Chapter One
Judith Ashton crept around a corner clutching her laser gun to her chest. She couldn’t see a thing. The dim lighting of the room was designed for effect rather than illumination, and the curls of dry ice that swirled around her feet only made the visibility worse.
Laser tag. At a wedding. What was Christie thinking? Jude’s new sister-in-law was a doll, but really, having the conference room of the hotel where her wedding reception was being held laid out like a level on one of her beloved computer games was surely a step too far.
Judith blew out an irritated breath and rested against a handy pillar, squinting into the darkness.
She knew Christie had meant well by encouraging her to give the laser tag a go, but this was not her definition of fun. This was her definition of stupid. Organizing and taking the wedding photos? Now that was fun.
The dry ice swirled and a large shape seemed to loom in the darkness ahead of her. Was that—?
All at once the vest she wore vibrated and made a horribly loud noise, and the light in her gun died out.
“You’re dead, Judith my darling,” a deep voice said from behind her.
Oh, great. Caleb.
She gave a long suffering sigh. “I should have known. Only you would shoot someone in the back.”
“Hey, an opportunity’s an opportunity.”
She turned around and sure enough, Caleb Steele, her older brother Joseph’s best friend, stepped out of the darkness. Winning as usual, and smug about it. Also as usual.
The lights of his vest flashed jauntily as he flourished his laser at her. Dry ice eddied around his legs, snaking up powerful thighs and twining about lean hips. Then it dissipated, revealing him in all his magnetic glory like a rock star taking the stage. Typical Caleb. He always did know how to make an entrance.
“You know that vest looks ridiculous, right?” Judith pointed out. And over the top of his tuxedo, it certainly did.
Caleb grinned. “I think this is the first time you’ve actually deigned to speak to me all evening,” he said in his deep, husky voice. “Been avoiding me, babycakes?”
Ah yes, he liked to call her babycakes. How she’d missed that while he’d been away in England playing rugby for the clubs. Not.
“I wasn’t avoiding you,” she said calmly, waving her laser for emphasis. “I just had other, more important stuff to do.”
Caleb’s smile flashed in the darkness. “What’s more important than saying hello to an old pal you haven’t seen for at least a couple of years?”
“A couple of years? Has it been that long? Well, well, doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun? And also, I’m not sure we were ever pals.” She let a delicate emphasis rest on the last word.
His smile widened and Judith had to remind herself that she was now immune to its lethal charm. Completely immune. “Oh don’t be like that,” he said. “You missed me. Admit it.”
“Yeah. Like I miss gonorrhea.”
One dark brow rose. “You’ve had gonorrhea?”
Judith sighed. He was all about the witty comeback. If that’s what you called wit. “Oh, shut up, Caleb.”
“See, this is what I’ve missed while I’ve been away. I say something, then you say something, then I say something back and you end with ‘shut up, Caleb’. We always have such great, in-depth conversations.”
Still the same old Caleb. Patronizing, arrogant, and cocky as hell. They’d been friends once, a long time ago. And then more than friends. Until he’d broken her poor little teenage heart. She’d forgiven him for that, though; it had been years and years since their affair, after all.
Eight years to be exact.
Nevertheless, a familiar feeling began to creep up on her. An antsy, irritated feeling. Like she’d brushed up against poison ivy. Okay, so she may have forgiven him. That didn’t mean he didn’t bug her on occasion.
Judith swallowed her irritation and maintained her usual calm-and-in-control expression. The one that seemed to exasperate him as much as his teasing arrogance exasperated her.
“Did you have something special you wanted to say?” she asked him in bored tones. “Or are you just here to be annoying?”
“Actually, I’m here to shoot you. Though, being annoying is always an added bonus.”
“Well, you shot me. Okay?” Judith pushed away from the pillar, looking for the exit. She’d had enough of this supposed “fun”.
“Aw, don’t spoil my good times.”
“I don’t care about your good times, Caleb. You know that thing I said about having more important stuff to do? Well, that.”
Out of the darkness, she suddenly spotted the exit sign. Thank God.