Only You (21 page)

“Oh,” she gasped, as her nipples tightened.

She grabbed the waistband of his jeans and tugged him closer, desperate to get his jeans undone.

He growled his impatience, cupping her ass under her skirt and lifting her up to straddle him. His mouth devoured hers and she struggled to keep up, overwhelmed by everything she felt—yet she couldn't get enough.

He dragged his mouth from hers, skimming her chin with his lips and his tongue, making her even wilder with need.

“God, Holly. You drive me crazy.”

She grabbed his face between her hands and kissed, her tongue searching out his to show him he did the same to her.

“
Oh, God.
Sorry.” She heard the male voice from the living room, but by the time she figured out someone else was in the house, Kevin had turned his back to the living room and lowered her to her feet. Wrapping his arms around her back, he pulled her close to hide her from view.

Oh, God. It was Matt with the Shop-Vac.

“I'll wait outside,” Matt said, already heading out the front door.

Holly closed her eyes and leaned her forehead into Kevin's bare chest, her face burning with humiliation. What had he seen? Her bare legs wrapped around Kevin's waist. Her bra? But that wasn't what horrified her. Matt had seen her wild and out of control. No one had ever seen her like that. No one but Kevin.

Kevin held her close, his hand digging into her hair. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't…”

She shook her head and tried to pull free, but he held her close.

“Don't run from me, Holly. Don't run from us.”

“There is no
us
, Kevin. We can't do this.”

“You can't deny this,” he said in exasperation. “This thing between us…I've never had anything like this. Can you say you have?”

“No.” She shook her head again and pushed his arms off her. “I don't know. I have to think.” A fresh wave of humiliation washed through her. “Go find Matt. You need to clean up this mess.”

“Not until I know you're okay.”

Tears burned her eyes. “I'll be fine.”

He reached for her, lowering his face to kiss her, but she pulled back.

“Stop. We can't do this. Nothing has changed.”

His eyes darkened. “You can't be serious.
Everything
has changed.”

“No, we agreed to be friends. This is…No. We can't do this.”

“How is this any different than being friends?” he asked, his voice tight with anger. “You said Mom wouldn't let you go out to lunch with Megan. Do you think there's any difference in her eyes? Friends with or without benefits, it's all the same to her.”

She gasped. How could she be so stupid? “You're right.”

But he realized his mistake, his eyes widening. “Holly.”

She took a step back, the water sloshing at her feet. “I think you should stay somewhere else tonight.”

H
olly was at the reception venue by seven Saturday morning, setting out the centerpieces of rosebuds—which she hoped would be semi-open by tonight—and hanging the twinkling lights and decorations she'd prepared.

By noon, she was changed and at the church, making sure she was there before anyone else had arrived. She made a pass through the church sanctuary, making sure the flowers were all in place, then greeted the bride and her family when they arrived a half hour later. The wedding was at five, but there was a full schedule with hairdressers and makeup artists arriving to do the wedding party's hair and makeup, then photos.

By the time the wedding started, she'd defused two crises—the first was a salad-dressing stain on a bridesmaid's pale pink dress that Holly fixed with a stain remover she had in an emergency basket, and the second was a lost bow tie of one of the groomsmen. Holly took a bow tie from one of the ushers and replaced it with an almost identical black tie from the same basket. Once everyone was up at the altar and the service was going as planned, Holly took a moment to catch her breath.

The first half of the day was a success; now to make sure the second went just as well.

The reception was held at a local hotel. The DJ had arrived and set up, the hotel restaurant staff had everything ready for the cocktail reception, the cake was in place. Now that the candles on the tables were lit—thanks to the bride's cousins—and the twinkling lights were on, the banquet hall was more beautiful than she'd dreamed.

The wedding guests trickled in slowly at first, then in groups, getting drinks from the bar and finding seats at the open-seating tables. Holly was about to head to the back entrance to greet the wedding party when she saw him, her heart leaping into her throat.

Kevin stood with two friends—Matt and a man she hadn't met—looking more handsome than she'd ever seen him in his pale blue shirt and red tie. His friends provided competition in the looks department, but her eyes were on him. But he'd captured the attention of another woman, too. Her hand rested on one of his biceps, and the smile on his face let Holly know he didn't seem to mind the contact.

She spun around, her back to him as she tried to calm her already strained nerves. What was Kevin doing here? She'd seen the guest list and the name Vandemeer would have jumped out at her even before she'd met him.

Why was she surprised he was hanging out with a woman? A gorgeous one at that.
Was she his date?
She sneaked a look back over her shoulder to confirm her first impression. Yep, gorgeous. Tall, thin, long dark hair, and eyes only for him. All three men's eyes were glued to her.

Embarrassment washed through Holly, hot and cloying. She'd been such a fool. How in the world had she thought she could compete with someone like that?

“Holly?” The aunt of the bride shook Holly out of her reverie. “Michelle and Ken have arrived.”

Holly forced a smile. She needed to get a grip. She'd never had Kevin Vandemeer to begin with. So why did it feel like she'd lost him?

She greeted the wedding party, fluffing Michelle's dress and touching up her makeup, as well as those of the maid of honor and the bridesmaids, then gave the DJ the signal to introduce the wedding party.

The bride and groom had decided to do something fun by dancing into the room to a popular upbeat song. The DJ started the song on cue just like they'd planned, and the entrance not only went according to plan, but it also started the reception off with a ton of energy, setting the stage for a fun-filled night.

Half the room joined the floor on the next dance, flooding Holly with relief. Her plan had worked, justifying the large dance floor. She couldn't help that part of her relief was from spotting Kevin at a table with his two friends, the woman from before nowhere in sight.

The plan had been to let the party kick into gear, start the buffet, more dancing, cut the cake, then back to dancing. Holly was examining the cake table, trying to avoid the groom's obnoxious brother, who couldn't take the hint that she wasn't interested, when she heard a voice behind her.

“Can I have this dance?”

Her breath caught and she turned around to face Kevin. She wasn't prepared to be this close to him, especially with how handsome he looked and how amazing he smelled. It simply wasn't fair that her heart had begun to get attached to him. Because, looking up into his warm brown eyes, she knew there was no denying it.

She was falling for Kevin Vandemeer.

He lifted his hand and then stopped midair and lowered it, as though he realized what he was doing.

She forced a smile. “I don't think that's a good idea. And besides, I'm working.”

“You're not here as a guest?” he asked in surprise.

“Nope. This was my wedding.” She shook her head, feeling flustered this close to him after what they'd done the last time she'd seen him. “I mean, I'm Michelle's wedding planner.”

“You planned this?” He glanced around the room, awe in his eyes. “I have to say, I usually hate receptions, but this one has been fun.”

“Thanks.” She had to bite her tongue to stop from asking if the woman who had draped herself on him had helped make this one fun. She was jealous. But she could hardly stand the thought of him talking to a beautiful woman, let alone dating one—both feelings she had no right to.

“Surely you can still dance with me.”

She shook her head, trying to rein in her emotions. “The bride and groom are about to cut the cake. I'm making sure everything's ready.” Then she added, “But I couldn't dance with you anyway. I'm working. Your mother would never approve.”

She wasn't sure why she'd added the part about his mother. Maybe as a reminder to herself as to why she wasn't with him.

He cringed at the reminder of his mother, but then he graced her with his sexy grin. Damn him. “But I was going to tell you if Whiskers was a Mr. or a Mrs. I never got a chance to tell you on Thursday.”

Before Matt had walked in on them.

Humiliation washed through her again, but he stood there looking sexy and confident, like he was used to being caught in the throes of passion.

Oh, God. What if he was?

But she needed to pull herself together. And she really wanted to know. “He can't be a Mrs. for several reasons.
One
, he's a boy.” She ticked off her fingers. “
Two
, if he
were
a she, she would have to be
married
and he is very much single, and,
three
, he's much too young to consider marriage anyway.” She lowered her hand, her breath catching when she saw the grin in his eyes. “So tell me that I'm right.”

“Nope. Dance first.”

She put her hand on her hip, amazed that she could fall into this playful side with him when she felt sad. “That wasn't the agreement, Kevin Vandemeer. We had a bet. You need to tell me if I'm right.”

“We never worked out the details of the bet.” He laughed. “A little late for that now.”

“Ha!” she said, pointing her finger at him. “You won't do it because you know
I'm
right.”

“You're much too confident.” He grabbed her finger with one hand, the other resting lightly on her hip. The contact sent a jolt of electricity skating across her skin.

“A bet's a bet,” she said, trying to kick-start her brain cells into working again instead of letting her hormones take over. “Even if you already know the answer.”

He cocked his head to the side, his gaze sliding from her eyes down to her collarbone. She suspected that if she'd shown any cleavage it would have continued south.

“Actually I
don't
know,” he said, his attention still on her neck. “The answer is in a sealed envelope.”

“What?” she asked, sure she'd misunderstood.

His eyes lit up as he returned his attention to her face. “I thought we should find out together.” He winked. “So when I find out I'm right, I can truly enjoy every moment of my gloating.”

Her chest warmed and her giddiness caught her off guard. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this happy over nothing. But it wasn't nothing. He'd gone out of his way to do this for her. Why? “So open the envelope.” The words sounded breathless.

“Not yet. When we're alone.” While his voice was slightly husky, his face remained neutral. “Later.”

“Later,” she whispered.
What was she doing?

His hand fell from her hip, slightly brushing the outside of her leg and sending a jolt to her core. But if he recognized how he was affecting her, he didn't let on. He just sauntered over to his friends without looking back.

She watched him walk away from her, taking in how his broad shoulders filled out his pale blue shirt and his dress pants clung to his ass. She couldn't help wondering what she'd actually agreed to later.

K
evin wasn't sure why he was surprised Holly was here. She was a wedding planner, and from what he'd seen so far, she was a damn good one. Once again, it confirmed that his mother bitched about her out of jealousy. Too bad his mother was too blind to see that Holly was going to bolt from his mother's chains the first chance she got. Kevin would be cheering for her on the sidelines.

He'd been on his way out of the room, needing a breather from the noise and the chaos of the reception, when he'd seen her at the table. He hadn't planned on asking her to dance—hell, he hated to dance—but he'd been desperate for a reason to talk to her.

When he sat back down at the table, Tyler wore a smirk. “Crashed and burned, huh? I thought you were going to the bathroom to take a piss.”

“I was. I just happened to run into a friend.”

“Run into a friend, my ass. I thought we'd sworn off women. I've held up my end of the Bachelor Brotherhood. And let me add that I had no idea my balls could turn this blue.”

“She's a friend,” Kevin said, trying not to sound irritated and feed any more fuel to the fire.

“She's his neighbor,” Matt said, taking a sip of his beer and giving Kevin a pointed look. “They're
friends
.”

Tyler burst out laughing. “
You
got friend-zoned?”

“No,” Kevin said slowly, picking up his drink, surprised that Matt hadn't told Tyler about the situation he'd stumbled upon. “
I
was the one who said I wanted to be friends.”

“Why?” Tyler asked, watching Holly with a little more interest than Kevin liked. “She's hot.”

Kevin tried to keep his voice even. “She works for my mother. She's the wedding planner here.”

Tyler's mouth dropped. “She tolerates your mother? That has to take a special kind of woman.” Then he cocked his head. “Do you know if she's seeing anyone?”

“No.” Kevin's irritation grew.

Tyler stood and adjusted his tie, a smirk lighting up his eyes. “Screw the brotherhood. I think I'll go over and introduce myself.”

Kevin was up in a flash. “I don't think so.”

“Why not?” He looked surprised. “She's off-limits to you, but that doesn't mean I can't have a go with her. She looks like she'd be worth a short break from my hiatus from women.”

Kevin stepped in front of his path, his jaw set. “Because you're a prick who will use her and toss her aside, and she deserves a helluva lot better than that.”

Matt was up in an instant, grabbing Kevin's arm. “Why don't we get some air?”

“You like her,” Tyler said, slack-jawed.

“Of course he likes her,” Matt said. “For someone so smart, sometimes you're an idiot.”

“In my defense,” Tyler said, “he said they were friends.”

“Okay,” Matt said slowly. “When was the last time
you
convinced a woman to be just a friend?”

“Never.”

“I rest my case, Counselor.”

Tyler sat back down, and Matt tugged on Kevin's sleeve to get him to join them.

Kevin rubbed his temple, feeling like an ass. “I was out of line.” He was ticked at himself for getting so upset, but it was a reminder of the inevitable. He was going to lose her to some other guy. It was just a matter of time. Still, he couldn't be expected to stand by and watch her get hurt. Despite their beginning, Holly was not a casual-sex kind of woman, and that was the only type of relationship Tyler knew.

“I can't believe you didn't last even a single week,” Tyler said.

“He didn't last a single
day
,” Matt told him. “He slept with her the night after our agreement to remain single.”

Tyler burst out laughing. “For a tough-ass former marine, I expected you to be the last holdout, man. At least a week or two.”

“Holly's different.”

“Holly, huh?” Tyler shrugged, watching her again, but with curiosity this time. “Did your mother actually say she won't approve of you dating her?”

“No. But what do you think?”

“Yeah, no way in hell she'll go for it.”

“If it was up to me, I'd just tell my mother I was seeing Holly, but this affects Holly's job. It's not my call.”

Tyler clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Chin up, my not-so-young Romeo. If you love her it will all work out.”

Matt snorted. “Love her? He barely knows her.”

Tyler looked Kevin in the eye and winked. “Ignore him. He's just cranky because his bookkeeper stole all his money.”

Kevin cringed. “Not all of it.”

“Enough to make you start looking for another job.”

“What?” Matt demanded, leaning forward.

Kevin released a low growl. “Dammit, Tyler.”

Shrugging, Tyler picked up his glass. “If you're leaving him high and dry, the man has a right to know.”

It took a good five minutes before he'd convinced Matt that his company wasn't going to fold.

“But you
are
looking for another job?” Matt asked.

Kevin considered denying it, but Tyler was right, Matt had a right to know. “I contacted a headhunter yesterday.”

Matt's eyes narrowed. “Because of what I walked in on Thursday?”

That caught Tyler's attention. “What did you walk in on Thursday?”

Kevin could deny it, but that would be a lie. That was at least part of it. “I'd already considered it before that.”

Tyler shook his head. “If this is about a woman, let me remind you both: We swore off women.
Remember?
They're nothing but trouble and carry around a bag of shit with them, something you're finding out firsthand,
once again
.”

Matt shook his head, grinning at his friend. “Tyler, stop trying to convince yourself. Underneath all that cynicism, I suspect you're really romantic at heart. You're just really good at hiding it from the rest of the world. Your earlier comment about Romeo and Juliet only confirms it.”

Tyler laughed, but it sounded bitter as his gaze swept the room. “I suspect a long line of women would disagree with that assessment.”

Their banter continued, but Kevin was lost in thought, stuck on Tyler's comment about loving Holly. He knew it had been a joke, but something had tugged at Kevin when he'd said it. He hadn't known Holly long enough to love her, but he was falling for her hard. Which was obvious when he thought about the things he'd done since meeting her.

Like asking the vet tech to write down the gender of the kitten and put it in an envelope. It never would have occurred to him to do something like that in the past. But when he'd been at the vet with Whiskers, he found himself wishing Holly was there so they could find out together. The envelope seemed like a good in-the-moment solution. The tech had given him a look that suggested she thought Kevin was crazy, but he didn't care. All he could think about was making Holly happy, and he'd been right. The happiness and excitement in her eyes proved it.

A clinking on the other side of the room caught his attention, and the newlyweds stood behind the cake, beaming from ear to ear as they prepared to cut the cake. Everyone's eyes were on the happy couple, but Kevin had eyes only for Holly, who stood to the side with a watchful gaze. He suspected she'd tried to dress understated in her pale gray dress with the high rounded neckline, trying to avoid attracting attention. But the dress only showed off her generous breasts and her full hips. Her hair was up in some kind of twist that exposed her long neck, and his eyes were drawn to the place that had made her writhe beneath him when he'd licked it a week ago.

Everyone clapped and cheered as the couple fed each other cake and drank champagne. Michelle and Ken were looking at each other as if they were the only two people in the world. Kevin couldn't stop the pang of longing that filled him. It was something he'd never had, and, given the women he'd dated, it was something he'd never expected to find.

Until Holly.

But then he realized why all his other relationships had crashed and burned. All those other women had been shallow and self-centered, incapable of real relationships. What that hell had he expected?

The dancing resumed, and Kevin was considering leaving. Matt must have suspected his discontent, and he grabbed Kevin's arm, hauling him out of his seat. “Let's mingle.”

“Mingle?” Kevin snorted. “Are we in a nineteen-fifties movie?”

“Stop being such a dick. You've been gone for almost a decade. Say hello to your old friends.”

Tyler laughed and finished off his beer before he stood, too. “You need another drink.”

Kevin disagreed, but Matt had driven, which meant Kevin was free to imbibe all he wanted. But Kevin was also smart enough to know that getting shit-faced wasn't going to solve anything.

“Come on,” Tyler groaned, heading toward the bar. “I'm buying. I need to get you loosened up for that dance you promised me.”

“Like hell I did. You promised a Red Lobster dinner first.”

Kevin laughed, grateful that his friendship with Matt and Tyler was slipping back into something familiar.

Matt made the rounds, reintroducing him to all their old high school friends and stopping when they ran into a couple who caught Kevin by surprise.

Randy Harris had been a friend in high school, and now he practiced law in the same firm with Tyler. But what Kevin found surprising was his fiancée. Brittany Stewart had been in their graduating class, but she'd always been shy and reserved and had a different group of friends than the four men. Brittany had been studious and was in the marching band and math club—a total opposite from the popular football player and partier she was now engaged to. When Kevin voiced his surprise, both of them laughed.

“I never would have considered her in high school,” Randy said, casting a sly glance at the woman at his side. “I wasn't good enough for her back then.”

Brittany laughed. “Good enough? You're right about that. You acted like a fool then, but good thing you grew up so I can overlook your previous stupidity.” She turned her amused gaze to Tyler. “Now if we can get this one to grow up.”

Tyler winked. “Not a chance.”

“I hope you're ready for our wedding festivities,” Brittany said, taking a sip of her drink. “The couple's shower is in August.”

“Like hell I'm going to a couple's shower.” Tyler snorted.

Brittany gave him an amused look that should have warned Tyler he was in trouble, but he seemed pretty clueless as she turned her attention to Kevin. “Hey! I just put it together.” Brittany snapped her fingers and pointed at Kevin. “Your mom has the event-planning business, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Her employee is doing my wedding.”

“Holly?”

“Yeah, she's amazing. The wedding is going to be gorgeous. She knows how to work wonders on a budget. She's sweet, too, and she just happens to be single.” She gave Tyler a sidelong glance. “You could do worse, Tyler. It's time for you to settle down.”

Tyler grinned. “I was just mentioning to Kevin that I should introduce myself.” Kevin stiffened, and Tyler added, “But she's not my type. Too straightlaced and stuffy for me.”

Tyler didn't even know her, and Kevin was sure his answer was meant to get him off the hook without outing Kevin's interest in her, but damned if his criticism of her didn't sting, too. What the hell was wrong with him?

He needed to get out of here for a few minutes.

He excused himself and went outside. Pressing his back to the wall, he stared up into the now star-filled night. The heat had broken and the humidity had decreased, and it was one of those rare summer nights when it felt better outside than in the air-conditioning.

The door opened and he turned his head, prepared to go back inside, but the woman walking outside made him change his mind.

Holly let the doors close behind her as she stood on the sidewalk. She closed her eyes with a loud sigh and leaned her head back, exposing her neck to the moonlight.

God, he wanted her.

Of course, that had never been in question. He'd wanted her since their first encounter, even in all her awkwardness. It was the intensity that stunned him. The grief he felt when faced with the idea that she might never be his. He had to find a way to make this work. He had to find a way to make her his.

“Hey,” he said softly, so as not to startle her.

She opened her eyes and turned to him, wariness quickly replacing her surprise. “What are you doing out here?” She looked like she was ready to bolt.

A wry grin lifted his mouth. “I needed a moment alone.”

“You needed a break from your friends?”

He hesitated then said, “I've got a lot on my mind.”

“Oh.” She tilted her head toward the door. “Do you want me to go back inside and leave you alone?”

“No. As cheesy as it sounds, you being here makes me feel better.” He hoped she didn't think he was feeding her a line.

Her shoulders relaxed, and she looked more at ease. “Me, too.”

Those two words filled him with more hope than their hot makeout session in his kitchen.

They were silent for several seconds before she nudged his arm with her shoulder. “So, where's this mysterious envelope?” she teased. “I figured you'd whip it out so you could gloat.”

He grinned. “I don't just carry it around in my pocket, and I had no idea you'd be here.” He turned to face her. “We can open it later. After you finish here. How much longer will you be?”

She sighed, her exhaustion evident. “The party's in full swing and I don't see any chance of it ending for at least another few hours. Then I need to pack up all the centerpieces for the bride's mother to take home and take down the decorations.”

“Don't you have an assistant who can do it for you?”