Afterward, he waited with his sister while Josh danced with his sister Mary. Then he delivered Sadie to Josh’s dad, who brought her out to the dance floor for one final number, while Josh danced with his mom. Then he made his way over to me, his smile one of total relief.

“You did it,” I said, unable to resist giving him a hug.

He held me close. “Thanks for the help. It actually wasn’t as bad as I thought.”

“See?” I didn’t want to let him go, but I stepped back so no one would speculate about my koala grip on the bride’s big brother.

“So? Do I get to claim my prize?” His dark eyes glittered.

“Oh, that. Hmm.” I checked the time. “Yes, but you have to give me a few minutes. Just until the dancing gets going and the cake is served.”

He frowned. “Can’t people serve their own cake?”

I laughed. “Ten minutes. I’ll meet you in my office.”

“Does the door lock?”

My stomach jumped. “Yes.”

“Is it soundproof?”

“No.” Then I rose up on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. “But you won’t have to worry about me making a lot of noise, because I’ll have something in my mouth.”

He gripped my elbow—hard. “Five minutes. Go.”

It ended up taking me more like fifteen minutes, because I had to locate a missing cake knife, return a diamond earring found on the dance floor to its owner, find the head server and let her know I was taking a short break (I lied and said I had to run over to the inn for a few minutes), and duck into the bathroom to wipe off my lipstick. By the time I snuck down the hallway to my office, I was practically running.

I pushed open the door and walked in, expecting to see him in there, but my office was dark—which was weird, because I was certain I’d left the lights on.

That’s when the door slammed shut behind me and I heard the lock bolt click.

I whirled around. I couldn’t see a thing. “Tyler?”

“Expecting someone else?”

“No.” I laughed. “I just can’t see anything. How do I know it’s really you?”

“Come here. I’ll prove it to you.”

My pulse kicked up as I moved toward his voice, and then I felt two strong hands reach out and grab me. He pulled me against his chest. Then his lips were on mine, and I knew it was him for sure—I knew that mouth, that tongue, that kiss. I reached down and stroked him through his pants, feeling him grow thicker and harder, his erection bulging against my palm.

“I only have a few minutes,” I whispered, unbuckling his belt.

“So let’s make good use of them.” He started pulling up the bottom of my dress.

“No!” I put my hands on his chest and pushed back. “It’s my prize to give. I told you what it is.” Then dropped to my knees in front of him, continued undoing his pants. “Do you want it?”

“Your mouth on my cock? Hell yes, I want it. But I want to see it.” He flipped a light switch next to the door, which turned on an overhead light.

I looked up at him. “Better?”

“Much.” He took my face in his hands. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

I smiled and freed his hard length from his pants, taking it in both hands, licking it from bottom to top. “Can you do me a favor?” I asked in my best sex kitten voice before swirling my tongue around the crown.

“Does it involve dancing? Fuck it, the answer is yes, I don’t care what it is.”

I laughed throatily. “It does not involve dancing. Would you mind holding my hair back?”

He put his hands farther into my hair and lifted it away from my face. “Like that?”

“Perfect.” I lowered my mouth down his shaft, and he sucked in his breath. I kept going, taking him deeper, sucking him harder.

“Good thing the music is loud,” he said, his voice thick with desire. “Because I’m not sure I can be quiet. Jesus Christ.”

“You don’t have to be quiet,” I told him, pausing for a breath. “But you do have to be fast.”

That wasn’t really a problem either.

I don’t even think a full sixty seconds went by before his fists were tight in my hair and he was rocking into me with quick, short thrusts that hit the back of my throat and threatened to choke me. I willed myself to keep going because I could feel and taste and hear him getting close, and finally he gave me the warning.

“Fuck, April. I’m gonna come, so if—”

But I wanted it just like that, so I gripped him hard by the hips and stayed right where I was. Five seconds later, I heard his deep, guttural moan, felt the pulsing between my lips, the hot surge in my mouth. He stopped moving, and eventually his fingers loosened in my hair.

I let him go and swallowed, sitting back on my heels to finally catch my breath.

His head banged back against the door. “Shit. Are you okay? Did I cut off your air supply?”

I shook my head and laughed, still a little breathless. “I’m fine. Maybe a little oxygen-deprived, but fine.”

“I’m going to pay you back later.” He offered his hand and helped me up.

“Thanks, but this isn’t about trading favors. I wanted to do that.”

“Okay, maybe pay you back isn’t the right way to put it. I’m going to fuck you with my tongue later because I want to, and you wouldn’t let me do it here. How’s that sound?” He started doing up his pants.

My insides tightened. “Good. But I’ll be here late.”

“I’ll wait for you.”

“I’m always the last one out on a night like this. It could be a long wait.”

He finished buckling his belt and put his arms around me. “You are worth a long wait, and don’t fucking forget it. And besides, I’ve got less than twenty-four hours before I have to get on a plane, and I want to spend as many of them as possible making sure you don’t forget me.”

I smiled, even though the thought of him leaving made me sad. “No argument here.”

It was after one a.m. by the time we walked out to the parking lot hand in hand.

“Want to come over?” I asked him.

“Of course I do. I’ve got promises to keep—some of them you don’t even know about.”

I laughed as my stomach swooshed. “Follow me to my place.”

With Tyler’s SUV in my rearview mirror, I drove to my house as quickly as I dared, and we parked next to each other in front of my building.

On my front porch, his mouth was on my neck, his hands already pulling up my dress as I tried and failed like five times to get the key in the lock. Finally, I managed to get the damn door open, and we stumbled into the front hallway, slamming it shut behind us.

I dropped everything I was holding and heard my keys hit the tile floor. Tyler spun me by the shoulder and backed me into the wall, caging me in with his arms and devouring my mouth with a searing-hot kiss that set fire to every nerve ending in my body. I reached down between us and slid my hand over his bulging cock, desperate to feel him inside me again. “God, I want you,” I whispered. “I’ve never wanted anyone so badly.”