Grace was shocked.
He’d pulled it off. Xander Ryan had actually managed to pull together a couples’ shower at the eleventh hour.
Xander had figured out how to rent out the dining room of the hotel. They had the entire space for the whole night. With zero advance notice. It was unbelievable.
Grace spun in a circle. The room was decorated in tones of silver and gold, Emerson’s wedding colors. He’d managed to find balloons, centerpieces, food and even a specialty cocktail called the Jack’s Honey Bunny, which was a honey whiskey lemonade.
When she walked into the dining room promptly at seven o’clock, she’d found a fun party already in full swing. Music was playing softly in the background, people were mingling, food was being passed around by waiters.
She knew that Xander had been busy all day. She hadn’t spotted him since he’d left her room earlier that morning. But she hadn’t given it much thought because she’d spent most of the day at the winery. When Emerson arrived late that afternoon, they’d gone over everything she’d accomplished so far. Emerson had been in both bride and event-planner mode. A potent combination.
In all honesty, Grace had been anticipating a defeat in the couples’ shower department. Glancing around the bustling room, she couldn’t have been more wrong.
She sensed Xander before she saw him. Not only could she smell his enticing musky aftershave, but something also seemed to change in the atmosphere when he was around. Something delicious and wonderful. She’d been so busy today that she hadn’t had much time to think about their night together. But if she closed her eyes right now she could re-create every single moment in her mind. Every touch, every kiss, every second of pure bliss.
“What are you thinking about?” He’d come up behind her and whispered in her ear, his voice sending shivers of delight along her skin.
“Chris Pine,” she lied.
Gently, he turned her to face him. “I think you’re lying.”
“Prove it,” she said, tempting him.
“Gladly.” With that, he kissed her deeply and passionately. Luckily, he was holding her or she would have slid to the ground in a puddle of glittery goo.
“You look amazing,” he said.
She needed a little distance from him or she would climb up his body and have her way with him right there. So she stepped back and did a little turn. “You like?” she asked of the bright emerald dress she’d chosen. She ran her hand over it, loving the way the silky material clung to all of her curves and showcased her best assets. Her hair was pinned atop her head, allowing her long, dangly earrings to sparkle in the light.
“Very much,” he said, his voice husky.
He didn’t look bad himself. In fact, his dark suit and colorful tie fit him the best way possible, accentuating his broad shoulders and tall body. She couldn’t wait to peel it off of him later. Or maybe tear. And throw across the room as they made their way to the bed.
As if sensing where her thoughts had run off to, he grinned. “You know where that green dress would look really good?”
She shook her head.
“On the floor of my room.”
She pinned him with her sassiest stare. “I don’t know if that’s going to happen.”
He stepped toward her. His eyes never left hers as he ran a hand slowly up her arm. Her breath caught as she tried not to show him how much he affected her.
“It’s definitely happening.” His confidence should have been off-putting. Instead, it was sexy as hell.
“Just because you got lucky with me one time doesn’t mean—”
“It wasn’t only one time...”
Grace could feel her face heating. She coughed, putting space between them once again. Luckily, a hotel employee interrupted them.
“Mr. Ryan, we wanted to let you know that the AV equipment is all set up. You are good to go with the slideshow.”
“Great. Thank you so much, Henry. Start playing it on a loop when the bride and groom get here.” He pulled up his sleeve and checked his watch. “Which should be very shortly. In fact, let’s start dimming the lights.”
“They’re going to love this surprise.” With that, the employee was gone.
Xander had not only thought of a slideshow, but also figured out how to implement one? Grace couldn’t believe it.
“How? How?” She pointed at a framed picture of Jack and Emerson that hung on the wall. “How?”
Xander stuck out his chest. “I can’t help it. I have mad wedding-planning skills.” He flashed a mischievous grin. “Plus, I’ve learned that an American Express card goes a long way.”
“Do I even want to know what this cost you?”
“Certainly more than the Instant Pot I was going to order from their registry.” He shrugged, as if everything he’d done was no big deal. “Jack is my best friend. He’s worth it.”
The lights flicked on and off a few times. People began to hush their conversations.
“Jack and Em are on their way.”
“How did you get everyone here? The majority of these people weren’t supposed to show up until tomorrow,” she asked in a hushed tone.
“I had help from the hotel staff. We were all busy making calls. And since the hotel didn’t have many reservations for tonight, they offered discounts on the rooms.”
“You managed to contact all of these people, got them to drop what they were doing, pay for an extra night at the hotel—discount or not—and drive out here.”
“I’m very persuasive.” He winked, waited a beat, then he shrugged. “And let’s just say that I owe Rachel even more than your wedding-planning expertise now. She really came through today.”
“Hey, Xander, where should I put this gift?” one of Jack’s employees asked.
Xander gestured to a large table set up at the back of the room. “The gift table is back there.”
“Gifts? How did you manage to do that at the last minute?”
“Some people already had presents for the original shower. When I called people to invite them, I told them I would be making a run to the department store and asked if they would like me to pick up a gift. Several people took me up on it.”
Grace couldn’t help but be impressed. Xander had thought of everything.
“And the food? How in the world did they have time to prepare anything special?”
“That was definitely trickier. Again, the hotel really helped me out. We have some stuff ordered in from local places and they filled in the rest with what they had on hand.”
She watched him surveying the room, checking to make sure everything was set and where it should be. He faced her. His grin faltered. “Impressed?” he asked.
He was nervous. It was adorable. She offered her most reassuring smile. “You have no idea. I’m floored with what you did here,” she said, a lump forming in her throat. “And I’m astonished with what you did last night.” She held in a giggle at the blush that crept up his face. “But mostly, I’m awestruck with how wrong I’ve been about you.”
“Grace—”
“They’re right around the corner,” Amelia called excitedly as she ran into the room.
She wondered what he’d been about to say. Secretly, she was glad he hadn’t had a chance to finish because she’d shocked herself with her own words. She didn’t know what caused her to say them. Although, she meant them. Every word.
When she’d first met him, she’d thought Xander was an uncaring, unfeeling, overconfident, workaholic playboy. He’d proven her wrong at every turn. He cared about his friends and his employees and colleagues. While he may be self-assured, his confidence had become endearing to her. She liked that he knew what he wanted and how to get it. Especially since one of the things he seemed to crave the most was her.
She felt her cheeks heating up just as Emerson and Jack entered the room. Grace loved a good surprise. She reached for Xander’s hand as the happy couple walked into what they thought was an intimate dinner with Grace and Xander. Everyone yelled “surprise,” held their drinks in the air and let out whoops and hoorays.
Emerson almost fell into Jack, who was busy looking from one person to another.
“What is this?” Em asked, her voice full of joy.
Grace put a hand to her heart. “She loves it. Oh, my god, check out how excited she is.” She glanced up at Xander. “You did a really, really good thing here. Thank you.” She went on tiptoe and gently pressed her lips to his.
“If it will help me get more kisses from you, I’ll throw a shower every day.”
“I hear we have you to thank for this little shindig.” Jack was grinning from ear to ear as he and Emerson made their way over.
Emerson’s gaze darted back and forth between Grace and Xander. She’d definitely caught their kiss. Grace avoided her questioning stare. She felt bad. She’d just spent the last three hours with her best friend and hadn’t mentioned what had transpired between her and Xander.
Tentatively, Grace looked up and mouthed “later.”
“Welcome to your surprise couples’ shower,” Xander said happily, oblivious to what was happening between the women.
Emerson hugged her. “Gracie, this is amazing. How did you do all of this?”
Grace shook her head and pointed to Xander. “It was all this guy’s work. Most people buy place settings and ugly vases for wedding presents. He wanted to give you this.”
Grace gave the couple room to lavish Xander with attention and praise. She liked seeing his face blush as Emerson planted a loud kiss on his cheek.
“Hey, where’s the little mutt?” Xander asked.
“Cosmo is staying with Jack’s neighbor for the next couple days,” Emerson explained. “While we’re on our honeymoon, my mom and dad are going to take on dog-sitting duties.”
“Ah, man, I thought he would have looked great in a little doggy tuxedo walking down the aisle,” Xander said.
“I don’t know,” Jack said. “A wedding and reception would have interrupted his ten-hour-long nap.”
They all laughed. Then, Xander explained to Jack that they used Jack Daniel’s Honey Whiskey in the Jack’s Honey Bunny cocktail, and Emerson sidled up to Grace. “Well?” she asked.
Grace rocked back on her heels. “Well, what?”
“Gracie, don’t give me that. I saw that kiss between you and Xander.”
“We’ve kissed before. You know that.”
Emerson shook her head. “That was different. I saw it. It was...intimate,” she decided.
Grace was about to say that Emerson was imagining things, but she couldn’t go through with it. She couldn’t lie to her best friend. Especially not about something that was starting to feel very important.
Just then, Emerson’s parents showed up. Grace squeezed Emerson’s hand. “I’ll tell you all the details later. I promise. Enjoy your party.”
Seemingly appeased, Emerson smiled and hugged Grace. Then she and Jack began making their way around the room.
For the next several hours, everything went perfectly. Guests mingled and danced, food was served, Jack’s Honey Bunnies were consumed. The guests enjoyed the slideshow Xander had put together. While Xander gave a toast to the happy couple, Grace helped with a slight problem in the kitchen. Other than that, there wasn’t a hiccup to be found.
Grace had been considering hiring an assistant. Maybe she should get Xander’s résumé.
“Thanks for helping out with the food,” Xander said. He placed a hand on her lower back and steered her toward a free table.
They toasted with their cocktails as the music switched from a fast-paced oldie to a slow song. The dance floor filled up quickly.
“You don’t happen to be looking for a new job in, say...event planning?” She batted her eyelashes at him.
Xander let out a hard laugh. “No way. No how. I’m glad everyone is enjoying themselves, but I honestly don’t know how you do this on a daily basis. There isn’t enough money on the planet to get me through that kind of anxiety.”
She cocked her head. “What do you mean?” she asked, even though she was secretly pleased with his praise.
“This is some serious stress. I think I’ve gone through an entire container of antacids. No way my heart could take this kind of job.”
“Seems to me that you have a very stressful job, too. I wouldn’t be able to handle all that emotion.”
He leaned closer. “Something tells me you would succeed at anything you put your mind to, Grace Harris.”
She wasn’t sure what to say to that. Instead, she swiveled in her chair. Xander followed suit. They watched Emerson and Jack dancing, their arms twined so tightly around each other that it was hard to tell where one of them began and the other ended. Grace didn’t know when, but at some point, Xander’s arm had come around her back. His fingers were lightly playing with the ends of her hair.
When she glanced up at him, Xander was intensely watching the couple on the dance floor.
“What are you thinking?” she asked. Part of her hadn’t meant to ask that question out loud. But she couldn’t contain her curiosity.
He nodded at Jack and Em. “That the two of them will have a long and happy marriage.”
Good thing she was already seated because his words would have definitely knocked her over otherwise.
“What was that?” she asked.
“Jack and Em. They’re made for each other. I can see them together for a long time.” He faced her.
“No divorce?”
He shook his head.
“Xander Ryan, are you becoming a softy?”
He shrugged. “Maybe I’m starting to see things differently.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Maybe I’m the most shocked girl on the planet.”
He leaned toward her until his mouth was a hairbreadth from hers. “Maybe you’re the reason I’m changing my mind.”
Before she had time to swoon over his statement, his lips were on hers and that’s all she could think of. Her hands came up to frame his face as his mouth devoured hers.
“Any more questions?” he asked, his voice sounding a bit strangled.
“Just one,” she said coyly.
“What’s that?”
“My room or yours?”
For the record, they went with Xander’s room. But to be fair, he wouldn’t have cared if they’d been in the hallway, a basement, a parking lot or under a table.
Unfortunately, it had taken them a while to escape the party. He supposed that was only fair since he was the host. Still, his brain had been on hiatus ever since she’d uttered those four little words.
My room or yours?
“When did this start?”
Xander almost jumped at the sound of Jack’s voice. He’d been preoccupied watching Grace trying to say good-night to Emerson and her parents for the last twenty minutes.
The room had thinned out. A few stragglers remained on the dance floor while some others were around one of the bars getting in their final drink orders.
“Huh?” he asked Jack.
“You and Grace. When did it start?”
Xander finally gave his best friend his full attention. “When did what start?”
Jack expelled an annoyed sound. “Don’t give me that. You haven’t taken your eyes off her since we got here.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“Yes, she is,” Jack agreed.
He agreed a little too quickly. Xander drew his eyebrows together. He knew Grace was gorgeous, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about someone else saying it. Even Jack.
“And clearly you guys have stopped fighting long enough to realize that you have feelings for each other,” Jack continued, oblivious.
Xander worked his jaw. He wanted to deny it. He spotted Grace across the room. She threw back her head and laughed. Her entire face lit up. He grinned.
“Yep, relationship city.” Jack slapped him on the back.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said anything about a relationship?”
“Actually, you’ve said very little. I’m just filling in the blanks.”
“Maybe you’re wrong.” Xander took a swig of water for his suddenly dry throat. “You ever think of that?”
Jack glanced over at Grace and then returned his attention to Xander. He shook his head. “Nope. I’m not. You guys are in deep.”
I sure am.
Where in the hell had that thought come from? “I wouldn’t go that far,” he said, trying to convince himself more than Jack. “But we’ve...you know? That is, Grace and I have... Damn.” He ran a hand through his hair.
Jack let out a loud chuckle. “I have never seen you tongue-tied over a woman. And how long have I known you?”
“Too long,” Xander said dryly.
Jack looked like a little kid on Christmas morning. “This is great. You and Grace.”
“Shh.” Xander quickly glanced around the room, but there was no one nearby. “I don’t know what Grace and I are right now, or even if we’re anything. You know I don’t do relationships.”
“And you know I never planned to stay in Alexandria.” Jack gestured toward his bride-to-be. “Things change.”
Xander knew things changed. Didn’t he see how much situations could transform on a daily basis at work? Wasn’t work, coupled with his parents’ insane situation, the reason he shied away from relationships?
And yet...didn’t he want to go upstairs with Grace more than anything he’d ever wanted in his entire life?
It wasn’t only for the sex, either. Maybe that was part of it. But it definitely wasn’t the whole picture.
Grace caught his eye. She bit her lip, even as a smile was blossoming. Then she nodded her head at the exit.
“Gotta run. I have a hot date.” He practically threw his water glass at Jack in his haste to leave. Then something made him stop. Something deep down inside of him. Part of the reason Xander loved practicing law was because he had great admiration for the truth. Even as a boy, he’d never been able to lie.
And the truth was that he could no longer imagine not being around Grace. It didn’t make any rational sense. They hadn’t known each other that long. They’d begun their acquaintance with constant bickering. Yet, out of all the people who’d been at the party—many of whom were close friends of his—he didn’t want to be around anyone but Grace.
Moreover, he was already thinking about what would happen after this weekend. He had a work event coming up on his calendar. Another boring gala. But with Grace by his side, the evening could actually be fun.
Not to mention that as the weather continued to cool down and the leaves took their final bows, the holidays would be right around the corner. Christmas in the nation’s capital was so much fun. Maybe they could go to Mount Vernon or visit the White House Christmas tree.
What was he doing? Planning a future that featured Grace.
Xander waited for the panic to ensue. It didn’t. In fact, the more he pondered it, the better he felt. Going through life with someone.
Xander took a deep breath. “I’m leaving now. I’m leaving with the woman...” He took a gulp. “I’m leaving with the woman I’m in a relationship with.”