The Wedding Affair (The Affair Series Book 2) by Suzanne Halliday Page A

for the gold. “Well, shit,” he muttered. “The only reason I came along on this mystical love boat to marital happiness was because I was promised naked breasts and a lap dance.”
    Her shocked gasp was priceless.
    “Looks like you’re up, Ms. Evers. Sun’s out,” he said with a glance at the sky, “so tits out. And we can negotiate the lap dance. There’ll be none of that bridesmaid dress crap, though. I want ass, legs, and preferably no panties.”
    Ryan expected her to come back at him with typical female outrage. She wasn’t typical by any means and what he got was fucking-a priceless.
    “Sorry, Ry,” she simpered, “my dance card is full. You should have been here days ago if you wanted a shot. Too many hot tropical guys in skimpy sarongs, ya know what I mean?”
    He was enjoying this immensely. “Fuck. Seriously?” he muttered. “Damn. Had a moment there when imagining those legs of yours wrapped around my head took things to an eleven. Or a twelve.”
    “Is that like more cowbell?” she drily quipped.
    “Something exactly like that,” he answered.
    The rest of breakfast rushed by in pretty much the same way. She was smart. And interested in everything. How to fold an origami napkin. Why Tarzan lived in the jungle but never had a beard. It was as if life unfolded for her as a never-ending narrative about every little thing.
    A guy would have to stay on his toes to keep up with a woman like Samantha.
    She also asked questions. Lots of them. Some were serious and specific; others were lighthearted and slightly blonde. When he used the partial blonde observation, she swatted him with her napkin and pointed out that she was far from blonde.
    He was bummed when breakfast was over. With no more wedding details to pour over and pick apart, they had a schedule to keep. To make himself feel better while helping her from her chair, Ryan took advantage of her nearness to breathe her in.
    Maybe not a good idea, he thought after it was too late to stop. Life clung to her skin. He smelled bacon and pineapple. Vanilla and something spicy. Her hair held a sweet, fruity scent. And it all blended with her natural essence and was made more potent by the setting. The sun, the warm air, the ocean nearby.
    It occurred to him quite suddenly that she hadn’t said what the ladies were doing while the men were off playing golf and having lunch, so he asked. Anything to delay their farewell.
    She let him take control by slipping her hand through the crook of his arm as he led them slowly from the outdoor restaurant. He liked having her close.
    “Why, we’re going shopping, of course!” Her merry chirp was delightfully female.
    Women could be ready to jump off the ledge from a life crisis one moment and then be ready to bounce ten seconds later at the notion of going shopping.
    “All the girls,” she told him while filling in the details. “Both your moms. Alianna too, I would imagine. There’s a boutique nearby, and Andi’s photographer is meeting us.”
    He snorted with laughter and warned her as best he knew how. “Watch out for Ali. I hear she found the island’s only sex shop. A place where she can happily cause all sorts of chaos.”
    “Oh, no. Really?”
    Ryan was amused that she sounded so worried. It was just harmless fun. Ali Morgan style.
    “What?” he teased. “Sex toys and naughty nighties not your thing?”
    “Huh?” she asked with a distracted grunt. “Oh, yeah. Whatever. Never been to one. And it’s not me I’m thinking about.”
    They came to a bend in the path. The ladies were on one side of the resort, while he and Kyle and their families were on the other.
    “It’s Andi’s mom who worries me. She’ll faint dead away.”
    Frankly, he didn’t give a shit about Andi’s repressed mom. But for Samantha, he’d stand there and pretended to care. Until she called him out.
    “Men.” She giggled. “You’re all alike so don’t act like you care. I bet you haven’t heard two words