Wedding Date for Hire (7 page)

At least someone had confidence in what we’re doing,
she thought, crossing her fingers.
Now let the real game begin
.

T
rent glanced at Maddie’s annoyed stance and wondered if his football dreams weren’t the only thing he’d lost years ago. His finesse with women along with his sanity, apparently, had gone down the toilet as well.

Maddie was giving him the cold shoulder now. Not that he blamed her. As fast as he’d complimented her, he had swiped it all back. But he had to.

Something had shifted inside him when he gazed into her crystal blue eyes. Those eyes of hers that had drunk in everything he said about her like she’d never heard such words before. He hadn’t know Maddie for that long, but he could tell she was the kind of woman who wore her heart and emotions on her sleeve. The way she looked at him, like he had scored the game-winning touchdown. That’s when he realized he’d said too much. Too much for only a hired wedding date to say. Judging by the way she was in high school and the fact that she needed to hire a wedding date, she probably hadn’t heard compliments like that from a man too often. He didn’t want a woman like her getting attached to him. A woman who was definitely looking for a wedding of her own. Well, he was the wrong man for
that
particular job. So he corrected his mistake and played it off as no big deal. He brought the moment back to where their relationship should stay: purely professional. After all, Maddie was paying him money to be her pretend date, not a real one.

Before he could gather another thought about Maddie and how he could correct the situation, a younger, shorter version of Maddie—whom he could only assume was her sister—rocketed toward him, launching herself into his arms. Trent played quarterback in college, but luckily for her sake, he’d started out as a wide receiver in high school.

“Oh, I’m so happy to meet you!” she said, giggling as he stumbled back a few steps.

“Uh, the feeling is mutual,” he grunted. At maybe five feet two inches tall, Louise could be described as a
fun-sized
version of her sister, but he’d bet she also had a good ten pounds extra on Maddie, too.

“Louise, please,” Maddie admonished. “We’re only dating. There’s no need to start welcoming him into the family quite yet.”

Face flushed, Louise took a step back, brushing the blond strands of hair from her cheeks. “Oh, of course. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you off. But we all only learned about you last week so, needless to say, I was super excited to hear that Maddie was in a relationship and that she was bringing you to my wedding. I don’t even know your name.” She laughed.

“I’m a little hurt she wasn’t talking me up more.” He cast a side glance toward Maddie. “I’m Trent, by the way. Trent Montgomery.”

“It’s good to—” Louise’s brows slammed together. “Oh, wait. Trent Montgomery? There was a Trent Montgomery in our high school. Are you him?”

“I am.”

Louise covered her mouth with her hand, laughing. “Oh my gosh. Too funny. I guess you know my sister used to completely hate you.”

He cocked his head at Maddie, pretending to be puzzled. “Did she now?”

Maddie’s eyes grew wide. “Um, to set the record straight, I don’t know if I ever uttered the word hate.”

“Oh yeah, you did,” Louise insisted. “You even called him an egotistical blowhard who couldn’t throw a beanbag if his life depended on it, remember?”

Maddie flushed every shade of pink known to Crayola. She opened her mouth, as if she wanted to defend herself again, but no words came out.

Trent raised his brows at her. “Seems as if both of us have faulty memories when it comes to high school.”

Maddie quickly recovered and tried to wave the comment away. “Well, it was so long ago. Who can remember anything from back then? Besides, we’re both different people now. At least,
one
of us is,” she muttered.

Louise playfully shoved her sister. “No wonder you didn’t tell me his name. That is hilarious. You look adorable together.” She beamed at Trent. “And of course if Maddie’s happy, then I’m happy. I just know this one is going to last.”

Trent smiled at the obvious love and affection Louise had for her sister. It was nice to see. Something he could relate to well with Kennedy. A lot of people didn’t have that kind of support. Trent sure as hell never got it from his parents. Or his own fiancée, for that matter.

“I hope to continue to make your sister happy,” he said with a wink. Then he glanced over at Maddie. The smile on her face seemed frozen there and about ready to crack off from the tension emanating from her body. So he decided to help her out a bit and reached for her.

Maddie’s body was about as pliant as a two by four but he managed to wrap his arms around her in a manner that looked as if she was a willing participant. “I’m sure Maddie would like to freshen up and change before the cocktail party. Where should I take the bags?”

Louise smacked her forehead with her palm. “Oh, of course! Silly me. I’ll show you. This place is crazy big. I’ve been here at least a half dozen times and I still get lost. Michael’s parents put you guys together over in the small carriage house on the right of the property. Very quiet and cozy.”

“What?” Maddie stopped walking. “I’m sorry, what was that?
Together?
Trent and I are sharing a room? Is that proper wedding guest etiquette?”

Louise laughed like it was the best joke she’d ever heard. “Of course it is. At first, Michael’s parents weren’t into it. They’re so traditional. But then I explained that nowadays things like that aren’t a big deal and that you were probably half living at Trent’s place anyway, so there wouldn’t be anything new he hasn’t seen already. Am I right or am I right?”

Maddie was rendered speechless, and Trent wisely kept his mouth shut as Louise stopped at the door and then swung it open in a flourish. She encouraged them to enter first.

The room was something else, traditionally decorated with a mahogany canopy bed and marble fireplace. There was a full bath and even what looked to be a private deck overlooking the water.

“What do you think?” Louise asked, grinning as if she already knew the answer.

“This is fantastic,” Trent said.

Maddie, on the other hand, remained mute, staring at the queen bed as if it had just been pulled from the sewer.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Louise said brightly. “Well, okay, go ahead.”

He couldn’t help himself. “Thanks, Sis.”

He then grinned at Maddie and nearly laughed out loud when it looked as if she wanted to go for his jugular with a nail file. Yes, he was the devil, taunting her like this, but he kind of liked seeing the bossy and overly organized Maddie off her game. So sue him. Plus, Maddie just looked too darn cute all outraged and indignant and…panic-stricken.

Louise checked her watch. “Well, my job here is done. I need to go and talk to Michael’s mom about the cocktail party tonight. I’m hoping we can have it outside since the weather is so nice. Why don’t you guys relax for a bit? You can meet everyone later.”

Maddie rubbed her head. “Sounds good,” she said, sounding anything but good.

“Okay. See you both later.” Louise fluttered her fingers in a quick wave and closed the door behind her.

Maddie dropped her hand and warily looked at him. “Sorry to overreact. Sharing a room with you is fine. It’s just a minor blip in my radar I wasn’t expecting. No offense.”

He shrugged. From what he’d observed about Maddie, he could tell she liked to be ultra-prepared. A trait he shared with her. “Understandable.”

Maddie rolled her shoulders and sighed. “What a day so far, huh? I could sure go for a shower.”

“Me too,” he said without thinking.

Her gaze cut to his, sharp and deep. “I meant
alone
.”

He raised his hands in mock surrender and thankfully managed to keep a straight face. “Me too.” Although, maybe—
just maybe
—way back in the deep dark recesses of his male mind, he might not have totally meant alone. But that was his little secret.

As if reading his mind, she narrowed her eyes. “Look, Trent, don’t get any funny ideas here,” she said wagging a pink-polished finger at him. “I trust you can be a professional despite the sleeping arrangements.”

Although annoyed she would automatically lump him in the sexual pervert category, he pretended to think it over. “I believe so.”

“Good.” She looked around the room. “Oh, darn. We forgot to bring the bags with us.”

Even though Maddie held a cocky attitude, there were light smudges of fatigue under her eyes, and she looked a bit pale. They hadn’t even gotten through the first day yet. He wanted to lay a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but figured any touchy-feely-like advances—as platonic as he intended—would not be appreciated or welcomed at the moment. In fact, he was pretty sure she could summon up enough energy to sock him squarely in the mouth. But he wanted to make things easier and show her that despite his needling, he did intend to help her. “Listen, you stay here. I’ll go and get them for you.”

“You don’t have to do that. I can grab my own luggage, Trent.”

“Think of it as part of my overinflated service,” he said, trying to coax a smile out of her.

A few beats went by, but it worked. She smiled at him.

Maddie had a fantastic one. Like a skylight had opened up so sunlight could illuminate the room. Not that he should be noticing her smile at all. Or how fantastic it was. Or how great he felt knowing he’d been the cause of it.

Trent frowned. He barely remembered noticing
any
woman’s smile in the past several years. What was going on with him? Had it been that long since he’d been alone with a woman?

Maddie cocked her head. “Is something wrong?”

Yes.
But he wasn’t sure what. He felt his forehead but it was disappointingly cool. “Uh, no. I should get away from you—I mean, get the bags for you.”

“Thanks. That’s nice,” she said, sweeping her blond curls off her shoulders.

He swallowed as his eyes were drawn to her long, graceful neck. He made himself look away. Dammit! He needed some space. One more second alone and he’d be fawning over how trim her cuticles were.

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, feeling as if all the air in the room had been sucked out. “Be right back,” he wheezed.

Trent practically dove out the door. It was one thing to admit to himself that he was attracted to Maddie and a whole other bag of cleats to be sharing a bedroom with her and not act on that attraction. He took a deep breath. When he mentioned wanting a shower, he should have emphasized a cold one.
Brutally
cold. He had no idea what Kennedy expected when she talked him into helping her, but keeping this job strictly professional was getting more and more difficult by the minute.

Chapter Six

“I
bet everything is going as smooth as a baby’s bottom down there,” Kennedy chirped over the phone.

Trent transferred his cell to his other ear, turning to gaze out along the spans of the beautiful bayfront property. Not too shabby a place to have a party. While Maddie was in the shower, he’d dressed in his dinner jacket and tie and left the room. He figured he’d give her some privacy to get ready for the cocktail party. In the meantime, he’d check in with his cousin while he waited for Maddie to meet him. The weather was perfect, and couples were already outside mingling and hanging around a bar that had been set up by the pool. “Oh, yeah, it’s been a real behind all right.”

Kennedy chuckled. “Well, somebody tied his necktie too tight. It can’t be
that
bad. You only just got there. Unless…of course…you don’t get along with Maddie.”

“It’s not that.” More like, he was starting to like Maddie. Not only was she a natural kind of pretty with those ocean-blue eyes of hers, but he admired her spunk, too. It was refreshing to be around a woman who held no pretense or guile and pulled no punches. What you saw with Maddie was pretty much what you got. Unlike his ex-fiancée who pretended to have feelings for him and evidently liked the idea of being married to a football star a heck of a lot more than a gym owner.

“That’s good news,” she said. “And actually, speaking of good news, I spoke to your dad today.”

Trent’s spine stiffened. “Why would you call him?”

“He actually called me. He thinks my matchmaking business shows real promise and wants to invest. Can you believe it?”

Trent held his tongue. He didn’t want to burst her bubble, but he didn’t trust his father’s sudden interest in her business—or his interest in anything that didn’t benefit or involve himself.

“Trent, you’re being awfully quiet. I don’t have to see you to know that you’re not happy. But don’t you get it? If your dad becomes an investor, I’ll have the money to pay you back ahead of schedule.”

“I plan on talking to the groom about an advertising spot. Everything will work out without my dad’s help.”

“But I thought you’d be pleased.”

“It’s not that. It’s just…be careful.”

She snorted. “I know exactly what I’m doing. Besides, what is there to be careful about? It’s family.”

Family.

Trent tried not to let the bitterness of that word collect on his tongue. But his parents had no idea what real family entailed, which was why his relationship with them became so strained after he stopped playing football. Kennedy was the only true family he felt he had—the only person he trusted—which was why he’d do anything for her.

He sighed. “Right. It’s your business, Ken. I want you to know you don’t have to rush to pay me back. I’ll figure something out if I can’t get the money.” And he would. Although he hated to do it, he’d have to close one of his gyms. His line-of-credit business loan was coming due the end of next month. If he couldn’t pay it back by then, the bank could start legal action. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Between his football career and his engagement, he had lost enough already.

She didn’t speak for several moments. “You’ve done so much to help me start my own business. I want to help you now.”

His heart squeezed with love for his cousin. “I know. But you’ve already done enough by just being there for me. Working as a wedding date is the least I can do. How about we call it even?”

“Have I told you you’re my favorite cousin?”

He suppressed a grin. He was her
only
cousin. “Not lately.”

“Well, you are. Hey, gotta run, I have a client appointment. But I’ll call you in a few days. In the meantime, try to pretend that you actually enjoy weddings—if not for Maddie’s sake then for mine, please.”

“Fine. But I draw the line at the ‘Macarena’.”

“Deal.”

He clicked his phone off and turned around, almost colliding with a dark-haired woman.

“I’m sorry,” he said, reaching out to steady her. “Didn’t see you there.”

The woman brushed away the hair that had fallen onto her face and looked up with annoyance. But then her eyes widened and her gaze traveled from his face to his chest. “Oh, no problem. It was totally my fault.” She licked her overly glossed lips. “Not that I’m really that sorry. You’re quite the serendipity to run into.”

Trent had been called a lot of things by women over the years, but this one was new to him. “Thanks. Glad no harm done.”

She was attractive, but she gave him the immediate impression of a woman who was trying a little too hard by her heavy application of makeup. He smiled and politely tried to step around her, but she shifted and blocked his path. “I’m Veronica.”

Oh, crap. This one is a live one
. “Trent,” he said, taking her outstretched hand.

She didn’t readily let go and gave him a look he knew all too well. A look that clearly stated that she’d be ready, willing, and able to meet up with him later if he’d only say the word, which he had no intention of doing. One, he had a job to do—of sorts. And, two, he’d had plenty of
Veronica
s in his day, including his former fiancée. Not a lot of substance to be had. But he had been young and at that time, substance was the last thing he was looking for. He could equate it to having candy for dinner—indulgent, tasty, and fun at first, but then in a few hours, you’re longing for a real meal. The woman standing before him was definitely a Snickers bar.

She sidled closer. “I’m the bride’s cousin and also one of the bridesmaids. You must be in the bridal party, too?”

“Uh, no, actually, but my date is.” He glanced to his left, looking for any outward escape. Then, like a desert oasis, Maddie popped into view. She looked stunning, wearing a sleeveless aqua dress that made her stand out all the more from the sea of black cocktail dresses surrounding her.

Once she spotted him and Veronica, Maddie wasted no time coming over and planting a chaste kiss on his cheek. “Introducing yourself to my family already I see,” she said to him. Then she coolly nodded to Veronica. “Hello, Vonnie. I see you’ve met my date.”

Veronica’s mouth dropped. “
This
is the guy you were talking about? Well. No wonder you’ve been so tight-lipped about him. I’d want to keep him all to myself, too,” she said, giving him a long look.

Maddie curled her hands around his arm possessively. “And that’s exactly what I plan on doing: keeping him all to myself. You don’t mind, do you, honey?” she asked him sweetly.

Trent lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, enjoying the softness of her skin a little more than he should have. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

And he actually meant every word. He was looking forward to spending more time with Maddie. He had convinced himself it was just because he wanted a distraction from all the wedding frenzy, but now he realized, he truly did want to spend time getting to know her better. He wished he could tell her that, along with the fact that he wasn’t really a paid escort. But he was afraid it might reflect poorly on Kennedy and her business. It was probably just as well. Better to ignore his attraction to her. It would only be messy when he walked away. Besides, Maddie still seemed like she could barely tolerate his existence.

Veronica ran her tongue over her teeth. “Remind me…how long have you been together?”

Trent knew this. Maddie drilled it into him enough times on the drive up. He was about to answer but Maddie squeezed his hand. “Oh, it’s been about four months or so.”

“Wow. A record for you, Maddie,” Veronica said. “Maybe the curse is lifting after all.”

Curse? Trent frowned. He’d been hearing a lot about this so-called curse and wondered what it all had to do with Maddie.

Maddie seemed to ignore the barb and kept her mild smile in place. “So where is
your
date, cousin?”

“Jeffery got detained in court.”

“Another felon? I thought you learned your lesson after last time.”

Veronica’s lips thinned. “Jeffrey is an
attorney
, not a criminal. And for your information, he’ll be here tomorrow night—”

“Great,” Trent interrupted. He had decided that was enough of Veronica and her drama. “We should get moving. I promised Maddie’s mom we’d go say hello as soon as we got to the party.”

Maddie let herself be pulled along for a few moments then dropped his hand and picked up her pace, passing him.

“Hey, hold up,” he said.

Maddie turned to him, cheeks flushed and eyes blazing. “What?”

He resisted a smile when a stray curl swung over one eye. The woman was adorable when she was agitated. He stepped closer, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Relax, will you?”

She huffed. “I am relaxed.”

“No, you’re not. A Zen-like state is not you looking like you’re ready to smash more than wedding cake into your cousin’s face. You obviously let her get you all worked up and now if anyone sees us together, they’re going to think we’re fighting. Do you really want that?”

Maddie’s shoulders sagged. “Oh, you’re right. It’s just that she drives me crazy. Her and her little digs. Did you notice her coming on to you? Of course you did. You’d have to be punched in both eyes and deaf not to notice. And right in front of me, too, like I was invisible. It felt like high school all over again, so you’d think I’d be used to it and roll with it better.”

Trent cocked his head, trying to put together the Maddie from high school and the Maddie standing before him. It was still hard to believe they were the same person. “You handled yourself all right to me. But just to be safe, better take a few deep breaths.”

She closed her eyes and did as he asked. He took the opportunity to study her face, everything from the perfect arch of her brows to her fresh and pretty complexion, and was overcome with a compelling need to brush his lips across each eyelid. Then she opened her eyes, and he almost fell in and drowned in their blue depths.

He cleared his throat. “So, uh, how do you feel?”

“Like shoving my face in a bucket of ice cream.”

He chuckled. “That’s the spirit.”

She closed her eyes and breathed in and out a few more times. “No. Actually, I think I’m good now. Thanks.”

“Okay, so tell me, what’s this curse I keep hearing about?”

Her eyes widened, glancing everywhere but at him. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Sounds like nothing is something. And I’d like to hear it from you instead of bits and pieces from your family.”

She looked about to deny it again but then flung her hands in the air. “Oh, fine. Just know it’s silly. But there seems to be this curse in our family that affects the first-born women. That would be me, in case you haven’t guessed from Veronica’s not so subtle hint.”

Trent grinned. “Wait. Are you telling me that you hired me as your wedding date so people wouldn’t think you were cursed?”

“No.” She sighed. “Sort of. You see, if people here think I’ve been in a serious relationship, they won’t harp on about the curse thing, and it’ll put the focus back where it should be: on Louise and her wedding.”

“I see. So you’re doing this so they don’t focus on the curse. The curse that isn’t real.”

“Exactly.”

“Is this conversation for real?”

Maddie didn’t crack a smile. “This isn’t funny. If you were approaching thirty-one, had never been in a serious relationship for longer than two weeks, and never been in love before, your family might be on your case about a curse, too. Add in my cheating ex-boyfriend as the best man and you can see that I had to do what I had to do.”

“Oh. You mean you freaked out.”

She gave him a look. “Yes, I suppose you could call it that. I’m obviously not in a good place in my life right now.”

He couldn’t help it. The need to soothe and touch her was overwhelming. He lifted his hand to trace the delicate curve of her cheek. “You’re with me so you’re in the perfect place. And by the way, you’re beautiful—inside and out.”

She gave him an uncertain smile. “You could have said that in front of my cousin, you know? It would have killed her.”

“I’m saying it now.”

“But nobody’s here to hear it,” she said with a nervous catch of laughter.

“You’re here,” he said huskily.

Her eyes widened as he shifted closer. He knew he shouldn’t, but to hell with it. He slipped his arms around her body, could see the pulse racing in her neck. It matched his own racing heart.

She licked her lips but pressed a hand against his chest. “Trent, now is not the time for your games.”

“No games,” he said, removing her hand from his chest and placing it on his shoulder. “Just a man appreciating the company of his beautiful wedding date.” His wedding date he’d been dying to kiss since they’d arrived at the estate. He had wanted her the entire car ride up, fascinated by her testy vulnerability and the way she lit up whenever she talked about her sister and how she wanted the best for her. Maybe even wanted her since he’d seen her trying to fish that diet soda can out of his vending machine.

What would be the real harm in one kiss
? he thought. One real kiss with no pretense or anyone watching. One shared kiss between two consenting adults who seemed to have a mutual amount of attraction toward each other. Yes, that was all it would be: one simple kiss. Then he would be completely satisfied and she’d be out of his system.

“I’m going to kiss you,” he told her with certainty.

Maddie’s eyes flickered with surprise as he leaned in. “I don’t think this is—”

He lowered his mouth to hers, and she responded without hesitation. Her hand gripped the back of his neck. Her touch, her lips, felt so good. Better than he’d imagined. He deepened the kiss, leaning in to her, one hand supporting her back and the other threading his fingers into her hair. With all the unleashed passion he was just getting a sample of, he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why this woman didn’t have a boyfriend or would ever have to pay for a date. And that, about her, only fascinated him more.

“Oh, excuse me,” said a male voice.

Maddie stiffened and was the first to pull back, but Trent refused to drop his arms around her. “Ryan?” she asked.