And although Kelsey certainly hadn’t counted on Connor when she prioritized her checklist for Emily’s wedding, as long as she kept him occupied for the next week and a half, Kelsey would be able to cross him off once and for all.
Catching a touch of her aunt’s righteous indignation, she straightened her own shoulders and nodded imperceptibly. Satisfied, Charlene marched Emily out of the atrium.
Emily cast a last, longing glance over her shoulder, and the uncertainty Kelsey saw in her cousin’s gaze strengthened her resolve. Aileen was right. Emily was suffering from cold feet. Her worries about her future as a wife and eventually a mother had her looking back to simpler times. Back when she could lose herself in Connor’s live-for-the-day attitude.
But her cousin would only regret it if she threw away her future for a man of the moment like Connor McClane. And Kelsey could not allow Emily to make the same mistake her own mother had.
Chapter Three
“You know, Kelsey, I’ve never been attended to before.”
Even with her back turned, as she watched Emily and Charlene walk away, Connor sensed the determination rolling off Kelsey in waves. Shoulders straight and head held high, she looked ready for battle. And yet when he took a closer step, his gaze locked on a curl of hair that had escaped the confining bun. The urge to tuck that curl behind her ear and taste her creamy skin nearly overwhelmed him. He sucked in what was supposed to be a steadying breath, but the air—scented with cinnamon and spice and Kelsey—only added to the desire burning through his veins.
Struggling to hide behind the cocky facade that had served him so well in his youth, Connor murmured, “Gotta say I’m looking forward to it.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said stiffly.
“You think I don’t know I’m those ‘other matters’ your aunt was talking about?”
Kelsey opened her mouth, looking ready to spout another unbelievable denial, only to do them both the favor of telling the truth. “You’re right, Connor. My aunt wants me to keep you away from Emily.”
“Charlene wants me gone and Emily happily married. There’s just one problem.”
“That would be you,” Kelsey pointed out. “A problem easily solved if you were actually gone.”
“If I leave, Emily’s problems will have just begun.”
“That’s your unbiased opinion?”
“Yeah, it is,” he agreed. “And not one your aunt and uncle are gonna listen to.”
“Can you blame them?” Kelsey demanded.
No, and that was the hell of it. Connor knew he was the only one to blame. He knew what the Wilsons thought of him and he knew why. He could still see the look in Gordon Wilson’s eyes when he offered Connor money to break up with Emily. Not a hint of doubt flashed in the older man’s gaze. He’d been so sure Connor—a dirt-poor loser from the wrong side of town—would take the money.
Connor had longed to shove the money and his fist into the smug SOB’s face. But he hadn’t. He couldn’t. And the pride he’d had to swallow that day still lingered, a bitter taste on his tongue.
He’d let Emily down, although from what he’d gathered during their recent conversations, she didn’t know anything about the payoff. She thought their breakup had been her idea…just as she thought marrying Todd Dunworthy was her idea. But Connor knew better, and this time he wasn’t going to be bought off.
“The Wilsons aren’t going to listen to anything I have to say,” he acknowledged. “That’s where you come in.”
Kelsey frowned. “I am a Wilson.”
He hadn’t forgotten…exactly. “You’re different.”
Drawing herself up to her five-foot-nothing height, shoulders so straight Connor thought they just might snap, Kelsey said, “Right. Different.” Hurt flashed in her chocolate-brown eyes as if he’d just insulted her, when nothing could be further from the truth.
“Hey, wait a minute.” Pulling her into a nearby alcove, out of the way of nearby guests, Connor insisted, “That was not a put-down. Your aunt and uncle turned their noses up so high when they met me, if it rained, they would have drowned. I was trailer trash, and no way was I good enough for their little girl. So when I say you’re nothing like them, you can say ‘thank you,’ because it’s a compliment.”
There were a dozen words he could have said, compliments he could have used, but the stubborn tilt of Kelsey’s chin told him she wouldn’t have listened to a single one. Someone—her family, some guy from her past—had done a number on her.
No, words wouldn’t do it, but actions…How far would he have to go to show Kelsey how attractive he found her? A touch? A kiss? The undeniable proof of his body pressed tight to hers?
“In case you’ve forgotten,” Kelsey pointed out, her voice husky enough to let him know she’d picked up on some of his thoughts and wasn’t as immune as she’d like him to believe, “according to my aunt and uncle you kidnapped their daughter.”
“It was not kidnapping,” he argued, though he’d had a hell of a time convincing the police. Fortunately Emily had backed his story, insisting that she’d left willingly. Eventually the charges had been dropped; Emily had been eighteen and legally an adult, able to make her own choices. Not that her parents had seen it that way. “But that’s my point. Your aunt and uncle won’t listen to anything I have to say. Which is where you come in.”
“Me?”
“Right. We’ll be partners.”
“Partners?”
“Sure. After all, we’re on the same side.”
“Are you crazy? We are not on the same side!” Kelsey argued.
“I want Emily to be happy,” he interjected, shaking her thoughts as easily as his sexy grin weakened her composure. “What do you want?”
Challenge rose in the lift of his eyebrow, but Kelsey couldn’t see a way out. The trap was set, and all she could do was jump in with both feet. “Of course I want her to be happy.”
“That’s what I thought. Kelsey, this guy won’t make her happy. He’s not what he seems, and I want to prove it. The Wilsons won’t believe me, but with you to back me up, they’ll have to at least listen.”
Kelsey longed to refuse. She didn’t trust him. Not for a second. Oh, sure, his story sounded good, but finding dirt on Todd wasn’t just a matter of looking out for Emily—it played perfectly into Connor’s interests, as well.
If Connor did find some deep, dark secret to convince Emily to call off the wedding, not only would he be the hero who saved her from a horrible marriage, he’d also be there to help pick up the pieces. But if Connor couldn’t find anything in Todd’s past, what was to keep him from making something up? Working together, he wouldn’t be able to lie. Not to mention, he’d given her a way to keep an eye on him.
Connor held out his hand. “Deal?”
Sighing, she reached out. “Deal.”
Connor’s lean fingers closed around her hand. Heat shot up her arm, and a warm shiver shook her whole