Page 43 of Without a Hitch
I offer a halfhearted wave and push through the crowd, only to be yanked back by my arm and fall into a wall of man.
“Pepper,” he commands. “Wait.”
I rip my arm free and shake it violently as if bugs were swarming up it. He holds his hands up at my aggressive behavior. “Go back to your family. I’m sure your wife, or girlfriend, or whoever she is, will be horrified that you chased down a one-night stand. How exactly will you explain that anyway?”
A troubling grin slides over his decidedly unhandsome face.
“My wife?”
I turn on my heel again and head toward the door. “I don’t have time for games, Blaine.” Every ounce of vitriol I can manage is spat in my words.
I burst through the doors and am assaulted by a bitter wind. Jesus. It’s flipping cold. I glance left, then right, and realize I don’t have my phone, any money, or a sense of direction.
“Ugh!” I yelp as something warm and silky slips over my shoulder. I can tell by the scent wafting from the fabric that it belongs to Blaine. Turning toward him, I’m struck momentarily speechless as he stands in a tuxedo vest and closes his jacket around my shoulders. His fingers work the buttons and skim my ribcage.
“Come on. We’d better hurry.”
“We? What about Nova?” I try to pull myself from his grasp, but he holds tighter to my arm.
“Nova? My sister?” My jaw officially comes unhinged, and he smiles devilishly. “I’m a lot of things, Pepper, but a cheater isn’t one of them. Now, come on. I know Mrs. Foundry. She can be a real bitch. My car is just…”
He scans the street. It’s gridlock. Car horns beep, people yell and curse, but no one moves. Bending down, he lifts the hem of my dress, and I swat his hands away.
“Now is not the time to get frisky,” I snip.
He lifts his gaze but stays bent over, staring up at me with hooded eyes. “Does that mean there’s a time to get frisky later?”
“Seriously, Blaine. I need this shoe. Which way do I go? Gah! What do you think you’re doing?” I gasp as he scoops me up in a wedding hold and starts jogging down the street.
“We have to go almost eight blocks. You cannot run in those heels.”
“Put me down, you idiot. You don’t even know me.”
“Pepper? I know what you taste like. I know what sounds you make when you come, and I know how my name sounds on your lips as you do. I know you well enough to get you this damn shoe so the mum from hell can have her perfect wedding.”
“Blaine!” I screech. “I don’t even have any money on me. Put me down. I…”
“I’m not worried about it.” He doesn’t slow down and doesn’t seem to lose his breath as he continues to barrel down 5thAvenue, barking orders. With a hand around my back and one under my thighs, I have no choice but to curl into his chest so I don’t bounce wildly against him.
“Put me down, Blaine. Seriously. I can run just fine. Plus, I need to get my wallet.” He blows past city block after city block but never releases me. “Do you have any idea how much these shoes will cost?”
“We’re about to find out,” he growls, drawing my gaze to his lips. Shouldn’t he be out of breath by now? Geez! “I know Audra is a sweet girl, but you seem very invested in making sure these weddings are perfect. Are you a wedding planner or something?”
I tense, and he glances down at me. I stare over his shoulder. “Something like that. But it’s a wedding, Blaine. The one day where you get to be the princess in your life story. That means something.” He grunts, and I peer into his eyes, swirling pools of emotion that he quickly shuts down. “You don’t believe in love?”
“I believe in love, Pepper. I think I do, anyway. I love my parents and my sister. I’ve been in love before,” he admits bitterly. “But I know what weddings can do. How that single piece of paper can ruin people.”
“You’re a commitment-phobe,” I say in understanding.
“On the contrary. I very much believe in commitment. I don’t believe you need a big, flashy show of it or a piece of paper declaring it.”
I have an inexplicable pain in my chest at his words. “Th-That’s so sad.”
“Prince Charming is for fairy tales, Pepper. I fully believe in monogamy, but putting the pressure of forever on something that can never be just destines it for failure.”
His words foolishly cause tears to spring to my eyes.
“Love, in its purest form, is a choice. Love is the commitment. The paper? As you say, and the flashy show? Those are just expressions of it.”
