Stealing the Groom by Sonya Weiss Page A

that her leg rubbed his, he decided rule number two would definitely be no touching.
    “Look at that!” She rested her hand on his thigh and pointed to a ’57 Chevy parked in one of the spots at the airport. “I love classic cars,” she sighed.
    Rule number three would be a straitjacket for him so he didn’t break rules one and two.
    When they settled in the private jet, Amelia leaned from her seat to his and whispered, “I do feel bad about this mistake.”
    “A mistake is getting drunk and hitting on your best friend’s girlfriend. This goes way beyond that.”
    She crossed her arms, pulling the dress snug across her breasts, and Chad scrambled for rule number four. No kissing, no touching, get a straitjacket, don’t look .
    “You’re acting strange. What’s wrong with you?” She gave him an exasperated look.
    He could’ve jumped for joy when Henry handed him a stack of papers. “Sorry, Ame. Looks like I’ve got some business reports to go over,” he said in the most dismissive tone he could muster. She didn’t move so he said more kindly, “I really need to be on top of these, Amelia. After the night we had last night and the day we had today, can’t you just give me the time to look over these?”
    “Fine,” Amelia said, rising to go to the back of the plane.
    Damn. He knew that tone. All was not fine.
    As she rose, Amelia placed a hand on his shoulder and said loud enough for her voice to carry to their grandfathers. “Darling, can we have a moment of privacy first?”
    He rose to join her, his body too close to her delightfully curvy one for his peace of mind. Taking a hasty step back, he said, “Fine.”
    He followed her to the back of the plane, trying not to notice the sway of her hips.
    She rounded on him as soon as they left the main cabin. “Fine is my word. You don’t get ‘fine.’”
    He shut the door behind them and yanked off his tie, throwing it down on the queen-size bed. “I’m the one acting strange? Since when did you care what words either of us used? Or is that one of your rules?”
    “What rules?”
    “There have to be rules in any relationship, Amelia. Especially when something happens to change the dynamics of the relationship. We’ll need rules. I’d hate for you to make a pass at me and feel embarrassed when I turn you down.”
    Her mouth fell open and then with a slap to his ego, she laughed. “Sounds like you’ve got me all figured out. I couldn’t wait to be alone with you just so we could spend the next hour making love.”
    The next hour? She was killing him.
    She kicked her shoes off and wiggled her toes in the luxurious carpet. “We need to celebrate our wedding night,” she announced.
    “Amelia, I will not make love to you.”
    “Please. I wasn’t suggesting that. I was thinking more like opening a bottle of champagne or something.”
    “Oh. And what will we drink to?”
    “Our friendship.”
    He took off his jacket and tossed it on the bed, then rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. “I remember you don’t know how to hold your alcohol.”
    “I was fourteen , Chad. I had no business drinking. I was nervous and trying to work up the courage to ask for my first kiss.”
    “Ame…”
    “No, it’s okay. I’m over the complete humiliation of that day, but I do blame you for the fact that my first kiss was a total dud.” She winked at him.
    “It worked out for the best. I would have hated setting the bar so high for the next guy.”
    She laughed. “Get out of here so you can finish up your work.”
    Chad laughed and stepped out. In the hallway, he exhaled and closed his eyes. Rule number five. He would not fantasize about his wife.
    …
    Back in the home where she’d grown up, Amelia stepped into the claw-foot bathtub and with a sigh of appreciation, slid beneath the warm, bubbly suds. The scent of coconut jasmine floated from the water.
    She rested her head against the bath pillow, her muscles relaxing in the heat of the water.
    Chad