Outrageously in Love by Jen Morris

34

Ienter the empty reception hall and click the door shut, letting the darkness of the room swallow me.

Bloody Alex. I can’t believe she said I was falling in love with Luke. That’s absurd. Even though I didn’t see his face, I know that would have freaked him out. We’ve only known each other for two and a half weeks, for Christ’s sake. That would be enough to freak any man out. Compared to me, Dena is probably looking like a far more reasonable option right now. And let’s face it, he didn’t seem too fussed about her being here, what with all that head kissing at reception earlier.

I fumble along the wall for the light switch and find a whole panel. I flick one, which floods the room with bright light. Blinking, I glance at the panel and press the one labeled “dance floor,” turning off the rest. The room goes almost dark, except for a few colored lights over the dance area and a spinning ball that ricochets light around the room. Without music playing it feels kind of surreal, which matches my mood perfectly.

Heaving out a sigh, I wander around the reception hall, absently checking the place settings and the table decorations, making sure everything is as it should be. It looks really good, and the hand-lettering on the place cards adds a nice touch. All our hard work has paid off.

I hear the door open and glance up in surprise. Luke’s tall figure is illuminated by the light outside, then the door clicks shut and I see his shadow moving between the tables. My pulse ramps up as he nears, a roller coaster of nerves crashing through me. No doubt he’s come to tell me that we need to cool off, that it’s all over. He must be terrified by that nonsense Alex was spouting.

He stops a table away from me, hesitating. I can see the outline of him and the spinning light flicks over him, briefly revealing his features, but I can’t make out his expression.

It’s probably just as well. I’m not sure I want to see the horror on his face. Unless he finds the whole thing hilarious, like that time he teased me for begging him. Or he might even pity me. That would be the worst, I think. See, this is the problem with letting your guard down—

“Hey,” he says softly, interrupting my spiraling thoughts.

“Oh, hi.” I keep my voice light, reaching to straighten a place setting.

“You okay?”

“Yep.” I swallow, hoping he’ll get this over with and not drag it out.

He takes a step around the table towards me and, instinctively, I step in the other direction, inching away from him. I can’t get too close in case I lose it.

He’s quiet for the longest time, just standing there as the lights spin around us in the dark.

God, I have to say something.

“Sorry about Alex.” A shrill laugh trickles out of me. “She’s ridiculous.”

He doesn’t say anything and I shift my weight. Come on Luke, get it over with.

“The place cards look really good,” he murmurs at last. “You’ve done a fantastic job.”

I glance around us and pride swells inside me. I really hope Alex and Michael like them.

“Have you tested the sound system?”

“No,” I say. But that’s a good point.

He wanders off and I exhale, fiddling with a centerpiece on a table. A few minutes later there’s a rustling sound over the speakers and a song comes on. It’s a slow, romantic song, and I stiffen. I don’t know what Luke’s up to, but I don’t like this at all.

Before today, I felt like I knew him so well, like I could read what he was thinking and feeling. But that was only when it was just the two of us. Now that we’re around all these other people, I don’t know what to think. I keep coming back to Geoff’s warning after the salon—about how if Luke really liked me, he’d want to tell the others—and it’s messing with my head. Maybe I misread everything and he doesn’t like me as much as I thought. Maybe, after all that shit Alex was saying, he’s realized it’s gone too far.

Someone comes up behind me and I nearly leap out of my skin. When I whip around, Luke is right there, gazing down at me.

“Have you tested the dance floor?” Up close I can see his expression is gentle, but for some reason that makes me even more anxious, like he’s trying to soften the blow that’s about to come. He takes my hand, tugging me onto the dance floor, and foreboding spirals down through my gut.

I get the message, Luke. Just say it.

He takes my other hand, so that he’s holding them both, and I stand there as he sways awkwardly to the music. He huffs a sheepish laugh, but I’m rigid, waiting for it to happen.

Finally I mutter, “Just get it over with, Luke.”

“What?”

I shake my head, looking down at our joined hands. “I know you’re here to end things. I know Alex freaked you out. She was way off, what she said, but you probably—”

“She didn’t freak me out,” he says. I glance up to find his brow knitted, and he sighs, dropping my hands.

Oh God. Here it comes.

But he reaches for my waist, drawing me close. He lowers his mouth and brushes his lips over mine, and I melt against him, limp with relief. He’s not ending things. This isn’t over. I’m an idiot.

My hands tighten on the lapels of his dinner jacket. “She didn’t freak you out?”

“No. It’s you that’s freaking me out a little.”

“Me?”

“You thought I came in here to end things with you.”

I look up at him, nodding.

“And you keep insisting that Alex is wrong.” His gaze burns into mine and my heart launches like a skyrocket. Is he suggesting… I mean, is he saying he wants me to be in love with him?

Before I can respond, he leans down again, capturing my mouth with his. He slides his hands up to cup my face, his tongue licking against mine. It’s soft at first, but it only takes a moment for desire to spark between us. Soon, our tongues are tangling and my hands are sliding down to his ass, pulling him against me. When I feel his arousal press into my belly, I whimper with need and take his hand, turning for the door.

“Let’s go.”

He hesitates, chuckling. “Where are we going to go?”

Reality hits me like a bucket of cold water. Of course, where are we going to go?

And then a wicked, truly outrageous idea blossoms in my mind and I mentally high-five Harriet 2.0. I lead Luke down the back of the reception hall, into a dark corner behind a speaker, deep in the shadows where even the spinning light from the dance floor isn’t reaching. I can’t see Luke’s expression in the dark, but I don’t need to. I feel his urgent kiss, his hands claiming my tingling skin, the hard bulge in his pants urging me on as he presses against me. Before I know what’s happening, he’s lifting me up and pinning me against the wall, entering me with a low groan, grunting in my ear as he drives into me, murmuring my name over and over again.

And all I can think is, I can’t let this man go.

* * *

We slipout through a side door onto the courtyard. The night air is crisp and invigorating as I fill my lungs and release it in a giggle. The moon is high, three quarters full, and the lights from the lodge flood out onto the courtyard, but we duck back into the shadows behind a pergola heaving with ivy.

Luke grins from ear to ear. “That was amazing. I’ve never done anything like that.”

I raise a brow and he laughs.

“Well, apart from the plane.” He runs his eyes over me in the half-light. “You have a way of making me do crazy things.”

It’s funny, because he has the exact same effect on me. I was hardly shagging strangers on planes or in dark corners before I met him.

He steps closer and slips his arms around me. I snuggle into his warmth, realizing how cold it is out here.

“There’s something about you, Harri,” he murmurs, and I remember what he said inside—that he didn’t like me insisting Alex was wrong. What did he mean by that? I think I know, but I don’t dare let myself believe it.

“There’s something about you too,” I whisper in reply, unable to bring myself to ask all the questions swirling in my head. He checks the time on his phone and I draw away. “I guess you need to head back,” I mumble. Displeasure crashes through me at the thought of him getting into bed with Dena tonight.

No, that’s not right. It’s straight-up jealousy. Perhaps a little rage.

“No way.” He pulls me close again. “I told Dena I’d be busy for a few hours setting up the hall and wouldn’t be back until late.”

“Did she buy that?”

He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I don’t care.”

Oh God. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about her. I knew it. His words from last night come back to me: There’s just you, Harriet.

“So, what does my wild girl want to do now?” he asks, his eyes glittering playfully.

My heart flutters. He called me his girl. I’m his girl.

Well, he called me his wild girl. I feel the familiar thud of guilt as I think about the lie that led him to believe that’s who I am. As much as I’ve grown into my alter ego, there’s still one thing I’m too scared to do, and that’s be honest with him. Not just about what I told him on the plane—about everything. I want to tell him what I’m feeling, which is, I don’t know—not love, obviously—but that I’m so devastated at the thought of going home and not seeing him again, I’m so miserable to think of going back to my life as it was, and I can’t imagine not having him with me all the time. That I don’t know who I am without him anymore, and I don’t want to be that person, anyway.

What’s the word for that?

I wrench my gaze from Luke, afraid that he can see everything in my eyes. I spy the lake down below us, shimmering in the moonlight, and suddenly I want nothing more than to plunge into that icy water, to see if I can wash these intense feelings away.

“Can we get to the lake from here?”

Luke’s eyebrows push up. “I think so. Why?”

“I want to go skinny-dipping.”

He emits a disbelieving laugh. “It’s freezing!”

“So?” A smile plays on my lips. He wants wild, he’s getting wild.

He studies me for a moment, perhaps trying to figure out if I’m serious. “You’re a little scary sometimes, you know that? Beautiful, but scary.”

The Ron Weasley quote makes me laugh, especially because he intentionally butchered it. Still, being compared to Hermione is a freaking honor.

“Okay.” Luke’s mouth stretches into a grin. “Let’s go.”

We step out of the shadows, checking to make sure no one can see us, and I follow him to a path. Once we’re out of sight of the lodge, he spins around and grabs me, kissing me hard. Then he turns and continues down the path, picking up his pace, and I follow breathlessly.

There’s a rustle in the leaves beside us and my pulse goes haywire. It occurs to me that we’re out in the wilderness, in America, where there are bears and snakes and things. But—and I know this is stupid—with Luke’s hand snug in mine, guiding me along the path, I feel secure and safe. I feel okay.

The path opens out onto a small, pebbly beach with a jetty, tucked down below a line of trees, out of sight of the lodge. Our shoes crunch over the stones as we approach the water. The air is much colder down here, and I look out at the cool, smooth lake stretching ahead of us in the moonlight, wondering if this is a good idea. Are we going to get hypothermia or something?

My gaze finds Luke’s, and uncertainty flickers back at me. Before I can change my mind, I grab the hem of my dress and pull it up over my head. I shiver as the cold air rushes over my bare skin, but don’t stop. I kick off my shoes and give Luke a challenging stare.

He shakes his head with a smile, hastily removing his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt to catch up with me. I focus on his delicious arms to distract myself from the cold. He toes off his shoes, drops his pants, and stands there in his boxer-briefs.

We are now standing a few feet apart, in our underwear, hesitating.

I glance at the water again and drag in a lungful of the icy air. Surely this is insane? Surely he’s going to stop me at any moment?

But he just grins, his sharp gaze daring me to undress further and get in the water.

I reach behind and unclasp my bra, then wriggle my underwear down my legs, not taking my eyes off him. Goosebumps dot my skin, the air chilling me to the bone. Even watching Luke slide his boxers off can’t distract me now.

He holds two hands in front of himself for modesty. “It’s very cold,” he breathes, clutching his hands to his crotch. “So, you know…”

I chuckle and step closer, pressing my chest against him. My nipples are like rocks, and as they brush over his skin he lets out a low groan, his eyes falling closed.

He snaps them open and looks at me. “Are we doing this or what?”

I nod and turn to face the water, reaching inside for all the courage I can find. On a rush of energy I start to move, one foot in front of the other, over the stones, towards the water. Luke’s hand catches mine, and as our feet hit the lake I have to stifle a shriek. My toes are instantly numb but I don’t care. Without stopping, we wade all the way in, until our heads go under and we pop up and stare at each other, eyes wide, breathing ragged. Then we’re laughing and racing back to the shore, Luke’s hand gripping tightly onto mine, the madness of what we’ve done hitting us.

But I don’t care. I’m high on adrenaline and I realize that I’ve never, in my whole life, felt more alive.

* * *

By the timewe get back to the cabin, I’m shivering. I don’t want to go in there, don’t want this amazing night to be over and for him to climb into bed with Dena—God how I wish that wasn’t going to happen—but I need to get into a hot shower.

Luke pauses right outside the door, taking my hand. “I need to tell you…” He hesitates, then swallows hard. “I’m so crazy about you, Harriet. You make me feel alive, like no one ever has.”

His words make my heart soar, and I try to contain my massive smile. “Luke…” I search his face, wanting so much to tell him what I’m feeling, but I don’t know where to start. And as I hear my teeth begin to chatter, all I can manage is, “Shit, I’m freezing. We have to get inside.”

Something shifts in his expression, and he rakes a hand through his damp hair, then reaches for the door handle. It’s quiet when we creep inside; both Dena and Alex are in bed. The only light comes from the flickering fireplace, and I rush over to it, holding my hands out to soak up the heat.

Luke grabs a thick blanket off the back of the sofa and wraps it around my shoulders. I stand there for a moment, gazing up at him in the firelight. I know I can’t touch him now, I can’t kiss him in here, but I try to find some way to explain what I’m feeling.

“Luke,” I begin again, keeping my voice quiet. “You’re—”

The door to Alex’s room opens and I leap away from Luke as light spills into the living room.

“I thought I heard you guys!” she says, grinning. “How is everything looking? Is it all set up okay?”

My pulse is frantic but I quickly pin on a smile. “The hall looks fantastic. It’s all set.”

She beams, clasping her hands together. “Great!” She takes a step closer to me, her face softening. “Listen, Harri, I’m sorry about what happened at dinner. I didn’t mean to give you a hard time about that guy.”

“Oh.” I flap a hand. “That’s fine, don’t worry. I overreacted.”

“No, I got carried away. I know you’ve never been in love before and when you were talking about him I honestly thought it sounded like you were.”

I slide a nervous look to Luke, wincing with embarrassment. My wet hair is dripping down my back and I’m silently pleading with Alex to just shut up and go back to bed so I can say goodnight to Luke and get into the shower alone with my jumbled thoughts.

“Anyway,” Alex continues, “if you say you’re not, then I believe you. But I just wanted—” She stops mid-sentence, her brow pinching. “Why do you have wet hair?”

Shit.

Panic zips through me and my gaze bolts to Luke. He looks back at me, frozen.

“I fell in the lake,” I blurt. My ears are ringing and my icy hands somehow feel clammy.

“What?” Alex says, her nose wrinkling in confusion. “How?”

“Well, er—” I glance at Luke again but he stares at me blankly. “I went for a walk, on the jetty, to get some fresh air after setting up the decorations. You know, it was quite hot in the reception hall, and I was still a bit annoyed after dinner, and I was walking along the jetty, and, well, these shoes aren’t that good, then I tripped, and—” I stop as Luke throws me a look. Too much, Harriet. Everyone knows that a good lie doesn’t have too many extraneous details.

Alex’s eyes flit over to Luke and narrow in suspicion. “And what happened to you?”

“Uh…” He clears his throat. “I jumped in to help her, of course.”

“He did,” I assure Alex. “I probably would have been fine, because I can swim, but he was very concerned.”

“Right.” Her eyes move between us. “But… your clothes are dry.”

“Oh, well,” I begin, not sure where I’m going with this but hoping like hell something good comes out when I continue. “We, erm, popped back up to the lodge and dried them under the hand driers in the bathroom.”

She gives me a bizarre look. “You took your clothes off in the bathroom and dried them? Why didn’t you just come back here?”

“Uh…” I flounder, my stomach in free-fall.

This is it. We’re done for.

“Because we still had work to do in the reception hall,” Luke says, and I could just kiss him.

“That’s right.” I nod vigorously. “We didn’t want to come home before we had everything just perfect.”

“Oh.” Alex stares at us both for a moment, her brows slanted together, and I hold my breath. Then her face breaks into a smile. “You guys have worked so hard on this wedding. Seriously, I can’t believe all you’ve done for us. Michael and I are so grateful.”

“You’re welcome,” I manage. “It’s been our… pleasure.” My cheeks heat with awareness and I yank my gaze away from Luke.

Thankfully, Alex doesn’t notice. “I love you guys. Now go to bed so you’re ready for tomorrow!” She gives a little squeak of excitement and slips back into her room, plunging the living room into near-darkness.

I almost collapse with relief when her door closes. As my eyes adjust to the firelight, I see Luke raise a hand to his forehead.

“That was close,” he mutters.

I gaze into the fire, trying to ignore the guilt bleeding through me. “I wish I could tell her the truth.”

When I glance back at Luke, his expression is agonized. “Look, we will. Just… give me some time, okay?”

I scrutinize his face. Time? For what? And either way, I don’t have time. I’m leaving in a few days, and that’s it. I’ll never see him again.

No. I shove that thought away, into the deep recesses of my brain where I can ignore it. Instead, I give Luke a little nod and simply say, “Okay.” He said we’ll tell her, after all. If he says we will, I trust that.

A shiver works through me and I glance at the bathroom. “I’m going to have a shower. I guess you should go and hop into bed with Dena,” I add, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice.

He shakes his head, speaking in a low voice. “I’ll sleep out here, say I wanted to be by the fire or something.”

“You don’t want to be in there?” I press, even though I’m quite sure I know the answer.

“Are you kidding? If I could be anywhere, it would be with you.” He exhales wearily, reaching out for me then thinking better of it and dropping his hand. “I know this isn’t easy for you, with her here. I just need some time, okay?”

There’s that word again: time. The one thing I don’t have.

But I give him another nod and say goodnight. Then I pad off to the bathroom, trying to convince myself that, somehow, we’ll find a way to work everything out.