Pleasing Her SEAL(24)

"Not yet. I need your help."

Ashley didn't hesitate. "Hit me."

"I need photographs of a beach wedding and my bride canceled on me."

Asking for favors sucked, but she needed these photos.

"You can say no," she rushed to say. "Participating is completely, one hundred percent optional."

Ashley nodded, and relief swept over Maddie. Her wedding would be a go. "Got it. What am I doing?"

"Getting hitched."

Ashley grinned. "I think you should give me a ring if you're going to  pop the question. Since I doubt you're asking me, who am I marrying?"  She looked down at her pajamas. "And do I get to change first?"                       
       
           


       

"Thank you." She babbled more words, shoving a plastic bag of clothing  at Ashley. "The groom is TBD, but I'll have one for you. I promise.

Ashley peeked inside and grinned. "You owe me a drink. A good one."

Maddie figured the white string bikini with BRIDE sequined over the  butt was worth an entire magnum of champagne, and Ashley hadn't even  spotted the lacy pareo yet. Plus, Maddie had a crown of flowers in a box  and a Home Shopping Network wedding-band set.

"Meet me on the beach in fifteen minutes."

"Roger that." Ashley flashed her another grin and then disappeared back  inside her bungalow, the bikini clutched in her fist. Now all she  needed was a groom. She found her victim at the pool. The pool guy was  stacking another one of his never-ending piles of towels. He'd do. She  marched over and tapped him on the shoulder.

He swung around, an easy grin on his lips as she scanned his name tag. "Morning, darling."

He was big and buff, if slightly tired looking, and absolutely perfect. "I need to borrow you, Levi."

He grinned and ran a hand down his front. "Do I pass inspection?"

She gave him another assessing stare. "You'd be even better if you were blond, but otherwise you're perfect."

"First time I've heard that today," he muttered, the grin fading.

She'd empathize about the bad day later-when she wasn't losing the light. "So that's a yes on the borrow?"

He jammed the rest of the towels onto the shelf and turned around. "All yours. Lead on."

Maddie wasn't sure what he'd expected, but when she directed him onto  the beach where Ashley was waiting, he cursed beneath his breath. Since  Ashley was absolutely stunning, Maddie wasn't sure what the problem was.  Ashley didn't seem particularly thrilled to see her faux groom, either.

"Hey, Maddie?"

"What's up?" If they didn't get started soon, she'd miss the sunset.

"What exactly am I doing here?"

"Getting married." She beamed at him and handed him a beach bag. "Your clothes are in there. Go change."

For a minute, it appeared Levi might drop his pants right there on the  beach. Possibly, Maddie decided, because Ashley was glaring at him.  Then, with a muttered curse, he disappeared into a grove of palm trees.  Nice. She had a groom with a potty mouth. Thank God for fantasies-and  Photoshop.

"You're cranky. Tell me why." She positioned Ashley on the sand and  eyed the horizon. Ten minutes until sunset. She hoped Levi would hurry  up, or she'd have to go drag him out here herself.

Ashley made a face. "Did you have to pick him?"

"I assure you, I had purely superficial reasons. He's hunky. He's tall.  He's also the only single guy I could scare up who was bachelor-aged."

Ashley snorted. "His ego's even bigger than he is. I wouldn't marry him if he was the last man on earth."

"Right back at you, sunshine," Levi drawled, striding over to join  them. He wore the pair of white swim trunks with GROOM embroidered on  the butt that she'd picked out for the shoot from the hotel gift shop.  The shorts rode low on his hips, the black band of his underwear peeking  out. His steel-toes flopped untied around his ankles. How anyone wore  those in the sand was beyond Maddie.

"I'm demanding hazard pay for this particular job," he grumbled, hiking up the shorts.

Ashley leaned over and smacked his butt. "Toe the line, buddy. And lose the boots. You look ridiculous."

While the two of them bickered over Levi's choice in footwear, Maddie  waved over the male employee the resort had sent to stand in as the  minister. Their minister was a dignified middle-aged man in a cream  linen suit.

"Okay, guys. Let's get started."

While the minister began the ceremony, Maddie got busy with her camera.  At some point, Ashley must have won the footwear war, because Levi was  barefoot. At the minister's prompting, the two joined hands and Maddie  clicked away. The shots would look gorgeous and her blog followers would  eat it up.

"Maybe we should have discussed exclusivity," a deep voice growled in  her ear. Hard arms snaked around her waist, pulling her back against a  warm, familiar body. "What are you doing with poor Levi?"                       
       
           


       

"Nothing too permanent." She flashed a grin up at Mason. "I'm marrying him."

He bent his head and nipped her ear. "That was fast."

"To Ashley."

He grinned. "Even faster."

"Now that you're here, you can help," she said happily. Mason always  made everything easier. "You can give the bride away. Just lose your  shirt. We're going for the bare-chested-man edition."

"You just want to see me without my shirt."

"Added bonus and not part of my original plan. Scout's honor." She held  up two fingers. "Chop, chop, because we're losing the light."

She started directing the pair, having Ashley walk down the  rose-petal-strewn "aisle" that was a pretty stretch of white sand.  Having obediently stripped off his shirt, Mason took her arm. He handed  her over to Levi with an audible "Behave." Honestly, Maddie wasn't sure  which one he was talking to. There was a glint in Levi's eyes that  promised mischief. She didn't know the man, but she recognized trouble  when she saw it.

As the minister spoke, she moved around the trio, shooting.

"Good thing they're not doing this for real," Mason muttered as Ashley  elbowed Levi in the ribs when he didn't add his "I do" fast enough.  "Most of us aren't marriage material."

He could add her to that number. She could feel the heat of him behind  her as he followed her easily, steadying her with his hands on her hips  when she leaned in to capture a particularly tantalizing moment. At  least Ashley and Levi had chemistry, even if they didn't have  happily-ever-after in their future. She and Mason had that kind of  spark, too, although without the animosity.

"You ever think about getting married?" she blurted, the words flying  out of her mouth before she could take them back. Darn it. Now she  probably sounded as if she was ring hungry. And it wasn't that. Not  really. It was just that sometimes she was lonely and it would be nice  to have someone around. Nicer still to wake up with that someone in the  morning and go to bed with him at night after sharing the day's highs  and lows. It was all too easy to imagine Mason being that guy.

On the other hand, she was pretty good at being on her own. Not having a  permanent guy in her life meant she didn't have a chance to get lazy.  She took care of herself.

"Are you proposing?" Dark eyes glinting, Mason wrapped his hands around her waist. "Because I'm definitely flattered. Hold on."

Before she could protest, he lifted her onto his shoulders so she could  get some overhead shots. And holy wow...he didn't even have to strain  to lift her over his head, and that was damned sexy because she wasn't  tiny or small boned by any means. It took her a couple of moments to  catch her breath. One minute, she had her feet on the ground and the  next, her thighs were draped over his shoulders, his large, warm hands  wrapped around her thighs as he steadied her. Her new position had other  parts of her pressing against his neck as her dress billowed around  her.

"Are you crazy?" she hissed at him. Damn it, he didn't even have enough  hair to grab on to. She settled for digging her heels into his chest.  The man was insane.

Are you proposing? His words echoed in her head, like some kind of  crazy subliminal suggestion. Except it wasn't subliminal, was it? Not if  she was thinking about it deliberately. He tucked her dress beneath her  knee and patted it.

"You're good," he said, turning to point her toward the beach action.  He did that a lot, made sure she had what she needed. He was such a  sweet guy, and...just maybe he could be something else. Mason would take  care of her, if she let him. It was a strangely seductive thought. He  was big and safe, and clearly she could lean on him. Or sit on him. She  patted his shoulder and snorted. He was strong enough to handle the  pressure.