Page 96 of My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding

“I haven’t heard the excuse yet,” she said.“How do I know it’s good?”

He moved in closer and ran a hand up her arm to her shoulder, then to the back of her neck.He pulled her forward and she took the tiny step that brought her right up against him.“It’sreallygood,” he said huskily, taking in all the details of her face, from her natural long lashes to the fake ones on the right, the makeup covering her skin, the remnants of some lipstick she must have wiped off.And most especially the way her pupils dilated when she was standing this close to him.

She swallowed.“Now my expectations arereallyhigh.”

“Good.”He grinned, then reached up and peeled the fake eyelashes from her upper lid.He rolled it into a little ball and then tossed it into the base of the potted plant to his left.“I like the lighter shade better,” he said, running the pad of his thumb over her cheek.

Tori’s hands flew to her face.“Oh, geez, I must look ridiculous.”

“You look beautiful.And I don’t care about this.”He ran his thumb over the eyelid that had plum eyeshadow on it.He removed some of it, but not all.This was the good stuff.It wasn’t coming off without eye makeup remover.“Plum is not your color.”

She laughed softly.“Hey, Josh?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for the rescue.”

“Any time.”And he meant that.

“Now get me out of this hallway and away from all the buffing and blending and brushing.”

He laughed too.“Hey, that does make me wonder…you didn’t even get all of the eye makeup stuff done?What the hell have you all been doing in there?”

She rolled her half-made-up eyes.“There was this whole skin care preparation routine we had to do before we even started.We’re all getting a basket of products delivered to our rooms tonight to use in the morning before our makeup.”She looked up at him seriously.“I lost at least two layers of dermis in there.I swear.”

He nodded solemnly.“That’s terrible.You definitely needed rescuing.”

“I really did.Where have you been?”

“I took a run.”

“Oh?”She stepped back and looked him up and down.“I appreciate it.”

He reached out and pinched her on the ass.“Let’s go.I found something while I was out.”

“Oh.So we’re not going upstairs early tonight?Either?”

He shook his head, as if exasperated—which he wasn’t, at all.“I had no idea what a nympho you were.”

She grinned.“Me either.”

He liked that.A lot.

He grabbed her hand.“Come on.Let me show you this.You’re going to love it.Then we’ll go upstairs.”

“Okay.”She sighed, pretending to be put out.

It wouldn’t last.He knew her and this was going to be huge.

As he led her out to the back of the house, through the hedge maze, and down the path toward the barn, he realized that he loved thinking he knew her.

“They have a barn?”she asked as the big building came into view outside of the maze.

“Yep.And it’s not just for looks,” he said.

“What do they have?”Her voice gave away her excitement.

“Horses mostly,” he said.“They offer horseback riding to guests and visitors.They have a few carriages and a couple of hayracks.”

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