“Hello,” he greeted her. His voice sounded squeaky and pre-pubescent to his ears. Heat flamed along the back of his neck, but he smiled the charming smile he knew worked on all women.
Ella started, her hazel eyes going wide as she saw him. Sunlight flashed through her hair as she moved to pull it out of her face.
But she smiled and that was all that mattered.
“Jace...” she gasped. “Hi.”
A slight flush crept into her cheeks and he wondered if she flushed everywhere like that when she was surprised. The almost-kiss they had shared the night before was still heavy on his mind, and just thinking about what he wanted to do with her after kissing her made his core heat.
“So, this is the gazebo you were telling me about?” he asked, trying to distract himself from thinking of her body. He glanced about, noting the beauty of the setting but finding her far more pleasing to look at.
“Do you like it?” she asked. Maybe it was just his imagination, but she sounded breathless. “This is actually where my father proposed to my mother.”
“I love it,” he answered. The lake shimmered behind her in the late morning sunshine. The sky was a clear blue that accented the hazel in her eyes. He was glad the gazebo was just big enough for two people- it gave him an excuse to step closer to her. She was magnetic to him. All he wanted was to be closer to her. “I can't imagine Delores out here, though.”
“Oh, not Delores. My mother was Nancy McDaniels,” Ella explained. “Delores is my stepmother. She inherited this place after my father died.”
That explained why this beautiful woman was nothing like the rather frightening innkeeper. Jace had a suspicion that Ella was the one who sent the brochure with the pictures rather than the pushy older woman. It fit with Ella's kind and loving personality.
The breeze ruffled her hair, sending a stray honey strand across her eyes. He nearly reached for it before stopping himself. Luckily, she moved it herself, smiling shyly before turning away to look at the lake again.
“How is the wedding preparation going?” Ella asked, wrapping her arms around her as if she were cold, yet her smile as she glanced over at him was warm.
“At this stage, there's very little for me to do but put on a tux and look pretty,” Jace replied, leaning against the railing beside her. He was acutely aware of how close she was. The wind caught her hair again and he could smell her shampoo. Lavender. It took everything not to breathe the scent in deeper.
“Ah.” She shifted her weight away slightly, as if trying to put distance between the two of them. He frowned slightly, but didn't push the issue. Women were weird when it came to weddings. And, given that she probably had done a ridiculous amount of work preparing this one, Ella had more reason than most to be weird.
Feeling her drift away from him, he quickly added, “But, I'm actually out here to escape the wedding.”
“Escape?” Her eyes narrowed and suspicion filled in. She couldn't possibly know he was hoping to find her, could she?
“It's peaceful out here,” he explained. “No one's chasing me down and pestering me about what floral arrangements. I mean, really- do you think I care if the roses on the table settings are white or off-white. They're both beautiful and they both smell nice, and no one at the table is going to notice them because they are going to be too busy looking at all the celebrities.”
The suspicion in her eyes vanished and she giggled. Her smile was infectious and he found himself grinning along with her. This was better than he had expected. It was just the two of them leaning against the railing and looking out at the water. They weren't even touching, yet it felt like he was in heaven. She was making sure to stay at least a hair's width away from him. It was him that kept inching closer, trying to close the gap. He could feel her body next to his, distracting him from everything but how loud his heart was pounding.
No one had ever had this kind of effect on him. He felt as giddy as a twelve-year old with his first crush, a feeling he hadn't experienced in over fifteen years. He'd dated plenty of beautiful women, but none of them ever made his brain fog quite like this. It wasn't just her looks or her sexuality that made his heart race. It was something so much more.
“I'm sure you'll be glad when it's all over,” she murmured. “I saw the bride this morning, by the way. She's beautiful.”
“That she is,” Jace agreed. “This is all for her. If I had my choice, I'd get married with just an officiant and immediate family. Maybe even just elope.”
“Really?” Ella sounded surprised. Her eyes went out to the lake and she bit her lip. Good lord, the things he wanted to do with that lip.
“Yes, really.” The idea of Ella and him at a chapel in Vegas popped into his mind, and for the first time he wasn't put off by the idea. “I don't want any of these crowds and white or off-white roses.”
“Me too,” Ella agreed quietly.
Her response made him smile just as she looked up at him. Upon seeing his face, she blushed, tucking her head and letting her hair spill over her face. Her hands pushed the warm strands of hair from her face, and she looked up at him again.
“So why all the hoopla then?” she asked. “If small is what you want, then why have the big fancy wedding?” She indicated to the resort behind her.
“Because it's Madelyn's wedding,” he explained. “I can't say no to her. It's what she has always dreamed of.”
“She's lucky to have you,” Ella remarked, watching his face. Something in her eyes went distant and she quickly looked out at the lake, wrapping her arms around her and leaning away.
“That's what I'm always telling her,” Jace said, hoping to make Ella laugh. He was barely rewarded with a smile, so he changed tactics. “So, other than grooming horses, what do you do for fun around here?”
“Fun?” Ella sighed. “I work most of the time. The inn keeps me pretty busy.”