To Be A Bridegroom

“Stop now, Jordan!” Title Page CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN Copyright

“Stop now, Jordan!”

Stazy pulled away, her cheeks flushed, her breathing erratic. “I’m sure one of your brothers—or possibly both of them!—has told you never to mix business with pleasure!”

He didn’t move, only the slight tensing of his jaw showing he wasn’t as unmoved by the kisses they had just shared as he would like to appear. “Probably,” he acknowledged dismissively. “Prince or frog, Stazy?”

“Is that the reason you kissed me? To see if you could change my mind about that?”

Jarrett, Jonathan and Jordan

are

Some men are meant to marry!

Meet three brothers: Jarrett is the eldest, Hunter by name, hunter by nature. Jonathan’s in the middle and a real charmer; there’s never been a woman he wanted and couldn’t have.

Jordan is the youngest and he’s devilishly attractive, but he’s determined never to succumb to emotional commitment.

These bachelor brothers appear to have it all—looks, wealth, power.... But what about love? That’s where Abbie, Gaye and Stazy come in.

As Jarrett, Jonathan and Jordan are about to discover—wanting a woman is one thing, winning her heart is quite another!

To Be a Bridegroom

Carole Mortimer

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CHAPTER ONE

WHAT on earth was she doing here?

Stazy looked around the room, shaking her head in self-disgust. She realised she didn’t know a single person here, save for the man at her side—and then she barely knew him, even though he was responsible for bringing her along!

They had spoken for the first time only yesterday—previous polite good mornings or good evenings, if they had happened to meet in the lift or corridor, did not count as speaking in Stazy’s book!—and yet here she was, at a family wedding with him.

Boredom had a lot to answer for, she decided, and loneliness. And, for some reason, yesterday she had been feeling both rather acutely.

She had been aware that the man who occupied the neighbouring apartment to her own was called Jordan Hunter, had seen his name over a security button downstairs. But apart from that she knew absolutely nothing more about him. Or he her. But yesterday, for some unknown reason, she had been feeling vulnerable and in need of company...

She couldn’t have been more surprised when they had arrived here together this evening and she’d discovered she was a guest at the wedding reception of Jordan’s brother Jonathan! Getting through the meal had been awful enough, Jordan silent at her side, but at least she’d had someone seated on her other side to talk to, a man who’d identified himself as Jordan’s uncle. Except he hadn’t stopped talking, totally monopolising her attention through every course, so that she’d hardly had a chance to eat her food, let alone look at the other guests! But now the meal was over, and everyone had moved into an adjoining room, where a band at one end played music the wedding invitees could dance to.

That was the real problem now; Jordan was just as silent and taciturn as he had, been at the table. How quickly could she escape? Stazy wondered impatiently.

She wished she had never responded to his attempt at conversation yesterday!

‘How do you like your apartment?’

Since only the two of them stood in the lift, Stazy had known Jordan Hunter had been talking to her! And, considering she had occupied the apartment next door to his for the last three months, the question seemed a little late in coming. Neighbours tended to be a little more friendly back home...

‘I like it just fine,’ she answered dismissively, grateful when the lift doors opened at their floor and they could step out into the corridor.

‘You’re American.’ It was a statement, and a slightly surprised one at that.

Stazy had been about to walk away, having already taken her keys from her bag, a confused look on her face as she looked up at Jordan Hunter. She had expected him to leave too, but he hadn’t moved after he’d stepped out of the lift.

He was, she acknowledged, by any woman’s standards, extremely good-looking. Tall, several inches taller than her own five feet nine inches, with curly hair that seemed, she recalled, to have a permanently tousled look, almost as if he were constantly running his fingers through its dark length.

Aged probably in his mid-thirties, more than ten years older than her own twenty-one years, he had the assurance and sophistication to match his maturity; in fact, Stazy had never seen him dressed in anything other than one of the numerous tailored suits he seemed to possess, with pristine shirts and matching silk ties. By contrast, he had probably never seen her wearing anything but jeans or leggings, matched with loose tops, her copperred hair usually flowing loosely down her spine.

Jordan’s face was like a ruggedly hewn sculpture, with a square jaw, firm, unsmiling mouth—although the laughter lines visible beside his eyes and lips said he didn’t always look this grim!—and a long, slightly arrogant nose. His eyes she had been saving until last—because they were the most unusual colour Stazy had ever seen! Too light in colour to be called brown, they were actually gold, and surrounded by the thickest, darkest lashes imaginable.

Stazy had noticed all this about him a couple of days after she moved in. But only abstractly. Men, she had decided, were a treacherous bunch of rogues. A totally different species. Probably from a different planet, too, totally incompatible with women. And so Jordan Hunter’s good looks had been noted—and then dismissed.

‘Yes, I’m American,’ she confirmed dryly. She knew all about English reserve, but by practically ignoring her existence for the last three months she felt Jordan Hunter had been taking it too far. For all the notice he had taken of her, she could have been lying dead in the apartment next door to his for that length of time, and he would never have known about it!

He seemed to be taking in her appearance for the first time as he slowly looked her up and down. So much for his only ever having seen her in leggings and loose tops—this man hadn’t actually registered her at all until this moment!

She was wearing neat brown ankle boots, fitted denims, a light blue sweatshirt, her hair, as usual, flowing riotously down the length of her back. Her eyes were blue, her nose small and snub, with a peppering of freckles across its bridge, her mouth wide and smiling, her chin pointed. Determined even, she hoped!

‘Are you busy tomorrow evening?’

Stazy wasn’t quite sure what she had expected his next comment to be—if there was one!—but she certainly hadn’t anticipated that. Which was probably the reason why she blurted out, ‘No,’ before she had given herself the time to think!

Which was how she now found herself standing at his side in the middle of this crowded room!

She had hastily tried to retract that bald statement yesterday, but Jordan had chosen to talk over it, telling her of a party he had to attend, and to which he would like to invite her as his guest. She would have fun, he had assured her as she’d looked unimpressed, meet lots of new people.

What he had omitted to tell her was that the ‘party’ was, in fact, his older brother Jonathan’s wedding reception—and so far the only person she had ‘met’ had been their garrulous uncle, whose name she couldn’t even remember!

The wedding itself had taken place late that afternoon, but now it was all turning into a party. Not that Stazy felt in the least underdressed for the evening, wearing a midnight-blue dress that showed off the perfection of her slender figure, and the tanned length of her long legs. No, it wasn’t the way she looked that made her feel so uncomfortable; she just knew, as partner of the groom’s brother, that she was attracting more than her own fair share of attention.

She would have fun, Jordan had told her. Being stared at like the specimen in a jar was not her idea of fun! And as for meeting lots of new people, apart from his uncle, Jordan’s scowls seemed to be keeping everyone away from them. At least, no one had yet attempted to talk to them...

Stazy wondered again why Jordan had invited her at all. She had given up trying to answer why she had accepted! But Jordan was a good-looking man, could have had his pick of partners for this evening—so why her? The glaringly obvious answer to that was that she didn’t know anyone here, and so, in consequence, none of these people knew her either. They might feel curious about her for tonight, but when she didn’t appear again they would as quickly forget about her...

But why had Jordan needed to bring a partner with him this evening? What possible reason could he have—?

He was looking darkly across the room at the newly married couple as they danced together, just the sight of his new sister-in-law in her wedding dress seeming to make his expression deepen. Was it possible he was in love with her? Gaye was certainly beautiful enough—tall and blonde, delicately lovely. But if Jordan was in love with his brother’s new wife, it was obvious from the way Gaye only had eyes for Jonathan that she didn’t return those feelings!

Could it be a love triangle?

Jordan certainly gave every impression of wishing himself a hundred miles away from here, of wanting to be anywhere else but at this family wedding!

Stazy couldn’t say she exactly liked being used as a smoke-screen, but if she really was here for that purpose Jordan was doing a lousy job of playing her partner! Several people were now giving them more than enquiring looks, and although she had tried to ignore it for the last five minutes a rather attractive couple standing several feet away now seemed as if their curiosity had got the better of them, and they were going to come over and talk to them!

She turned impulsively to Jordan. ‘Would you like to dance?’ she prompted quickly; several other couples besides the bride and groom were on the dance floor.

Jordan looked at her blankly for several seconds—almost as if he had forgotten who she was! The man was doing wonders for her self-esteem. And to think she was trying to help him!

‘Dance, Jordan?’ she repeated. ‘The music plays fast or slow—’ She paused to listen to the band. ‘In this case slow,’ she continued mockingly. ‘And we human beings—strange creatures that we are!—move in time to it. It really is quite easy—’

‘I know what dancing is, Stazy,’ he snapped irritably.

Oh, he knew what it was—he obviously just had no intention of doing it!

Ah, well, she had tried, she told herself as she saw the attractive couple fast approaching them...

‘Enjoying yourself, Jordan?’ It was the man who spoke, tall and dark, arrogantly assured, his glance resting curiously on Stazy as he spoke. A golden-eyed gaze!

Another Hunter, Stazy realised, which meant this had to be the oldest brother, Jarrett. Jordan had at least briefly filled her in on family relations before they came. Good of him! The beautiful dark-haired woman at Jarrett’s side had to be his wife, Abbie, a former model. They had two children around somewhere too, Stazy recalled vaguely—a little girl called Charlie, and a baby boy called Conor.

‘Not particularly.’ Jordan answered his brother curtly, still scowling.

Jarrett smiled, instantly dispelling that air of arrogance. ‘No, I forgot—weddings aren’t your favourite things, are they?’ he drawled before turning to smile warmly at Stazy. ‘I hope you’ll forgive my little brother for not introducing us—he seems to have left his manners at home this evening.’ It was a teasing rebuke, but nevertheless there was a steely edge to it. ‘I’m Jarrett Hunter. And this is my wife, Abbie.’ He put his arm affectionately about his wife’s slender waist.

‘Stazy Walker,’ she returned lightly, allowing herself a smile at Jarrett’s description of Jordan being his ‘little brother’; there was nothing ‘little’ about Jordan, and the two men were of similar height. And, although she knew Jordan was the youngest of the three brothers, at the moment, grimly unsmiling as he was, he looked every one of the thirty-plus years she guessed him to be.

‘Would you care to dance, Stazy Walker?’ Jarrett invited smoothly.

‘I was just about to ask her myself,’ Jordan muttered—evoking a disbelieving look from Stazy as he did so.

He had been about to do no such thing; he’d already ignored her suggestion a few minutes ago that they dance! But he obviously wasn’t happy with the thought of her dancing with his oldest brother—so unhappy about it he was even willing to escort her onto the floor himself in order to prevent it!

‘Too late,’ Jarrett replied lightly. ‘Maybe next time,’ he added tauntingly, a light but firm hand in the middle of Stazy’s back as he guided her towards the other dancers. ‘Why don’t you invite my wife to dance?’ he paused long enough to suggest to Jordan, before whirling Stazy away in time to the music.

Stazy loved to dance, and Jarrett Hunter was a more than capable partner, moving effortlessly in time to the music. But then, she had a feeling this man did most things well; his wife certainly looked contented enough as she and Jordan began to dance together a short distance away, the married couple sharing a glance of humour over Jordan’s shoulder as he still scowled darkly.

Jordan was his own worst enemy, Stazy decided ruefully. He had obviously brought her here for a purpose, as a female partner for the evening, but one he could totally forget about once tonight was over. Behaving in the way that he was, Jordan was leaving himself open to the sort of mockery she was sure his brother Jarrett could dish out by the barrel-load. Not that she thought Jordan would appreciate her telling him as much; he was too immersed in himself—for whatever reason!—to listen to anyone, least of all her!

‘Have you and Jordan known each other very long?’

Ouch. Stazy inwardly grimaced at Jarrett’s casual question. It was obvious—to her, at least; Jordan didn’t seem to have done too much thinking at all!—that Jordan’s family were going to be very curious about the woman he had brought with him to this family wedding. And the Hunter family, from the little she had observed of them, did not appear to be backwards in coming forwards; Jarrett certainly hadn’t been!

She wished she had realised earlier the curiosity her presence here was going to arouse. As early as yesterday, when Jordan had first invited her. Because if she had she wouldn’t have accepted!

‘A couple of months.’ Stazy answered Jarrett evasively. She couldn’t really tell Jordan’s older brother that until yesterday Jordan had barely been aware of her existence! That didn’t do her any favours, let alone Jordan. But, to be fair to herself, if she had realised she would be going to his brother’s wedding reception, she would have made sure she had told him she was busy!

‘Jordan is a little uptight at the moment,’ Jarrett told her.

Stazy looked at him with raised brows. ‘Only at the moment?’

Uptight was not the word she would have used to describe Jordan, but as she didn’t intend meeting any of these people again—including Jordan himself, next-door neighbour or not!—she felt it would be as well if she kept her opinions to herself. Good-looking though he was, Jordan was still one of the rudest, most arrogant men she had ever met. And she had met more than her fair share of them!

‘Weddings have this effect on him,’ Jarrett explained laughingly. ‘Especially family ones,’ he added pointedly.

But his point was lost on Stazy. Unless her earlier guess about a love triangle was correct...?

‘They can be—traumatic,’ she said noncommittally.

‘Are you Canadian or American?’ Jarrett prompted interestedly at her obvious reluctance to respond to his questions.

Trying a different tack, Stazy realised, knowing she had been correct in her assessment of Jarrett being an astute and clever man. As the founder of Hunter’s, a company dealing in hotels and property all over the world, and a director, along with his two brothers, he was unlikely to be anything else! Oh, well, she would play along with this game for a while—until it didn’t suit her to do so any longer.

She smiled at Jarrett, blue eyes glowing with mischief. ‘And until yesterday I had always thought my English education had obliterated most of my American accent!’

He raised dark brows. ‘What happened yesterday to tell you otherwise?’

Jordan had spoken to her—really spoken to her, rather than offering the odd terse greeting—for the first time!

But she wouldn’t tell Jarrett that. After the way he had behaved so far this evening, she certainly didn’t owe Jordan any loyalty, and she was still more than a little annoyed with him for dropping her into this awkward situation with his brother in the first place, but her mother had always taught her that two wrongs did not make a right! She could cheerfully have kicked Jordan in the shin for abandoning her to his brother’s mercy, and she would much prefer the physical satisfaction of administering that kick than getting back at him any other way!

‘When I’m in England people tend to know I’m American,’ she replied, effectively ignoring the probing in his question. ‘But when I’m at home everyone assumes I’m English.’ She gave a rueful shake of her head.

‘Can’t win, hmm?’ Jarrett acknowledged understandingly. ‘Might one ask why, when America has some damned fine schools of its own, you were educated in England?’

One might ask—but one wasn’t about to get an answer! Not in any great detail, anyway. This man missed nothing, she realised, separating the waffle from what was really important. She had made a throw-away comment about her English education—but it was this fact Jarrett had latched onto. Because he knew by asking it he could learn much more about her background—and, hopefully, about her along with it.

She shrugged. ‘Parents tend to make these decisions for their children, don’t they?’ she responded, looking curiously around the crowded room. ‘Talking of parents—which lucky pair are your own parents?’

Jarrett’s mouth twisted as the tables were turned on him. ‘Our parents are divorced,’ he rasped. ‘But my father and stepmother are about somewhere,’ he went on more lightly.

But not his mother... Interesting. Although Stazy could see by the slightly puzzled expression on Jarrett’s face that he thought, if she and Jordan had been seeing each other for a couple of months, she would have known their parents were divorced...

Another oversight on Jordan’s part. Again not her fault. She hadn’t even known Jordan had one brother until this evening, let alone two.

‘It happens.’ She shrugged off the divorce. It did happen, as statistics showed all too often, and the fact that Jordan’s mother wasn’t present at her own son’s wedding hinted at the fact that this one had been acrimonious. ‘Personally, I think it’s much better for people to part if they are unhappy, rather than try and make it work for the children. From what I’ve observed,’ she continued, ‘the kids usually end up more scarred than the parents! ’

Jarrett’s brow cleared. ‘I hadn’t thought of it in quite that way before...’

Because he was too close to the situation, Stazy guessed. Although it was odd that the three Hunter brothers had remained close to their father and not their mother. She wondered if—

No! She did not want to know anything about Jordan or his family. She did not want to get involved. Tonight had been a mistake, and the further—and quicker—she removed herself from it the better!

‘Are you—?’

‘My dance, I believe, Jarrett,’ Jordan told his older brother with satisfaction as he arrived at their side, Abbie Hunter giving Stazy a sympathetic smile as she accompanied him.

Stazy could imagine that while she and Jarrett had been chatting quite amiably Jordan had continued to be his taciturn self as he danced with Abbie. In fact, Jordan had probably spent the time wondering what she and Jarrett were finding to talk about!

‘Mind he doesn’t step on your toes, Stazy,’ Jarrett warned mockingly as he led his wife away.

‘Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit,’ Jordan muttered as he and Stazy began to dance.

That was only the case if you didn’t rise to it, Stazy thought ruefully. And in Jordan’s case he rose all too easily to his brother’s barbs.

‘You dance very well,’ Stazy told him, brightly, having no trouble at all following his steps, his hand light on her back.

Jordan looked down at her. ‘You and Jarrett seemed to be getting on well together...?’

Predictable, or what! ‘He was quite charming,’ she said casually.

Jordan gave a disbelieving snort. ‘Jarrett is the arrogant one in the family. And Jonathan is the charmer.’

Stazy raised auburn brows. ‘Where does that leave you?’ she returned quickly.

He frowned, seeming puzzled for a moment, and then he gave a smile. It transformed him, Stazy noted with dismay. It was a roguishly sexy smile, his eyes like molten gold, those laughter lines she had noted earlier beside his eyes and mouth were put to full use. Stazy felt a fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach. Gone was the broodingly handsome man, and in his place was—

‘Devilish,’ Jordan told her, and Stazy was able to see the glittering humour in his eyes before he pulled her closer to him, both arms about her waist now as they danced to the seductively slow music. ‘I haven’t been very good company for you so far this evening, have I?’ he murmured close to her ear. ‘Let’s see if we can improve on that.’

She didn’t want him to improve on it! Taciturn would do her just fine. A devilish Jordan Hunter was not—

That face! She knew that man’s face in the crowd of people talking across the room!

She stiffened in Jordan’s arms, straining to see past the other dancers to where she had found that face she’d recognised. All she could see now was the back of the man’s head; his face was turned away from her. But it couldn’t have been him! Not here. She must have been mistaken.

‘Hey, I’m only trying to apologise because I was a little preoccupied earlier,’ Jordan chided softly as he obviously felt her tension. ‘I’m not suggesting ravishing you on the dance floor!’

That might have been preferable to the shock she had just received. At least she could have dealt with that.

She couldn’t stay here now. She had to leave. She couldn’t possibly have seen the man she had thought she had—that person was far removed from the Hunter family—but it was enough that she had thought she recognised him.

She should never have accepted Jordan’s invitation in the first place!

‘I have to go, Jordan.’ She pulled abruptly out of his arms, already searching for the exit

Jordan looked stunned, frowning darkly once again. ‘Stazy—’

‘It’s been lovely,’ she told him distractedly—untruthfully! ‘We must do this again some time,’ she went on hurriedly, knowing she had no intention of seeing him again.

Escape! She had to get away!

Jordan’s mouth twisted. ‘I don’t have any more brothers’ weddings to invite you to!’ he said sardonically, looking totally perplexed by her need to leave so soon.

Stazy barely glanced at him, having located the door now, and began threading her way through the people to reach it. If she could just—

‘Stazy, what the hell are you doing?’ Jordan caught up with her as she got out into the hallway, swinging her round to face him, his humour of a few minutes ago once again replaced by brooding intensity. ‘I brought you here, I’ll take you home again,’ he stated harshly.