Seth held Julie’s hand as she led him back through the kitchen into a storage closet, feeling decidedly content to follow where she led. Especially when Julie closed the door behind them and leaned against it. Her mischievous look melted his brain. He hadn’t anticipated anything of a naughty nature, but hell, if she wanted to take him between the mop bucket and the napkins, he was game.
When she’d laughed earlier, it had bubbled up from inside and spilled out of her mouth in short bursts. It was delightfully girly and sexy at the same time. He’d found a new desire to make her laugh as often as possible.
“When I was a little girl, I had this party with balloons,” she said. “All my friends were breathing the helium and talking funny, but before I could join in, my mother made everyone stop.”
“I don’t see any balloons.” He glanced around. The storage closet was fairly small with lots of shelving, but there was an alcove around the corner.
She strode past him into the alcove. “When I was in here earlier, I noticed the helium tank and . . . yup, here are the balloons.”
She held them up like they were a prize to be won.
Seth rubbed his hands together. “All right, how are we doing this?”
“How else? Talk like pirates.” She checked her watch. “For two minutes.”
He laughed. So there was a little mischievous imp under that watch and prissy suit.
“I’m game.”
She handed him the bag of balloons. “Do you have a color preference?”
“Green, of course.”
Her smile made his stomach do little flips. She pulled out a green balloon and a purple one. She fumbled with the tank trying to get it to work, so he wrapped his arms around her to reach the tank, taking the balloon from her hand. “Let me.”
She leaned back into him as he checked the valve to make sure it was on. He slipped the balloon over the valve and pressed down to inflate it. Soon he had two balloons filled. She pinched the opening of the purple one.
“Ready?”
He nodded and they both sucked in some helium.
“Avast, me hearties,” Seth said in a squeaky high voice.
“You sound silly.” Julie slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh my God, I sound like a chipmunk.”
“Arrrr you forgettin’ ’bout the pirate speak?” His voice was a little deeper but still very high.
“Aye.” She giggled.
The door to the storage closet opened. Both of them whipped their balloons behind their backs. The server from earlier walked in and startled when she saw them.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was in here.”
“No worries. We were leaving.”
His voice still hadn’t returned to normal so he sounded like a prepubescent boy, which made Julie giggle even more as they walked quickly past the woman out into the kitchen. Where it had been quiet earlier, people were now bustling around, preparing for the wedding dinner. The caterer must have arrived.
They rounded the corner but there were even more people. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the freezer and shut the door.
“Oh my God, it’s cold in here.”
He shrugged out of his jacket, careful to keep his balloon pinched. “Here.”
He wrapped his jacket around her shoulders.
“Thanks.” She smiled up at him in the dim light inside the freezer.
“Shall we?” He held up the balloon. “I’ve got one more minute.”
She nodded and they both took another hit.
“Batten down the hatches, ye scurvy dogs,” she cried.
“Aye, aye, cap’n,” he said.
“Uh . . .”
“You didn’t think this through very well, did you?” His squeaky voice didn’t carry much authority.
“My pirate repertoire is sadly lacking.” She gave him a fake pout. Her voice still high-pitched, she said, “See this is why spontaneity isn’t any fun. I could have had a whole script for us if I’d planned this.”
He took another puff of helium. “You don’t have to plan—”
Before he could finish, she was in his arms, pressing her mouth to his. The balloons made those funny noises as they flew around the freezer, forgotten.
He drew her close against his body using the lapels of his tux. She tasted like a little slice of heaven carved off just for him. Her body melded to his in all the right places. Her fingers tangled in his hair.
She’d kissed him. He hadn’t expected that. Every touch sent an electric jolt racing through his body. He wanted Julie. Potential swam around them thick and heavy like a blanket. One kiss, one night. Forget that. As infuriating and challenging and complicated as she was, he’d definitely need more than one night to figure her out. Maybe he wanted to see where this could go, beyond this kiss, beyond this wedding, or even beyond this weekend . . .
***
2 hours until ceremony
Spontaneity definitely had its perks. Julie’s heart was pounding so loud it had to be echoing off the walls of the freezer. What was she thinking? The freezer at a wedding, for goodness sake. With the drunk uncle, no less.
That was the problem. The minute she kissed Seth every thought flew out of her mind except the sensual feel of his mouth against hers. How well he fit against her. How she didn’t want this feeling to end.
Julie loved that initial rush of mutual attraction when there was every chance that you could fall in love. It was the best feeling in the world, especially when the person you were with felt the same. But even if Julie and Seth weren’t falling in love, the ride was worth the price of admission.
Even if it was starting to get in the way of her job . . . She was in control here. Only a few stolen minutes and then she’d get back to doing what she did best.
His hands spanned her waist, holding her against him. Too many layers separated their bodies. She grabbed his shirt and untucked it from his pants. Beneath the shirt his skin was warm and the solid muscle underneath it twitched beneath her fingertips.
He released her lips and kissed his way across her cheek to her ear. “Your hands are freezing.”
“I know.” She leaned back to look into his eyes. What she didn’t want was time to think. Because outside of this little room was a whole lot of stuff waiting for her. “Did you want me to remove them?”
“Hell, no.” He captured her mouth again, but this time his hands didn’t remain on her waist. Her breath caught as he undid the buttons to her jacket. His hands trailed over her blouse before he tugged it out of her skirt.
“I’ll warm yours,” he said and then slid his hands beneath her shirt to flatten against her back, “if you warm mine.”
She shivered and pressed closer. “Freezers really aren’t the best place for a tryst.”
“We’re trysting?” He laughed, his breath warm on her cheek. The coolness of his palm moved along her side.
She caught her lip in her teeth as his thumb grazed her nipple through her lace bra.
“How far do trysts go?” he whispered against her ear. His warm breath sent heat flooding into her center.
She laced her fingers into his hair and tugged his head back so she could look him in the eye. “As far as you want.”
He chuckled with approval as she jerked his lips down to hers. Everything faded into the background as they explored each other. Tongues tangling, hands caressing.
A loud crack filtered through her haze. A popping noise followed.
She pulled her head back and looked into Seth’s passion-glazed eyes. “Was that a champagne cork popping?”
“I didn’t hear anything.” He claimed her mouth again and her mind emptied of everything, but this moment and him, Seth, all around her. His hands cupped her bottom and pulled her against him until she couldn’t tell where he began and she ended.
The sensation was crackling through her, but the crackling noise was definitely outside of her body. The freezer suddenly filled with popping sounds and ice-cold slush splattered on Julie’s arm.
“What the—” she said.
As the noise escalated and the slushy ice sprayed, Seth pushed her back against the door and covered her with his body to protect her. But it was everywhere.
She could feel it in her hair and on her legs, sliding down into her shoes.
The door swung open behind them and they stumbled into the bright lights of the kitchen.
“Julie?!” Stacey’s voice was beyond shocked.
The entire kitchen seemed to have frozen in time. Every eye was on the freezer and Julie wrapped in Seth’s arms.
She pushed him off her before she remembered they were both rather . . . disheveled. She turned her back to everyone and used Seth’s body as a shield while she straightened her shirt and jacket. Seth was blocking her view of the freezer and it was obvious that he had blocked the majority of the slushy from hitting her.
“Are you okay?” she asked him. Just then a chunk of slush fell on her cheek, close enough to her mouth and nose that she could tell this wasn’t ordinary ice. “Is this champagne?”
Her gaze fell on every face watching her as horror washed over her. “Please tell me someone didn’t put the champagne in the freezer.”
“Last I saw it was in the kitchen,” Stacey said. “But that was over three hours ago. It only needs a few hours in the refrigerator to cool down, so I didn’t think anything of it.”
“Who put the champagne in the freezer?” Julie demanded. Her voice shaking with rage and probably a hint of hypothermia.
No one in the kitchen dared to speak or move. No one would look at her. And no one was taking credit.
“I did,” Seth said.
She spun around to see a remorseful expression on his face.
“You did?” Shock filled her.
He brushed the slush off his shoulder and onto the floor. It landed with an undignified plop. “Champagne isn’t supposed to explode in the freezer. I’ve done it a hundred times before without a problem—and trust me, I wouldn’t waste good booze.”
“Was this your plan all along? Distract me, so that the champagne would come out as slushy rather than sparkling, bubbly happiness? Because God forbid anyone have sparkling, bubbly happiness on their wedding day.” She could feel the hysteria welling within her.
“You and me have nothing to do with—”
“Seriously? Everyone knows that the potential is there for champagne to explode in the freezer. In fact, it’s pretty well-known that champagne should never be frozen as it ruins the taste!”
She shrugged out of his tux jacket and threw it at his chest. She’d risked ruining the wedding—not to mention her professional reputation—to mess around with him? Look where it had left her, soaked in champagne.
“Drunk Uncle Seth strikes again. Ha, ha, very funny. I guess you’re going to get your way and this wedding really will be doomed.” She didn’t let the pain show. She couldn’t. She had a wedding to make happen.
She turned her back on him. It was time to take control of this situation. She straightened her jacket and ignored the slush running down her leg.
“Stacey, please check with the caterer to find out if he has some champagne in his van.” She turned to the next person closest to the freezer. “Could you please find something to mop up this mess? Let’s get busy.”
The bustle resumed around her.
“Is there any champagne in the wine cellar?” Seth asked from behind her.
She couldn’t look at him. She didn’t know who she was more disappointed with . . . him or herself. “No. The lodge doesn’t stock it. That was the only box.”
She needed a few minutes to compose herself. Even though she hadn’t gotten the brunt of the champagne shower, she could feel little oozing drops rolling down her neck. Holding her head high, she made her way out of the kitchen. All she had to do was get to the bathroom and then she’d be free to breathe and figure out how to fix this.
Her hand had just touched the doorknob when she felt him close in on her.
“Julie?” His voice didn’t sound joyful or gloating. He sounded sorry, but that could be a side effect of getting hit with dozens of corks.
“I need to clean up and you should go clean up, too. You have pictures in the garden with the rest of the family and ushers. The groom will be expecting you.” She tried to control the anger pounding through her and keep her voice calm and professional.
“I didn’t want that to happen. If I had thought for a moment they would explode, I never . . .” His hand was heavy on her arm. “Please turn around and talk to me.”
“Why? So you can tell me how sorry you are?”
“Yes.”
She turned and glared at him. “This day was supposed to be perfect. It has to be perfect. And I’m not sure I can fix this.”
“No day is perfect, Julie. They can’t expect you to control everything.”
“God, you don’t understand.” She threw her hands up. “There has to be one day—if only one day—in a marriage, that exceeds everything else. That affirms that happiness exists. That is so beautiful and so special that when the lonely times happen, they’ll have something to cling to, to remember and cherish. It reaffirms the hope that the type of love exists where two people choose to share their love with everyone they know. They become two parts of a whole, and I get to help them do that.”
“That’s a beautiful concept, but there’s more to a marriage—”
“This is my fault. Because of me, this wedding is going to be ruined. I have to go.” She turned away from him and opened the door. “Go get cleaned up. You were supposed to be out on the lawn for pictures five minutes ago.”
Then she closed the door on him.