With Just One Kiss (Seriously Sweet St Louis #4) - Cindy Kirk

Chapter One

Christy Fairchild could have sworn Elvis winked at her.

One minute the paunchy king of rock ’n’ roll, resplendent in a white jumpsuit, was pronouncing her and David Warner married, the next he was giving her a knowing smile as she and her new husband were hustled aside to make room for the next couple.

“You two are lucky we had a cancellation.” The shapely assistant with the bouffant hairstyle and overdone makeup à la early Priscilla Presley smiled and handed them their wedding pictures. “Most chapels in Las Vegas are booked a year in advance for Valentine’s Day.”

“It was a last-minute kind of thing,” Christy murmured as she took the photos, the huge marquis diamond on her finger twinkling in the light. She stared down at the ring.

“Regrets?” Her new husband’s voice was warm against her ear.

It had been six months since she’d had a real date and a lifetime since David had been a part of her life. But tonight, on the spur of the moment, she’d scrapped her plans to do a little shopping and instead married a man she hadn’t seen in ten years.

“Not a one,” she said, smiling up at him. It surprised her that she actually meant the words. Normally she was a worrier, second-guessing every decision and analyzing everything to death. The combination of the antihistamine she’d taken earlier and the glass of wine she’d had in the lounge with David must have affected her more than she’d realized.

“Chrissy.” His voice was deep and low. He was the only one she’d ever known who called her by that name. “Do you want to go back to your place or mine?”

Christy looked up and met his gaze. A shiver of anticipation traveled up her spine.

They were married. It had been her dream when she was seventeen. Now it had come true.

Had she ever known a more handsome man? His broad shoulders filled out his dinner jacket to perfection and his dark hair gleamed in the fluorescent glare. But it was his eyes that captivated her. They were hazel, but could change to gold or green depending on his mood or the clothes he wore. Right now there was a curious intensity in their golden depths that was as unsettling as it was exciting.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you have beautiful eyes?” Christy reached up and ran the tip of her finger along his jawline. “Or that you’re irresistible when you smile?”

A forgotten dimple flashed in his cheek. “So does that mean you won’t be able to tell me no? No matter what I ask?”

“Right now I’d say—” her voice sounded husky even to her own ears “—your wish is pretty much my command. Tell me what you have in mind.”

His eyes darkened and he opened his mouth as if to speak, but he never got the chance. Before he could answer Christy wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, deciding it might be best if she showed him first what she had in mind.

Christy’s lips curved into a smile even before she opened her eyes. What a beautiful dream it had been. She and David Warner toasting each other with champagne in the Jacuzzi, kissing on the balcony, making love in her king-size bed…

Her eyes popped open and her breath caught in her throat. The smell of his cologne, the taste of his lips, the feel of his hands on her skin was so vivid, so graphic she could almost believe it had been real.

But how could that be? She’d never been with a man before, not in that way. A warmth stole up her neck.

It must have been the whole Valentine’s Day thing, she decided. Since she’d never been in Las Vegas before, staying over after her seminar ended had seemed like a good idea at the time. Unfortunately she’d been unprepared for the hype that went along with this day for lovers. That explained why the wedding chapel had been in her dreams. And David Warner? That wasn’t hard to figure out. Her best Valentine’s Day celebration had been with him her senior year in high school.

Christy smiled wryly. Dreaming of wedding chapels and an old boyfriend had to be a sign of a seriously deficient social life. She was going to have to get out more.

Though even if she did find time to start dating again it’d be a long time before she’d be standing in any wedding chapel saying her vows. Marriage for her was a lifetime commitment and