Saved by the Bride (14 page)

Weariness clung to his voice. “With my mother in the cottage,
and Dana’s ‘no staff in the house’ rule, the only place with an available bed is
on this island.” He pointed to a path that disappeared up from the beach and
into a stand of birch trees. “In my cabin.”

Silver spots danced in front of her eyes and she heard her
sharp intake of breath. A few minutes ago they’d been seconds away from having
sex and now she had to share a cabin with him? She wanted to sit down and cry.
How the hell had she got herself into this mess?

Lust
.

Shut
up
.

She tried unsuccessfully to hide the desperation from her
voice. “Please tell me you have a spare room.”

He shook his head slowly. “Not even a sofa. Just a queen-size
bed.”

As his words sunk in, she heard the cry of the osprey calling
for its mate and she looked toward the tree in the distance. It was a crying
shame she couldn’t fit into that nest.

Chapter Eight

The light on the bow of the boat glowed yellow across
the dark water and besides the slip of the oars, the only other sound was the
haunting wail of the loons. Finn could have used the motorboat to get Annika’s
stuff, but he’d chosen to row and to row hard. His body still hummed with her
wholesome scent of apples and cinnamon, and her exotic taste of hot and heady
need. Did she have any clue how sexy she was when she’d looked at him with those
liquid blue eyes and asked, “You’re not going to kiss me, are you?”

It had been nothing short of torture feeling her hands on him
and her lips against his, and given he’d known they had to share the cottage
there’d been no way he was going to kiss her back. He’d managed to stay strong
right up to the moment she’d deepened the kiss. Then her hunger for him had hit
like a force-five tornado, totally undoing him and firing up his craving for her
to the point he thought he’d either explode or go insane. So he’d kissed her
back. It still stunned him how fast and how quickly the kiss had become a
catalyst for something so much bigger. Had it been left to him to pull back, he
wasn’t sure he could have.

But she’d pulled back and now he was pulling oars. He couldn’t
believe that he didn’t have condoms in the cabin but why would he? He’d never
brought a woman there. The cabin was his domain and one he didn’t care to share
with anyone, not even family. The boat hit the beach with a thud and he sighed.
That had just changed. Now he had to spend the night in the cabin with Annika,
knowing it wasn’t safe to touch her because if he did, he wouldn’t be able to
stop until he’d buried himself deep in her hot body, and lost himself in
oblivion. His body tightened at the thought.

Don’t
go
there
. He jumped out onto the sand as the boat hit
the island’s beach and he hauled the boat beyond the water line, before picking
up her suitcase, extinguishing the light and headed up the path. Solar lights
and a huge moon lit his way and the cabin’s porch light was on but the rest of
the place appeared to be in darkness. Had Annika gone to bed?

Bed
. He didn’t want to think about
Annika in bed.
His
bed
. He’d left her an hour ago with the suggestion
she take a shower and he’d set out one of his T-shirts and an old pair of
running shorts for her to wear until he returned with her clothes.

The squeak of the screen door sounded overly loud as he stepped
inside. He switched on a lamp, expecting Annika to be curled up in one of the
old but comfortable club chairs watching the way the moonlight played across the
lake. “Hello?”

But there was no reply. Surprised, he made his way to the
bedroom. The bedside lamp was on low and Annika lay asleep. Her chestnut lashes
brushed her cheek and her hair spread out on the pillow like a white fan edged
with gold. She looked peaceful which was hard to believe given how manic they’d
both been on the beach. Her huge day must have caught up with her and he
imagined losing her home was more stressful than she’d let on. He admired her
ability to keep on going against the tide of the economy but he wondered if her
staying in Whitetail was the best thing for her.

She’d pulled his Egyptian cotton sheet right up under her chin
and the light blanket reached her waist. He could see the hint of deep blue from
his Yale T-shirt where the sheet fell from her shoulder, and as his eye followed
its curve it stopped short on the rounded edge of a bolster pillow. He moved
into the room and saw an uneven line running parallel with her back. Annika had
stuffed the bed with pillows, creating a barricade.

He swallowed a chuckle and smiled. Did she really think some
feather down and cotton slips were going to stop them from having sex? For the
first time since he’d realized he had to share the cabin with her, he felt calm.
He kicked off his shoes, shucked his shorts and shirt and slid into bed with a
blissful sigh. They would have sex. It wouldn’t be tonight, but it was going to
happen and for now that knowledge was enough. He dumped the pillows onto the
floor and drifted into a deep sleep.

* * *

Annika woke up slowly. She was loathe to leave behind
her dream where she was curled up on a chair on her cottage’s veranda, warm and
content, and at peace with the painting on her easel. She knew without a doubt
that the painting was good, and that feeling had been gone so long she wanted to
stay in the dream and hold on to it with both hands. But the dappled morning
light tickled her eyelids and she moved to stretch her arms and legs to greet
the day. Her limbs stiffened so fast she risked injury. Her leg lay along the
length of another and that leg wasn’t waxed, so it wasn’t hers. All traces of
sleep vanished and she realized with horror that instead of her top arm being
curved between her breasts it was curved around a waist, and her fingers were
caressing a narrow trail of hair that disappeared under an elastic
waistband.

Finn
. She was wrapped around Finn
like gift wrap.

No
,
no
,
no
. She rolled away so fast she tumbled out of
the bed, falling heavily onto the hardwood floor. “Ouch.”

A sleepy businessman rolled into the space she’d just vacated
and stared down at her with delicious bedroom eyes. He gave her a long, slow
smile. “I see you’re starting the day as you plan to continue.”

She stumbled to her feet, tugging on the edge of the T-shirt
he’d lent her, which smelled so much like him and barely covered her bare
bottom. Backing out of the room, she walked straight into the doorjamb, adding
another bruise to her fast-growing collection. “Coordination comes with
coffee.”

“Really?”

She shook her head and gave him a wry smile. “Sadly no. Not
even on the days I drink too much.”

He swung two deeply tanned legs out of bed and rose to his feet
in an easy, fluid motion. Her eyes immediately dropped to his boxers, which were
pushed forward magnificently by his early morning erection.

“Sweetheart, my eyes are up here.”

Her skin burned and her head jerked up to his laughing face.
She was totally out of her depth so she went into damage control, which came out
snarky. “Where’s my suitcase?”

He ambled toward her and rested his hand on the door frame
above her head. “And to think
I’ve
been accused of
being grumpy in the mornings.”

She tried not to breathe in too deeply. “Not just the
mornings.”

“Touché.” He stroked her cheek. “I left your bag in the other
room.”

His touch sent tingles skittering and turned her mind to mush,
but she somehow managed to stammer out, “Thanks.”

He stepped to the side and the teasing softness disappeared and
the efficient businessman slotted back into place. “I’ll use the bathroom now
and leave you to get yourself organized. You’ll find space in the dresser and
wardrobe for your clothes. There’s enough food to make breakfast but we’ll need
to shop so make a list of what you like to eat. I know you’re meeting with the
brides this morning but I need you to format some documents first. Can you be
ready to leave at seven-thirty?”

“Absolutely.” Glad to be firmly back in her role as his P.A.,
which was a lot less confusing than the rest of her life, she fled into the main
room.

She’d explored the cabin last night while Finn was retrieving
her stuff—not that she’d needed a compass or a map. Unlike Kylemore with its
many large and generous rooms, this cottage was a very simple rectangle. One
third of the space was taken up by the bedroom and a small bathroom with a tub,
which had such an amazing view of the woods that it was like bathing outside.
The rest of the cabin was open living space which included the kitchen, an
eating nook and a sitting area. A large stone fireplace with a hand-hewn pine
mantel dominated one side of the room and on the other was a huge double-glazed
window, providing an enormous view of the lake. White ash paneling gave the
space light and warmth and the obligatory game and fishing photos graced the
walls. She especially liked the one of young Finn holding aloft a big musky and
standing next to a man who looked like an older version of Sean.

The living space extended to the outside where a large veranda
with a herringbone log rail ran around the four sides, almost doubling the
livable area. There was a glider seat, numerous Adirondack chairs and a
barbeque. Annika had instantly fallen in love with the cabin and had she been
able to live here alone it would have been the most perfect accommodation.

But it came with Finn. Finn who had her so flustered she could
hardly think straight and she knew she couldn’t walk straight.

Now
that
I
know
you
can’t
keep
your
hands
off
me
,
there’ll
definitely
be
a
next
time
.

His words from last night boomed loud in her head. Only a fool
would complicate her life even more than it already was right now. Sex with Finn
might be what her body wanted more than oxygen but it had disaster tattooed on
it with indelible ink. During the day she was safe but she knew she’d cave if
she had to spend another night in Finn’s bed. She needed to take steps to keep
herself out of harm’s way. During the day that was tricky because she worked for
him but the moment the brides’ meeting was over she was hotfooting it to the
camping store and buying a sleeping bag and an air mattress so she could sleep
alone. Her body would just have to deal with it.

* * *

Annika pushed open the plain side door of the warehouse,
which led directly to what was once the office, and immediately noticed that the
Reggies sign had been taken down. Nicole and Melissa were going to have to do a
lot more than that to wow brides. As she stepped into the foyer, she stopped
short. Gone was the reception desk and office equipment that had once sat in
front of a feature wall with the Reggies logo. The wall now had white tulle
cascading from a fixed point—tumbling down the partition like a waterfall,
before flowing around the edges of the room, and winding around the base of
three familiar wooden pedestals which held huge vases of white peonies, stocks
and calla lilies. Their scent filled the air with the promise of magic. Comfy
chairs circled a low table, which completed the space, making it the antithesis
of the previous dull but functional area. Now it was an enchanted room that
spoke of bridal dreams and assured a wedding full of romance.

Annika stared, not quite able to get her head around the
change, and behind her the door slammed shut.

Nicole looked up from displaying magazines on the table. “So
what do you think, Anni?”

“I...I think it looks incredible. No one would expect to walk
into this when they open the utilitarian outside door.”

Nicole beamed. “I know, right? It’s taken Melissa and me days
but I think it says exactly what you suggested. That we’re serious about our
brides.”

“Where did you get all this stuff?”

“The reverend lent us the pedestals, the chairs are from Mrs.
Norell, and Emily did the flowers.” She paused and her expression suddenly
dropped from excitement to concern tinged with sympathy. “I heard about the
Hoffmans, Anni. You know you could have spent a few nights with Max and me.” She
flinched slightly and added, “We’d have enjoyed having someone else in the
house.”

The sad look on her face was the
very
reason Annika hadn’t asked. Nicole’s house echoed with her
grief for her husband who’d died serving his country so very far away in
Afghanistan. “If it had been for a few nights, of course I would have asked but
the Hoffmans are here for the entire summer. Please don’t worry about me. I’ve
got a room at the Callahans’.” She didn’t elaborate on the fact it wasn’t in the
safety of the main house or that she’d woken up draped over Finn like a second
skin.

A flash of heat tore through her at the memory. She quickly
blew out a breath and refocused, ignoring the quizzical look from Nicole. “Since
I don’t have a car, staying out there means I’m not imposing on anyone in town
and it means I’m closer to the office for the early starts Finn insists on.” She
sent an apology into the ether because so far Finn as an employer had been more
than reasonable.

“I guess being P.A. to a high-flying businessman is a lot of
hours. But are you sure you’re okay staying so far out of town?”

She wasn’t sure about anything to do with Finn Callahan but she
nodded just the same.

Nicole got back to business. “We know you’re really busy but
could you paint the door to look more bridal? You know, to hint at what’s in
here?”

Annika hadn’t picked up a paintbrush in months but this sort of
art she could do. “Sure, I’d love to. I can paint golden hearts entwined on a
white background which would really set the scene.”

Nicole’s brows drew down. “Actually, we’re thinking more on the
lines of Main Street with the flower baskets in full bloom and a happy couple in
the horse-drawn carriage. That way the brides can picture one of the unique
things we offer the moment they walk through the door.”

An unusual jab of irritation prickled all the way through her.
Nicole, along with everyone else in Whitetail, usually agreed with her
suggestions so the fact that she was rejecting Annika’s idea was completely
unexpected. Annika wasn’t certain she liked the feeling at all but she reminded
herself that Nicole had taken on board her suggestions of making the offices
more bride-friendly so she agreed to painting the streetscape. “I can use a
photo from Jennifer’s wedding.”