Four Weddings and a Swamp Boat Tour - Erin Nicholas Page 0,6

asked skeptically.

“Sure it is,” Kennedy said with a nod. “As long as you’re good with not having any of that while you’re in Autre.”

Paige sighed. That’s what she’d figured. “You don’t have cheese down here?”

“’Course we do. What do you think we put on our chili cheese fries?”

“So then your family just doesn’t believe in people being alone? Ever?”

“Not my family, not most of the people who live in Autre, not most of the Cajuns I know from anywhere.”

Paige thought about how far she could get if she got in her car and started driving again right now. She’d have to stop for the night again, but she could put Autre pretty far in her rearview before that. She could head back to Iowa. Or she could head to Colorado, which was her plan for six months from now. Or she could just drive and see where she ended up.

But her car was making a really bad noise…

“I can’t believe Mitch thought he was goin’ to keep you bein’ here a secret,” Kennedy said.

“Oh. Um.” Paige lifted her glass for a sip.

She tasted the sweet, peach-flavored tea and… sighed. But this time with pleasure. Damn, that was good. She took a bigger drink before setting the glass down again. “He doesn’t know I’m here. I wasn’t supposed to show up for another three weeks.”

Kennedy’s brow lifted. “Is that right?”

“Yeah. I… was coming for Josh and Tori’s wedding, but… I decided to come early.”

“I see.” Kennedy lifted her glass again.

“It’s not like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like what you’re thinking,” Paige said, taking another drink and wishing for some peach schnapps to add to her glass.

“What do you think I’m thinking?” Kennedy asked.

“I think you think that I’m either a crazy stalker or I’m madly in love with Mitch.”

Kennedy nodded. “If the spectrum is crazy stalker to madly in love, which end are you closer to?”

Paige set her glass down and regarded Kennedy. She didn’t know this woman. If she was madly in love with Mitch and was planning a future with him, she might think that she should try to make Kennedy like her.

But…

“I’m just here for the hot sex, the otters, and the wedding cake. Someone else’s wedding cake.”

Kennedy’s grin was quick and bright. “That is—”

She was cut off by the sound of heavy footsteps thudding across the back porch.

Paige’s heart thudded just like those footsteps.

The door opened, and then there was a pause.

“This is going to be sooo good,” Kennedy said, lifting her tea glass again.

2

“Paige?”

The sound of Mitch’s voice sucked the air out of her lungs. God, she’d missed him. It had been one stupid week. One. And she’d missed him to the point that him saying her name made her heart flip.

She turned on the chair, trying to smile, but afraid that her expression was a combination of oh-my-god-I-want-you and what-the-hell-am-I-doing-here?

She swallowed hard. “Hey.”

He was in a pair of jeans and a fitted gray t-shirt. His hair was wet. He didn’t have any shoes on. And he looked stunned.

“Surprise,” she said, again trying the smile. And again, pretty sure it looked more like a grimace. “I was just—”

Before she could even finish the thought, not to mention speaking the sentence, he was there, pulling her up from the chair and cupping her face.

His mouth covered hers, and she melted.

Everything is going to be okay.

That was the only thought in her head as he kissed her.

Mitch was kissing her right now, his tongue sweeping into her mouth, his hands holding her possessively, his big body hot and hard against hers, and there really wasn’t anything else she wanted to think about right then.

He kissed her and kissed her and kissed her. She kissed him back, of course, but she was aware they had an audience so she didn’t grip his shoulders and climb up his body to wrap herself around him the way she wanted to.

“Maddie, you are never going to guess where I am and what’s happening.”

Kennedy’s voice infiltrated, and Mitch lifted his head.

He kept a hold of Paige’s face with one big hand, staring into her eyes, but he reached over and plucked the phone from Kennedy’s fingers.

“Hey!” she protested.

He hit the button to disconnect the call. Then tucked the phone into his back pocket.

“Give me a fucking break, Ken,” he said, still looking at Paige. “I need a little time here.”

Paige wet her lips. “Time for what?”

“Time to absorb you myself before I have to share you.”

Her heart flipped. Again. Because of the tone of voice and