One Wild Wedding Night_ Runaway - Leslie Kelly [2]
So saying goodbye, she followed Bridget to the door. They wove through the crowd of people cruising between tipsy and tanked. Leah hadn’t gone that far…but two drinks on top of no food or sleep had affected her. She ignored the come-ons…Leah was used to those. She usually had a bouncer watching her back, however, and was not used to dealing with actual gropes. So when a third guy accidentally bumped into her, she just as accidentally impaled his foot with the spiked heel of her shoe.
Reaching the door, she slipped into her ratty coat, regretting having to cover the stunning gown. Unlike most bridesmaid dresses, this one wasn’t painfully ugly. The soft, red velvet sheath was something Leah could use again.
“Button up.” Bridget sounded motherly, which was funny since she was probably only a couple of years older than Leah.
The command was easier said than done since half of Leah’s buttons were missing. Leah pulled the coat around her body, crossing her arms. Hopefully the position would prevent Bridget from seeing the frayed sleeves or uneven hem. She’d love to replace it. But the money she’d spend on a new one was better spent on trivial things like food and rent.
Her gloves were even worse, with holes in the tips of two fingers. Those she could afford to replace…she just hadn’t had the time. But they were better than nothing.
Stepping outside, she burrowed her face into her collar, her skin prickling under the assault of the wind. Spying the stretch limo parked across the lot, she put her head down and headed for it. She hadn’t gone far when she heard Bridget.
“Oh, no, I left my cell phone inside.” Bridget waved her on. “Go on. No sense in both of us going back.”
Bridget didn’t even wait. She spun around and hurried inside, leaving Leah to either go after her and brave the crowd of fast-fingered guys or crawl into the warm, private car.
No contest. Yanking the back door open, she slid inside, hearing the driver talking on the phone up front. She was immediately enfolded in warmth and comfort. Luxury, even.
Sinking back against the cushiony seat, she let her body absorb the heat and her nostrils inhale the unfamiliar odors of fine leather, good whiskey and a spicy, masculine scent reminiscent of the sea. She closed her eyes to enjoy it, idly wondering why the car seemed so much more luxurious—not to mention masculine smelling—than it had earlier in the evening.
Mai tais. That explained it. Everything seemed better looking after a few drinks, which was one reason Leah rarely drank. She’d hate to be tipsy enough to look out in the audience one night, think she saw Prince Charming and wake up in the arms of a fat, hairy guy named Rocco the next day.
Rocco definitely wouldn’t have a car like this. The Prince Charming of her dreams would, though. She’d been fantasizing about him since she was a kid, waiting for him to whisk her away from her lousy life. Only, he’d never come. She’d whisked herself and done a damn fine job of it, if she did say so herself. With or without her clothes.
Smiling and letting just a tiny bit of princely fantasy slip into her brain, Leah yawned, curled deeper in the seat.
And fell asleep.
* * *
“Let me get this straight. You have no idea who this woman sleeping in my car is or how she got here?”
Slone Kincaid kept his voice low as he talked to his driver through the open partition between the front and passenger areas of the limo. He didn’t know why. He should be shaking the irresistible blonde awake and kicking her out of his car, which she’d either mistaken as her own or stumbled into drunk. But something made him whisper as he kept his eyes on his unexpected guest.
Curled up in the corner of the backseat, she was a petite package with bright blond curls and pouty lips. He’d stared at the lips and the creamy cheeks for a minute when he’d gotten in, unable to tear his gaze away.