any earlier.’
‘I see. And is that also why you organised for the wedding to be held here? For the added publicity?’
‘No. I didn’t think of that at the time. When the other venue burnt down we still had a couple of weeks’ shooting to complete in Hawaii, and I couldn’t afford for my leading man to keep getting hysterical phone calls from his fiancée. So I stepped in and fixed things. Now, I think they’re waiting for us to go into the marquee for the reception. We’ll be on the same table, but I doubt we’re seated side by side—worst luck. Still, there’ll be a party and dancing afterwards. Then we can talk some more.’
He put a firm hand in the small of her back and gently pushed her towards the entrance to the marquee. It felt good, that hand. Very...reassuring. Also very intimate.
She sneaked a quick glance up into his deep blue eyes, startled when they bored back down into hers with the sort of lustful look men usually reserved for Maddie.
The realisation that Blake Randall lusted after her was flattering, but also very flustering. Her whole body tightened in response, which threw her. She couldn’t possibly lust after Blake Randall in return, could she? Surely not. She was just shocked, that was all.
And yet...
She glanced over at him again, this time focusing on his mouth and recalling how she’d wondered earlier in the proceedings what it would be like to kiss him.
Exciting, she decided, her heartbeat quickening. Exciting and risky. Very risky. Because he wouldn’t want to stop at kissing.
Kate knew in theory that love and lust didn’t have to reside together. But she’d never experienced one without the other. Which was why her very limited forays into sex had been such disasters—and why, for the last four years, she hadn’t had a proper boyfriend or been to bed with anyone. How could she after falling so deeply in love with Lachlan?
Yet as she stared at Blake Randall’s perversely sexy mouth she could not dismiss the notion that she just might enjoy going to bed with him despite not loving him. Not that she would. She wasn’t that sort of girl. She wasn’t like Maddie, who’d been jumping into men’s beds at the drop of a hat since she was sixteen.
Besides, you don’t really want to go to bed with him, Kate told herself firmly. You’re just flattered that he fancies you. That’s what this is all about. Not true lust. Just your poor pathetic ego, desperate for someone to show some interest in you. Now, stop ogling the man and get some perspective!
Just in time she wrenched her eyes away from his mouth. But it was too late. His lips were drawing back into a knowing smile. He’d already seen her staring at him.
‘First dance is mine,’ he said with a devilish twinkle in his eyes. ‘Don’t forget.’
Relief claimed Kate as the wedding planner bustled over to them, interrupting what was becoming an awkward situation.
Her name was Clare. She was about fifty, a sleekly attractive blonde with an air of self-importance somewhat like the photographer’s. They were in business together, Maddie’s mother having hired them because they were supposedly ‘the best’.
‘Do come along, Kate,’ the woman said, and glanced at her watch. ‘You too, Mr Randall. We are now running behind schedule.’
Blake rolled his eyes at Kate after Clare had departed to hurry up some of the other guests.
‘Irritating woman,’ he muttered as he steered Kate over to their table. ‘Do you know she had the hide to ask to see my speech? Claimed she needed to check if it was too long.’
‘How rude!’
‘That’s what I thought. Lord knows how people like that stay in business. Anyway, I didn’t show it to her because I haven’t written one. I just assured her it would be the shortest best man’s speech in history. Which it will be. I detest long speeches.’
Kate gnawed at her bottom lip. ‘You’re not going to say anything...revealing, are you?’
‘About Lachlan being a player, you mean?’
‘Yes.’
‘Of course not. That’s not my place. My role tonight is to be complimentary and charming and funny.’ Blake laughed at the doubtful look on her face. ‘Don’t worry. I can be all of those things when I need to be. I’m actually a very good actor myself.’
BLAKE WAS AS good as his word, keeping his best man’s speech very short and very witty, heaping gushing compliments on the bride and hearty praise on the groom, refraining from any of the usual tasteless double entendres concerning the groom’s past behaviour with the opposite sex, and finishing up by toasting the happy couple with gusto.
I really am a good actor, he decided when he sat down to huge applause less than five minutes after he’d stood up. Because it had certainly gone against the grain for him to say the overly nice things he had. He hadn’t lied for Lachlan’s sake, of course, or for the bride, but for Kate, whom he could see had been upset by his revelation about Lachlan’s lack of morals.
He regretted telling her now. It had been unnecessary. He’d achieved nothing except to increase her anxiety over the future of her sister’s happiness. Clearly she was fond of her sister, despite her parents’ obvious favouritism for the younger girl.
He cringed when he recalled the father of the bride’s over-effusive speech about his perfect younger daughter. It had been sick-making. If he’d been Kate he would have walked out. Or thrown something at him. But she’d just sat there, sipping champagne and smiling, even laughing at some of her father’s gushing stories about Maddie as a little girl.
She was an incredibly generous and sweet-natured soul. Odd, given her chosen career. Aspiring actresses were rarely sweet. Unless they were faking it. And Blake felt confident she wasn’t.
He smiled when he thought of her smallish breasts and her lack of false eyelashes. No. Nothing fake about Kate Holiday.
Which was one of the reasons he found her so attractive.
She found him attractive too.
Blake was an expert in female body language, and he’d noticed her reaction to his none-too-subtle compliments. She liked them, but didn’t quite know how to react to them. Didn’t seem to know how to flirt.
Not like her sister. He might not have met the bride before, but he’d seen her in action tonight—both with the celebrant and the photographer and also himself, to a degree. Not that she’d actually said anything to him yet. There’d been no opportunity. But she’d fluttered her false eyelashes at him whenever she’d had a chance, her smile both sweetly coy and smoulderingly sexy at the same time.
She was a piece of work, all right. Lachlan just might have met his match with Maddie Holiday.
Finally the interminable meal and the speeches were over and the happy couple rose, leaving the table to go and cut their three-tiered wedding cake.
Blake immediately moved into the bride’s vacant chair so that he could talk to Kate. ‘So what did you think?’ he asked her on a teasing note. ‘Did my speech meet with your approval?’
She smiled at him, her expression wry. ‘You’re right. You’re a very good actor. You didn’t mean a single word of it, did you?’
‘I meant the bit I slipped in about the beautiful bridesmaid. I didn’t think the groom complimented you enough in his speech. Now, the dancing will start soon. I’ve been to a few weddings in my time, so I know the routine. First the bride and groom will do the bridal waltz, and then we’ll all be invited to join them on the dance floor.’
‘Yes, I know,’ she said. ‘I have been to the odd wedding or