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She had little appetite. His dark eyebrows arched in question. “You don’t like your salad?”
“I’m not too hungry,” she replied.
“Want to eat somewhere else?”
“Heavens no! This is a wonderful place. I just don’t feel like eating.”
“Okay,” he said, withdrawing a slim cell phone. “Let’s call and make arrangements. You can use my phone,” he said, flipping it open.
Shaking her head, she got out her own phone. “I’ll use mine. When I tell them I’m bringing a friend home, they’ll know it must be someone special. But I’m not announcing this marriage over the telephone.”
He smiled. “Whatever you want to do.”
She glared at him, but then heard her father’s voice and spoke softly, making arrangements to visit. Returning her phone to her purse, she waited while Ryan made his calls, watching his hand holding the tiny phone and remembering his hands on her.
“Grandma wants us there for supper Saturday night. I told her we’d try to get to the farm by five o’clock.”
“Fine with me,” he replied. “I’m looking forward to meeting them. My family will be at Dad’s place Sunday evening about seven. We’re set and this is good. At our wedding, I want my dad to be best man, and my brothers and Jake and Nick to be groomsmen. Is that too many for you?”
She shook her head. “No. I have Katie, Jenna and my cousin, and also a lifelong friend who still lives in my hometown.”
“Now, let’s pick a date. We might as well have this wedding soon,” Ryan added.
She rubbed her forehead. “Will you slow down?”
“Why wait? You’re pregnant, and the sooner we’re wed, the better. What is there to wait for?”
“There are a million things,” she snapped, clutching the tablecloth until her knuckles were white. “Like getting to know each other, for one.”
He shrugged and waved his hand, dismissing her remark. “That’ll happen. It’s already starting. What weddings do you have scheduled next weekend?”
Her head reeled and she sat back, closing her eyes. “Next weekend!” she whispered. Why hadn’t she guessed that Ryan would charge ahead full steam, like a barreling freight train?
“Ryan, I’m not getting married next weekend!”
“How about the weekend after that?”
“I have a night wedding.”
“Can’t your assistant manage, since you’ll have advance notice? We’ll be through with ours in time for her to go to the night wedding.”
Ashley put her head in her hands and thought about her schedule and her meetings and the weddings, and what she would have to do. “September won’t work?” she asked.
“There’s no good reason to wait until September. How about the weekend after this?”
“Of course, why not?” she exclaimed. “You’re getting everything else you want!”
He smiled and stood, taking her hand. “Let’s go dance and cool down. Our dinners should be here when we return.”
She went with him, again shocked by the speed with which Ryan was changing her life. “You’re right on one thing,” she said as they danced. “It’s better to get out here and move around.”
“Far better to hold you in my arms,” he said softly, leaning down so his breath brushed her ear. “You look gorgeous tonight, Ashley.”
“Thank you,” she said, admiring the way the huge diamond on her finger caught and reflected the light. She turned her hand so she could stare at the ring, amazed he would give her such an expensive gift. “When did you get my ring?”
“This morning.”
“You’re rushing things, Ryan. I don’t want to have sex right away. At least we can get to know each other before we do that.” She leaned back to look up at him, and wondered what he was thinking.
“If that’s the way you want it, that’s okay. I can wait,” he said. “I won’t want to, but I can.”
“Good. That’s what I want very much. You’ve rushed me about marriage and the wedding, but sex is something that can come when we both want it. I’ve regretted my impetuous weekend with you.”
“I’m disappointed to hear that, because I haven’t had one shred of regret,” he stated firmly. “Far from it. I thought it was the greatest weekend possible. That’s why I couldn’t forget you,” he added.
His compliments flattered and warmed her, but she didn’t care to encourage him.
“I have a request. I’ll wait to have sex, but can we make an exception for our wedding night? This is my first, and hopefully only, wedding. It’s a one-time event that I’ll remember the rest of my life, and so will you. We can’t ever go back and really do it again. So can we have a real wedding night?”
Her heart thudded and then raced. Two weeks until their wedding. Two weeks until they made love again. But if she succumbed and agreed to that, would she be able to resist him on other nights, before she got to know him better? Until they began to fall in love, or saw whether this sham marriage would explode in their faces and end as abruptly as it started?
She knew he was waiting. She thought again about what he’d said: “… first, and hopefully only, wedding …” Would it really be the only one? Did she want to have another night of sex with him, this time when he’d pushed her into marriage? She wanted patience and courtship and love. Instead, she had arrogance and a take-charge male who was determined to get his way. Was that who she wanted? Yet in fairness, she knew that tonight she was having courtship and romance from him. He was doing wonderful things for her family.
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 baby. She was merely a means to an end. But she had believed him when he told her he wouldn’t ever try to take away her baby. Was she being foolish and gullible to accept that as truth and take him at his word?
One more reminder that she was marrying a stranger. Yet she was getting to know him. Most of the time their evening together had been exciting, and she’d had a great time.
She had to plan a large wedding for herself in two weeks. And then she would have a real wedding night with Ryan. Every nerve in her body tingled each time she thought about it.
As if he could sense what was on her mind, he shifted to face her and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “What are you thinking?”
“The wedding,” she said, hoping he couldn’t guess that she had been thinking about their wedding night.
“Shall we get back to some planning?” He glanced at the monitor and saw he could take off his seat belt. Standing up, he disappeared toward the front of the plane, to return a minute later with a legal pad and a pen. He handed them to her.
“You can make notes if you want. Monday, I’ll give you a list of guests. I suspect you know everyone in that town you’re from.”
She nodded. “We just about do, but I don’t intend to invite all of them.”
“Do what you want. Get the dress you want. You can take care of all the details. I’ll handle the honeymoon.”
“Honeymoon?” she asked, startled. “Why? We’re not in love, and I’ve asked for no sex after our wedding night. I can see the wheels turning in your mind. You expect to seduce me!” she declared.
“We’ll get off by ourselves and get to know each other,” he replied, leaning back in his chair. He looked as if he owned the world and expected everyone to do what he wanted them to. “Plan on a week.”
“A week!” she sputtered. “Well, I’m not even going to argue with you about it,” she said in exasperation. “Pick someplace warm and sunny. I don’t like snow.”
His enticing smile coaxed her to relax and stop fighting him. “See, we’re getting to know each other.”
“You don’t have to continually remind me,” she said. “What time of day shall we have the wedding?”
“Morning, and later we’ll feed everyone lunch and have a blast. Then we’re off on our honeymoon. How’s that?”
“Fine with me,” she said. “Rehearsal Friday night.”
‘You’ll need help getting out invitations, won’t you?”
She shook her head. “I can do it through my office and send you the bill.”
He nodded, and she wondered if he was going to object to any plans she made, and suspected he wouldn’t, no matter how exorbitant the price tag.
“Just remember, I have the baby’s best interests at heart.”
‘You mean, you have Ryan Warner’s best interests in mind,” she snapped, and he leaned forward to put his hands on the arms of her seat.
“I have your concerns in mind, too. I promise you’ll see that I do.” His face was close, and her anger warred with her craving. Being with him was an emotional battle, while physically, there was only one response—desire. She looked at his mouth and thought about his kisses, and in spite of her anger at him, wanted to lean those last few inches closer and kiss him.
He moved nearer and his lips brushed hers. She shut her eyes and relaxed. When he covered her mouth with his, she moaned.
