He felt her relax a bit under his hands and he almost let out a sigh of relief.
Instead, he stepped in closer and hugged her. She stiffened, but just for a moment, and then she relaxed against him.
Hell, she even put her arms around him and hugged him back.
And it felt good.
Really good.
She smelled like sunshine and the beach, he realized as he inhaled a little deeper. Maybe it was creepy, but he turned his head slightly and sniffed her hair and sensed a hint of coconut. He’d never cared much for that scent, but right now it was almost intoxicating.
Had he ever noticed a woman’s scent like this before?
And the answer was a big no. He had no idea what Tracy’s favorite shampoo was or what scents she preferred, but he had a feeling this was a favorite of Skye’s. He took another deep breath before he forced himself to put some distance between them because…well…this was highly inappropriate–especially after the conversation they just had.
Only…Skye didn’t release him and Elliott’s arms were still loosely around her.
This is new…
Skye licked her lips and he found himself fascinated by that small action. When his gaze met hers, it was like he was seeing her for the first time. It wasn’t his sister’s best friend standing there, but a very desirable woman.
Or maybe it’s been a few months since I’ve been near a woman and I’m romanticizing it–which is what I’m trying to learn to stop doing!
Okay, there was that, but…it didn’t feel like he was romanticizing it.
It felt real.
Genuine.
And before he could question it, Elliott closed the distance between them once again and carefully pressed his lips to hers. She was probably going to slap him or, at the very least, push him away, but…she didn’t. In an instant, Skylar melted against him and let out the sexiest little sound.
His kiss was tentative, but that one little sound from her was all the encouragement he needed to take it a little deeper.
But Skye beat him to it.
Her tongue teased at his bottom lip and his gasp of surprise was all it took for them to take the kiss to the next level. It wasn’t wild or frantic, but more of a lazy and languid exploration and it was sexy as hell.
Skye was sexy as hell.
Why had he never noticed it before?
Next, he felt her hands rake up into his hair. Her nails gently scratched along his scalp as she pressed closer to him. She was all soft curves and warm skin, and damn if he didn’t want more.
For several minutes he simply enjoyed the gentle tangle of tongues, hearing her soft sighs, and the feel of her body against his. When he broke the kiss to catch his breath, he whispered her name and went to kiss her neck when she gasped loudly and took a step back.
“Ohmygod!” she panted before a look of sheer panic crossed her face.
And before Elliott could process what was happening, she was moving around him and out the door.
Chapter 6
The saddest thing about falling in love is that sooner or later something will go wrong.
Unknown
“I didn’t think this was ever going to end,” Josie said wearily as she sat down at one of the now-empty reception tables.
“Me either,” Skye agreed as she kicked off her shoes. It was two in the morning and one of the longest days of her life.
“Here,” Leanna said as she sat and joined them. “I think we all deserve some cake.”
“I know I do,” Josie told them as she reached for her plate.
Skye took a bite of the decadent chocolate cake with Boston cream filling. It was exactly what she needed after the wedding from hell was finally over. After a second forkful, she put the plate down and sighed happily. “I think we are going to have to come up with a way to cut some of these difficult clients loose. We all knew Brittnee with two Es was going to be a nightmare after our initial consultation. We’re doing much better now and the business is stronger than it’s ever been that I think we can afford to turn down some of them.”
“I fully agree,” Josie said around a mouthful of cake. “I honestly thought she’d relax a bit today and ease up on some of her complaining but…geez, she never did.”
“Good luck to her new husband,” Leanna chimed in. “You know that guy’s going to have his hands full for a long time.” Then she shook her head. “He must really love her.”
“Or he’s a glutton for punishment.” Putting her plate down, Josie leaned back in her chair and sighed. “Personally, I think a relationship like that can’t be a love-match. It’s got to be like a business deal or…”
“Or someone lost a bet,” Skye offered with a snicker. “Why would anyone willingly tie themselves to someone who is just so mean?”
“And why would anyone get married as part of a business deal in this day and age?” Leanna asked. “That just seems a little archaic, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know,” Josie said after a minute. “I think there could be certain perks to it.”
“Like what?” Skye couldn’t help her incredulous tone because it seemed like such a bizarre thing for her friend to say.
“You know, like a marriage of convenience. You need or want companionship and you’re helping someone out who needs to get married.”
“No one needs to get married anymore,” Leanna said with her own hint of disbelief at this conversation. “People should get married because they’re in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together. End of story.”
“I disagree. Look at my brother,” Josie went on. “I think he loved the idea of being married so much he was willing to settle to make it happen.”
Leanna nodded. “How’s he doing? It’s been…what…a little over two months since the whole left at the altar thing. Is he getting better?”
Skye picked up her plate and focused on counting crumbs rather than speaking up. There wasn’t anything wrong with Elliott that he needed to “get better” from. She hated when people talked about him like he was sick or something because he wasn’t.
What he was was one hell of a kisser.
And that one kiss was playing on a constant loop in her head for days.
Yeah, she’d basically run from his house and sped away in her car and refused to look back.
Coward.
Yup. That was her–a big, fat coward.
Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic, but…kissing Elliott was a mistake. Although…technically, he kissed her first.
It was the way she reacted that was the mistake, and obviously he must have felt the same way because he hadn’t come after her.
Ugh…why did he finally have to notice her when he was banned from getting involved with anyone? And why did he have to be such a good kisser? No wonder women were always drawn to him! If Elliott had gotten down on one knee right then and there, Skye would have agreed to marry him too!
“…yeah, so I think it’s a good thing for him,” Josie was saying, and Skye realized she had seriously zoned out. “You can ask him yourself when he’s at the office on Monday.”
“Um…why exactly is Elliott coming to the office?” Skye asked as she once again put her cake plate down.