All You Need Is Love (11 page)

She stared at him slack jawed. “Excuse me. You did what?”

Nathan nodded. “I met Lauren early this morning in Santa Cruz – the halfway point, according to her – and handed off all the seating chart and place card materials. Your mom is happy to take those off your hands, and she also offered to assemble the gift bags you wanted to leave for our out of town guest. Lauren is going to call and re-confirm everything with the florist, bakery, photographer, limo driver, and the minister. Let’s just hope she doesn’t piss any of them off, because that would create a whole different set of problems.”

Julia was speechless and could only continue to stand in the middle of the room as Nathan continued to check things off on his fingers.

“Tessa is finalizing the arrangements for the rehearsal dinner and also checking in with the catering staff at the hotel about the wedding. Oh, and she’s also making appointments for you and the girls for your hair and stuff.” He paused for a moment. “Hmm, what else? Ah, Angela is arranging for her own damned dress alterations and promises not to gain any more weight until after the wedding. She’s also offered to send the wedding announcements to the newspapers. Travis said to tell you he arranged for a one week extension on submitting the final designs for the Presidio Heights house, plus he’s cleared his own schedule to help you with them. Last, Anton, Courtney, and Robyn are coming over to the flat on Saturday to assemble all the wedding favors and programs. And – no, I think that covers it. Anything I missed?”

Almost without being aware of her actions, Julia dropped her blue leather satchel at her feet before sinking down into the nearest chair. She was shocked speechless by what Nathan had somehow been able to arrange in God knew what amount of time. Her head was spinning, unable to believe all he’d been able to accomplish so swiftly, and she was horrified to feel tears spilling down her cheeks.

“I can’t believe you did all that for me,” she whispered, brushing the tears away impatiently. “I’ve been so horrible to you lately, short-tempered and cranky and – well, the whole falling asleep before sex thing. I don’t deserve you, Nathan.”

“Stop.” He knelt before her, taking her hands in his and bringing them to his lips. “I didn’t do anything, baby. Just made a few phone calls is all. Your family and friends are the ones doing everything. And they’re overjoyed to help, Julia. In fact, your mother was hurt that you didn’t ask her before now.”

Julia nodded. “I know. Normally I would have asked her months ago, but – well, my father told me she’s started painting again and creating some really spectacular stuff. Plus, she’s had two huge shows at the gallery so I didn’t want to lay anything else on her.”

“Natalie is happy to help,” he assured her softly. “She was ready to head on up here for a few days, in fact, to lend a hand. She knows it’s been tough on you, planning this in just a few months, and with over a two hour drive between San Francisco and Carmel.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “She worries about you, baby, just like I do. And when I told her what I was planning she said to tell you not to even think of arguing with me or you’d be hearing from her directly. Worse, she might send your sister up in her place and we both know how welcome
that
would be right about now.”

She shuddered at the thought of Lauren paying a visit right about now. The last thing she needed would be for her twin to arrive in town and start causing trouble or bossing everyone around as only Lauren could do.

“Fine. I won’t argue,” she replied quickly. “So long as you tell me
exactly
what all this means.” She waved her hand, indicating the grand suite. “And why the need for this trickery.”

Nathan grinned. “
This
, baby, is our overnight getaway, a mental health break if you like. It was Ian’s idea, actually, not that I wouldn’t love to take credit for it. When he and I were up in Napa a few days ago I might have, ah, told him how stressed out you were. So, naturally, he suggested I kidnap you.”

Julia’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Excuse me – he suggested you what?”

“Kidnap you. Well, not literally, of course, though it sounds like it almost came to that. Ian said you weren’t exactly cooperating this morning when he called you. He must be losing his touch. In any event,” continued Nathan, “Ian arranged for us to have the suite overnight. During which time you are not spending even five minutes on work, wedding plans, or anything else that doesn’t involve relaxing.”

She arched a perfectly plucked brow. “That’s it, huh? Strictly relaxing? Sure you weren’t secretly hoping that we can fit some hanky panky into the schedule?”

He winked at her. “You have your methods of relaxing, and I have mine. And yes, I’m certainly hoping to er, break my dry spell tonight. Or at least do my utmost to make that happen.”

Julia eyed him suspiciously as he stood. “And how exactly were you figuring on doing that?”

Nathan leaned over and captured her mouth in a long, leisurely kiss. “Simple, baby,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m going to seduce you. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy.”

Julia allowed herself to do exactly that, more than a little dazzled by how the rest of the afternoon unfolded. They were served a lavish, formal high tea and she almost wept to eat real food again – dainty tea sandwiches; warm, flaky scones and croissants served with butter and jam; decadent miniature French pastries; and what was possibly the best pot of tea she’d ever tasted. Of course, after the copious amounts of greasy takeout she’d been subsisting on these past few weeks, almost anything resembling gourmet food was a treat.

Within minutes of the tea car being wheeled away by the private butler assigned to the suite, a crew from the hotel’s exceptionally luxe spa arrived for two hours of pampering – a massage, facial, and mani-pedi – and Julia felt like she was floating on a cloud after a while. She hadn’t been this relaxed since their trip to Paris almost six months ago, and she could gradually start to feel all the stress of the past few weeks melting away.

Nathan had made himself scarce during her pampering session, and she found him ensconced in the living room watching a baseball game on the enormous flat screen TV. He had changed clothes, swapping out of his khakis and polo shirt into a very familiar light gray suit. She smiled as she recognized what he’d been wearing the night they’d spent together in New York, even the same shirt and tie. He’d also worn the exact same outfit on another, even more memorable occasion – last New Year’s Eve in Paris when he’d asked her to marry him.

“My favorite suit. Imagine that. Is this a special occasion or something?”

Nathan glanced up, grinning at the sight of her swaddled in a plush white hotel bathrobe, her hair piled in a messy topknot. He turned off the TV and walked over to her with a rather deliberate swagger in his step.

“Well, I kind of think of this as my lucky suit,” he drawled. “I mean, the first time I wore it for you I wound up getting very, very lucky. Multiple times, in fact.”

Julia’s freshly exfoliated and moisturized skin flushed a rosy pink as she recalled the night they’d spent in Nathan’s hotel room at the Plaza. She’d fallen in love with him that night, only to have him break her heart into a million tiny pieces the next morning.

But that was all in the past, and she never liked to remember that time in her life when she’d been sad and lost and longing for what could have been. Nathan had more than made all of that up to her, many times over, and he let her know every single day how much he loved her. What he had done for her today, for example, spoke volumes about the true depth of his feelings.

As he stood directly in front of her, Julia pretended to straighten his tie. “Hmm, and I recall another time when you wore this exact ensemble. You got pretty lucky that night, too.”

He chuckled, running the backs of his knuckles across her cheek. “The luckiest, baby. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure, you know, that you’d say yes.”

She smiled. “How could anyone say no to a ring like this one?” She held up her left hand, on which sparkled the gorgeous square cut diamond engagement ring he’d slid on there the night he’d proposed.

Nathan tugged on a loose tendril of her hair. “I don’t want to take any risks that my dry spell isn’t going to end tonight,” he teased. “Otherwise, your cute little ass would be as pink as your face is right now. And speaking of pink – I might have brought along a particular dress for you to wear tonight. You should, ah, go check in the second bedroom.”

Julia giggled. “You
have
been busy, haven’t you? Guess I’d better hope you picked out the right shoes at the same time, because the ones I wore here will definitely clash – badly – with the pink dress.”

The weather had been unseasonably warm today so she’d chosen a cool white Lanvin sheath dress, then added a pop of color with cobalt blue accessories – shoes, bag, jewelry.

Nathan toyed with the belt of her robe. “Well, we are eating in this evening so you don’t actually need shoes.” He bent and licked the side of her neck in a way that made her shiver all over. “For that matter, you don’t really need clothes, either. Wouldn’t be the first time we ate a meal naked.”

She gave a little moan as his hand slipped inside the gaping neckline of the overlarge robe and found her bare breast. “But wouldn’t that, ah, mess with your plans to – ooh – what did you say earlier? Oh, yeah, seduce me.”

His fingers plucked at her nipple. “I can improvise. And with you, baby, I’m always open for suggestions. So, if you’d rather skip ahead a few steps - ”

Julia sighed and reluctantly removed his hand from inside her robe. “What did you order for dinner?”

Nathan laughed with gusto. “Why? Is that going to make the decision for you? Food over sex? Me or the beef wellington?”

She gave an excited little gasp. “Beef wellington? Honest? After all the crap I’ve been eating that sounds like the most amazing meal ever. Would you mind - ”

He enfolded her in his arms, kissing the top of her head tenderly. “No, baby. We’ve got all night. Go get gorgeous for me and then we’ll have a fantastic dinner. A dinner that will
not
,” he added sternly, “include anything resembling fried chicken, pizza, or burritos.”

She gave him a slow, seductive kiss. “Thank you, Nathan. For everything. And I promise that your – correction,
our
– dry spell will definitely end tonight.”

Nathan gave her a mock glare. “Yeah, you got that right, baby. And don’t even think about falling asleep on me. Because as horny as I am right now, I’d do you awake, asleep, sober, or dog-assed drunk. Got it?”

Julia winked at him. “Got it. And so will you, I promise. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

As instructed, she found the pale pink crepe Moschino sheath carefully laid out on the spare bed, as well as a coordinating pair of peep-toe pumps. And right next to the dress was a brand new, and very sexy, set of undies. Julia smiled as she put on the gorgeous balconette bra and panty set of ivory lace shot through with pink satin ribbon, then rolled on sheer, silky thigh high stockings. She grimaced to realize the usually form fitting dress was now loose on her, evidence of just how much weight she’d lost these past couple of months.

She did a somewhat modified job on her hair and makeup, anxious to not keep Nathan waiting any longer than necessary. When she walked back into the living room, it was to find him sans suit jacket, his broad shoulders mouthwateringly defined by the fabric of his dress shirt.

“Thanks for the new undies.”

He whirled around at the sound of her voice, a rather naughty grin on his handsome face. “Like I’ve told you before, baby – new lingerie is really a gift for both of us. I wanted to bring the set you wore that first night but, uh, I don’t think you’ve done laundry for a while.”

Julia had the good graces to look sheepish. “Yeah, another item on my to-do list. Which,” she added happily as she walked over to him, “is now a whole lot shorter, thanks to you.”

Nathan slid his arms around her waist, pulling her in close. “My pleasure. Especially since you’re smiling again, you’ll have clean undies before the weekend is over, and we get to have hours and hours of wild monkey sex tonight. But first.”

He walked over to the extensive built-in bar, complete with high, padded counters and a wine refrigerator. Julia watched with interest as he extracted a bottle and presented it for her inspection.

Her green eyes grew a little misty as she whispered, “Perrier-Jouet. Just like that first time at the Plaza. You think of everything, don’t you?”

Nathan leaned over to give her a soft, lingering kiss on the lips. “You ain’t seen nothing yet, baby. Hand me those flutes, would you?”

He popped the cork with ease and poured the cold, bubbly wine into the exquisite crystal flutes that Julia knew had to be Baccarat. Each of the Gregson properties was lavishly appointed, with only the very highest quality of furnishing and accoutrements, one of the many reasons it was consistently ranked as the premier luxury hotel chain in the world.

Nathan handed her a glass. “Here’s to us, baby. One month from now we’ll be toasting again with this very same vintage, in yet another of Ian’s hotels. Only next time we do this you’ll be Mrs. Nathan Atwood.”

She gasped in surprise. “It
is
exactly a month from today, isn’t it? Oh, God, I’d be having a full blown panic attack right about now if you hadn’t rounded up the troops to help out.”

“Shh.” He clinked his glass against her. “No panic attacks tonight. Or any other night. Tonight is all about relaxing and unwinding. And absolutely no wedding planning. Understand?”

Julia nodded before taking a sip of her champagne. “Got it. And thanks for the champagne. You know what it does to me.”

Nathan grinned, giving her a little pinch on the cheek. “That I do, baby. But since I have no intention of letting you get
too
tipsy, you’d better eat a little something before dinner.”

The private butler – another trademark of all the Gregson hotels – had delivered a beautifully prepared platter of hors d’oeuvres – brie en croute, tiny tartlets filled with goat cheese and chutney, miniature crab cakes, and oysters on the half shell.