Sadie didn’t do it, it didn’t get done. She understood that Elise had been having a hard time since the divorce—even before that. Sadie had almost effortlessly fallen into her preferred profession, and Elise was still fumbling, trying to find her way. Which was why she tagged along with their cousins any chance she got, if only to feel out different careers and see if something stuck.
“It’s taken care of because I made sure it was,” Sadie said, her voice hard. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t need you here, especially to help get ready for the Olsens’ wedding tomorrow night.”
“And I’ll be back.” Elise grabbed her cup and lifted it toward Sadie. “In the mornin’. Still plenty of time to get everything set up.”
As she watched her sister flounce off without a backward glance, Sadie stood there, jaw locked as she stewed in frustration and resentment that had been building for a long time. Thirty-eight months, to be exact. Every day since they’d been handed the keys to the Starlight. And she was so damn sick of it.
It made her second-guess her restraint when it came to Cole. So what if her sister hated her for a little while? It wasn’t like the feeling wasn’t mutual at this particular point in time. And the attraction Sadie felt toward the man was hard to ignore. Actually, attraction may be too tame of a word. Her body burned for him, an ache so deep in her core, she wasn’t even sure he could reach it—and she’d felt exactly what kind of heat he’d been packing.
Thankfully, in her world, mere attraction wasn’t enough to derail her plans. With Elise bailing every chance she got, Sadie had to put all her focus on the inn. Especially with the upcoming spread in Happily Ever After magazine. Soon, their bookings would be through the roof, and they’d finally become the destination wedding locale she’d dreamed of since their grandma on their daddy’s side had bequeathed the property to them.
Besides, it wasn’t like she and Cole had anything in common other than plain old carnal lust. The local divorce attorney and the local wedding planner couldn’t possibly be less compatible.
“Excuse me, dear, but would you mind telling me when the wedding events are startin’ tomorrow?” Mrs. Wilson, an out-of-town wedding guest, asked.
“Not at all,” Sadie said with a genuine smile, grateful for the distraction.
Of course, it was while she was tied up with Mrs. Wilson that her phone pinged with an incoming text. Despite urgency bubbling inside her chest, she ignored it until she’d printed out a schedule highlighting the important events. But she barely waited until her guest was out of sight before she pulled her phone from her pocket and read the text from Nat.
I just emailed you some of my favorite shots. And giiiirl. They. Are. Hawt. You need to take that man for a spin if you haven’t already.
Sadie’s face flamed as emotions swamped her, memories of that kiss overwhelming every one of her senses. That ravenous look in Cole’s eyes moments before he’d crashed his lips into hers. She could still taste him—smoky and sweet like bourbon and honey—and the scent of him had clung to her sweatshirt, even after she’d left his company.
She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts and bit her lip as she glanced around. The majority of the guests hadn’t checked in yet, so the main room was empty, and no sounds filtered in from any of the common spaces. It wouldn’t hurt just to take a peek, would it?
Quickly, she navigated to her email app and looked for Natalie’s name, glancing up one more time to ensure she was alone. She held her breath as she opened the message, scanning Nat’s extremely brief note instructing them to let her know what they thought.
As the first image popped up on Sadie’s screen, her previously held breath promptly left her in a whoosh. The picture was taken after they’d stepped close enough that she could feel every hard inch of Cole pressing into her backside. One of his hands wrapped possessively around her hip, while his other splayed wide across her stomach, his fingers just grazing the bottom swells of her breasts as he held her tight. Her head was turned toward him, her fingers wrapped around his wrist—when had that happened?—her mouth parted as if she were waiting for a kiss. Her forehead was pressed to his temple as he bent low over her