okay? You look a little flushed.”
“Oxygen deprivation,” she quipped, not bothering to tell him that he, and not the dress, was more to blame for that little problem. She shifted and stood over the pool of sequins…and her panties. “I…um…” Damn, but his eyes were piercing. “Could you…turn around?”
He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
She made a face at his back. It was that or smile. And was that uniform padded, or were his shoulders really that broad? They filled her entire line of vision. But she’d had her hands on those shoulders. They were all his.
She hastily pulled on her panties and scooped up the pile of sequins and silk, along with the strappy heels. Clutching the billowy robe against her, she said, “I’m ready.” He turned to face her and all she could think was, Boy, am I ever. Sleep. She desperately needed sleep.
He held out an arm, all spit and polish and blazing baby blues. “I had someone bring my car around back. It’s right outside the door here. I’ll take you directly home.”
She wasn’t sure she should touch any part of him. She wanted to, though. So much so that she gestured in front of them instead. “Lead on.”
He moved to open her door, but she scooted in front of him, climbed in and all but lunged for the seat belt. “I got it.” She reached for the door handle and yanked the door shut in his face. She didn’t even care if it seemed rude. Lord knows he deserved worse, she told herself, no matter how charming and polite he was being now. But no way was he going to touch her again. Sleep. That was what she was going to focus on.
She let her head drop on the back of the seat and closed her eyes, pretending she didn’t know he’d climbed in beside her, all big and warm, with those long fingers wrapped around that steering wheel.
“Listen, I really do want to apologize.”
“Just get me in bed and all is forgiven.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized how they sounded. Her eyes popped open and she sat up straight. “I mean—”
He glanced at her and smiled. “I know what you meant.”
She opened her mouth, realized saying anything right now would just make it worse, and let her head drop back again.
He remained mercifully silent on the short ride back to Vivian’s. She was drifting off to sleep when he pulled into the driveway.
“Christy?”
She stifled a yawn and blinked her eyes open. “Here already?” She was so tired she wasn’t sure she’d make it to the bed. Of course, no way was she letting him know that.
“You did want to come back here, right?”
She nodded. “I’m having the floors redone at my place and they didn’t get the sanding done on time, so they were still staining and sealing them when I got home…whatever day it was. I’ve lost track. Vivian let me bunk here.”
“You’re obviously beat and it’s my fault I’ve kept you from catching up on your sleep. I am sincerely sorry.”
She smiled to herself. She was daydreaming about him carrying her off in his arms…and he was telling her she looked about as delectable as day-old bread. Ah, reality. “I know Kate can make even the sanest person go a little nuts when she gets a plan in her head. She should be the one apologizing. To all of us.”
“Let me help you inside.”
“No!” At his surprised look, she calmed down and smiled. “I can take it from here.” She put her hand on the door. “Just how did you get in anyway? Or is that just part of military training?”
“Back door was unlocked. You’d better tell your friend Viv to be more careful about that.”
“She wasn’t exactly thinking clearly when she cut out of here.” She sighed then. “I hope she’s okay.”
“Can’t you call her and tell her the coast is clear?”
“She’s up at her parent’s lake house. She’s planning on staying the weekend and it’s probably just as well. If Eric flew in for the reception then he’s likely staying through tomorrow anyway.”
Just then there was a light tap on a horn and they both turned in time to see a car pull into the drive behind them.
“Oh, great. And here I thought the day couldn’t possibly get any worse.”
“Who is that?”
A tall, blond man climbed out from the car. Dressed in an impeccably cut suit, his hair just as impeccably trimmed. He went directly toward the house, a sense of purpose clear on his handsome face.
Trevor was already opening his door. Christy swore and leaped out of the car first. “Eric, wait.”
4
ERIC SPUN AROUND. “Christy. Don’t try and stop me. I have to talk to Vivian.”
Christy almost tripped over her robe as she scooted between Eric and—She realized she still had no idea what her abductor’s name was. She looked at him. “What is your name anyway?”
He came to a halt. “What?”
“Where’s Vivian?” Eric demanded. “And why are you dressed like that?”
She looked back to Eric. “It’s a long story. But I don’t—”
“I never told you my—?” Trevor broke off with a smile and shake of his head, then grinned and saluted her. “Former Lieutenant Commander Trevor McQuillen, at your service.”
“I don’t care who the hell you are,” Eric interjected.
“Well, perhaps you should care,” Trevor said, pushing past Christy, who grabbed hold of his arm at the last second.
“Wait a minute!” she shouted, her head pounding in earnest now. “Just stop, both of you.”
She turned to Trevor. “Thank you for bringing me home. You should probably get to the reception. They’ll be wondering.” She swung back to Eric, well aware that Trevor hadn’t so much as budged. “Vivian isn’t here.”
“I was at the church when the wedding party came out,” he said. “She wasn’t there. I thought I asked you to help me out, make sure she didn’t run.”
“No, you told me what I was supposed to do. Just like you told Vivian she was supposed to leave her friends and family, sell the house you’d just bought, give up her job and move halfway around the world because you thought you had an exciting job offer. No promise of stability, no thought of what she wanted or what was important to her. Oh nooo, you were Mr. Breadwinner. She trusted you to treat her as an equal, Eric, to love her and respect her as much as she did you. And you blew it. So you think you’d have learned by now that the world doesn’t revolve around what Eric wants.”
Eric swore, then raked a hand through his hair. “I’m
