And damn, what a face. Sharp, dark eyes above cheekbones so straight she wanted to run her finger along them. Then there was his mouth . . . Full lips that could probably kiss a woman into a coma.
Damn, the man is too freaking pretty for his own good.
Of course,
pretty
probably wasn’t a word he’d appreciate. Then again, he was probably used to women wanting to pet him.
“Talia, this is Dane Connelly, Jared’s best man. I can’t believe you two haven’t met yet.”
Dane met her eyes, gave her a brief once-over, then nodded.
He held out his hand, and Talia took it out of habit. She told herself the shiver that ran through her had nothing to do with his touch and everything to do with a breeze blowing through the lobby from the opening of the front door.
Total bullshit, but still.
Of course, while she’d been knocked off balance, he seemed completely immune to her.
Which was a little disconcerting. She was tall and blond and men typically took a second look. She’d gotten good at deflecting attention and had had loads of practice from the time she was a teenager.
“Nice to meet you, Talia.”
And wow, the voice fit that face. Low and a little husky. And totally disinterested in her.
Well, that’ll teach you.
She laughed silently to herself and released his hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”
Turning her attention back to Annabelle, Talia caught a glimpse of something in Annabelle’s expression. As if she’d been expecting a response she hadn’t gotten.
Then it passed, and Annabelle was leading her and Dane toward the atrium.
For the next hour, she and Annabelle went over the checklist Talia had compiled. There were quite a few items on the list, but not because Talia had forgotten anything in the weeks leading up to the big event.
No, she’d simply learned that there were things that only needed to be discussed at certain times and, through a great deal of trial and error, Talia had learned how and when to approach them.
However, she usually dealt with the bride and groom for this meeting, so Dane’s presence was throwing her off her game a little.
One of the things she typically discussed with the grooms at this meeting was the groomsmen’s gifts. But since this
was
a groomsman . . .
“Uh-oh, you have that look on your face, Tal.” Annabelle frowned at her. “What’s up?”
They’d gone over every other item on her list and she really hated not to cross off everything.
“It’s just . . .” She glanced at Dane, who’d been silent throughout much of the meeting.
Oh, he’d spoken when Annabelle had asked for his opinion, which she’d done several times. And he’d given remarkably thoughtful answers, including one about whether or not they should include the formerly estranged mother of Annabelle’s deceased second father in the family pictures.
Talia could honestly say she’d never come up against this problem in all the years she’d been planning weddings, but Dane had had the perfect response.
“Does she seem like family to you, Belle?” he’d asked.
Annabelle had turned to Dane with a wryly amused laugh then reached out to poke him in the side with her finger. As if she knew exactly where he was ticklish.
“How do you always know the right question to ask?”
He shrugged and raised his eyebrows at her, his expression slightly haughty, but even Talia could see the affection beneath.
“Because I’m just that good. You should know that by now.”
Annabelle shook her head then turned back to Talia. “Then yes, Grammy Aurelia makes the cut.”
“So you’ve met her?” Talia closed the pad on her tablet and stowed it back in her tote. “Last time we talked you hadn’t.”
“Yes, Dane checked her out for me and discovered a very lonely old woman living alone in a rent-controlled, midtown Manhattan apartment with her two little dogs. I couldn’t believe she responded to the invitation. I never thought she would. I wasn’t even sure she was still alive. Granddad never really talked about her, and I’d almost forgotten she existed until we started talking about the guest list. After Dane, uh, investigated her, I found out she’d made me the beneficiary of her will years ago, even though she wasn’t sure she’d ever see me again.”
Talia shook her head, still amazed at the life Annabelle had led. Sure, Talia’s teenage years had been pretty damn shitty, but Annabelle’s younger life had been downright tragic, starting with the murder of her parents.
There was a part of Talia that wanted to make Annabelle’s wedding the fairy tale every girl dreamed of. Because Annabelle was such a sweetheart and she deserved it.
Then there was the practical realization that this was the most important wedding she’d done up until this point.
Because even though she’d pulled off a state senator’s daughter’s wedding for three hundred, this wedding could move her business to the next level, open doors that would probably take her years to attain otherwise.
“So I should include her in all family activities? Photos, rehearsal dinner, seating arrangements?”
She retrieved her tablet and started tapping away as Annabelle continued to talk.
When she looked up after revising her lists, she realized Dane was staring at her with narrowed eyes. Disconcerting, to say the least.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Annabelle practically bounced in her seat. “We’re having people over for dinner Saturday night. We want you to come. And totally
not
as our wedding planner. As a friend. We’ll put you up here for the night.”
Since she’d been contemplating a Saturday night alone on her couch in her pajamas with a bottle of merlot, a bowl of popcorn, and a binge session of
Orange Is the New Black
, she stopped to think before she gave her answer.
Then realized how much of an idiot she was being.
“Sure, I’d love to.” She smiled, hoping like hell it looked natural. “Thanks. Can I bring anything?”
“Just your lovely self.” Annabelle shot a look at the clock on the wall. “Oh, wow. I’m late. I’ve got to get back to the shop. Have a client meeting I can’t miss. I’m so sorry I have to run.”
Annabelle stood and so did Talia and Dane. “No problem, I’m staying for a quick cup of coffee.”
“Okay, then, I’ll leave you in Dane’s capable hands.”
And off she ran. Leaving her alone with a man who’d barely acknowledged her presence throughout the entire hour-long meeting.
But now she had his full attention.
He turned that dark gaze on her and she had to admit, he set all her feminine receptors to extremely receptive. She definitely wouldn’t kick the man out of her bed if she ever happened to find him there.
However, his marked lack of interest in her probably meant that would never happen. Because she didn’t pursue. She didn’t have the time to fall for someone who made her chase him down and beg him to go out with her.
And she certainly wasn’t going to waste energy on a man who so clearly didn’t find her pursuable in return.
“It was nice to meet you, Dane.” She held out her hand. “I’ll see you at the wedding.”
He took her hand but didn’t release her right away. “Could I have a couple more minutes of your time? I had a few questions of my own.”
“Of course.” She sat again, noting that he didn’t retake his seat until she had. The man had ingrained manners, and now she had a second to realize his name sounded familiar. Especially his last name.
But she’d have to worry about that later.
“As a groomsman, I realize I have certain duties to perform. I wanted to ask if there was anything else I needed to know.”
She smiled, her estimation of this man rising. Not that he’d done anything to make her think he was a jerk before, but he seemed genuinely interested in her response.
“Besides pictures and making sure your bridesmaid doesn’t trip down the aisle and fall on her face, I think anything you can do to make it easier on Jared and Annabelle the day of the wedding is the best gift you could give them.”
He nodded and she figured they were finished. But he continued to stare at her as if formulating another question.
“So why aren’t you in the wedding party? You’re one of Annabelle’s best friends. She talks about you a lot. I’m kind of surprised we haven’t met before.”
His question surprised her. “I didn’t feel I could give her wedding the attention it needed if I was also in the wedding party. I wanted to be able to slip behind the scenes if anything needed to be taken care of.”
“So your business comes first?”
She bristled at the thought. “No, Annabelle comes first. This is her wedding,
her
day, and I want it to be perfect. If something happens, I don’t want to be running around in a bridesmaid dress trying to fix things.”
That gorgeous mouth curved in a smile and, oh, wow, was this man handsome.
“Okay, I guess I can see that. So, how long have you known Annabelle?”
She couldn’t decide if he was giving her the third degree, and if so, why. “We went to high school together. We grew closer when she returned to run her granddad’s shop after college.”
“You had a lot more in common then. Young women running your own businesses.”
Perceptive guy. And getting a little too interested in her for comfort. “Yes. It’s nice to have friends with similar problems. Makes the bitch sessions more enjoyable.”
He laughed and the sound echoed through the atrium, currently housing a whole jungle of orchids.
Jared’s brother, Tyler, had designed the atrium and dictated the placement of every flower, bush, tree, and statue. And she had to give the guy credit. He had a masterful eye for detail. If he weren’t so in love with Kate, one of her best friends and collaborators, Talia had to admit she would’ve definitely tried to get him into bed because, oh, my, he was just as nice to look at as Jared.
Of course, Dane was certainly nothing to sneeze at. “Yummy” described him fairly well.
And you have way too much to do to even think about a diversion right now, even one as yummy as this.
Too true.
“So you’ll be at the party Saturday?” he asked.
Was that merely polite curiosity or did she hear actual interest in his voice?
Which shouldn’t really matter one way or the other.
“Yes. I assume I’ll see you there, as well. Do you have any other questions? I promised my friend we’d get coffee, and I need to be back in my office for a phone consult this afternoon.”
Which wasn’t total bullshit because she did have a phone consult, but it wasn’t until four p.m.
But the longer she sat there, the more her brain tried to imagine Dane naked. Not that that was a bad thing, but an infatuation with a man who didn’t seem interested in her in that way was probably not a good thing for her productivity right now. She needed to keep her eye on the prize. And that was building her business.
“Yes, you will. Have a nice time with Sabrina.”
Okay, that was strange. “How did you know—”
His lips curved. “I saw you talking to her at the desk. I know she’s a good friend of Kate and Belle’s. Not a difficult line to draw.”
Shaking her head, she smiled as she stood, holding out her hand. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Dane. I’ll see you this weekend.”
He rose before he took her hand and she had to tilt her head back to look at him. She was tall for a woman, close to five-ten, but he had several inches on her, even though she was wearing heels.
She liked that.
“I look forward to it.”
This time when she looked into his eyes, their gazes caught and held.
And for a very brief second, she definitely felt a spark fly between them.
Maybe the party Saturday night would be a lot more fun than she’d first anticipated.
Then he turned toward the exit and waved a hand at her to precede him. She took a quick peek at his ass before she headed for the door.
Nice ass. Really nice ass.
***
Damn fine ass.
Damn beautiful woman.
Dane tried not to be obvious as he watched Talia walk across the lobby to the reception area where Sabrina waited with a smile.
Obviously, he must have been staring, because he didn’t realize Tyler stood next to him.
“Jesus, Ty. Where the hell did you come from? And why the hell are you sneaking around?”
“I don’t sneak. And it’s my hotel. I can sneak if I damn well please.” Ty raised his eyebrows at Dane. “The more interesting question is, what are you doing?”
A quick glance at Tyler told Dane that question was mainly rhetorical. Ty had an amused look in his eyes and a small smile on his lips.
Shit.
“I’m heading out now. I met with Annabelle and the wedding planner to go over last-minute details because your brother bailed.”
“My brother is meeting with the mayor to talk about zoning concessions for expanding the club. He didn’t exactly bail. And it looks like you might have gotten something out of the meeting other than the color of the napkins and which dishes we’re using.”
“I don’t give a shit which dishes you use. And I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
Tyler actually laughed at him, which just set Dane’s back even straighter.
He fucking hated that his friends could read him so easily. Then again,
only
his friends could read him so easily.
“Anything you want to know about her?”
Dane heard no snark in Tyler’s tone. “Why would you think that?”
“Maybe just the way you were undressing her with your eyes.” Tyler paused. “You okay?”
Shit. “I’m fine. Got a new case that’s going to require some out-of-the-box maneuvering.”
“And you are king of out-of-the-box.”
Usually, yes, he was. Years of honing his skills had made him very, very good at what he did. And he’d managed to maintain his many secrets.
“High praise from you.” Dane glanced at Tyler again and found the man still staring at him. “What? Do I have something on my face?”
Tyler clapped him on the back and Dane gave himself credit for sticking his feet to the floor. The guy had some serious muscle beneath that conservative black suit.