Everett let out a low groan and nibbled her neck. Bailey closed her eyes and fought the sensations swirling through her. Maybe she was letting this get out of hand. She pulled back a little and took a deep breath, trying to control her bodily reactions. She reached for the wristlet hanging from her arm and, holding it between them, popped it open so he could see her gun nestled inside.
He chuckled and brushed a curl over her shoulder. "You always surprise me."
She shrugged. "Where else was I supposed to put it?"
His blue eyes darkened, and he raised an eyebrow. "I can think of a few places." He glanced down at her chest, which looked fuller than usual due to the style of the dress.
"Eyes up here, buddy," she said sternly.
Dutifully, he raised his eyes back to hers. Before either could speak, they were interrupted by the DJ clearing the floor for the tossing of the bouquet.
Bailey moved with Everett to the side of the room. "Shouldn't you go out there?" he asked her, indicating the few single women crowd each other in the center.
"Oh hell no," she whispered back. "I am not getting in the middle of that."
Sarah stood in front of the group of women, craning her neck to look around the room. When she spotted Bailey, she waved her hand for her to join them. "Shit," Bay said, trying to keep a smile on her face. When she shook her head at Sarah, Sarah frowned before marching over to her and grabbing her hand, trying to pull her onto the floor.
Bay dug in her feet. "Sarah, no," she tried to argue.
Sarah dropped her hand and put her fists on her hips. "Bailey Lennox," she threatened in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "you get your ass out here, or you ruin my wedding!"
Bailey's eyes widened, and she glanced around to see everyone staring at them. She heard Everett coughing behind her in an attempt to hide his laughter. Reluctantly, she stepped forward, following Sarah, but she glared over her shoulder at Everett, who held up his hands and shrugged.
She would be polite, she decided, but she was not going to play this game. She stood behind the other five women, wishing this would end soon. As Sarah tossed the bouquet over her shoulder, all the other women stepped to one side or the other, leaving Bailey as the only person in the path of the bouquet.
Too surprised to move, the bouquet hit Bailey in the arm and fell to the floor. She stared at it for a moment before bending down to pick it up amid laughter and cheers.
Bay made her way back to Everett as Toby made a show of taking the garter off Sarah's leg. Instead of gathering the bachelors, Toby walked straight to Everett and stuffed the garter in his handkerchief pocket with a big grin.
Everett stood there with a look of disbelief on his face as the guests whooped and clamored for them to kiss. He turned to Bailey and held her loosely in his arms. "I had nothing to do with this, I swear," he said under his breath.
"Your sister set this up?" she asked.
"Most definitely." He leaned down and pressed his lips lightly against hers for the briefest of moments. Several people booed and someone shouted, "Give us a real kiss!"
Everett let a quick grin slide across his face. Right before his lips touched hers again, he murmured, "Sorry, not sorry." This time his kiss was anything but brief or light. His mouth demanded of hers, and she responded without question. His tongue pried her lips apart and snaked inside to taste of her sweetness. It wasn't until Bailey's hand buried itself into the hair at the nape of his neck that she realized she must have dropped the flowers as she lost herself in his kiss. Her skin warmed, and tingles spread along her limbs.
It could have been a moment or it could have been an hour later when Everett reluctantly lifted his head from hers. The noise of the guests filtered back to Bailey's awareness, and embarrassment flooded her at what had transpired. So much for acting, she thought to herself.
Chapter 12
‡
Bailey should have been tired. With her emotions swinging back and forth and trying to stay alert with all the people around, she should be looking forward to sleep. Instead, she stared out at the darkness wide-awake as Everett drove them back to his parents' house.
She shifted in her seat, and she could feel Everett's eyes on her. "It was a beautiful wedding," she said, still staring out the window. "It was really nice of you to do all that for your sister. I can tell you love her."
"Mmm. Right now I just want to choke her though," he grumbled.
Bay glanced at him. "Why?"
He gave her an incredulous look as he jerked the sports car to a stop in the driveway. "You were doing just fine testing my willpower as it was. She only made it worse with that trick she pulled." He ran a hand down his face. "God, Bailey, it's all I can do not to touch you right now." He gripped the steering wheel as if to show how serious he was.
Stunned, Bailey sat staring at her hands for a moment. "Maybe we should go in," she suggested.
"Sure," he said, resigned. "Like that will help."
"I don't know what you want me to say, Everett. It's not like we can sit out here all night."
"I know, I know."
He opened his door and stepped out. Bailey did the same and followed him to the front door. When he closed the door behind them, she said, "I'll change and come back down to the couch again tonight." After her reaction to his kiss, she no longer trusted herself to be alone with him at all.
"Bailey." He grabbed her hand as she started for the stairs. "You can't. Not tonight."
"Why not?"
He ran his free hand through his hair. "No one will believe we're still fighting after what happened earlier. Besides, I really don't want to hear another lecture from my mother about it." He grinned.
In spite of the situation, Bay laughed. "She lectured you?"
"You should've heard it, the names she called me. I couldn't believe those things were coming out of my own mother's mouth." He stepped closer and got serious. "It sounded an awful lot like things you'd say to me."
She searched his eyes and found it hard to speak. "You mean things like calling you a spoiled rich billionaire who's not used to hearing the word no?"
"Something like that, yes." His free hand came up to brush her hair back. "I didn't have the urge to kiss her into submission like I do you though."
"Like I'd ever submit to you," Bay joked. She stepped back, trying to put space between them and break the tension pulling her tight. Her heel caught on the bottom stair step and she fell backwards.
Everett caught her with an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, and Bay gasped and the sudden contact. "You can't get away from me that easily," he said.
"I wasn't trying."
He raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you?"
She raised her own eyebrows at the challenge in his voice. "No. If I wanted to get away, I'd do this," she said, and she went limp, letting herself slide out from his arm before she ducked around him, laughing.
"I admit, you're good at running away," Everett said, turning to face her again. He stalked toward her until she backed against the closed front door. "But can you stay and take the heat?"
His dark blue eyes burned into her, and she sucked in a breath. "I can't-" she started.
"Is it really because you can't, Bailey, or is it really because you're afraid?"
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Afraid? Was she afraid? Memories flew through her mind-every time she'd cared about someone and been hurt, with her father, with Lee, with her sister. She didn't want to hurt anymore. But afraid of Everett?
She lifted her chin in defiance. "I'm not afraid of you," she spat.
"Then prove it."
The spark of challenge in his eyes was all it took. Bailey was never one to turn down a good dare. She lifted her hands and tangled them in his long hair before pulling his head down to hers. Her mouth demanded of his, and he willingly gave her that and more. She maneuvered them until he was the one pinned against the door by her body.
Bailey broke the kiss and glared at him. "One night, Everett. That's it," she demanded.
"Thirty-six hours," he countered. "Until we get back to Chicago."
"And you will never, ever, say a word to anyone," she said back.
"Deal," he agreed before gathering her to him and claiming her mouth in triumph.
*
Suddenly, Everett lifted her and tossed her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.
"Everett, what are you doing?" Bailey choked out between gasps for air as he jogged up the steps.
"Not giving you a chance to change your mind," he answered. He kicked the door to his bedroom closed with the heel of a foot and tossed her on the bed, his own body following her down to keep her there. "My balls couldn't survive it," he finished.