LITMIR.BIZ

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I don’t want to have sex right away. At least we can get to know each other before we do that.” She leaned back to look up at him, and wondered what he was thinking.

      “If that’s the way you want it, that’s okay. I can wait,” he said. “I won’t want to, but I can.”

      “Good. That’s what I want very much. You’ve rushed me about marriage and the wedding, but sex is something that can come when we both want it. I’ve regretted my impetuous weekend with you.”

      “I’m disappointed to hear that, because I haven’t had one shred of regret,” he stated firmly. “Far from it. I thought it was the greatest weekend possible. That’s why I couldn’t forget you,” he added.

      His compliments flattered and warmed her, but she didn’t care to encourage him.

      “I have a request. I’ll wait to have sex, but can we make an exception for our wedding night? This is my first, and hopefully only, wedding. It’s a one-time event that I’ll remember the rest of my life, and so will you. We can’t ever go back and really do it again. So can we have a real wedding night?”

      Her heart thudded and then raced. Two weeks until their wedding. Two weeks until they made love again. But if she succumbed and agreed to that, would she be able to resist him on other nights, before she got to know him better? Until they began to fall in love, or saw whether this sham marriage would explode in their faces and end as abruptly as it started?

      She knew he was waiting. She thought again about what he’d said: “… first, and hopefully only, wedding …” Would it really be the only one? Did she want to have another night of sex with him, this time when he’d pushed her into marriage? She wanted patience and courtship and love. Instead, she had arrogance and a take-charge male who was determined to get his way. Was that who she wanted? Yet in fairness, she knew that tonight she was having courtship and romance from him. He was doing wonderful things for her family.

      They danced around the floor in silence. Finally, she looked up at him. “All right, Ryan. We’ll have a real wedding night.”

      “Fantastic!” he exclaimed. His eyes glittered with eagerness and he gave her a dazzling smile with a flash of white teeth, creases bracketing his sensual mouth. “Aah, I’ll try to make you thrilled about that decision. I know I’ll be happy.” He pulled her close.

      An actual wedding night. She thought about the tempestuous weekend she’d had with Ryan with all inhibitions gone, and her cheeks burned.

      “Ashley …” He leaned back, starting to say something, and then his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “You’re remembering our weekend together, aren’t you?” he asked in a husky voice.

      She inhaled deeply and looked away. He tilted her chin up and gazed at her intently, with pinpoints of flame in the depths of his eyes. “I remember, too, and I want to love you by the hour. Ashley, this marriage can be damn good.”

      She closed her eyes, hurting inside. She wanted to shout at him that she needed love, not lust!

      She pulled away from him and left the dance floor, hurrying to the table. He caught up with her immediately.

      “Still angry with me?” he asked.

      “Of course I am! Ryan, what we’ve got is lust and nothing much else.”

      “If I really thought that, I wouldn’t go through with this marriage. But there are moments when your feelings for me do a complete turnaround. I think we can fall in love if you’ll give us half a chance.”

      They ate in silence for a few minutes, and then he put down his fork. “Ashley, I’ll pay for the wedding. I want to. I have enough money that you can hire who you need to get this pulled together in two weeks. Besides, since that’s your area of expertise, it should be easy for you.”

      Her appetite was gone, anyway, so she placed her fork in her plate. “I assume we’ll have a big wedding.”

      He nodded. “Afraid so. I have a lot of people I think I should invite.”

      “Our church at home isn’t large. It probably holds about five hundred.”

      He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll make a list, but I’m guessing about a thousand guests. Do you mind having the wedding at my church here in the city? We can go Sunday and you can look it over.”

      “It’s all right with me. My family will understand. So will our friends, and a lot of them will think it’s fun to come to Dallas for a wedding.”

      “I’ll put your family, other relatives and attendants in my hotel, whoever is in the wedding party or close to you. Whoever you want.”

      “That’s generous, Ryan.”

      He smiled. “I’m happy I can do something you like.”

      The man was a charmer, and she couldn’t resist him. Already her anger wasn’t as intense as it had been this morning. At least at moments it wasn’t.

      “The thought of doing it in two weeks makes my head spin.”

      “You’re a professional wedding planner. You’ll have all the money you want at your disposal. It shouldn’t be too difficult for you,” he remarked dryly.

      “How do you know you can trust me not to bankrupt you?”

      He smiled. “I suspect you’re way too practical, far too honest and fair and unaccustomed to living lavishly.”

      “You’re right,” she said in surprise, and he grinned.

      “See, Ashley, I’m getting to know you. If you’d set aside your anger, you’d get to know me.”

      “Oh, I’m getting to know you. Arrogant, self-assured—”

      “I remember your description,” he said, interrupting her as he stood and shed his coat, draping it over the back of his chair. “Since we’re not going to eat, let’s dance again.”

      He took her hand and led her to the dance floor for two fast numbers. She danced around him, watching his sensual moves, remembering his lovemaking, knowing exactly what he looked like beneath the brown slacks and snowy shirt.

      At one point he reached out and pulled the clip from her hair so her blond locks tumbled across her shoulders. Dropping it into his pocket, he continued to dance, never taking his gaze from her.

      How could she keep resisting him? she wondered. Even on the dance floor he was seductive, moving his hips in a sensual manner, while longing burned blatantly in his eyes. A band had appeared, replacing the piano player. The trumpet was loud and the drums had a throbbing beat that made her want to be as tempting to Ryan as he was to her.

      Then it was a Latin number, and his sexy dancing intensified as she circled him. Sweat dotted his brow and his gaze undressed and caressed her, while she forgot her anger and the wedding and their future. There was only music and Ryan. Locks of his black hair fell over his forehead and he unfastened the top buttons of his shirt, loosening his dark brown tie slightly. Every move he made was evocative and she was on fire.

      With a crash of drums, the song ended, and Ryan caught her, hauling her against him and leaning over her while he looked into her eyes. “I’m going to love you until you are drowning in need,” he whispered, making her blaze with desire.

      The band began a slow ballad. He swung her up and she moved into his embrace. Breathing fast, their thighs brushing, they held each other tightly. Fast and slow, the music played, and they continued to dance for another hour. Ashley was barely aware of anything around them—the other diners, the waiters, their table being cleared. Even the wedding had been temporarily forgotten.

      Finally, when a number ended, Ryan took her hand. “If you want to get back to Dallas, we’ll have to go now. Of course, if you want to stay the night, this is my hotel and we can have a suite.”

      She shook her head. “Let’s get back to Dallas.”

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