"That my personal life was no longer any of her business," she said with a mutinous lift of her chin. "But she wouldn't leave it alone and kept pushing for an answer, so I told her the truth, that I was dating you, and it shouldn't be an issue with her since I'm an adult, I'm single, and it wasn't her choice to make. And that, of course, led to a heated argument about…"

She let the rest of her sentence trail off as she shook her head and looked away, giving Ben the distinct feeling that the unpleasant verbal exchange had been all about him, and not in a positive way, either. And knowing that made him all the more aware of the many differences between them when it came to living in the Delacroix's world of wealth, politics, and high-society precedence.

Christine rubbed her fingers across her forehead. "Anyway, she made me so mad that I had to put an end to the lunch or I knew I'd end up making a scene she wouldn't have appreciated."

With his fingers still tangled in her hair, he caressed his thumb along her soft cheek. "Well, in a few more days, she'll have nothing to worry about." The election was in five days, and once that was over and Christine's safety was secured, they'd revert back to being friends and acquaintances, which would undoubtedly thrill her mother.

Christine's cell phone rang, interrupting the moment between them. She dug into her purse for the unit, checked the caller ID, and grimaced. "It's Craig. He's been trying to get a hold of me for the past two days to talk about something regarding my party next week. I should take his call."

She answered the phone, and Ben listened as she discussed a few last party details with Craig. As much as he despised the man for various reasons, Ben was beginning to think that he was fairly harmless-especially in comparison to Jason, whose bitter antics were starting to get more personal and public. Craig definitely liked Christine and had no qualms about making his attraction known, and even though those intimate feelings weren't reciprocated, there was no crime in a man being interested in a woman.

Even if Ben didn't like it one bit.


AFTER the crazy, stressful week Christine'd had, Ben was glad that she'd agreed to accompany him to Joel and Lora's wedding-a small, casual affair equivalent to a warm, family gathering that everyone felt a part of. The Saturday outing provided them both with the much-needed opportunity to get out of the house, and gave Christine a welcome distraction from her mother's silent treatment after their lunch a few days ago, as well as the fact that Jason was out on bail and her father had received yet another threat to drop out of the upcoming election.

It was a perfect cool and sunny day for an afternoon, outdoor wedding. The guests sat on padded folding chairs as Joel and Lora stood beneath an archway decorated with bright, colorful flowers and exchanged their vows in front of family and friends. Their expressions were full of the kind of love and adoration a person couldn't help but envy, and as Ben cast a quick glance at Christine sitting beside him, he could see that she was just as caught up in the ceremony, and the genuine emotion between the couple, as most of the women there were.

Joel and Lora were flanked by Lora's best friend, Sydney, who was standing in as the bridesmaid, and Lora's brother, Zach, as the best man. Considering everything that Zach Marshall had been through-in the Iraq War and then dealing with the aftermath by burying his painful past with addictions to gambling and alcohol that nearly ruined his life-he finally looked clean and sober. Zach had spent a good amount of time in rehab and was still working through his personal demons, but thanks to Joel and Lora's unwavering support, as well as becoming a security agent at ESS, which offered him a strong comradery with his ex-Marine buddies, the man was finally making a stable life for himself. And because of that. Ben was very happy for Zach.

As the minister read an intimate poem to the guests that spoke about love and friendship and the kind of eternal promises made between a husband and wife, Ben felt Christine's hand slide into his, gentle and warm. Palm to palm, their fingers intertwined, and something within Ben filled with a longing so strong, it nearly overwhelmed him. It amazed him that this woman, who was no doubt used to elaborate weddings, was so touched by such a simple ceremony.

Then the minister introduced Lora and Joel as a married couple, and the moment between Ben and Christine dissipated as they stood up with the rest of the guests and cheered as Joel kissed his blushing bride with enthusiasm.

A casual reception followed in the backyard, with a buffet of food, upbeat music for dancing, and an abundance of babies and toddlers courtesy of all the Wilde family members that had gotten married over the past few years. With his hand resting on the base of Christine's spine, he led her toward where Joel and Lora were standing off to the side, mingling with guests.

As soon as Ben reached Joel, he shook the other man's hand and gave him a firm slap on the back. "Congratulations, Wilde Man," he said, then turned his attention to Lora, who was wearing a flowing white wedding dress and a very happy smile. "You look absolutely beautiful." He kissed her on the cheek. "I'm glad to see that Joel found someone who can keep him in line."

"All that military training has come in handy." Lora's eyes sparkled with female humor as she hooked her arm through her groom's. "He knows how to take orders very well."

Joel rolled his eyes, silently conceding to his wife's comment. Ben laughed, then went on to introduce the woman by his side. "I'd like you both to meet Christy."

Lora's eyes widened in delight. "Oh, you brought a date!"

She seemed so excited, mainly because Lora had spent the past year trying to find a suitable woman for him. He almost hated to burst her bubble. "Actually, she's a current client of ESS." Ben explained her relation to Nathan Delacroix, which garnered Christine a round of promises from the newly married couple to vote for the man.

"It's a pleasure to meet both of you," Christine said sincerely. "It was a beautiful ceremony."

"Thank you." Lora beamed. "I hope you two plan to stay a while and enjoy the reception."

"Absolutely," Ben replied. "We were just heading over to the buffet for something to eat."

A young boy ran by them, but before he could pass Joel, the other man reached out and caught him up in his arms. Ben recognized the cute, energetic four-year-old as Cody, Steve Wilde's son.

"Whoa, partner!" Joel exclaimed in an animated voice. "Where do you think you're going at the speed of light?"

Cody squirmed in his embrace and pointed to a table near the buffet. "I wanna see the cake!"

Joel glanced in that direction. The confection the boy was interested in was a double-tiered chocolate-frosted cake that looked rich and delicious. "Just keep your fingers out of it, okay?"

The boy grinned impishly. " 'Kay!" As soon as Joel set him back down, Cody took off once again, with another one of Joel's little relatives following behind to see the cake, too.

Joel chuckled and shook his head. "Talk about double trouble."

"And you and your two brothers weren't triple trouble at that age?" Ben asked, certain the Wilde siblings had been an equal handful. "Besides. I'm sure you and Lora will be adding to the brood in a year or so."

"I'm looking forward to it," Lora chimed in. "Maybe a little girl who'll wrap Joel around her finger."

A half-grin curved Joel's lips as he met Lora's gaze. "Oh, man, you know I won't stand a chance against that."

She gently touched his cheek, the abundance of love between them so evident. "That's what I'm counting on."

The photographer came up to the new couple and pulled Joel and Lora away for some wedding photos with Joel's parents. Ben guided Christine toward the patio area where the food was located, and introduced her to a few other people on the way. They said a quick hello to Scott and Ashley, whom Christine had met at the charity event the previous weekend, and Adrian-one of Joel's cousins-and his wife, Chayse, stopped to chat with them, too.

After loading their plates with finger sandwiches, potato salad, fruit, and a few other appetizers, then picking up drinks at the bar, they made their way back to a table where Ben's buddies and coworkers, Kevin, Jon, and Zach, were sitting with their own meals. Christine sat down next to Kevin, the most familiar face of the group, and Ben took the chair next to her.

After introducing her to Jon and Zach, Kevin leaned toward her and said with a charming smile, "I think it's only fair that I should warn you that I wanted you here today so I could steal you away from Ben."

Christine suppressed a grin, but couldn't disguise the amusement dancing in her eyes. "A man with ulterior motives, huh?"

"You bet. Especially when it comes to beautiful women." Kevin winked at her.

"Be careful," Jon piped in from across the table. "Kevin's a player."

The other man snorted in reply. "Oh, and you're not?"

"I'm just not so obvious about it." Jon said with a smug look, and took a big bite of his potato salad.

Kevin dismissed his comment with a wave of his hand. "Yeah, whatever, Jon Boy."

Zach, the quiet one of the group, finally spoke up. "Geez, do you guys ever quit?"

"No." Kevin and Jon answered at the same time.

Christine laughed, then took a sip of her champagne. "You all sound like you could be brothers. Argumentative and very competitive."

"We're as close to being brothers as you can get," Ben said, knowing everyone else at the table felt the same exact way.

"Hey, Zach," Ben said, garnering the other man's attention. "How's things going for you at ESS?" He'd only been with the firm for a few months and hadn't been assigned any outside jobs yet. They all wanted to be sure that Zach would be ready, mentally and emotionally, to tackle the stress and pressures of an actual security job.