The Marrying Kind by Cynthia Rutledge

Author:Cynthia Rutledge
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2001-06-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Nick pulled out of the hotel’s parking garage and activated the CD system. The Eroica symphony, the one Taylor always asked to hear, filled the quiet interior.

Nick glanced at his now official fiancée out of the corner of his eye. She’d rested her head against the seat and closed her eyes when she’d first got in, complaining of feeling light-headed, and hadn’t looked up since. Thick waves of auburn hair spilled around her shoulders, and her normally rosy complexion seemed more like a soft pale ivory. Never had she looked more beautiful.

Other than their little argument on the dance floor, the evening had gone better than he’d expected. Taylor’s performance had been flawless. Lovely and personable, she’d charmed his business associates and even—he swallowed hard—her leading man.

Unfortunately, her old boyfriend’s presence had been an all too real reminder that this woman wasn’t his. Had she really meant it when she said she couldn’t wait for the engagement to end?

He pushed aside the image of her in Tony Karelli’s arms and swallowed hard. “I had a great time tonight. You were wonderful.”

Taylor’s eyes fluttered open. She raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean I get a bonus?”

“Hmm.” He pretended to think. “I might be able throw in an extra ten dollars in this week’s check.”

“Scrooge.”

He grinned. “Thanks for the compliment.”

“You’re not welcome.” Despite her words, a tiny smile played at the corners of her lips. “Actually, it was a lovely engagement party.”

“The kind you’ve always dreamed of?”

A halfhearted laugh escaped her lips even as a wistful expression dimmed her smile. “I couldn’t help but wish my parents were there, though I realize if they were still alive, I wouldn’t even be in this fake engagement.”

“Sometimes it doesn’t feel fake to me.” Nick’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel.

She lowered her head and turned to the window. “I know. Sometimes it doesn’t to me, either.”

He leaned back. The tension in his shoulders left in a rush.

Taylor chuckled, a low husky sound. “When Henry climbed on that table…”

Nick laughed. Henry had swayed precariously atop an antique side table, trying to make a toast for almost five minutes, a bottle outstretched in one hand, a glass of champagne in the other. “He would have been okay if Claire hadn’t got embarrassed and tried to pull him off.”

Taylor giggled. “I thought for a moment, the way she was jerking his arm, she was going to split that dress right up the side.”

“Did you see the look she gave Tony when he pulled her away?”

“I don’t think anyone could have missed that. Steam was practically pouring out her nose.”

“She should have been grateful. Another second or two and Henry would have ended up on the floor, on top of her.” Nick pretended to shudder. “That’s one scary thought.”

“Claire’s a beautiful woman,” Taylor said matter-of-factly, casting Nick a sideways glance. “Lots of men probably wouldn’t mind rolling around on the floor with her.”

“They can have her. Now you and I—” he paused and his pulse quickened at the thought “—on that floor, that would be a different story.

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