by Linde, K. A.
“It’s beautiful,” she murmured. Her eyes were wide as she took in the space.
“You’re beautiful.”
“I can’t believe you got us backstage.”
“Perks of being a Wright.”
She laughed softly and then rolled her eyes. “Everything is a perk of being a Wright.”
“And now, you get to enjoy those benefits.” I pressed a kiss to her lips. “Do you want to see the best part?”
“Yes,” she answered breathlessly.
I walked her across the brand-new stage and to the thick curtain. She teetered on her high heels and peered through the slit that I’d found in the curtains. The stage had the most perfect view of the entire concert hall. All the guests milling around the room for the gala, the tiered balconies, and to the stars.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “I’ve never been on a stage like this before.”
“Magnificent, right?”
She turned back to face me, a smile on her lips. She’d been so distraught earlier, trying to suppress her tears, that I’d wanted anything to see that smile back on her face. I had every intention of replacing her camera. To make up for what Ashleigh had done. But the most I wanted now was to make up for ever seeing her that sad. I never wanted it to happen again if I could help it. If I had to give her the entire world for her to keep that smile, I’d do it.
“How did I get this lucky?” she asked me, letting the curtain drop.
“Oh no, I’m the lucky one. I’ve got a beautiful woman on my arm. And she’s taking me to Cabo tomorrow.”
Jennifer laughed and waved me away. “You paid your own way.”
“We’re going for your work. My work isn’t that interesting.”
“Oh, stop.”
“I’m serious. The vineyard isn’t sending me to Cabo.”
I pulled her into my arms. We swayed to the music playing through the concert hall. Our own empty, private dance floor on the darkened stage.
“You just landed a huge deal for the vineyard. I think we can celebrate that in Cabo, too.”
“I think we’re going to be doing an awful lot of celebrating,” I said, dragging her in for another kiss.
“I’m okay with that.”
The music stayed slow and steady as we danced. No need for words. No need for anything else. Her heart beat against mine as I held her in my arms. I hadn’t planned for any of this to happen with Jennifer, but I was damn glad that we were here. And I’d do anything to keep us this way.
27
Jennifer
“Jennifer, I thought you might call,” Evan said on the phone.
I cringed. Julian didn’t know I was calling Evan, but this was important. Not only was my favorite camera broken, but my second-favorite camera had been acting up for months. No stores would be open for hours, and we had to be out of Lubbock soon. I was desperate. Which was why I’d reached out to the last person I wanted to speak to.
“Hey, Evan. How are you doing?”
“Great. You want to catch lunch?”
“Actually, this is a work emergency,” I said carefully.
“Oh? You need a second shooter?”
“Well, no, my camera was submerged in water yesterday, and I have an elopement to photograph in Cabo tonight.”
“Shit. That sucks. How did it end up in the water?”
“Bad luck,” I said quickly. “Are you shooting this weekend? Could I borrow your Nikon? I’d pay you.”
“I don’t have anything on the schedule,” he said thoughtfully. “Maybe we could meet for dinner when you bring it back.”
My throat closed up. No was the answer. It was definitely no. And I could and would say it this time because I had a boyfriend. A perfectly crafted excuse that I was going to say on this line right now.
“I’m actually seeing someone.”
He snorted softly, as if he didn’t believe me. “Really? Do I know him?”
“Julian Wright.”
Evan was silent on the other end of the line for what felt like a solid minute. “Well…uh, yeah. Sure. Come on over and grab it. Maybe if things don’t work out with Wright—”
“Thanks, Evan,” I said, interrupting him. “I’ll swing by in a few minutes. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Anytime, Jen. Anything for you.”
I hurriedly got off the phone just as Julian walked in from the bathroom in nothing but a towel. Water still ran over his shoulders, and his dark hair was wet. It wasn’t the only thing in the room that was wet.
“Who was that?”
I grimaced. “Evan.”
“Fuck that guy. What did he want?”
“He said I could borrow his camera.”
“Is it still not working?”
I shook my head. “Backup camera isn’t working either. I don’t know when that happened. I’m going to have to invest in new equipment.”
“As I said last night, I’m buying you a new camera. This is my fault.”
I bit my lip and shrugged. It didn’t feel right. It was Ashleigh’s fault. But I also didn’t really want to say no either. Cameras were an investment. With fewer weddings this year, it would hurt.
“We have to swing by and pick his up on the way out of town.”
Julian grinned. “I’ll get it for you.”
“Oh, he’ll love that,” I said sarcastically.
“Exactly.”
* * *
I couldn’t see Evan’s face from the passenger seat of the Audi, but Julian’s smile was so devious that I could only imagine what had happened in that conversation.
“Here you go,” he said, passing me the Nikon.
“Did you scare him?”
“Just a little.”
I shook my head as I fiddled with the Nikon. I needed to get used to the manual settings real quick. “You’re bad.”
“What? It was fun. You got to scare my ex.”
“I didn’t scare Ashleigh. I just…I don’t know.”
“Put her in her place,” he suggested.
“Whatever. And Evan isn’t my ex. We went on one date.”
“Close enough. Do you have other exes?”
I bit my lip. “Sure. I dated a guy in high school for a year. He mostly smoked pot and wanted blow jobs. Not great for the self-esteem. And I dated a guy in college who played video games and wanted to be a gamer but was a business major.” I shrugged.
“That’s all?”
“Well, no. I dated a guy when I first started nannying for Sutton. He seemed with it. I thought he was the one. But we, uh…had a falling-out.”
To put it nicely. He’d found out about my anxiety medication and gone off for weeks about how people who took medicine for “mental issues” were weak. That I should be able to just fight it. He actually hid my anxiety pills for a week, and it was bad. Bad. He’d called me crazy. I’d sworn to never tell anyone else about it if I could help it. I definitely wasn’t planning to reveal that to Julian anytime soon.
“You?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Yeah. Jordan calls me a serial monogamist.”
“I don’t see how that’s bad.”
“Right,” he said, waving his hand. “Anyway, I think this is the longest I’ve been single since high school.”
“It’s only been a couple months.”
“Yeah. Well, I hadn’t planned to date.” His smile hit me full force.
“Sorry to disappoint.”
“You are anything but a disappointment.” He pressed a kiss to my fingers.
“This camera is going to suck,” I muttered.
“Oh?”
“Just going to have to take a million pictures before we get there.” I brought it up to my eye. “Say cheese.”
He laughed and I snapped the picture. “Feel free. Also I upgraded us to first class.”
I nearly dropped Evan’s camera. “What?”
“Yeah. Hope that’s okay.”
“How? How is that even possible?”
He shrugged. “I’
m a Wright.”
Which seemed to be enough. I was learning a whole new world while dating a Wright.
It turned out that first class to Cabo was an event. We drank a little too much champagne and snuggled up in the enormous seats while I figured out Evan’s camera. By the time we landed in Mexico, I was bubbling with excitement to photograph this wedding. The Nikon was now my bitch.
* * *
“So, I should just stay out of your way?” Julian asked.
I grinned. “Well, that’s not exactly what I meant. Mostly that I’m going to be busy for the next few hours. The ceremony is late.”
“Can I come?”
I furrowed my brow. “I don’t know why you’d want to go to a stranger’s wedding.”
“Because you’ll be there.”
“Well then, sure,” I said with a shrug and a flush. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is,” he said, dropping the bag in our swim-up suite.
I was already rummaging through my own bag so that I could change and get going. I kissed Julian on the way out and made my way to the bridal suite, which was a massive presidential suite with as much room as Piper’s house. I introduced myself to everyone involved and then got to work. My mind was completely focused on taking pictures of the bridal party and then the first look with her groom—always my favorite part of any wedding—that I didn’t even realize we were quickly approaching sunset.
I took my final pictures of the bride walking toward the beach before dashing forward to capture the groom. This was where a second shooter would be valuable, but most people couldn’t afford to send out two people to Mexico. I had to be good enough for two of me.
But when I stepped onto the beach, my feet froze. The small contingent of friends and family who had shown up for the elopement were milling around the beachside wedding display. A towering archway wrapped in blossoming flowers stood behind the groom. The crowd was dressed in summery sundresses. The groom and his best man were in gray slacks and blue short-sleeved button-ups.
It wasn’t the most beautiful wedding I’d ever attended, but it was absolutely stunning in its own right. The start of these things always took my breath away. As if I were perpetually stalled in a single perfect moment.
Then my gaze drifted to the lone person at the back of the party. The one person who didn’t belong. My smile grew as Julian took me in—frazzled and excited—and liked all of it. My cheeks heated. I’d always appreciated his fashion sense, but today was above and beyond. He took my breath away in slacks and a peachy linen shirt, rolled up to his elbows. His dark hair blew gently in the beach breeze, and those eyes were solely focused on me.
For a whole minute, I forgot what I was doing. Just couldn’t believe that Julian Wright was mine. This beautiful, amazing man was my boyfriend.
Then the music changed, and I needed to get back to work. No rest for the wicked.
The ceremony was short and sweet. My bride was stunning beyond measure with her new groom taking her breath away. Everyone cheered, and then we headed to their reception. It wasn’t anything fancy since the couple planned to have a bigger event once they got back home. But I dutifully took pictures of their first dance and cutting the cake. All the typical additions to a traditional wedding.
By the end of the night, I was dead on my feet, and it was a miracle to have Julian there, still waiting for me.
“You’re glowing,” he said.
“That’s the exhaustion.”
He laughed. “No, it’s you doing exactly what you love to do for hours on end. They were lucky to have you.”
“Thank you.”
“About that exhaustion,” he said, wrapping an arm around my waist as we headed back to the suite for the first time in hours. “Do I need to put you straight to bed?”
“God, I don’t think I could sleep even if I tried. I’m too keyed up.”
“You just said you were exhausted.”
“Oh, I am. And it’ll all punch me in the face tomorrow. But right now, I’m living on the high of a wedding.”
“Good,” he said but wouldn’t tell me why until we reached our room.
Candlelight suffused the room, leading out to our swim-up pool. Champagne was in a silver bucket, and chocolate-covered strawberries rested on a silver platter. Rose petals were strewn across the white comforter.
My hands flew to my mouth. “Oh my God, what did you do?”
He laughed at my question. “I thought I’d surprise you.”
I whirled on him with wide eyes. “Julian…”
He took the camera from around my neck and set my bag down at our feet. “You deserve all of this and more. I wanted to do something to give you a break after working so hard.”
“You didn’t have to do this.”
“I wanted to.”
His fingers moved to the strap of my sundress that I’d been wearing all day. Gently, he released one strap and then the other. The material puddled around my hips. He stepped around me, unperturbed by the width of my body, and dragged the zipper down the back. The dress fell to the ground, leaving me in nothing but a bra and panties.
I swallowed as his fingers skimmed the clasp on my bra. He snapped it open as he pressed a kiss to my shoulder.
“God, I love to see you naked,” he whispered.
I closed my eyes around his words, trying to infuse them into my body. Julian liked how I looked. He wanted to see me like this.
His hands slid down my stomach from behind, one hand slipping into the waistband of my underwear. I inhaled sharply as he moved lower. My head tipped back to rest on his shoulder. His lips found my neck as a finger touched my most sensitive area.
“Oh God,” I moaned.
“Yes,” he purred, rubbing me in slow circles.
His fingers slicked through my wetness. I shivered at the touch as he dragged his way back up to the bundle of nerves that had me nearly trembling in his embrace.
“You’re so wet,” he said into my ear.
I groaned at the words and his fingers and the surprise and all of this at once. “Please.”
“I want to taste you,” he said, removing his hand.
“Oh,” I gasped at his absence.
I moved toward the bed, but he caught my hand. “Not there.”
I arched an eyebrow. But he tugged me toward the open door. My eyes widened as I realized he was taking me outside. Yes, we had a partially secluded swim-up suite, but it was partially secluded. Anyone could walk by and see what was happening.
He must have seen that all cross my face. “It’s after midnight. Who is going to be out?”
It was a fair point, but I still stopped right before leaving. I was in nothing but my underwear. I’d be completely exposed. I’d never done anything like that before.
He smiled at my hesitation. All warmth there. “Don’t you want me to taste you?”
“I do, but—”
He pressed a finger to my lips. The same finger that had been inside of me. I could taste my want there. My own arousal only grew. My anxiety not letting up despite the sexual nature of the gesture.
Julian took another step outside and into the humid Mexican air. Then he slowly—oh-so slowly—unbuttoned each individual button on his linen shirt. Until the material fluttered open, revealing the abs beneath, leading down into a V that made me want to step right out there and remove the pants, too.
He dropped the shirt onto a nearby chair and then did exactly what I wanted him to—unclasped his pants and let them drop to the ground. My mouth watered. I could see that he was visibly affected by our contact. That he desperately wanted me. All I had to do was cross that threshold and take what was mine.
Julian Wright was mine.
Before I could move though, his boxers followed the rest of his clothes, and then he was standing completely naked before me. A small noise of want escaped me, and he smirked. He knew precisely what he was doing. Then he stepped away from me and walked right into our swim-up pool.
“Nice night for a dip,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.
I wavered for approximately three seconds. We were in Mexico, away from everyone we knew, in our own private suite. Why would I say no?
“Fuck it,” I said on a laugh and followed him out and into the pool.
His hands slid over my wet body as he drew me to him. “That’s my girl.”
I laughed. “I can’t believe I’m skinny-dipping.”
He arched an eyebrow before dropping his hands to my panties. Without a word, he eased them over my hips and down my legs.
“Now, you’re skinny-dipping.”
“You’re a bad influence.”
“Oh, absolutely, love,” he said, swimming me back to the stairs. He effortlessly lifted me and dropped my naked ass onto the pool edge before gently pushing me backward, so I was laid before him.
“Julian…”
“Breathe,” he whispered, his hands sliding up my inner thighs. “No one is going to see you but me.”
And then I lost all coherent thought as he slid his tongue up my core. I gasped in shock. But he wasn’t finished. His tongue returned to my clit, circling around the nub and causing me to buck off the edge. His hands pressed my legs open wider for him. At the first touch of his finger to my opening, I thought I was going to explode. He thrust up into me, curling his finger and making me shudder.
“Julian,” I gasped.
“Mmm,” he hummed against my lower half. Another finger thrust inside of me.
My hands slid into his hair. There was nowhere to go. Nowhere to escape the onslaught. And I didn’t want to escape, but it was too much. Way too much all at once. Too much sensation, too much pleasure. I’d never felt so overwhelmed, as if every nerve ending in my body was responding at the same time.
I came undone all at once. A whimpering sound came from my lips as I writhed against his mouth. He pulled back to watch me, but I could barely comprehend anything because his fingers were still pumping in and out of me as I contracted. I thought I might pass out until he finally relented and withdrew from my body.
“Holy shit,” I gasped, finally opening my eyes to look at him.
His cock jutted up toward me. His chest heaved, as if he could barely restrain himself from taking me.
