Samhain Publishing

The noise and heat of the restaurant hit her like a physical blow as she opened the door. Stomach clenching, she stopped, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

Softly, a hand stroked the bare skin of her neck. Cade leaned close and whispered in her ear. “You can do this.”

She leaned back as he gently rubbed the tension out of her neck and shoulders. He was right. She could do this. Her nervous tension drained away, Cade’s touch filling her with resolve. More than that—it set nerve endings ablaze, making her nipples tighten and heat rush between her legs. Even this simple, casual touch was a blatant reminder of their intimate encounter in the dressing room.

For a minute, the rush of sexual desire was so strong she thought her legs would fail her. Then his grip tightened, pulling her close. “I’ll be right here if you need me. Now go make a scene, wild woman.” His hot breath raised goose bumps on the sensitive skin of her neck, making her shiver. He pressed an open-mouth kiss to her neck, tickling the skin with his tongue. With a low laugh, he let go and stepped back.

Mollie looked over her shoulder and flashed him a grin. Now that she was over her minor anxiety attack, she was almost looking forward to the confrontation. Turning to face him, she looked around to make sure no one was watching, then quickly unbuttoned her jacket and flashed him a peek at her lacy camisole. From the spark of heat that flamed to life in his eyes, she knew he liked what he saw. Buttoning it up again, she reveled in the strength of his desire, a desire he made no attempt to hide.

“Go call off the wedding officially so I can take you home and have my way with you,” he growled, eyes hot with need.

She winked at him and walked into the restaurant, leaving him to wait in the entryway. With a confident stride, she waved off the hostess and continued on into the seating area.

Blaine was sitting at their usual table, his back to her. Several of his friends were crowded around, drinking beer and huddling over the tabletop. As she approached, she could see that they were passing around a thong, obviously a memento from the night before.

A surge of anger swept through her, bolstering her resolve. She came to a stop right behind his chair. “Hello, Blaine.”

“Hey, Mol,” he said, not even looking at her, as he stuffed the thong into his pocket. Did he think she was blind? Of course, considering the discussion she’d overheard the night before, she supposed he did. He waved a hand behind him, motioning her forward. “Grab a seat.”

“No, thanks. I’d rather stand.” It went without saying that she had no desire to spend any more time with him than necessary.

He swiveled around in his chair. “Too much wedding stuff to do, huh?” Then he did a double take, eyes bulging out as he took in her outfit. “Jesus, Mollie, what the hell are you wearing?”

His buddies turned around at that. Junior, in the middle of taking a drink of his beer, spewed it across the table. Mollie lifted one eyebrow. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said.

Blaine stood up, stripping off his suit jacket as he rose. “Put this on,” he ordered.

“No,” she said simply. And had to bite back a grin at his look of astonishment.

Truthfully, she wasn’t surprised at his reaction. Her outfit was a definite departure from her normal look. Not to mention her attitude adjustment.

They were starting to draw looks from the other tables, Blaine trying to cover her up, Mollie sidestepping his attempts. In the past, she would have been horrified at being the center of attention, but today she welcomed it. It was time to take back some of the power she’d abdicated to him for so long.

“The wedding’s off.” She crossed her arms over her chest. The motion lifted her cleavage, accentuating the lace-covered curves exposed by the low cut, form-fitting red jacket. “Have a nice life.” She turned to go, then wrenched her arm out of his grasp as he grabbed at her elbow.

“You can’t be serious.” He laughed nervously. A quick glance verified that everyone at the table was listening avidly to their conversation. “Look, everybody gets cold feet. Let’s go somewhere and talk privately.”

“Why?” She shot him a contemptuous look. “You sure didn’t mind an audience last night.”

“What are you talking about?” He took a step back.

She glanced at the people watching them. “You know, you don’t even deserve this much courtesy. I should have just left you waiting at the altar. But I have a little more integrity than that. And I wanted you to know that I am not oblivious. I am not married to my career. And I am most definitely not frigid. So you can go ahead and enjoy your playtime with all the strippers you want, and find yourself some other doormat to build up your image.”

If his jaw dropped any lower, it’d be dragging on the ground. “I don’t know who the hell told you that, but it’s a lie. Come on, baby, you know you can’t believe everything you hear.” He reached out again, but she moved out of his reach.

“True. But you can believe what you see.” She reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the thong. “Nice souvenir. Maybe you can get another one at your next bachelor party. But I’d recommend that the next time a girl jumps out of a cake, you pay attention. It just might be someone you know.” Then she blew a kiss to the guys at the table, sang out, “Later, boys,” and sauntered back out of the room.