His Wedding Date (Destination Weddings #1) (3 page)

“Jillian.”

“Well, I hope we don’t run into Jillian until some of the green has left my complexion. She might think I’m one of your animations.”

He laughed and went quiet again.

Bree peered through the barest slit in her eyelids and watched him concentrate on the road. Darkness had fallen quickly due to the storm, but the dashboard gauges lighted his face. How sad he’d married a woman who couldn’t appreciate him. He was such a nice guy. In a good way. Nice, and sexy and funny. She always knew when someone had stopped in his cubicle because of the laughter ringing out.

When Ash turned the car into the lodge parking lot, Bree sat up and sighed with relief. With any luck, Sunday would be sunny and they could leave in the daylight. She pressed a hand to her stomach, willing the muscles to relax.

Ash carried their luggage and Bree held her dress bag away from the dirty snow piled near the walkway. He took care of registration, got their key cards and led her back out into the covered passageway to the wing where their room was.

“Who plans a wedding in the winter in the mountains?” she muttered, holding the lapels of her coat closed.

“Greg and his fiancée Susie are avid skiers.”

“I like to ski, too, but behind a boat. And with no snow around.”

He grinned. “I’ll take a Jet Ski any day.”

He opened the door to their room and let her enter. She glanced at the one queen-sized bed and wondered if they’d actually get any sleep over the next few days. It could be he just wanted to keep up he impression they were a couple, but the chemistry between them was hot and she was more than willing to see where it would take them.

As she hung her dress and unpacked, Ash flipped through apps on his cell phone. After listening to his voicemail, he swore and tossed the phone on the bed. Grabbing his garment bag from where he’d draped it over a chair, he strode past her to the closet.

“Bad news?”

“Nah, just something I should have expected. I’m not the guy you want to plan your bachelor party.”

She frowned. “Uh-oh, what happened?”

“Nothing major. The stripper cancelled, is all. She’s afraid to drive up the mountain and get stuck in the snow.”

Placing her hand on his sleeve, she said, “I’m sorry, Ash. That sucks. But you have movies and lots of drinks, right?”

He shrugged her aside and crossed back to his suitcase. “Yeah, but that’s not a real party. That’s a bunch of frat boys hanging out.”

Bree walked to the mini fridge and looked inside. No alcohol, but there was plenty of bottled water. She opened one and sat on the edge of the bed, ideas of how she might help churning through her head. “How close is the town?”

“I don’t know. But the only strippers I found online were off the mountain. I guess there isn’t much work for one in a town of three-hundred people.”

She stared at her bottle, swirling the water around as her thoughts continued to wander. She’d bet Ash didn’t know how she put herself through art school. And even if he did, he wouldn’t have the nerve to ask her to help. But no, that would be a really bad idea. The whole logistics of it didn’t add up. Not when he needed to make a good impression in front of Jillian. She shoved the thought aside.

Ash sat down at the small table in the corner, opened his laptop and began tapping keys. He had to be hunting for entertainment. She remembered the look on his face when he mentioned his ex-wife, and how he hadn’t been good enough for her. He really wanted to blow away his friends, let them see he was more than a gamer boy.

This was important to him. If she had any heart at all, she would help. He might not even accept her offer. But she had to ask. “Um, Ash? If you don’t find another stripper, I have an idea.”

He looked up, his expression blank. She stood, set down her water and straightened her sweater as she walked toward him, gently swaying her hips a bit more than usual. “Did I ever tell you how I put myself through college?”

He shook his head, his lips pressed thin and turned down at the corners. “Can we talk about this a bit later? The party is in a couple of hours and I need to figure this out.”

Should she just do it? It couldn’t hurt. Crossing her arms and grabbing the hem of her sweater in both hands, she lifted it over her head and tossed it in his face. Strutting closer, she turned his chair, planted her hands on the wooden arms and leaned forward, allowing her breasts to practically fall out of her demi-bra, right in his face. “I was a stripper.”

Ash’s gaze locked on her breasts and he appeared to stop breathing. She’d always been proud of her implants. Best investment she ever made. Even after she quit dancing and got a “real” job, she loved the way her clothes fit. She was tall enough to carry them off without looking plastic, and her tiny waist made them look that much bigger. They made her feel so much more feminine than the little mounds she’d been born with.

When he still didn’t speak, Bree stood and reached behind her back for the hooks of her bra. “Should I show you a sample routine?”

He shook his head. “No, God no.”

Her stomach clenched as if he’s punched her. She crossed her arms over her bra. “Sorry I asked. I was just trying to help.”

“Wait, that’s not what I meant. If you take off your bra I won’t make it to the party.” He glanced at his watch. “I don’t have much choice but to use you.”

Ouch
. Strike two. That was payback for her lack of excitement when he asked her to come with him to the wedding. She straightened and backed away, looking for her sweater. “Well, hey, I don’t want to spoil the party.”

With a confused frown, he shook his head. “No, no way would you spoil anything. The guys will love you.”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

Ash rose from his chair and walked away. “Yeah. I guess. Am I missing part of this conversation?”

Holding her sweater in front of her breasts, she tried to figure him out. “If you’d rather I didn’t...I mean, I guess you don’t want everyone to see me strip tonight and then I show up as your date tomorrow. That wouldn’t impress anyone.”

He laughed, the tension line between his brows fading. “More likely it would impress the fuck out of the guys but they’d never admit it.”

“But it would make Jillian think you’d turned out exactly like she expected. Frat boy dates stripper girl.”

His smile was sweet. She walked over to him, took his chin in her hands and leaned closer. Pressing her lips to his, she tasted the mint of his gum on his breath just before she found his tongue. He kissed her back gently, but with restrained passion that she sensed just beyond her reach.

When she pulled away, his eyes were smoky. He inhaled deeply. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Are you sure you want me to? It’s your call, Ash. In the long run it all reflects on you.” Before he could answer, an idea hit her. “Wait. How long do I have to get ready?”

“About an hour and a half.”

“Perfect! They’ll never recognize me as your date when they see me tomorrow.”

Taking a step back, he looked down her figure and back up again. “Somehow I can’t believe that. Maybe if you wore a fat suit tomorrow.”

She laughed and winked at him. The look in his eyes made her want to forget all about the bachelor party and go straight to the fucking. “I’m serious. It’ll work. Is it a plan?”

“I guess it is.”

Chapter Four

Ash double-checked the DVD-player and movies one more time in the private meeting room he’d reserved at the lodge. He raked his hair back off his face as he looked around. Bartender—check. Dim lighting—check. iPod wirelessly routed into the speaker system—check.

He glanced at the time on his phone. He was crazy letting Bree strip for them tonight. What was he thinking? He could care less what Jillian thought of his date being a stripper, that wasn’t what bothered him. He’d grown past that point a long time ago when he accepted his artistic talent as valuable. He had a job doing what he loved. He made damned-good money. In a few years, he could think about looking for an art director position if he decided to.

Jillian didn’t play into his thoughts at all where Bree was concerned. No fucking comparison between them. But how was he going to handle it when his friends began hounding after Bree when she took off her clothes? When they started pawing at her? Let them find their own damn women. Shit. He didn’t want to share.

Hell, it had taken him four months to get the courage to even ask her out. She was so fucking hot, he turned into a babbling idiot any time he tried to suggest anything more than drinks with the crowd from work.

And now he was letting his buddies have a crack at her? Not just no
—fuck no
.

That would make the party one to remember, if he policed the entire night making the guys keep their hands to themselves. His friends would never let him live it down. He needed to suck up and be a man about it. Trust that if she was as interested in him as she seemed last weekend, she’d go back to his room—not someone else’s—at the end of the night.

The door opened, letting in a blast of cold air and raucous laughter. Greg and the ushers had arrived. “It’s party time,” Ash yelled.

Chris, a frat buddy, answered with a howl. Ash turned up the music as the others headed to the bar. The porn movies played silently on the big screen in the background while the guys laughed and toasted Greg.

Ash repeatedly glanced at his phone and worried that Bree would back out. Or that she’d show up. He wasn’t sure which was worse. The guys seemed to be having fun. Just seeing each other after four years made for good times. But that wouldn’t last long. A bachelor party meant certain expectations.

Their voices got louder after a few drinks as everyone loosened up. A total of eight guys were there, not including the bartender. A few guests probably hadn’t wanted to make the snowy drive in the dark and he assumed they wouldn’t be coming.

Just when he was about to step outside and call her, Bree slipped in the door. In the dim lighting, Ash had to look twice to be certain it was really Bree. She’d curled her hair into tight coils. All those luscious miles of auburn locks tossed about her head in wild abandon. He sucked in a breath. Even with her heavy coat on, she was a knockout.

Her green eyes were heavily lined, and he thought she might have false eyelashes on. Her eye shadow was darker than she wore for work and it made her eyes even more beautiful. She looked like she’d walked out of a photo shoot. For Playboy, or one of the classier online sites. Ash strolled over to her, trying hard not to grin like a horny teenager. “You made it.”

“Did you doubt me?” She tipped her head slightly. Her lips were slightly fuller than at work, like she’d used some of that puffy lip-gloss, and they glistened in the moody light of the lodge.

“I wasn’t worried.” As he said it, he realized it was true. He trusted her at her word.

“Hey, who’s your friend?” Will, Greg’s cousin shouted over the din.

Ash raised an eyebrow at Bree. “You ready?”

“Cue the lights. I’m on.” Licking her lips, she began to strut toward the guys as she unbuckled the belt of her trench coat. Ash watched from behind, taking in the expressions on his friends’ faces and wishing he were seeing what they saw. Their eyes widened. And their jaws dropped when she whipped open her coat.

With her feet spread, she slowly ground her hips in a circle. Pivoting on her heels, Bree took off her coat and tossed it to Ash. His eyes practically popped out of their sockets. She wore a tiny nightgown, red satin triangles over her breasts and barely-there sheer, red fabric falling over her flat stomach and softly rounded hips. Another tiny triangle of satin was all he could see of the bottom piece. From the way Perry licked his lips while staring at her ass, Ash decided it must be a thong.

She’d brought that little nighty to wear for him. He no longer cared what anyone else had in mind.

Ash set her coat on a chair. He had to get closer to the action. In case the guys got grabby, of course. He followed Bree as she moved in front of the big screen TV where some actor was pumping deep into a young actress. No one seemed to be watching the movie.

He’d never seen Bree dance, with or without clothes, and if he had his way they’d go dancing every night in the future. She could probably make a living at it fully dressed. She must have made a fortune stripping. Well, she said she’d paid her way through art school before she gave up dancing. He wasn’t surprised.

Her hips swayed and teased, seductively inviting the guys to touch then moving away before they could. She offered glimpses of her ass, bent to show off her breasts, all without removing a stitch of clothing. Not that she had on much more than a few stitches. His friends cheered and tossed out lewd comments, dropping into chairs in front of her. They pushed Greg’s chair out in front, but there was too much noise for Ash to hear exactly what they said to Bree.

Ash sat to the side of the group, wanting to be able to get to Bree quickly if needed. He trusted his friends, but he got her into this mess and was going to see her safely out of it.

Bree stalked toward Greg, running a finger across his lips, then taking his hand and placing it on her breast. As he squeezed, Ash’s groin tightened. He almost called everything off right then. His best friend was copping a feel while Ash could do nothing but watch.