Daniel was well versed in body language. And in the contrariness of women. Charlotte was as attracted to him as he was to her. Her relationship with that pathetic Gary guy had been one big romantic illusion. And she knew it. He’d seen the realisation in her eyes this morning.
Of course, he understood she was still upset. No woman liked to be dumped, especially the day before her wedding. She also clearly loved her parents and didn’t want to disappoint them. Or tell them that they’d wasted a whole heap of cash on a wedding which wasn’t going to take place. Once she broke the bad news to them, she was going to need some comforting.
‘And dear Gary!’ Charlotte’s mother suddenly whirled to give him a big bear hug before putting him from her at arm’s length and looking him over from top to toe. ‘My, but you’re even better looking than in your photos. Of course, you had sunglasses on in those so I couldn’t see your eyes. You didn’t tell me Gary had such beautiful eyes, Charlotte.’
Charlotte, Daniel could see, was dumbstruck. He was pretty flabbergasted himself.
But of course, it was a logical mistake for her mother to make. Charlotte had made it herself this morning. Which was another reason he knew Charlotte was attracted to him. She must have a certain physical type she liked.
‘The thing is, Mum,’ Charlotte finally blurted out, ‘he’s n—’
‘He’s a damn fine-looking man all round,’ her father broke in, taking Daniel’s hand and pumping it enthusiastically in both of his. ‘Tomorrow is going to be the happiest day of my life, seeing my baby girl finally married to a man worthy of her. I have to tell you, Gary, that her last boyfriend was a right drongo. But she’s finally come up trumps!’
‘Dad, for pity’s sake!’ Charlotte wailed.
‘You told me there were no secrets between you and Gary here. You said you’d told him all about Dwayne. Do you know he even wore an earring?’ he directed at Daniel with a truly pained expression. ‘Real men don’t wear earrings!’
‘I certainly don’t.’ Daniel had tried one once but he thought he looked a right prat.
‘I noticed that. You’re my kind of man, Gary. Welcome to the family.’ And he pumped his hand some more.
Daniel wished at that moment that he were Gary. He hated having to disappoint them almost as much as Charlotte did.
When a wild but brilliant idea popped into his mind, Daniel embraced it immediately. It would kill two birds with one stone.
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you at last, sir,’ he said. ‘And you too, Mrs—er…’ Damn it all, he didn’t know their surname. ‘Would you mind if I called you Mum and Dad?’ he improvised.
‘Not at all, my boy!’ Charlotte’s father beamed. So did her mother.
Charlotte just stared at him, her mouth still dangling open a little. But she didn’t make a move to tell them the truth, he noticed.
‘Always wanted a son-in-law to call me Dad,’ her father raved on, having at last returned Daniel’s hand. ‘John—that’s Lizzie’s husband—he at least calls us Peter and Betty. But Keith—that’s Alice’s husband—he still calls us Mr and Mrs Gale.’
Daniel absorbed all this information for future reference.
‘Ga-ry.’
Daniel was startled when Charlotte spoke up, the sweet smile on her face belying the dark irony in her eyes, and in her voice. ‘Could I have a moment? Mum. Dad. There’s something I need to discuss privately with Gary. Would you mind?’
‘That’s all right, love,’ her father said. ‘We’ll be back shortly. Give you two lovebirds time enough to sort out whatever it is you have to sort out.’
‘What in hell do you think you’re doing?’ Charlotte hissed under her breath as soon as her parents were far enough away.
‘I guess I’m going to marry you tomorrow,’ Daniel returned evenly, unable to stop a smile from pulling at his mouth.
‘Don’t be ridiculous!’
‘Look, it won’t be legal,’ he reassured her calmly. ‘But it’ll stop your parents from having a really rotten day today. And tomorrow. You might feel a whole lot better, too. You look seriously stressed out, Charlotte.’
She was shaking her head in continued disbelief.
‘You’re insane!’
‘Absolutely not. I’m a lot of things but insane is not one of them.’
‘But we can’t possibly get away with it!’
‘Yes, we can. Your parents already believe I’m Gary. Everyone else will, too.’
‘Louise won’t. She knows Gary didn’t show up.’
Louise. Daniel searched his excellent memory bank and retrieved Louise from their conversation this morning. ‘Isn’t she supposed to be your best friend?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then tell her the truth and ask her to go along with it.’
‘But…but I’ve already cancelled things!’ she protested.
‘What things?’
‘The celebrant for starters, and the flowers, and the tux rental, and…and…’
‘Nothing that can’t be sorted out.’ Though the celebrant could stay cancelled, Daniel decided. He’d find someone else to act as a celebrant. As a lawyer, he couldn’t risk being guilty of any kind of fraud.
Vince would probably do it. For a doctor, he was somewhat of a thrill-seeker. Went skydiving for fun.
‘You haven’t cancelled the reception yet, have you?’ he rapped out.
‘No.’
‘Where’s the ceremony itself taking place? Not a church obviously, if you were having a celebrant.’
‘Here, in the hotel.’
‘No problems there, then.’
‘You are crazy,’ she muttered under her breath.
‘Crazy about you, beautiful.’
She stared up at him, stunned by the speed with which he’d arranged things, and taken advantage of his similarity to Gary.
Not that he was really like Gary.
‘I’ve never met a man like you,’ she said dazedly. ‘I’ll bet you wouldn’t romance a girl over the internet, ask her to marry you and then not show up.’
‘No, Charlotte, I definitely wouldn’t. Aside from being allergic to real marriages as opposed to pretend ones, I can’t stand the internet. Waste of time except for business reasons, and very bad for the eyes.’
She laughed. She couldn’t help it. This whole situation was bizarre. And it was whilst she was laughing that he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, right there, in the hotel lobby. In front of everyone.
At thirty-three, Charlotte had been kissed many times before. But this man kissed the same way he’d looked at her at the airport this morning. With a passion and intensity that was mind-blowing. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, his mouth white-hot on hers. She could feel herself dissolving under the sizzling brand of his lips. Not just her body, but also her mind. When his tongue joined in, every ounce of will-power she owned melted right away, replaced by the desire to surrender herself totally to what he wanted.
He wanted to pretend to marry her tomorrow?
Fine.
He wanted her to go to dinner with him tonight?
OK.
He