at the display. "I thought you did your landscape
designs on paper. Isn't this a lot of work to do for each new job?"
Luke shook his head. "It isn't for a job. I'm laying out a mock-up to photograph for
my proposal. A lot of companies want this contract. I'll have tough competition for
attention."
Glancing around the display, Lillie had to acknowledge his talent. The plants were
arranged in soft clusters, as if they'd sprung naturally from the concrete floor.
"What do you think of it?" He appeared at her elbow.
Something in his face caught her attention, a combination of focused concentration
and confidence. She'd seen the same purposefulness in him every time his business
was mentioned.
A sudden flash of irritation hit her, followed quickly by a spurt of humor. He was
serious enough about his own work, while not hesitating to view
her
work lightheartedly. When she thought about standing in the bridal shop dressed like
Scarlett O'Hara, she wanted to bash him with something.
Lillie put the sample book down on a wooden bench and pretended to give the display
studious attention. She might have accepted his offer of a truce, but that didn't
rule out a little pay-back. "Well," she murmured, "it's nice, but it needs something."
"It does?" Luke frowned as he scanned his design.
"Uh hmmm." She paced over to a graceful willow in a five gallon pot, trying to appear
as if she were deep in thought. "I know! You need an attention-getter. Something to
get the vice president to sit up and notice you. A gimmick!"
"I don't know," Luke hesitated. "This is a business contract."
"All the more reason to add a little pizzazz," Lillie insisted, keeping her face earnest
and her voice strong with enthusiasm. "Ultimately, you have to appeal to the company's
customer--women are the major household purchasers." She edged behind a thick border,
enjoying the sensation that she'd chosen to tight-rope walk over the tiger's den.
He made her want to push boundaries, to challenge him.
"And you think this design won't appeal to women?" Luke wrinkled his forehead, skepticism
evident on his face.
"I know!" Lillie gasped as if inspiration had hit her. "You could take off your shirt
and be working in the display photograph."
"What!?"
Clasping her hands in enthusiasm that wasn't totally feigned, Lillie continued. "You
could wear really short cut-offs and some work boots. Maybe have a bandanna knotted
around your neck. You could make this a selling point for your business--sexy gardeners!
The women customers would go wild!"
Across the booth, Luke glared at her with wrathful eyes. A short, disbelieving laugh
erupted from him. "You can't be serious."
"Oh, but I'm perfectly serious," she protested, fluttering her eyelashes at him. "Remember
the commercial a few years back with all those women gawking at that construction
worker on his soda break? The actor was drop-dead gorgeous. You're almost as attractive
as him." She struggled not to giggle at the expression on his face.
Something flickered in Luke's eyes, as if his sense of humor warred with his concentration
on the display.
"You could make it a theme on all your jobs," she chattered, staring danger in the
face heedlessly. "Hire great-looking hunks for your crew. You'll have companies flocking
to you."
A dawning smile tugged at the corners of Luke's mouth.
"This is my business you're making fun of," he warned her softly. "Don't you know
how sensitive men are about their livelihoods?"
"I don't know what you mean," Lillie fluttered, stepping over to place the bench's
bulk between them. "I'm just trying to be helpful. I'm just sharing my 'professional
romantic's' point of view."
Luke leaned forward, his body taut, arms braced on a section of stone fencing. "You
are?" His tone was soft, but fire lit his eyes.
Lillie took another step back. "Oh, yes. I know how important this is to you. I think
this bare-chested thing could be your ticket to phenomenal success."
Laughter bubbled in her, threatening to erupt as she spoke. "Bored housewives everywhere
would stand in line to hire you. All you'd have to do is flex a little."
"That does it." Luke vaulted over the fence toward her.
Self-preservation sent Lillie dashing in the opposite direction, skidding around the
display and turning to dodge through the stands of shrubs. Adrenalin, laughter and
excitement exploded in her chest, her breath catching with each giggle. She heard
him behind her as she veered around a stack of bagged pine mulch at the back of the
shed.
They circled the stack, facing each other, the predator and the prey, each focused
on gaining the advantage.
"I don't know what you're so upset about," she gasped as she dodged a bush. "You should
be complimented."
"I'm not upset," Luke growled, his face filled with menace, promise, and a joyful
exultation in the chase. "I'm very grateful for your help. I'll show you how much
when I get my hands on you."
Lillie's step faltered at the thought. Heat and hunger surged in her veins, a rush
of tumult that didn't still her laughter, but made her heart thunder faster. Quicker
than a flash, she ended the stalemate, rushing to the left, dodging between square
stacks of baled peat moss.
Knowing she'd caught him by surprise, she whipped around a high stack with a momentary
sense of safety. He couldn't see her here. Hesitating only a second, she ran around
the pile, hoping to confuse him by heading back toward the display.
Intent on reaching the display, Lillie shrieked in surprise when Luke grabbed her
from behind.
Laughing and gasping for air, she didn't resist as he hauled her around to pin her
against the tall stack of baled peat moss.
"Don't you know better than to mess with a man about his work?" he asked, close enough
that she could feel the warmth of his body. He held her there, trapped between his
chest and the earthy scent of peat, his strong hands inescapable.
Lillie stared up at him, not wanting to escape, feeling as if she were drowning in
sensation and longing. He loomed over her, the tug of his masculinity sapping her
of everything but a blazing hunger.
Laughter died as their gazes locked, smoldering coals bursting into flames between
them.
She met his kiss as he lowered his head. It seemed so long since she'd tasted his
lips, desire radiating from him. Luke dragged her to him, his powerful arms locking
around her body.
He kissed her like a man who'd discovered light and life, as if he'd never kissed
before and now found himself consumed in the activity. Pinned against him, Lillie
felt the swell and bunch of his shoulder muscles beneath the thin covering of his
shirt. Heat exploded between them, hotter than the Florida afternoon, soaking into
her body like an answer to an ache.
She'd never known there were levels of consciousness. Her whole focus was on his kiss,
but somehow her brain catalogued an array of incendiary sensations. The hardness of
his thighs against hers, the ragged thrum of his pulse where her hand rested on his
neck. He smelled of earth and man, a tangle of scents that filtered into her brain
like a drug.
Pulling her up against him more tightly, he stroked down her back, still mesmerizing
her with the silken fire of his mouth and tongue. Lillie found herself squirming closer,
an ache growing low in her belly.
It was uncharted territory--this kiss--undiscovered continents of sensation, as if
she'd conjured him from her own dreams.
She felt the sweep of his hand beneath her loose shirt, up her rib cage, as he nibbled
tenderly at her bottom lip. Her breath caught when he found her breast. Her brain
went numb as he caressed her sensitive flesh through her bra, his thumb passing over
the hard kernel of her nipple.
She might have whimpered when he tore his mouth from hers to trail a line of kisses
along her jaw and down her neck. It was hard to be sure of anything beyond him and
the way he made her feel. There might have been other sounds, but the roar of the
firestorm between them dulled her ears.
Arching into his caress, Lillie found herself tugging at his t-shirt, slipping her
hands beneath, to find his smooth, heated flesh.
She did hear his groan when she touched him. The sound sent a sharp flash of satisfaction
through her. He felt better than words, not silk or satin, just the addictive texture
of luscious skin over taut muscle.
Luke straightened then, recapturing her mouth in a driving, voracious kiss. Cupping
her bottom in his hands, he lifted her up, tight against him. The heat and hardness
of his desire beckoned her like a secret lure. He moved against her and Lillie felt
as if the universe might shatter.
Luke let her slide back down his body, his arms steadying her as her feet settled
on the concrete. Dark clouds of desire filled his eyes. She felt she would drown in
his hunger. His chest rose and fell quickly, even more rapidly now.
For a long, tense moment, their gazes met and tangled, desire and longing heating
the air. Lillie felt the hard thump of her heart, her body in sensual alert. Urgency
throbbed in her.
Need. In all the earth, only this man sent her over the edge, made her restless and
desperately hungry for his touch.
He stood before her, powerful and male, still holding her tightly enough that her
breasts brushed against his muscular chest. His eyes, dark and potent, seemed to call
her like a primal drum beat.
"Lillie," he said, his voice low and rough.
In that instant, she knew she couldn't walk away, couldn't turn from what burned between
them. It felt so right. So necessary.
Sliding her hands up over his powerful shoulders, she lifted her mouth to his. Tongues
tangling, she felt him lift her, turning so that she slid back, sitting up on another
stack of bales waist-high. Positioned between her spread legs, Luke held her, one
firm hand at her back, the other tunneled beneath her shirt. In an instant her bra
was loose.
All the while the magic of his mouth on hers held her enthralled, heating her blood
till she felt she was bursting into flames. Trailing hot, moist kisses along her neck,
his hand stroked her belly and sank lower.
Just as he bent, finding her beaded nipple beneath her shirt, his fingers brushed
the apex of her thighs. Lillie moaned, moving against him, clutching at his broad
shoulders like a drowning woman. Lapping and drawing at her breast, he stroked her
through her snug leggings till she cried out from the ache he created in her.
In an instant, Luke tilted her back, slipping her leggings and panties off with the
ease of a magician. She sat on the bales, her bare legs dangling, dazed and shivering
with need as he thrust down his jeans.
His erection sprang free, as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket and took out a
packet. Holding it up so she could see the condom, Luke's eyes glittered, hard and
fierce with intent.
Sheathed, he came to her, bending to take her mouth again, his hands cupping her breasts,
his thumbs brushing over her nipples till she moaned.
Standing between her legs, Luke eased into her, urging her forward with a hand at
the small of her back. She felt the heat and hardness of him, the joining of their
flesh.
Like an explorer claiming his own, he pushed into her dampness. Capturing Lillie's
cry of pleasure in another torrid kiss, he began to move against her.
She clung to him, lost in the sorcery of his body in hers, the thrusting of flesh
against flesh. He drove into her over and over, his hands bracketing her hips. Each
shift of tempo had its own bliss.
Lillie's head rolled back as wave after wave sent her closer to ecstasy. Nothing on
earth ever felt this good. Her hands clenched on his shoulders, she lost herself in
the rhythmic pumping of his body into hers. His slow, hard thrusts pushing her higher
and higher.
The harsh sound of his breathing, the shattering pleasure of their coupling. Every
sensation joined into one blazing, vivid moment.
Crying out, she felt herself splinter into a thousand pieces, hearing Luke's hoarse
cry of exultation in the next instant.