Barefoot in Pearls (Barefoot Bay Brides Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

way down the aisle. She stopped to greet or hug a friend here and there, laughing at something someone said, smiling at others. But every few seconds, she ventured a look his way.
    And every time, it shot a little more heat into his blood.
    Just before they reached him, she and the best man separated. He went off to the left, but Arielle kept coming straight toward Luke. Their eye contact intensified, the ambient sound of laughter and conversation faded, and Luke actually felt his fingers burn again with the need to touch the beautiful woman coming right at him.
    Yeah, this was one helluva nice coincidence.
    He took a few steps closer to the aisle, his row cleared of people. He timed his arrival at the end to precisely match with hers, stepped onto the sand in front of her, and blocked her way.
    She closed her eyes and smacked right into him, the tiny bit of contact sending a small explosion through his body.
    “Oh, I’m sorry,” she deadpanned, sounding not sorry at all. “Did I run into you? I was merely meandering through life with my eyes closed.”
    He stayed a little too close as he gazed down at her, narrowing his eyes at the sheer impact of being within touching distance. He had her by a good six inches, and his vantage point gave him an excellent shot of her cleavage, which was curved and soft and inviting.
    “Eyes closed is the only way to run.”
    “Until you hit a tree.”
    “Or a gorgeous woman.”
    She angled her head, either to accept the compliment or wind up for another zing. Good God, she was pretty. Blinding, kind of. It felt like heat flashes were hitting his eyes.
    “You run like you know exactly what life is going to put in your way,” she said.
    “I don’t know, but I like what life put in front of me today. Twice.” As much as he wanted to touch her bare shoulder and linger on her gleaming skin, he inched back and offered a more formal handshake. “I’m Luke—”
    “McBain,” she finished, her hand almost lost in his. “Gussie’s brother.”
    How did she know that? “And you’re Arielle, Gussie’s partner. Imagine the luck of meeting you here.”
    Her eyes flickered and darkened for a quick second as she finally let go of his hand. “Luck?”
    “Coincidence?” he suggested.
    “I don’t believe in either one.”
    “Ah, a reason-for-everything kind of woman.”
    She lifted a brow. “Absolutely.”
    “All right, then. What was the reason you spent the entire ceremony staring at me?” Not that he didn’t already know. She felt the same physical reaction he did, and she could call it anything she wanted. He called it hot .
    “I was staring because you’re…” She hesitated, clearly looking for the right word, her color deepening as she whispered, “The One.”
    He inched back. “The one…what?”
    With a smile, she slipped her hand through his arm and broke into a wide, bright smile, which catapulted her face from really pretty to insanely hot. “The one who’s going to get me a drink, amuse me by gossiping about the guests, dance with me when they play the first slow song, and kiss me under the moon when it rises.”
    He tugged her closer. “You’re right. I am definitely the one.”
    A soft cheer rose from a few people near the water, where the wedding canopy stood empty. Everyone turned in time to see Gussie being lifted into the air by Tom DeMille, the man she’d been seeing since before Luke and his sister had their unexpected and long overdue reunion in France.
    “What’s going on there?” he asked.
    Tom twirled Gussie, and she let out a shriek, holding up her left hand so the setting sun captured a rock gleaming there.
    Ari turned back to him, her eyes sparking like that diamond on his sister’s hand. “I’d say your family just got bigger.”
    He felt his jaw loosen as he shook his head. “Well, I’ll be damned. That was fast. Didn’t they just meet a month or two ago? This seems a little…impulsive.”
    “Have you met your sister?”
    He