Chapter 4
4
WYATT
I was so excited to spend time with Madison. Plus, attending my family function without having to be glued to them the entire time was the perfect compromise. But I might be in trouble, for a number of reasons that hadn’t even occurred to me.
I was pretty sure that Mom would want me to eventually marry a certain type of woman, but I never dreamed Madison would be that type. So I hadn’t even thought of what would happen if she adored her immediately.
Can you blame her, though? Madison is radiant out here, among the trees and the birds and the waves. I had wanted to take her for a romantic nature walk immediately, not turn her over to her loud, brash friends. Oh well. There’s always tomorrow.
After checking in at the front desk, I wave off the bellhop and bring our luggage to the suite myself. It’s as amazing as the common areas. They’ve leaned into the Nordic Lodge vibe without overdoing it. Cozy, and not remotely a theme hotel. Somehow, they found the perfect balance.
Mom was right about the incredible view. And it’s a king-sized bed, thank goodness. Plenty of room to share from a polite distance. Although if that makes Madison uncomfortable – and it will be easy to watch her radiant eyes and know how she truly feels – I’ll take the floor.
When I walked past the Cedar Lounge I’d seen a row of younger men staring at everything in a skirt. I don’t think I’ve ever felt jealous of anyone or anything before, but I already know if any of those guys even thinks about getting too close to Madison…well, I don’t even know what I’ll do.
I change into a nicer shirt, then take my time walking down to the Pine Lounge. Tanya and Steven are sitting at a table near the front that’s been pulled to the side so she can be right under one of the lights.
Of course.
As soon as I walk in, she runs toward me, enveloping me in a hug, then pauses and glances around to make sure the photographer has been paying attention.
What the hell, it’s her weekend. I’ll give her the photo she’s hoping for. Scooping her up in my arms like when we were kids, I spin her in a circle, making sure that her hair flies out when we’re at just the right angle.
Then I set her on her feet gently. “How was that?”
She beams. “Perfect. Thanks, big bro.”
Steven comes up behind her to shake my hand. “Welcome to the family,” I say, not at all surprised to realize there’s a videographer on the other side. “You’re a good man. So I’m sure you’ll be a good husband. Plus all that stuff I’m supposed to threaten you with if you don’t treat her like a princess.”
Everyone around us laughs, then the crowd dissipates and Heather slides on over. “When are we going to see that amazing girl again?” she murmurs. “She has to meet everyone.”
“Soon.”
“Everyone is going to love her. Seriously, I’m glad you ended up with someone so sweet. She has such a warm smile.”
“We haven’t ‘ended up’ together yet. It is super-early. Calm down, you’ll scare her away.”
She turns to me with that fire in her eyes that only appears when I’m misbehaving. “Wyatt Angus Brian Smith, if you don’t close the deal with that adorable girl, I will use some very bad words.”
Correcting her is not going to make this weekend go more smoothly, so I just roll my eyes. “I’ll see what I can do, Mo– I mean, Heather .”
I gently push her toward of one of my many aunts, who is waving her over, then make my escape.
The Cedar Lounge is just across the lobby. When I walk in, my eyes take a moment to adjust to the darker room, then I see that every woman in the place is staring at me, including Madison.
Her hair is more tussled, making me instantly wonder what she’s going to look like first thing in the morning after spending the night beside me. Swallowing hard, I nod and smile, then head to the bar.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as she exchanges numbers with a few people, probably potential connections.
A few moments later, I come up beside her. “Vodka and soda with lime, right?”
She smiles at me, catching my discreet wink. “Thank you.”
I sip my drink slowly, as Lauren regales the group with hilarious stories of the worst customers she’s ever had. I wait for a big laugh, then murmur, “I’ve got some good news and bad news about our room.”
Madison looks up at me with a half shrug. “We’ll manage. What is it?”
“The lake view is spectacular. However, there’s only one bed. But it’s king-sized.”
It’s hard to tell in the low party lighting, but I think she’s blushing slightly. “That’s okay. It’ll be nice waking up right beside the lake, so I’m glad we got a suite.”
The laughter is dying down as Sarah turns around, wide-eyed. “You got a suite? Splurging, much?” She taps my arm, then winks at Madison. “Well, I guess this hottie is rich. I mean, he obviously does nothing but work out.” The music grows louder, and she follows a swarm of people toward the end of the room and the dance floor.
My head shakes. “What a strange world we live in, where being wealthy means you’re less likely to have a busy job.”
“I’m so sorry.” Madison’s perfect plush lips tighten into a frown. “I’m sure she doesn’t mean?—”
“Oh, I’m not offended. Just amused.” I tip her chin up with my finger. “Cutie, I don’t think you could offend me if you tried.”
If I didn’t know better, I would swear that her heart is sending beams of sweetness at me, like those colorful cartoon bears who projected their feelings that Mom was so obsessed with as a child.
We stand quietly for a while as she sips her soda water. Every time a guy walks by and looks at her, I catch his eye and he suddenly moves away. I’ve never felt so protective before. Like I’m her personal security guard.
“So, what’s the plan?” I ask. “Have you spoken with everyone you need to here tonight?”
“Yes.” Her smile tells me she’s proud of herself. “I have at least ten numbers and emails of people who want to share information and ideas.”
She slips out her phone and checks the time. “The bar here closes at midnight, so they’ll be doing their last call shots around eleven. Which means they’re planning on being smashed by nine, so they’re brave enough to hit on anyone they like…”
“But right now they’re just a few drinks in, and will remember things clearly?”
“Yes.”
I take another sip of my whiskey, rolling it around in my mouth. “All right. Let’s go make friends with everyone.”
Over the next hour, I drag Madison around to every large group of people, chatting everyone up. I compliment their outfits, compare them to various actors they vaguely resemble, and point out how wonderful it is to be in what feels like a ski lodge without any pesky snow and ice. My couple of whiskeys have me slightly more animated than usual.
“I didn’t realize you’d be the life of the party,” Madison whispers after I extract us from the final large group.
“You’d be surprised. Pharmaceutical conventions are incredibly social. To get the best info out of people, you need to become their best friend on Friday night, then catch them for a quiet one-on-one coffee on Saturday.”
She squeezes my arm. “A man with a plan. Fantastic.”
“And now, Lauren and Sarah need to see you dancing. Ready?”
I twirl Madison onto the dance floor and pull out a couple of flashy disco moves that make her head fall back with laughter. Then I spin her into my arms, holding her close against me as my lips drop to her ear. “In case you’re wondering, this is the moment where we establish you are not available for any other guy here.”
My hand glides down her back, then across her soft, round ass, then back up her hip.
I expected her to stiffen and tense up. Instead, her lips part as she looks up at me with a small sigh. My lips drop to nuzzle her throat as we sway to the music, lost in each other for a few moments as her hands circle the back of my neck and pull us close.
Her eyes dart to the side. “Lauren and Sarah are completely staring at us,” she giggles.
“Do they notice us being completely inappropriate and all over each other?”
She laughs, spinning slightly to flaunt my hand on her ass again. “Pretty sure.” She laughs even more loudly as I pick her up and carry her to an easy chair right behind a group of people.
Pulling her into my lap, I place her across me sideways. “Kick out your feet, as if I’m tickling you.”
She does, her sandals catching the light as I lean back to peer around two men to confirm that her friends are still watching. I take a moment to revel in the weight of her entire body on me. The way she feels in my arms, squirming her luscious ass on me as if she knows exactly what she’s sitting on.
The sexiest woman I’ve ever seen is so natural at pretending she’s truly interested in me that it’s giving me a long list of ideas.
“Now what?” Madison’s eyes are bright with excitement.
“Tuck your feet in. We’ll just snuggle here for a moment, then disappear. They’ve seen us dancing and making out. They’ll assume we went to our room…” My eyebrows bounce. “For some risky business. ”
“That sounds familiar.” She squints at me. “Is that a financial podcast or something?”
I let my forehead plunk onto her shoulder. “Please don’t let Heather find out about your knowledge gap in the ways of all things eighties. She will sit you down for an immediate movie marathon.”
I love the way Madison laughs so easily, tucking in against my chest while we wait a few minutes more.
Once we hear several people shriek “Tequila shots!” from the bar, we stand up and duck out. We’re halfway across the lobby before I realize my fingers are threaded through Madison’s. Who knew that simply holding a woman’s hand could feel so perfect?
And more to the point… How on Earth am I going to keep my hands to myself when we’re lying next to each other all night?