Free Who Loves Them? (Who--? Series) by Taylor Storm Page A

turning and presenting themselves as newlyweds to their family and friends.
    She tried to shake the feeling the dream left with her as she rifled through the closet for what to wear, settling on a deep green halter-neck cocktail dress that hugged what curves she had and settled just a little below her knees.  She paired it with nude pumps and put on the emerald and rose gold earrings her father had given her, along with a slender rose gold lariat necklace.  Maybe it was silly, but wearing the earrings from her father gave her a little comfort that she so desperately needed.  She took off the necklace from Lilly and hid it in her suitcase, tucked underneath her undergarments.  No one would find it there.
    She nervously filed away at a chipped nail and applied just a touch of makeup—she never needed much, she had been blessed with nearly perfect skin—and deep, berry colored lipstick .  She managed to get her hair into an updo with some difficulty, finally resigning herself to the few pieces that determinedly escaped and trailed around her face.  Taking one last look in the mirror, she admitted that she looked rather nice, which bolstered her confidence a little.  She tossed a few things into an embroidered brocade clutch and, squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin, headed toward the library.
     
    ****
     
    Gordon, wearing dark gray trousers and a navy button-down shirt with a patterned tie that made his blue eyes stand out more than normal, poured himself a glass of whiskey and stood facing the fireplace, tapping one foot impatiently.  He was angry and was not looking forward to meeting his new fiancé.
    “Oh , do calm down,” Jacqueline admonished, pouring herself a glass of champagne.  She had changed into a lovely deep burgundy cocktail dress with black heels, and had swept up her thick black hair, revealing her long slender neck.  Her dark eyes were shadowed and hooded slightly, and she looked far more sultry than any other woman her age.  She had added onyx jewelry--a pair of oval earrings in a plain setting, an equally plain oval onyx on a thin white gold necklace, and an oval onyx cocktail ring in an antique setting.  The overall look was slightly dangerous, and certainly a bit out of place in the rustic lodge.  She was strikingly beautiful and much too polished for her surroundings.
    “Don’t tell me to calm down, Jackie,” he grumbled, tossing back the whiskey and reaching for another .  “I’m meeting my fiancée in a few minutes.  Tell me, how hideous is she, exactly?     It must be bad, for them to keep it from me all this time.  I just know I’m going to be stuck with an ugly cow with the personality of a dishrag.” He sighed.  He had planned on calling Mindy after meeting his hideous new fiancé, in the hopes of reconciling with her.  He could fly her down here and he could change her mind.  He knew she wanted to be with him, so what harm could it do?
    Jacqueline rolled her eyes, taking a delicate sip of her champagne and pouring a glass to give to Chris when she arrived.  “She’s beautiful, Gordy .  Don’t fret.  I think you’ll get along just fine.”
    “Don’t call me Gordy.”
    “Don’t call me Jackie.”
    Their bickering was stopped by the sound of footsteps, and Gordon turned to see the girl from the resort walk through the door .  He was speechless. 
    Except she didn’t look like the girl from the resort at all .  That girl had been red-faced and shy, hiccupping into a margarita and unable to meet his eyes, obviously a social nightmare.  This girl was stunningly beautiful, tall and slender, wearing a gorgeous green gown that made her eyes stand out in her porcelain skin.  Her face was narrow, and her thick auburn hair was swept up, with just a few pieces trailing against those impossibly high cheekbones, just as he wished he could trail his fingers along them…
    He stopped his thoughts short, surprised at how quickly they had gone astray .  You’re