"I understand why you'd cry. It's pretty magical, being married to me."
Mia made a gagging motion. "I might throw up."
Harmony laughed.
"Suzanne said we have to do the flower and garter thing," Barrett said.
"Oh, okay." Harmony squeezed her hand. "You'd better be there to catch the bouquet."
Not a chance. "Definitely."
She watched them head off, Barrett taking Harmony's hand. She pivoted and started back to her table, then spotted Nathan standing alone by the front of the barn.
Changing direction, she went to where he was leaning against the double-wide doors. He looked magnificent in his dark gray suit and his burgundy tie, his crisp white shirt making a nice contrast.
Of course, when didn't he look amazing? Whether he was in jeans or dressed up like he was tonight, Nathan always made her catch her breath.
She shook her head, realizing she had it so bad for that man.
The doors were closed to keep the air conditioning in, but they'd put up clear doors to let in what light was left of the day.
"Pondering great things?" she asked.
He pushed off the wall and turned to face her, offering up a smile. "Nah, just taking a breather. You look beautiful."
She looked down at her coral dress. She'd been a bridesmaid on more than one occasion. Some dresses she loved. Some she'd hated. This one she loved. It was comfortable and pretty and she could move in it. Both the color and the cut were flattering and she'd wanted to kiss Harmony right on the mouth after she'd chosen them. Every one of the bridesmaids looked like a million bucks in their dresses. What bridesmaid could complain about that?
"Thank you. You look pretty hot yourself."
So hot, in fact, she wanted to touch him. But she was also mindful of the fact there were over a hundred people nearby, so she kept her hands to herself.
"How goes the wedding festivities and your duties as bridesmaid?"
"Duties are complete."
Just then, the deejay announced that Barrett and Harmony would be tossing out the bouquet and garter.
"Shouldn't you be up there fighting for the bouquet?" Nathan asked.
Mia twirled her olives on a stick around her martini. "Not on your life. What about you? Anxious to grab that garter?"
"Only if you're wearing one."
Her nipples tightened at the thought of him lifting her dress in search of a garter. "Now I might have to go steal it from the winner."
"Yeah? And what if it's one of your brothers?"
"Well, three of my brothers are now married and therefore ineligible. And if it's Flynn . . . well, dammit."
He laughed, then turned his head to the front of the barn when squeals of laughter and applause were heard.
Mia looked, too, as one of the wedding guests caught the bouquet. It was Harmony's best friend, Alyssa.
Mia smiled. "That should make Harmony happy."
"Here. Hold my beer."
"Changed your mind about the garter?"
"You could say that."
He shrugged out of his suit jacket and slung it over a nearby chair, then headed into the crowd of anxious men waiting for the garter.
Mia made her way to the front of the barn to watch.
Nathan had taken up position toward the back. Not a good sign. The garter didn't weigh much, and wouldn't fly like the heavier bouquet. But she mentally crossed her fingers for him anyway.
If anything, it would be fun to watch. She took a sip of her martini and got in closer.
"My money is on Flynn," Amelia said, coming up to stand next to her. "I told him if he caught the garter I'd set a date for our wedding."
Mia smiled. "Is that a point of contention?"
She shrugged. "He's in a hurry. I'm not."
Mia laughed.
Barrett took the garter off Harmony. She knew that wasn't Harmony's keeper garter, it was a spare for the throwaway.
Barrett stood with his back to the crowd of men, who all jostled each other out of the way. Nathan and Flynn elbowed each other, then a few other guys got into the mix.
"It's a good thing Aubry's a doctor," Mia said. "We might need her after this."
Amelia snickered.
And when Barrett threw it, the damn garter sailed like it had a football attached to it.
That's when Nathan pushed his way into the crowd.
"Oh, my God," Mia said.
Nathan caught the garter. And then he was tackled to the ground like he actually had a football in his hand.
Amelia took a sip of her wine. "This is even more entertaining than a football game."
Mia laughed. "Right?"
Everyone laughed and applauded when Nathan stood, holding the garter up in his right hand.
"Guess I don't have to pick a wedding date yet," Amelia said. "Flynn will be so disappointed."
"You're so mean, Amelia."
"Aren't I? Now I'm going to refill my wineglass."
Amelia wandered off, and Mia watched as Nathan and Alyssa had their photos taken with the newlyweds. When they were finished, Nathan made his way back to her. She handed his beer to him.
"Nicely done."
"Thanks. I do like to win."
"And you can take that winning attitude into this season with the Sabers."
He took a long swallow of his beer. "Now you sound like my coach."
She laughed.
"Okay, now come with me."
She arched a brow. "Where are we going?"
"Someplace where we can be alone."
She looked around. No one was watching them, so she laid her martini down on the table and followed Nathan outside. He took her to the barn where the wedding ceremony had been held. It was dark in there. The lights had been turned out, but all the chairs were still set up.
Nathan turned on the light switch and the room was bathed in all the beautiful lights from earlier.
He took her hand and led her to the back row of chairs.
"Take a seat."
She did, and he knelt in front of her.
"You aren't going to propose to me, are you?"
He laughed. "No."
Instead, he pulled out the pretty beige-and-white garter. "This belongs on you."
She inhaled a deep breath as he swept her dress up over her knees, then smoothed his hands over her legs.
"You know, as soon as we started talking about it, I had a visual in my head of you wearing this." He slipped it over her right shoe then up along her calf, her knee, and slid it just above her knee, his fingers dancing along her skin.
She shivered, passion bursting within her like a newly formed star. Breathing became difficult as he teased her thighs with light touches of his fingers.
"Turn off the lights and lock the door," she said.
He got up and locked the door, then flipped off the light switch, casting the barn in darkness. She heard his footsteps on the concrete, but she couldn't see him.
Until she felt his warm breath on her cheek, and his lips brush hers. She reached up to caress his face. He wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck and kissed her, this time more deeply, pressing his mouth to hers.
She moaned, flicking her tongue against his. He pulled her from the chair and put his arms around her, their bodies molding together in a heated embrace. Mia wished they were alone somewhere so she could get naked with him. But even in the main house, someone could walk in, someone could hear them. For now, this would have to be good enough.
His mouth was on hers, his hands roaming her body, and nothing was going to stop this runaway train of hot passion. Not if she had anything to say about it.
So when he sat her down on the chair and spread her legs, she was on board. He lifted her dress and smoothed his hands up her legs again, taking his time to map every inch of her, his fingertips making their way along her thighs. She leaned back in the chair as he swept his thumb over her, rubbing back and forth over her sex. He gently removed her underwear and she had no idea
what he did with it.
She didn't care. Not at the moment. She wanted an orgasm. She wanted his mouth on her pussy. That was her need and only Nathan could give that to her.
Now all she heard was her own labored breathing. And Nathan's, too. And when his mouth took over for his fingers, she gasped, gripping the back of the chair next to her like an anchor in a storm-tossed sea.
He bathed her sex with hot, wet licks of his tongue, making her writhe in the chair until she twisted upward, gasping as sensation overcame her.
"Nathan. You're going to make me come."
She felt out of control as a blast of orgasm slammed into her so fast and furious she grabbed on to his arm for balance. Nathan stood, pulled a condom out of his pocket and unzipped his pants. He knelt and cupped her butt, then slid inside of her while she was still quivering from her climax.
His cock swelled within her, sending her into a wild spiral as he tunneled in and out of her. She dug her nails into his shirt and held on, her eyes adjusted to the darkness enough to soak in the passion in his eyes.
He kissed her. She tasted herself on his lips, which only made her arch against him, wrapping her legs around him so he could drive deeper and harder within her.
She came again, and this time, he groaned and went with her, both of them shuddering against each other.
He laid his forehead against her, then kissed her, this time a gentling kiss.
Mia trailed her finger along his jaw. "This is getting to be a habit with us."
"What's that?"
"Hiding out in locked rooms having sex."
He laughed. "At least this time the room was bigger than a coat closet."
"True."
They disengaged, and Nathan found some paper towels for them to clean up. It was the best they could do for now since there wasn't a bathroom in the barn.
Nathan went over to the door and flipped on the light switch.
He handed her her underwear and she slipped it back on, then straightened her dress. "How do I look?"
"Like I want to undress you and do this again."
Her lips curved. "Good enough, then. I'm going to head over to the house."
"I'll go with you."
He unlocked the door and inched it open. "No one's out here."
They walked outside and toward the house. Nathan ducked into the downstairs bathroom, and Mia went up to her room. She brushed her hair and fixed her makeup, then went back down. She noticed Nathan was nowhere to be found, so he must have gone back to the reception.
But as she was heading toward the door, she heard her mother's voice in the kitchen.
"You two aren't fooling anyone, you know."
She halted mid-stride, winced, then turned and walked into the kitchen. "Oh, hi, Mom. Were you talking to me?"
Her mother was sitting at the kitchen island sipping on a cup of coffee. "There's no one else in here, Mia, and you know damn well I'm talking to you. I saw you and Nathan sneak in here."
"You did, huh?"
"Yes, I did. So what's going on with you two?"
"Nothing's going on."
Mia got the infamous Lydia Cassidy "Don't Bullshit Me" look that had always been typically reserved for Mia's brothers when they'd tried to get away with something.
"Okay, fine. We're . . . hanging out. Having fun together. It's nothing more than that."
"Uh-huh." Her mom continued to sip her coffee, which irritated Mia, so she came over and pulled up a chair on the island next to her.
"What do you mean, 'Uh-huh'?"
"It means that I've watched you two over the past couple of days. I've been watching you two for years. It's more than just hanging out. It's always been more than that."
"Mom, we're friends. We've always been friends. And, trust me, it's nothing more than that."
Her mother took another sip of coffee, then said, "Uh-huh."
"Dammit, Mom. We're friends." Mia looked around before continuing. "We just happen to be friends who are currently having sex."
Her mother shot that all-knowing look across the bow of her coffee cup. "And that doesn't complicate your friendship at all, does it?"
Mom was the second person who'd brought that up this week. "I don't know. Maybe. We're trying not to let it get complicated. Why does it have to be complicated?"
Her mother shrugged. "I don't know. Because sex is a complicated thing, and because it's impossible to mix sex and friendship without it getting emotional?"
Mia frowned, irritated by the cross-examination. "Quit getting all lawyerly with me. It is not impossible. We've been handling it just fine so far."
Her mother smoothed her hand over Mia's arm. "I just don't want you to get hurt."
"I am not going to get hurt."
"Okay. You're a smart, capable woman, Mia. I believe you know what you're doing."
"Thanks, Mom."
"But if you ever need me--for advice, complaints, a shoulder to cry on--anything at all. You know I'm always here for you."
Mia wanted to object, to tell her mother that her life was going just perfectly and she had nothing to complain about. She wasn't going to screw up her friendship with Nathan. She had this totally under control.
Mia laid her head on her mother's shoulder. "I know. You'll always be in my corner, no matter what. I love you, Mom."
"I love you, too, Mia."
TWENTY-SEVEN
TRAINING CAMP HAD BEEN GOING WELL THE PAST TWO weeks, actually better than Nathan expected. Offense was clicking, and he'd felt from the first day as if he belonged. He had to thank his offensive linemen and receivers for that. They never once made him feel like an outsider, or that they had any regrets that his dad was no longer leading the team.
They looked to him for leadership, and he was going to give it to them.
They'd worked a few practice sessions with the L.A. team, and even though it hadn't been a real game situation, it was better than running drills with his own team. It had made him even more charged up for the season to start. With the first preseason game coming up this weekend against Seattle, he was amped and ready to get rolling.
His least favorite part was all the reporters hanging around. The best part? The fans and autograph sessions. After his shower today, he did press first and handled all the typical questions about how the team was doing, how he felt heading into the season. The same questions he'd been getting for the past couple of weeks.
"Have you spoken to your dad recently?" one of the journalists asked.
"Every day."
"Does he give you advice about how to handle the team?"
Nathan was used to this question, too. It irritated him, but his dad had actually given him a lot of good advice on how to handle the sports media. He'd said to be kind, and give short answers. So he smiled at the reporter. "No. He told me when he retired to handle the job like it was mine, not his. That's what I've been doing."
"We've seen photos of you with Mia Cassidy, the daughter of Easton Cassidy and your teammate Flynn's sister. Anything going on there?"
After the photos that had been circulating, he'd been expecting that question.
"Mia and I went to college together. We're friends and of course she's Flynn's sister. Since she also works in San Francisco, she hangs out with us. Nothing more."
Since there was no bait to hook on that question, they moved back to questions about his work ethic, how training had been going and the like.
Kids were the best, and they were excited to spend time with him. He liked hanging out with them, too. The adults were great and supportive for the most part, though he'd occasionally get as much grilling from fans as he did from the media.
"Do you think you'll be as good as your dad?"
"How nervous are you about the first game?"
"How do you think you'll feel if you screw this up?"
Yeah, no pressure.
There were also several women in the mix of fans. Some were legit fans and their enthusiasm was great. And then there
were those who Nathan could tell were hanging out for a chance to hook up with him. The flirting and the way they touched him was a surefire clue that they wanted more than just a photo op or an autograph. He'd learned a long time ago to be polite, but not engage in any flirtation. Because first, photographers were always hanging out at these autograph sessions, and second, there was only one woman he was interested in.
They hadn't seen much of each other the past couple of weeks. Since they got back from Texas, Mia had been slammed with work and he'd been busy with practice. This week he'd been in L.A. for the games, though they'd texted a lot and had a few phone calls. He'd just returned yesterday, and then he'd had practice today. He wanted to see her.
When he finished up the autograph session, he texted Mia.
What are you doing?
She texted right back. Up to my eyeballs in contracts. How did practice go?
He smiled as he made his way to his car and sent her another text. Good. Wanna hang out tonight?
She replied with, Sure. Have some things to wrap up here so I'll be a few more hours. How about pizza night?
He sent her a reply. Sounds great. Text me when you're home.
He tossed his phone on the center console and started the engine, then smiled.
Yeah, he was excited about seeing Mia tonight.
TWENTY-EIGHT
MIA HAD THE WORST HEADACHE. SHE'D GONE OVER A particularly difficult contract with MHC's attorney, still not certain they were going to be able to come to terms with Roland Green. Some of his requirements were outrageous and she wasn't going to agree to them.
But dammit, she wanted to sign this guy. He was an up-and-coming basketball star and she knew they could do great things for his career. But they were a management company, not ass kissers, and she wasn't going to allow her staff to be at his beck and call at all hours of the day and night.
She rubbed her temple and propped her feet on her sofa, wishing she could soak in a hot tub and sip on a glass of wine and totally forget about this day. But she'd texted Nathan when she got home and he was on his way over. Which was probably a better idea anyway. She needed the distraction so she didn't spend the evening alone dwelling over the problem.
Since she was still in her work clothes, she went upstairs and changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She thought about doing thirty minutes of yoga, then realized it would only make her pounding head worse, so she went back downstairs and headed straight for the chardonnay she'd opened yesterday. She poured herself a nice tall glass, then went into the living room and propped her feet up on the table while she sipped the wine.