Terri glanced from the closed elevator doors to Bastien with a grin. "My arrival didn't scare him off, did it?"
"No. He's gone to get his date and take her to dinner," Bastien explained. Then he stepped forward and scooped Terri into his arms.
"Bastien!" She squealed in combined surprise and alarm, her hands clutching instinctively at his shoulders.
"Have you ever had a glass of champagne in a Jacuzzi?" He started up the hall toward the master suite.
"No, I don't believe I have," Terri admitted. She unclenched her hands to slip them around his shoulders and relaxed against his chest. "I take it we're going to have champagne in the Jacuzzi before we set up for the party?"
"No," he said promptly.
"You're
going to have champagne in the Jacuzzi."
She arched her eyebrows. "What are you going to have in the Jacuzzi?"
"I'm going to have
you"
"Mmm," Terri murmured, unable to control an excited shiver.
"Mmm," Bastien murmured back. He pressed a kiss to her lips. "God, I love it when you do that."
"What?" She asked huskily, planting a kiss by his ear.
"Shiver with excitement. Or moan, groan, writhe, or arch. I just love it when you're excited," he admitted.
Terri laughed. "You're the one who does it to me. I'm beginning to think that you're something of a magician. In fact, right this minute I'm sure of it."
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Because, we're nowhere near the Jacuzzi, yet I'm already wet."
Bastien nearly tripped over his own feet at that admission. His eyes jerked to her face and hunger immediately flared in him as he took in her wicked smile. "Damn," he muttered. "Maybe we'll leave the Jacuzzi for another time."
Terri laughed as he began to walk faster.
"Do you want me to call you a cab?"
"What!" Chris yelled over the surrounding noise.
Terri shook her head. The editor hadn't heard her over the loud throbbing music. She leaned closer until her mouth was almost touching his ear. "Do you want me to call you a car service? It can't be easy taking the subway with that cast."
C.K. hesitated, debating the matter, then nodded and yelled, "Please. But how will you do that with all this noise?"
Terri hesitated. She hadn't thought of that. Then she knew the answer. "I'll use the phone in the office!"
"Oh!" He nodded. "Okay."
"I'll be right back," she yelled. "Just sit tight!"
Leaving him there, in the middle of Kate and Lucern's stag and doe party, Terri wove her way through the guests to the entry, then hurried down the hall to the office. She'd noticed that the editor seemed tired when he arrived. When she'd asked, C.K. explained that he'd been working overtime for the past week; trying to catch up with work. He'd managed to perk up a bit and have some fun, but it was getting late and Terri had noticed that he was starting to yawn and look exhausted. When she'd seen him take his jacket off the back of his chair and put it on, she went over to see if he wanted her to call him a car.
The office was empty when she entered; not that Terri had expected it to be otherwise. The guests at the party were all family and friends, all of them either from the city or having shown up yesterday or today for the wedding tomorrow. But it was possible that Kate and Lucern or someone else had sought out a quiet place to be alone for a bit: something she'd considered suggesting to Bastien at least half a dozen times. But, as the maid of honor and best man, they were the hosts of this party and simply hadn't been able to slip away. She was glad the room was empty. It might have been embarrassing to walk in on an amorous couple.
Closing the door behind her, Terri moved to the desk and sat down. She pulled the phone closer to her, then realized she didn't have a clue what the number would be to call for a car service in New York. Or if it was even possible. She supposed it must be, or Chris wouldn't have agreed to her calling. Biting her lip, she glanced over the desk for a phone book, but of course there was none. Terri turned her attention to the drawers. Her eyes landed on the large bottom left drawer first. It was large enough to hold a telephone book. It was also not quite closed. Reaching down, Terri pulled it open, then simply stared. What looked like a desk drawer was not a drawer at all. It didn't pull out, but swung open revealing a mini refrigerator. That was a bit startling in itself, but what was in the little refrigerator was even more so.
Terri stared at the contents: two vials similar to the ones she had found in Bastien's office on Monday morning. And there were also at least a dozen bags of blood. She stared at them uncomprehending for a moment, completely bewildered as to why these things should be in Bastien's desk drawer. She knew medical research was a part of Argeneau Industries, and she
had
heard of people bringing their work home with them, but this was a bit much.
A sound made her start with guilt, slam the refrigerator door closed and jump to her feet.
"Oh, there you," Bastien said, appearing from the hallway and crossing the room. He smiled.
"I came to call a car service for Chris, but I don't know the number and can't find a phone book," Terri blurted.
"I know. He told me. You don't have to call, though. I arranged for several company cars to take everyone back to their homes and hotels. I already sent Chris back in one." He was around the desk by this time, and he paused before her to take her face in his hands. He smiled down into her eyes. "In fact, I sent a lot of people on their way. The rest are waiting for the cars to return, so… we have a few minutes before we have to go play host and hostess again."
"Oh." She smiled, but confusion was still reigning in her mind. The blood, the medical vials in both Bastien's office refrigerator and the penthouse office, the IV stand she'd found while rudely snooping her first day here, and a secret that Kate had mentioned—one Bastien would have to tell her and they would have to work out: these things were all running through her mind, round and round, like a rat on a wheel. Blood, medicine, IV stand, secrets?
Bastien's mouth covering hers was distracting, and Terri tried to force her fears from her mind. But her brain kept running. Blood, medicine, IV stand, secrets.
"Terri?" Bastien murmured, pulling back when she didn't respond. "Are you okay?"
She opened her eyes and forced a smile. "I'm just a little tired."
He caressed her cheek with one thumb. "It's late."
"Yes," she whispered.
Bastien nodded, but there was a flicker of uncertainty on his face.
Guilt immediately ran through Terri. She wasn't really tired, just confused. And she felt bad for letting it come between them when they had so little time left to enjoy each other. There was probably a simple explanation for all of what she had seen, and the easiest way to hear that explanation was to ask. She would, she decided; but first she wanted to eliminate his uncertainty. Leaning up, she pressed her lips to his and kissed him. Bastien remained still for a moment, then kissed her back gently, his mouth moving over hers with infinite care, a warm caress that slowly became warmer.
Terri moaned, her arms sliding around his neck and holding on as her body arched and stretched against his. This was Bastien, the man she loved. Did anything else matter?
The opening of the office door made them freeze, then turn toward the door.
"Sorry for interrupting." Lissianna offered them an apologetic smile. "But the first of the cars have returned, and Kate's parents and sisters are leaving. Mother thought Terri would wish to say good-bye."
"Of course!" Bastien slipped an arm around Terri as they walked the door. "We'll come say good-bye."
Chapter Seventeen
"Well, it's done. You're now a married man," Terri said lightly to Lucern as he whirled her around the dance floor. The ceremony and feast were over, and he and Kate had done the traditional bridal dance. Now Lucern was making his way through the females in the wedding party, while Kate danced with each of the males. Then they would move on to the other important guests. As maid of honor and best man, Terri and Bastien had been the first approached. "How does it feel?"
"Good." Lucern grinned, then added, "I'm just grateful the ceremony went off without a hitch. After all the calamities that plagued the arranging of this wedding, I thought for sure there would be some crisis. But it's all gone as smooth as silk."
Terri smiled at the man. She hadn't found him very talkative until tonight. Kate had explained one evening that he always got that way when he was working on a book, but that he could occasionally come out of his shell. It seemed tonight he had. He seemed very happy.
"Yes, it did," she agreed, then qualified herself with, "Well, except for C.K.'s sneezing."
They both grinned at the memory. The poor editor had been mortified: standing at the front of the church with the other groomsmen, sneezing every few minutes. The worst part was that he had apparently warned Kate and Lucern that he was allergic to certain flowers when they'd asked him to stand up in the wedding, and they had both assured him that they would see to it that none of those flowers made it into the wedding arrangements. They had been careful when choosing the first arrangements; but both had forgotten all about his allergy when the tragic floral crisis had occurred, and they had unintentionally chosen unfortunate arrangements the second time around. The editor had been having a miserable time of it all day.
Her gaze sought Chris out. The editor couldn't dance with his cast, but he wasn't at the head table where he, as a member of the wedding party, had been seated for the meal. That table was now empty, most of its inhabitants on the dance floor. Abandoned, Chris had chosen to join the table where his coworkers from Roundhouse Publishing were seated. Vincent was standing behind the editor's chair, one hand patting his shoulder soothingly, no doubt sympathizing over his floral misery.
Terri really hoped the editor's luck changed soon. He seemed too nice a guy to suffer so.
An elegantly clad woman approached the table to speak to Chris, and Terri tilted her head to stare. The woman looked terribly familiar, and Terri was sure that Kate had introduced her at some point, but she'd met so many people today that it was hard to put names to faces.
Terri was sure the woman worked in the publishing industry somewhere, though, and judging by the way C.K. straightened in his seat as the woman addressed him, she'd guess that the lady had some influence.
"Lucern?" Terri glanced at her dance partner curiously.
"Hmm?"
"Who is that woman?"
He followed her pointing finger. "Kathryn Falk."
"Ah." Terri nodded. "Lady Barrow."
"Yes. She's a nice woman. Smart and savvy. Kathryn was very helpful to me at the first romance conference Kate dragged me to."
Terri bit her lip to keep from laughing. It was a bit of an understatement. Kate had told her all about Lucern's codpiece getting caught on the tablecloth at the medieval feast, and how Lady Barrow had climbed right under the table with Kate to help her unhook him. She'd apparently held a flashlight or something while Terri's cousin worked to free Lucern. It had sounded like a hilarious tale.
"She did more than help Kate unhook my codpiece," he announced, and Terri guessed she hadn't hidden her amusement very well. He'd obviously guessed what she was thinking. "She also gave me a ride back from the airport, and some advice, and…"
He shrugged. "She was a good friend to me that day, and we've kept up the friendship since. I've agreed to attend the next Romantic Times conference as a favor to her."
Terri knew that was saying something. According to Kate, Lucern refused to do any of the conferences as an attendee. Even at the one he'd gone to last week, he hadn't gone as Luke Amirault the author, but Lucern Argeneau, Kate's fiancé.
Noting the man's sudden frown, she glanced back toward the table. Vincent was holding Lady Barrow's hand and carrying it to his mouth to kiss. Terri could almost hear his sexy, trademark "Enchantee," from where she stood. The man was an incorrigible flirt, she thought with vague amusement.
Lucern didn't appear amused. When Vincent led the woman onto the dance floor and buried his face in her neck, Lucern's gaze sliced to where Bastien and Kate danced. Bastien turned, as if his brother had spoken his name. Their eyes met briefly; then Lucern glanced toward Vincent and Bastien's gaze followed. Bastien murmured something to Kate, and she looked to see what Vincent was up to as well. Not one of them seemed too pleased to see Vinnie with Lady Barrow. Terri didn't understand why. He was just dancing with the woman. A little too close, perhaps; but just the same, they were only dancing.
All four of them watched the couple dance. When the music ended and Vincent began to lead the woman off the dance floor, Lucern led Terri to Bastien.
"I'll take care of it," Bastien said. "You two continue your dances. You have a lot of people to go."
The newlyweds nodded and thanked him. They moved off to find the next couple from the wedding party to dance with, and Bastien glanced at Terri.
"Go ahead, I'll be fine," she assured him, though she really didn't know what there was for him to take care of. The family all seemed to be overreacting a bit. "I'll fetch myself a drink and sit, give my feet a rest," she assured him when Bastien didn't look happy. "Go on. Kate and Lucern will obviously just worry, and they shouldn't have to worry about anything on their wedding day."
"I agree. You're a special woman, Terri." Bastien caught her by the chin and gave her a quick kiss. "I won't be long."
He straightened from kissing Terri and swung around to see where his cousin had got to. Unfortunately, the man was no longer in sight. Frowning, Bastien headed in the direction he had last seen Vincent leading Lady Barrow. His eyes scanned the people in front of him worriedly. He understood that Vincent was probably hungry about now; it was around this hour that he usually went out to hunt. But they couldn't have him running around feeding off the guests!