Mitch was in dark jeans with a dark blue plaid shirt and navy tie. “You look so great,” Paige told Mitch, stepping off the bottom stair.
He came forward. “Holy shit, Paige. You’re gorgeous.”
She grinned. “I take back everything I’ve said about those cheesy movie scenes.”
Her dress was a silky material in a soft peach color with an asymmetric hemline that hit mid-calf. She loved that she could wear the short, flared sleeves and sandals without needing a jacket or sweater as she would have in Iowa this time of year. She’d put her hair up in a twist and had borrowed gold jewelry from Tori.
“The reason they do this in the movies is because once the guy gets a good look at the girl, he’s not thinking about getting to the wedding or party or whatever on time,” Mitch told her, running one big hand down her arm from her shoulder to her wrist.
Paige tipped her head. “No? He’s wondering how the hell she got her hair up like that?” she teased.
His gaze moved over her hair. “Okay, maybe that a little too.” He moved his hand up her arm, over her shoulder, and to the back of her neck. He pulled her close. “But I like it like this. A lot. It shows off all this sweet skin that I love to kiss and lick.”
He did just that, pressing his lips against her neck and then dragging his mouth up to her ear.
“And makes sure you can hear me say that if you have panties on right now, I want you to leave them here at home.”
Her stomach flipped and, stupidly, Paige realized it wasn’t the idea of going panty-less at his request. It was the use of the word home.
Uh-oh.
“Why would I need to do that?” she asked, leaning into his mouth rather than away, in spite of the uh-oh feeling.
“It will make things in the front seat of my truck a lot easier when we take a break from the reception.”
She pulled back. “Are you telling me that we’re going to sneak out and have sex in your truck?”
He didn’t even blink. “Yes.”
“Thank God.”
She was craving him. It had been five days since they’d had sex. Things had been crazy in these last days before the weddings, and Mitch’s extra bedroom was full, as was his living room couch, with out-of-town guests.
Yes, it had been nice to know they could share meals and flirt when he stopped in at the tour company office and exchange texts even if they weren’t banging every night.
It also felt nice to hang out with his family and work on wedding plans and know he was working on the petting zoo without either of them feeling slighted. They both enjoyed being involved in the family’s bigger activities and feeling like a part of making those important things happen. That was a pretty great thing to have in common.
She liked that things had progressed for them beyond the physical.
But she was horny. She couldn’t deny it.
No, it wasn’t all about sex anymore. But she was definitely ready for some fun-and-dirty with him tonight.
Paige gripped his arm and lifted a foot, balancing on one leg. She reached up under her skirt and hooked the top of her thong with her finger, pulling it down.
Mitch made a little growling noise as he watched.
She grinned up at him as she tossed the thong toward the steps.
Mitch let her go and stomped to the scrap of silk, scooping it up and tucking it into his pocket. “Griffin doesn’t get to see that.”
She smiled. “Griffin wouldn’t even notice.”
“Doubt that very much.”
“I don’t know. I don’t have fur and four legs, so I’m not sure Griffin gives a damn.”
Mitch shrugged. “He’s a human male. I think peach thongs have a way of getting through even the most cynical shell.”
Paige laughed. “Okay, then it’s all yours.”
“Damn right.” He grabbed her hand, and they started for the door. “Let’s go see some crazy Cajuns get hitched so we can get on to the fun.”
“I am really looking forward to the wedding cake.”
“Brat.” He swatted her butt as she climbed up into the truck in front of him.
Paige knew she was grinning as if it was her wedding day as they drove to the docks. But dang, she really loved… all of this. All of these people. Everything about being here.
And she couldn’t help but wonder if more people in Autre and the surrounding area would like some help with their wedding planning.
“I don’t think you’re ready for this.”
“Oh, come on. I’ve basically been training for this for two and a half months.”
“This is way bigger than meeting the family a few at a time,” Mitch said, reaching for one of the wedding cookies on Paige’s plate.
“What about all the tourists I meet?” she asked, amused.
“You know all their names?”
“Sure. Dave and Shelli and Max and Stephen and Donna and Jennifer.”
He narrowed his eyes as he studied her face. “You just made all of those up, didn’t you?”
She grinned. “The chances that there’s been a Dave and a Jennifer into the tour office in the past two and a half months are really good.”
Mitch laughed and stole the last of her cookies. “Okay, I’ll tell you who everyone is, but there will be a quiz later, and if you fail, I might have to punish you.”
She gave a shiver that he didn’t think was entirely fake. And it made him a little hard behind the fly of his dress jeans. Yes, his dress jeans. He had one pair of nice pants, and he saved those for things like funerals and more sophisticated weddings. Not that he could remember the last time he’d been to a sophisticated wedding.
“I’m willing to take my chances.” Her voice was a little husky when she said it.
Mitch suddenly wanted to get some fuzzy handcuffs and a blindfold. The sex with Paige was hot. The hottest he’d ever had. But he was always willing to take it up a notch. Whatever she wanted and was willing to do.
And, thank God, they’d been having more of that hottest-sex-ever sex since his family had realized it was a lot of work to keep them apart and clothed, especially when they lived together.
Or maybe they’d believed him when he said he and Paige were getting closer even if they weren’t sleeping together. He meant that. He was pretty sure Paige had realized it too. Sex was one thing, but they’d now been dating—he supposed that was the best word to use though it seemed weak—for longer than either of them had dated anyone in years.
They’d shared their stories. They’d spent time together working, having fun, hanging with his family, just relaxing in the hammock on his porch. The weddings and the tour office, and the yoga classes people kept requesting had kept her busy. The new barn and fences for the petting zoo, building an archway and installing a net under the one Boys of the Bayou dock, and getting Ellie’s into shape for the reception—though Paige insisted that it was perfect as is—and his usual job duties kept him busy. But they ate lunch together a couple of times a week, and he’d taken her to New Orleans twice for their Saturday night dates.
It felt so right, so I-could-do-this-for-the-rest-of-my-life, that he’d caught himself three times before he told her he loved her.
It was too soon. It was too much. It was definitely not what she wanted.