Tease Me (24 page)

“His bullets even things up. I can’t take that chance, Lainey.” He tried to push past
her.

“What will rushing in there do?” Lainey grabbed his arm. She motioned to the monitor.
“Look. Lillian is calm, she’s talking to him. He’s listening.”

“He’s still pointing a gun at her.” Tucker’s jaw was clenched so tightly, it made
the vein in his temple jump.

“Exactly. And any kind of sudden move could make him panic. There are four people
in there, Tucker. He’s not going to go from being a two-bit crook to a multiple murderer.
I know he won’t shoot. I
know
it.”

Tucker speared her with a hard look. “How can you be so damn sure?”

She held his gaze. “Instincts.”

Tucker choked on a half laugh. “You pick
now
to put them to a test?”

She ignored that deserved barb. He was scared and angry, at Damian and at himself.
“Trust your instincts, too, Tucker. You believed she could do this or you wouldn’t
have gone to all this trouble. Give the four people in that room a chance to work
this out.”

“Come here, come here,” Minerva said excitedly. “Mr. Halliday is talking to him now!”

Tucker stared at the door, then back at Lainey. She tensed. The stakes were the highest
they’d ever been in her life. She didn’t back down. “Isn’t this what you wanted?”
she queried softly. “For me to trust myself? I trust you, Tucker. It’s why I’m here.
I believe you trusted me too. Have I made another bad decision in believing in you?”

“Lainey, there’s more at stake here than—”

She stepped aside and motioned to the door. “Then follow your instincts.”

Tucker heard the words he’d tossed so cavalierly in her face the night before thrown
down like a gauntlet between them. He stared long and hard at her. She held his gaze
unwaveringly. He had no idea what had happened
in the last twenty-four hours to finally make her see the light, but …

He turned back to the room. “Okay. But if he so much as—”

Lainey glanced at the monitor. “He put the gun down, Tucker.” She turned back to him.
“He put the gun down! I was right!” She wrapped her arms around him in a bear hug
as the ladies cheered. “I did it,” she whispered. “I was right.”

“You pick a hell of a way to prove a point,” he said, holding her just as tightly.

“It’s one of my more lovable traits,” she said dryly.

Her eyes popped wide when he grabbed her head and pulled her close for a hard, fast
kiss. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”

“About what?” she said in dazed confusion when he released her.

“Being lovable.” He pulled her hand. “I’ll tell you just how much after this is over.”

“Stop dancing around the doorway, you two, and get back over here,” Bernice said.
“It looks like he’s going to do it.”

Tucker pulled her back for one more kiss. “I do love you, Lainey.”

“I finally got it right.” She smiled up at him. “I love you, Tucker. Thank you for
believing in me. For showing me how to believe in myself.”

“Always have, always will. I won’t let you down, Lainey.”

“I know. I truly know.”

“Did you really say you love me?” She nodded, and he rubbed his chest. “I think my
heart is about to explode.”
He shot her a grin. “Come on, let’s watch Lillian finish doing her number on this
weasel. Then I’ll kill him.”

She sighed and pressed a hand to her heart. “You say the most romantic things.”

He winked and pulled her with him back into the room. “And just think, this is only
the beginning.”

Lainey pulled their joined hands up and pressed a kiss to his fingers. Her eyes shining,
she said, “I can hardly wait.”

EPILOGUE

In the end it had taken a weasel to trick a weasel. Damian could take lessons on snake-oil
salesmanship from Frank Halliday. He had managed to persuade Damian to put away his
gun by explaining that everything Damian was doing was being filmed on a hidden camera
that could send the transmission to the local police headquarters at the flip of a
modem switch. The last part was a small fib, but Damian was already on the hook.

Halliday went on to explain that if Damian could come up with the dirt for Halliday’s
exposé of Fontana, he would be eligible for a hefty finder’s fee from Halliday’s television
network. He named a figure that made everyone’s eyes pop wide except for Lillian’s.
She smoothly interjected that if Damian surrendered a certain share of that figure
to her and destroyed all the copies of the contracts that he’d made while in Florida,
she would tear up his contract with her. To everyone’s amazement and immense relief,
he agreed.

The whole thing had taken thirty minutes. It had taken less than half of that for
the word to get around
about Tucker and Lainey. Damian and Halliday hadn’t even left the building before
the ladies had already begun planning the wedding.

Lainey paced in Lillian’s office a week later, waiting for Tucker and Lillian to get
back. They’d gone this morning to meet with Damian and Halliday to retrieve the money
and the contracts. If all went well, Halliday would take over working with Damian
on the Fontana story and they’d be out of the picture for good.

They were thirty minutes late.

Just then the door burst open and Lillian strolled into the room. Her new look had
been an instant hit with the salon’s clientele, so she’d opted to keep it. She had
her hair up in a tight twist with two black chopsticks stuck into it. Lainey had to
admit that it did go with her mandarin-style top. Which was a startling shade of crimson.
Lillian waved a package at Lainey, flashing matching red nails with Oriental characters
neatly painted on them.

“We did it,” she crowed. “The little weasel came up with the goods!” She hugged Lainey,
who was certain she heard her ribs crack, then turned to the door. “Well, don’t stand
around out there.”

Lainey turned to find Tucker lounging in the doorway. “I didn’t want to risk another
hug,” he said, rubbing his sides.

He turned his gaze to Lainey. “Sorry we took so long. I stopped at the executive offices
at the Fairmont to talk with management about some consulting work. I showed them
a carefully edited clip of our tape of Damian waving a gun at a hotel guest, and they
agreed they might need to rethink some of their security measures.” He let a slow
smile slide across his face. “Did you worry about me?”

Lainey wanted to hug herself as she basked in the
warmth of his gaze. “Not in the least. You had Lillian there to watch out for you.”

“That’s my girl,” Lillian said. She glanced at her wrist. “We got back just in time
too.”

Lainey forced her gaze away from her future husband and turned around. “Time for what?”
she asked warily.

“Your bridal shower.”

“My bridal—” She broke off and looked at Tucker. “Did you know anything about this?”

“Who, me?”

She narrowed her gaze, but there was a smile flickering at the corners of her mouth.
“You could have warned me.”

He held his arms out. “Hey, they threatened to have a bachelor party for me if I ratted.”

She flashed a look of mock horror. “Well, in that case you’re forgiven.”

“I thought you’d understand.”

“Enough standing around.” Lillian bustled past her to the door. “I have to run next
door and give this to Minerva.”

Lainey stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “Lillian, I don’t know if I thanked
you for all that you’ve done. I—”

“Nonsense,” Lillian said. “Just take care of this one here”—she nodded at a grinning
Tucker—“and we’ll call it even.”

Lainey smiled. “My pleasure.”

Tucker stepped into the room and pulled Lainey back against him. “I’ve been meaning
to speak to you about that.”

Lillian went out and closed the door, then stuck her head back inside. “You’ve got
fifteen minutes, then I’m
coming back to get you. Don’t do or say anything to make her mad, Tucker, the whole
gang is next door waiting. They’ve spent all morning getting the place ready.” She
started to close the door, then opened it again. “Oh, yes, Irma and Ida asked me if
they could go with us later today to look at dresses.”

“Dresses?” Lainey looked at Tucker, who shrugged. She looked at Lillian. “What dresses?”

“Didn’t Minerva tell you? We made an appointment at Betty Louise’s Bridal Boutique
for three-thirty.”

“But I, that is, we—”

Tucker leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I don’t care what you wear to marry
me, Lainey, as long as you marry me.”

She melted against him. “Fine,” she said weakly. “Three-thirty sounds fine.”

Lillian winked at Tucker. “Remember, fifteen minutes. And stay out of the massage
room. Stephan is particular about who touches his oil bottles.” She shut the door
on a flushing Lainey and a chuckling Tucker.

He pulled her up tight. “And to think I thought the jet set had all the fun.”

She looked up at him. “Are you sure you’re ready for all of this?”

He nodded without a second’s hesitation. “You know you don’t have to go with them.
I can talk to Lillian.”

She shook her head. “No, they’re as excited about this as we are. I won’t spoil their
fun. You just have to promise not to laugh when I come down the aisle.”

“Is Lillian going on this shopping trip?”

“Apparently.”

“Then I make no promises.” At her scowl, he held her chin and lowered his mouth to
hers. “Laughing, smiling,
loving,” he said softly. “I want all of that with you. On our wedding day and every
day afterward.” He kissed her. “I fall more in love with you every second.”

Lainey showed her approval with a long, slow kiss that had him backing her up against
the copier. Her giggle broke their kiss. “Tucker, we can’t. Lillian will be back any
second.”

“Then when can we?”

“As soon as I get back from picking out my wedding dress.” She smiled up at him. “Wanna
crash my bridal shower with me?”

“Do I have to go shopping too?”

She shook her head.

“Then what are we waiting for?”

Three weeks later Tucker stood in the white, flower-decked gazebo located in the center
of the park. He swore the whole town had turned out for the wedding. He peered through
the milling, chattering throng and waited for his bride to make her appearance. All
voices hushed as the organist began the wedding march.

He held his breath as the crowd parted.

Sunshine poured down through a sudden parting in the clouds, bathing Lillian in a
golden light as she stepped to the end of the red carpeting that had been rolled across
the grass to the gazebo steps. Her dress was nothing short of stunning.
Short
being the operative word. And pink. Shocking was the shade that came to Tucker’s
mind.

Then Lillian moved down the carpet and took her place as maid of honor. On the arm
of her aunt, who wore a more matronly version of Lillian’s outfit, Lainey was a
beautiful vision in a smartly tailored cream-colored silk suit worn with a lacy rose-colored
shell.

As she walked toward him, Tucker thought about the more traditional life he’d wanted.
He looked out over the congregation, then back at his soon-to-be wife, who winked
at him as if to say she knew exactly what he was thinking. She probably did. There
was nothing remotely traditional about the woman and the life he’d chosen. And that
suited him perfectly.

Welcome to Loveswept!

We have an irresistible e-original for you coming next month: Juliet Rosetti’s sexy
and wickedly fun
THE ESCAPE DIARIES
. In this hilarious debut, we’re introduced to appealing heroine Mazie Maguire as
we follow her on an outrageous adventure on the run. Don’t miss this e-original –
I guarantee you’ll fall in love with Mazie and her funny antics.

We’re also offering four more spellbinding and thrilling books from Donna Kauffman:
BOUNTY HUNTER, TANGO IN PARADISE, ILLEGAL MOTION
, and
BLACK SATIN
, as well as
THE MAGIC
, an enchanting medieval historical from Juliana Garnett.

If you love romance … then you’re ready to be
Loveswept
!