Page 10 of Keeping Guard
After removing the veil and washing her face, she borrowed the comb on the counter and worked the tangles out of her hair. What she really wanted was a nice, hot shower, and as tempted as she was to use Noah’s, she thought that was taking his hospitality too far.
By the time she returned to the living room, Noah was back inside. His gaze swept over her. “Feeling better?”
“Some. Why didn’t you tell me I had mascara running down my face?”
“Didn’t notice.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.” He sat on the sofa, and she perched on the opposite end. “Thank you again for helping me get away. I’m sure it wasn’t how you planned to spend your day.”
“Can’t deny that, and you’re welcome.”
“You’d probably like to send me on my way, so—”
“Thought you said you couldn’t go home right now.”
“I guess I was overreacting.” She wasn’t, and as soon as he dropped her off, she’d put on some clothes and then check herself into a hotel. But she couldn’t do that until she got her purse, which was at home with the luggage she’d packed for her honeymoon.
“Are you sure about that, Peyton?”
Noah asked himself what he was about. She’d offered him exactly what he wanted...take her home and forget he ever walked down to that waterfall and found himself a runaway bride.
After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “Sure, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Tell you what. Why don’t you stay here tonight?” Did he really just say that? “Take the time to figure out whatever you need to before having to face your father and DG.” His mouth was carrying on as if his brain had no opinion in this.
“Who’s DG?”
“Dumb Groom.” At least that got a grin from her. She’d been silly at the waterfall, and he kind of missed that side of her.
She frowned as she glanced around. “Stay here?” Her gaze landed back on him. “Are you sure you’re not a murderer?” Her eyes widened as if she hadn’t meant to say that.
He snorted. “I wondered the same thing about you.”
“Why would you think I was?”
“Thought maybe the unfortunate bastard was floating in the pool under your wedding dress.”
“You really thought that?”
“Seemed a possibility, considering.”
“That’s hilarious. It’s amazing you didn’t skedaddle.”
He should have. “Believe me, doing that had its appeal.”
She grinned, then a giggle slipped out, and then she fell back on the sofa and laughed with abandon. Although he didn’t know what was so funny, he liked the way she laughed...all out and lusty. It was actually impressive that she could find things that amusing on the day she was supposed to get married and instead ended up almost naked at a waterfall, two bottles of champagne in tow.
“Are you sure you don’t want to repair things with your fiancé?” He wasn’t sure she’d thought all that had happened through, didn’t want her to wake up in the morning and regret she hadn’t tried. He still didn’t know exactly why she’d run from her wedding, wished he wasn’t curious to know the reason. Maybe she’d caught her dumb groom kissing the bridesmaid. That would explain her running.
She waved a hand in the air. “Pfft. DG is so far in my rearview window that I can’t even see his headlights anymore.” Tears popped up in her eyes. “And so is life as I knew it.”
The woman was giving him whiplash. She went from giggly to teary in zero to sixty. He supposed it was to be expected considering the emotional ups and downs she’d had today. Or this was her normal. He also wished he wasn’t curious about that, too. What was she like when not playing the role of a runaway bride?
“Want to talk about it?”Brain to mouth...shut the fuck up.
“This is the kind of thing you’re supposed to talk to death with your bestie, but I don’t have one of those.”
“If you did, what would she say?” He’d never talked anything to death and wouldn’t know where to start.
