The Last Bride (DiCarlo Brides #6) (12 page)

An hour later he pulled in front of the theater. He had changed into a green polo and a pair of chinos, fixed his hair and dabbed on some aftershave—despite not having shaved for a couple of days. He had considered just wearing the jeans and tee he’d sported all day, but figured dinner theater should be slightly nicer, right? It wasn’t like he was trying to make a good impression on Jonquil or anything.

He got out of the car and saw Jeremy’s car sitting under a nearby street light. At least he wouldn’t be the first one in.

The theater was an old log building that had been housing theatrical productions since the early nineteen-forties, though it was rarely used during the spring or fall. The building had been empty most of Gage’s childhood but had been purchased by a couple from New York City six or seven years earlier, refurbished, and turned into a dinner theater. They’d been doing a solid business ever since, from what Gage had heard.

Twinkle lights glittered on the rope that bordered each side of the sidewalk, and the round white lights surrounding the marquee proclaimed the name of the show, dates and times of performances and a number to call the box office.

When he entered, he found Jeremy and Delphi, Blake and Lana and Jonquil. He managed not to frown as she turned to smile at him. Not a date, just a group of friends? He lifted his brows at Jeremy, who met his eye and smirked a little, then said something to Delphi.

Delphi turned. “Great, you’re here. Then we can be seated.”

Jonquil smiled at him as he came to stand beside her—where an opening in their circle magically appeared upon his arrival. “I didn’t think you’d bite. Theater doesn’t seem like your thing.”

“It’s not, normally. But a little culture probably won’t kill me. And your sister deserves some support on opening night, right?” That hadn’t been a motivator at all, but he threw it into the mix since it occurred to him.

She nodded, though she didn’t seem as enthusiastic as a moment ago. “I hear the steaks are great, too.”

“Yeah, that’s the rumor. Always a plus.” He was glad when a young man gestured for them to follow him into the theater. Gage grabbed Jeremy’s arm and held him so the rest of them went first. “Dude, just a group, huh?”

“Six is a group.” Jeremy sighed a little. “You don’t have to sit next to her, even though you apparently had a decent time with her yesterday and can carry on a civilized conversation, but I thought you were past that crap now.”

Gage wondered why he was acting like such a jerk. “Sorry. I like her. I just don’t want to raise anyone’s expectations.”

“Don’t worry about it, just be yourself and try to have fun.”

To Gage’s surprise, he did have fun. Dinner theater was definitely not on his to-do list on a regular basis, but the food was good, he sat next to Jonquil and had a stimulating conversation and the show was reasonably entertaining. Angela was a hoot as Hedy La Rue, the secretary who was secretly dating the company president and completely useless at work. And she filled out the sexy costumes they had made for her very nicely. He’d be surprised if she didn’t come home with guys’ numbers in her pocket every night.

He looked at Jonquil, who was clapping after her sister sashayed off the stage and smiled. She was far more interesting to him than Angela, sexy outfits or not. Though he wouldn’t mind seeing her in one or two. She met his gaze and they held for a long moment. She bit her bottom lip and he had a sudden urge to lean in and kiss it.

He looked away instead, his heart thrumming a little faster than usual.

After the show they waited for a chance to talk to Angela, who brightened when she saw them. “I’m so glad you came!” She threw her arms around Jonquil.

“I couldn’t miss your opening night. You were fantastic. I had no idea you were that good.”

Angela grinned widely, caught sight of Gage and threw her arms around him in a tight hug “Thanks for coming. It means so much to me.” She shifting back a little to look at him, running her hand down his arm intimately. “I really appreciate it.”

Gage patted her shoulder a little, feeling uncomfortable about the attention. “Good job. You really rocked it.”

“Thanks!” She turned to the others, who apparently didn’t rate a hug, and chattered on about how great it was.

By the time they finally extricated themselves, the theater was nearly empty—even the actors had mostly gone to the dressing rooms to change before the opening-night party.

“She’s enthusiastic,” Gage said as he walked out beside Jonquil.

“Yes. I have to give her that. Did you enjoy the show?” she asked.

“It was… interesting. Better than I expected.”

“The steak was good, anyway?” she asked teasingly.

“The steak was primo. I’d sit through a musical for one of those anytime.”

She laughed. “Good to know you’re so easy to bribe.”

“Hey, Gage, you mind giving Jonquil a lift?” Delphi asked. “I need to go back to the hotel for a few minutes to check on some things for the wedding tomorrow. Thanks!” She didn’t wait for him to respond, just pulled Jeremy toward his car.

Blake and Lana had already peeled off, so they weren’t an option, and Jonquil’s place wasn’t that far out of the way. “Sure,” he answered, though he knew they were already too far away to hear him.

“I get the feeling that Delphi has thoughts.” Jonquil shrugged a little. “She’s a little bit of a busybody. She can’t help herself.”

“You know how dangerous Delphi can be when she thinks stuff. We should put an end to all of that.” His lips twitched, belying the dry tone in his voice.

“Definitely not allowed.”

“You want to hitch a ride with me then?” he asked. “It looks like your ride is taking off without you.”

She chuckled a little. “Sounds good. I appreciate the generosity, which wasn’t at all strong-armed out of you.”

“It’s not like taking you home is a hardship.” He opened the passenger-side door for her, standing close enough to smell her perfume. He’d known the soft floral scent was her when he caught it—several times—during the performance. Part of him wanted to lean in and take a deep breath right from her neck.

Gage stepped back instead, waiting for her to sit and then shutting her into the car. His car was going to smell like her afterward. He’d definitely have to roll down the windows, even if it was getting chilly. Having her scent waft through his head would make resisting her that much harder.

“So, about that climbing expedition we talked about,” Jonquil said when he was pulling the car back onto the road. “I checked my schedule. Looks like my best day is like ten days away on a Wednesday. I have an afternoon off next week but probably not until at least two and it sounds like we’d need more than that for the climb you have in mind.”

“Definitely. And I’m a little sore after yesterday. I need to switch my weight routine.”

“Me too. I wasn’t sure if I would make it to the top. Gorgeous climb though.”

“You handled it well enough.” He remembered watching her muscles bunch as she pulled herself up the wall. She was definitely no wimp.

“I stay in shape for it during the winter. There’s a climbing wall in Denver I hit a few times.”

“I’ve been there. Great place when I get in the mood in the winter. It’s not far from my mom’s doctor, so I go over for a while when I take her down.”

Jonquil turned to ask. “You always take your mom to the doctor?”

He wasn’t sure if the question was teasing or doubtful or what, but he shrugged a little. “She doesn’t like driving down the mountain in the winter.”

“I can’t blame her for that. You’re a good son.”

This time he was sure about her tone, and the admiration in it made him a little twitchy. “I’m just doing what has to be done. It’s no big deal.”

“Hmm.”

He changed the subject. “So, yeah, I think Wednesday, week after next will probably work. I’ll let you know when I check my schedule.”

“Good. I look forward to it.” There was a few seconds of silence before she spoke again. “I saw the posters for the mountain biking festival. They’re really eye-catching. You must be pleased.”

“Yes, my PR lady did a great job. We sent out our news release about it with information on the festival yesterday and have already gotten a couple of calls from people interested in expanding the story or getting a few quotes to spice things up. I think this will be our biggest year ever.” He noticed the way she clutched her tiny pink purse on her lap. Her hands had tiny cuts on them, but they were lovely, more dainty and graceful than almost any he’d ever seen. And so strong all at once.

“That’s fantastic. I already registered.”

He smiled. “I know. I saw it when I checked the list last night. You won’t be disappointed.” He talked about a couple of the runs they were doing and she listened, rapt. He filled the time until he pulled into her driveway. Gage paused only a moment before getting out to go around to her side. He needed just a few more moments with her—even if this wasn’t a date.

Gage pulled the door open and stepped back to let her out.

Jonquil stepped right into his personal space.

Had he not moved out of the way enough? “It was nice to spend time with you again. You’re a lot of fun.” The perfume that had been tormenting him in the car wafted up to him again and, caught by it, he leaned into her, his eyes sliding to her mouth. Did any other woman have such a perfect mouth?

As he got closer, she leaned away and put a restraining hand on his chest. “Whoa, cowboy. Do you kiss every girl you spend time with?”

“What?” At the moment he couldn’t think of any girl but her.

“Like my sister. On the two lunch dates you’ve had with her.”

He stepped back, all traces of the mood he’d been in a moment earlier evaporated. “What are you talking about?”

“You don’t remember taking my sister to lunch with you? Twice? You think I’m going to date you too?”

He blinked a couple of times as he reoriented his brain, which had been firmly fixed on kissing her. “Hold on, she stopped at my office the other day, we chatted, it was lunchtime. We grabbed a burger. It was hardly a date, and I definitely did
not
kiss her. I don’t know what other lunch you’re talking about, because that was it.”

Jonquil’s eyes narrowed a little, like she wasn’t sure if she believed him. “She seems to think there’s something between you. It was pretty clear she had expectations tonight.”

Gage snorted. He should have known better than to do anything that might have been even vaguely interpreted as encouraging with a girl like Angela. “Well, that’s just fine. I don’t know what she thinks it is, but there’s nothing. She’s not my type.”

“Really? She’s cute, smart, a good conversationalist, cute.” Jonquil looked a little confused, as if she couldn’t think of anything else.

Was she serious? “Yeah, she’s cute. Like a little sister cute, like a college girl cute. I’m not one of those guys who has to be smarter and stronger and older to make them feel like something important. She’s cute. Great. So are you. And you’re not flighty, or vapid, or clueless. We actually have something in common, unlike me and her. Why would I go chasing after a college girl when you’re standing in front of me?” When the words escaped he wondered where that had come from? He refused to think about it.

Jonquil considered that for a moment, her mouth slightly open, her lips so tempting he couldn’t help himself. He shifted in and took them with his own, his hands naturally going to her waist to draw her closer, needing to feel the warmth of her body next to his in the cool evening air. She tasted sweet and fresh, like the soda she’d had with dinner and a trace of the chocolate cake. And when she started to kiss him back, he thought he’d died and gone to heaven.

He moved one hand to her cheek, needing to feel the softness against his palm and a tendril of her blond curls teased the back of his hand. He pulled it between his fingers, reveling in the silkiness of it even as he tipped his head and took the kiss a few layers deeper.

“I knew it would be like this,” she murmured against his lips, nipping on his bottom lip and teasing him.

“Yeah? I sure had no clue or I would have asked you out months ago.” He dived back in for more.

She fit against him like she was meant to be there, her softness molding perfectly against his frame.

She put a hand on his chest and nudged him back. “Hold on. Time to slow this down.” She licked her bottom lip and took half a step away.

“Why is that again?” he asked, his mind full of her and absolutely nothing else.

It took her a couple of seconds to answer. “Because we hardly know each other.” She tugged on her blouse.

Gage frowned a little, realizing that things were moving somewhere he’d promised himself they wouldn’t. He found the strength to bring himself back under control instead of leaning in to kiss her again. “I… you’re right. Of course, you’re right.”

She nodded and nudged him back more before he realized he was blocking her between himself and the car. He stepped away and let her pass. “I’ll check my schedule, for that climb.”

She stopped and looked over her shoulder, looking lovely in the moonlight. “Let me know.”

He watched her turn and continue up the house, wanting to follow her, and wondering what happened to his brain at the same time.

The front door closed behind her and he went back around to the driver’s door to go home. He really needed to get his head on straight.