No Weddings (No Weddings #1)(40)

I chuckled. “Yes, she is.”

My humor disappeared as Mrs. Hopkins glared at me. “You’d do well to land a beautiful, talented, and intelligent woman like that.”

Although being schooled by the upper-class entitled didn’t ever sit well with me, I forgave her the slight. Because she was absolutely right. “Yes, I would. The man who ‘lands’ Hannah Martin will be a lucky man indeed.” I winked at the old bird.

Her eyes went wide, but I left her to her thoughts as I finally wound my way behind Hannah.

A young Susan Warner, just graduating high school in a few months and allowed to attend her first adult social function by her parents, admired the cake. “It’s a work of art, Ms. Martin.”

Hannah smiled, tipping her head to the girl. “Thank you.”

A member of the press edged closer, taking several snapshots. When she dropped the camera down, letting the strap hold its weight, she pulled out a small notepad and unclipped a pen from it. “What do you call this piece?”

Hannah cocked her head. She hadn’t thought to name her pieces before the Valentine’s Day party, and when asked that night, she’d copped out and used the theme as the title: Love is a Battlefield.

She glanced at the reporter, then to me. “This one is called United Hope.”

A nod, followed by a scribble.

“Kincade Michaelson. Wherever did you find this gem?” A familiar voice, a hidden agenda.

I turned toward Stuart Simms. We’d grown up together, only we didn’t play very well in the sandbox. Always out for the new angle, or intent on acquiring the next shiny toy, Stuart had become a human embodiment of everything I loathed in the country-club circles.

He’d also inherited tens of millions, and in cutthroat corporate raiding, had multiplied his wealth. Ego radiated off the man. And the way he looked at Hannah just now, so did blatant lust.

“Don’t bother, Stuart. She’s out of your league.”

The fool arched a brow, turning toward me. “Is there such a thing?”

I shook my head, leaving the shark in my wake. “In regard to that woman? Yes.”

Other admirers had filled in the space between us, but I worked my way against the current until I stood beside Hannah again. She smiled up at me, but looked a bit shell-shocked.

I pressed a hand to her lower back. “Want to get out of here?”

Her eyes grew wide. “Can we?”

“Do you have the cake covered?”

She bit her lower lip, frowning at the towering confection. With a serious expression, she glanced back. “Give me ten minutes.”

“What if I helped?” I picked up a plate.

A small smile touched her lips. “I would love that.”

While Hannah carved into the globe, starting in the vicinity of a glittering iced Greenland, I dutifully held up fine china for the slices of white cake to rest on. In ten minutes, we’d destroyed half the world.

A waiter joined us, and Hannah handed the cake server over to him. “Just be sure to serve only from the top tier of the base and up. The bottom portions are not edible. We don’t want anyone choking on a crystal.”

“Or breaking a tooth,” he added.

“Exactly.” Hannah looked around, making certain nothing remained that needed her attention.

I spotted Kristen in the center of the wooden dance floor, looking calmer than usual. “I’ll be right back.”

Hannah nodded, stepping off to the side, under the veranda.

Kristen turned toward me and raised the beveled crystal glass in her hand. It was filled with an amber liquid. “To a successful country-club event.”

Absent a drink, I nodded and gave her a half hug. “Very successful, thanks to you.”

“Pffft. I only did my part. We all pulled together.” Her words slurred a bit.

“You gonna be okay the rest of the night? Hannah and I are taking off.”

Perceptive eyes narrowed. Kristen was a sharp one, even if she had ventured from buzzed to drunk. “‘Hannah and I’? Didn’t I see you two in the garden earlier?”

I chuckled, kissing the top of her head. “You saw nothing.”

Yet.





When we left the fundraiser, I removed my tux jacket and draped it over Hannah’s shoulders. Initially, she shook her head and backed up. But with a hard look from me, she relented. I then made certain her arms went into the sleeves.

“I look ridiculous in this.” The hem of the jacket went almost to her knees.

I ignored her protest, wrapping the lapels, one over the other, trying not to smile. “You look adorable.” And she did. She belonged in more of my clothes.

She rolled her eyes. “Great, adorable was the look I was going for.”

“It suits you. Besides, I like you in my jacket.”

“Don’t take it as a claim on me, mister. It isn’t a letterman jacket. It is warm, though.” She pulled it tighter around her.

We made a detour through the kitchen, where I grabbed a bottle of Champagne. “After you.” I gestured toward the back door.

We emerged on the other side of the building. Stray guests wandered across the sprawling lawn in the dark, but all the glowing lights from the party were hidden by the massive building.

Since Hannah wore a sexy pair of high heels, I kept to the paved areas, following the sidewalk down to the winding pathway I remembered playing on as a child. When the wider path broke into stepping stones and Hannah slowed, hopping from one to the other, I stopped. “Hold this.”