Her Secret Valentine - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

During the previous dress fittings, Kiara had hated being draped in silks and satins after spending too much time poring over patterns.

Today, she stood as still as a mannequin while the dressmaker flitted around making final adjustments to the floor-length teal silk halter that made her look like a supermodel.

Four orgasms in a night did that to a girl. More relaxing than a day spa.

"You're awfully Zen," Alice said from her place on a crimson settee, where she sipped champagne. "It's freaking me out."

Kiara smiled, her serene expression reflected back at her in the mirror, unrecognisable. She was never this relaxed. Ever.

"Things are going well at work." The fib slid from her lips with ease.

"I like this side of you." Alice raised her glass in cheers. "But really, who are you and what have you done with my sister?"

Kiara laughed and twirled on cue for the dressmaker, whose prodding and poking usually drove her insane. "Maybe I'm finally accepting the fact that my little sis is getting married at twenty-four to her high school sweetheart?"

Alice rolled her eyes and held up her hand. "Stop right there. I've heard your lecture about Greg and me being too young and needing to experiment with other people first too many times."

Kiara couldn't fathom what would make her sister want to tie herself to her first love for life. Greg may be sweet and docile and besotted, but couples evolved and changed. What would happen in their thirties? Their forties? Beyond?

She'd practically raised Alice when their mom had died when she'd been ten and Alice four. Their dad had been great but he'd passed away five years ago, leaving Kiara in charge. She took her big sister responsibilities seriously, which was why she'd been against this marriage from the start.

There was no doubting Alice and Greg's love, and now that the wedding was two weeks away she should back off and support her sister. This wedding would go ahead and hopefully Alice would live happily-ever-after, unlike the hundreds of clients she'd dealt with over the years.

Divorce had made her rich, an independent, wealthy woman well-respected in the legal industry and living a great life. Fancy lunches, after-work drinks with the in-crowd, dancing the night away on the latest rooftop bar in the most cosmopolitan city in the world.

Helping people rid themselves of unwanted partners made her feel good, like she could make a difference in their lives and offer them a new start. She'd never come close to loving anyone the way Alice and Greg loved each other, so she didn't get it. Didn't mean she had to ruin it for her sister.

"I'm done with the lectures, sis." Kiara smoothed the silk over her hips, loving the way it felt against her skin. "If you're happy, I'm happy."

"Thank you." Alice blew her a kiss and blinked rapidly but not before Kiara saw the telltale sheen. "What did you think of Ashton?"

Kiara's heart skipped a beat before thundering like a mad thing. Thank goodness she'd mastered a poker face in her first year doing articles in court. "He seems nice."

"Yeah, though he tried to talk Greg out of getting married, too. But Greg says he's a good guy and he's been nothing but lovely to me."

Kiara bit back her first response: "Ditto." Because Ashton had been nothing but lovely to her, too: going down on her three times last night, exploring her erotic spots with his mouth, soaping every inch of her in the shower this morning…

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Alice snapped her fingers and Kiara refocused, sure her cheeks must match her crimson lip gloss.

"You were saying?"

However, as Alice prattled on about changing the floral arrangements from roses to peonies and the caterer substituting eye fillet for duck, she let her mind wander back to last night and exactly how lovely Ashton had been.

And would be tonight if she had her way.