Page 20 of The Best Man Problem
He glanced down to where her hand grasped his. His eyes came up, fire blazing in the hazel depths. Suddenly her cheeks felt very hot, and sparks seemed to jump between their palms. She quickly dropped his hand and took a healthy step back.
No touching. Not anymore.
Lincoln smiled but didn’t comment on her movement. He simply nodded.
“Yeah, she’s better than ever, and those two are going to live the rest of their days in annoyingly mushy bliss.”
She chuckled. “Yes, they are long-haulers.”
He tilted his head, brow furrowing. “Long-haulers?”
“It’s what we call them in the industry. A couple you just know is going to last, be together forever, the long haul. Don’t get to see too many of them, but Kenneth and Marie are a pair. I can tell.”
He stared at her, eyes narrowing. “Huh, interesting.”
She swallowed, adverting her eyes, fearing she’d revealed too much.
“Welcome, gentlemen.” Mr. Tanaka came out from the back, a rolling cart with a varying display of hanging tuxes on it. “I have a few selections based on the style and sizes requested. Shall we start with the little one?”
Lilly hadn’t even noticed the small boy, who was clinging to the leg of the other groomsman, Marie’s brother. The sweet little guy looked nervous as he stuck to his dad like glue.
“You can come too, Dad.” Mr. Tanaka smiled. “We can fit you both at the same time.”
Father and son followed the shop proprietor to the small dressing area in the back.
“Aren’t wedding planners supposed to believe everyone lives happily ever after and all that stuff?”
She sucked in a sharp breath at the voice in her ear. How had he snuck up on her again? Turning, she glared.
“Will you stop sneaking up on me?”
Lincoln held out his hands, taking a very tiny step back. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak. I simply didn’t feel like yelling my question from across the room.”
“Three feet away is hardly across the room, Lincoln.” He grinned, a very suspicious grin she did not like the look of. “What?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged. “I just like it when you say my name.”
Heat rose on her cheeks. Oh yes, she remembered well how much he liked it when she said his name. Liked it even better when she screamed his name as he drove her to the edge of— Nope! Time to stop that memory right now.
“Stop it,” she whispered in a harsh tone.
“Stop what?”
“Flirting with me. It’s inappropriate.”
“As I recall…” He lowered his voice, forcing her to lean into him. “You like it when I get inappropriate.”
Oh, for the love of— This man was going to drive her insane with frustration or lust or both.
“For your information,” she said, “I do believe in happily ever after, I just don’t believe everyone gets one.”
His smile dropped. “You won’t hear me arguing with you there.”
Huh. She hadn’t really expected him to agree with her. And that shift in mood… Her intuition was telling her Lincoln’s lack of desire for a relationship had something to do with an unhappy breakup in his past. People often thought it was women who couldn’t get over an ex, but in her experience, men had a much harder time letting go of past pain.
She brought her binder up to her chest like a shield. “In this business, you see a lot of people rushing into something for the wrong reason. A lot of people who think they want a marriage when all they really want is a big, fancy wedding.”
“Nice payday for you no matter what.”
