Page 84 of Full Mountie

“Is this a good time?”

I wave her in. I don’t miss that she’s got one of Beth’s purple file folders in her hand. “Wedding stuff?”

She nods. “I’ve got the final guest RSVPs here. Beth is going to email them to you, but I had a couple of notes you should be aware of…”

On her side, she has an uncle who had a bad run-in with the RCMP as a teenager, and forty years hasn’t tempered his dislike for us. That makes me laugh. Sure, we can handle some dirty looks.

The other notes were just as easily dealt with. This wedding coordinator gig has proven easier than I expected. “You getting excited?”

She beams. “Yes. And thank you for your email outlining the precautions about paparazzi. That made me feel a lot better.”

“Any time.”

We spend another twenty minutes going over the last of the to-do list items. It’s pretty short now, but all of that added work pushes my day longer than I would have liked. When I look up from lunch, I realize it’s already four in the afternoon.

Even though my day started thirteen hours ago, I want tonight to be good. I swear under my breath. I haven’t been shopping all week, and I still have at least an hour or two of work to do.

I grab my keys and jog upstairs. Gavin should be back soon, but right now the office is quiet. Beth’s not at her desk, but I hear the photocopier working in the room around the corner, so I look for her there.

She’s wearing a pencil skirt today and a buttoned-down blouse. The skirt is dark grey and the blouse is light blue. It’s an entirely appropriate work outfit, so I blame my lack of sleep for immediately jumping to a filthy librarian fantasy as she leans over to pick up her papers from the side basket.

I shake my head to clear the lusty haze, then clear my throat to get her attention. “Hey.”

She twists around and gives me a warm smile. “Hey.”

A now-familiar spark leaps between us. I want to kiss her so much it hurts. I glance at her mouth and she presses her lips together. No, I know we can’t, even before I drag my gaze back up to her sparkling eyes. “Tonight,” I promise instead.

She presses her fingertips to her lips. “Definitely.”

My heart hammers in my chest. “Uh…” I tighten my hand into a fist, and the sharp edges of my keys cut into my palm. Right. I hold them out. “I need to do some shopping for dinner. Feel free to let yourself in.”

She steps closer and wraps her fingers around the keys. “Okay.”

“And pack an overnight bag.”

“Will I need clothes?” she whispers conspiratorially.

“The weather’s going to be amazing. Maybe we’ll go out at some point.”

She winks, and yeah, it’s more likely that we’ll keep her totally naked, just as she expects. “Anything can happen.”

From the main room of the office suite comes a flurry of noise. The prime minster has returned. She brushes past me, and I take a deep breath.

Probably a bad idea for me to follow with the makings of a hard-on.

30

Beth

Before I left the office, I found a quiet moment to tell Hugh that I was heading home to pack a bag, then going to Lachlan’s. So I’m not surprised when I pull into the driveway and find Hugh leaning against the corner of the house, a lazy grin on his face.

He’s also been home and changed. He’s wearing a dark grey dress shirt over jeans, and he’s got a pair of aviator sunglasses on, too.

He looks every inch the irresistible bad boy Lachlan and I adore, and I’m so glad the week is done and we can do this for a night or two.

I grab my backpack, which he takes from me as soon as I reach him. He tangles his fingers in mine as we walk to the front door, but he doesn’t kiss me until we’re inside. I set Lachlan’s keys on the table once Hugh’s done making me breathless, and we make ourselves at home.

I really love Lachlan’s place. It’s small, but he’s done some smart things to make it seem bigger, more spacious than it would otherwise look. And he hasn’t been afraid to update it and bring a modern aesthetic to the inside.

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