The Loyal Groom

by Alexa Riley

  “What are they saying today? Please don’t say he’s been asked to do Dancing with the Stars or something.” This time Lindsey laughs.

  “No, some dating app. I guess you link it up with your social media. It pairs you with people who are supposed to be the most compatible based on things you’ve liked or places you often go. I don’t know, this shit is always over my head.”

  “I hear you. You gonna try the app?”

  “Maybe. With the twins always gone it might give me something to do with my free time,” she says, shocking me. I think Lindsey might be experiencing empty nest syndrome. In the blink of an eye we went from barely making ends meet to having more money than we could all spend if we had ten lifetimes.

  A month ago, the twins took off to travel, and Lindsey didn’t want to go with them. I understood that this was a chance for them to live their lives, but it seems like Lindsey is left twiddling her thumbs.

  “You need something to fill the days. At least that’s how I’ve been feeling.”

  Allison and Amber have been all over the globe and show no signs of coming back anytime soon. They are out living their best life, which is what Darian has always wanted. His mission has been to take care of the women he loves, but I don’t know if he’ll ever understand that he’s been doing that all along.

  “You can come with Darian and me tonight. I bet there will be lots of bachelors. It might actually make this fun if you come with me.”

  “Hard pass.”

  “Yeah, I figured as much,” I sigh.

  “I was just calling to check in.”

  “Same old same, or I guess it’s all new, but it feels old going to all these events. I’m not sure what tonight is about since they all blend together.”

  We get lost on the phone talking about parties and then the twins and what they’re up to. When we hang up, I realize it’s been over thirty minutes and Darian still isn't home yet. He used to rush home to me, and now his nights at work are later and later.

  I debate calling him, but I don’t want to be the wife that nags her husband to spend time with his wife. I don’t doubt he wants to be with me even as I worry my bottom lip between my teeth.

  If he’s a little later maybe I can get out of this party tonight. I could wash my makeup off and get into sweats. We could order too much Chinese food and lie in bed, and as the image comes to mind it sounds like a dream.

  That dream dies when I hear the sound of the front door opening and Darian coming home. His tie is long gone, and his sleeves are rolled up. His hair is messy, and his eyes look so tired as he suddenly stops when he sees me.

  “I’m sorry. The meeting went long.” He holds his hand out for me to take it and I do. “You look beautiful.” When he pulls me to my feet, he kisses me quickly. “Give me ten minutes.” He rushes off to shower and change, and ten minutes later he’s coming down the steps dressed in a tux and looking gorgeous. I hate how easy it is for him.

  He reminds me after the limo pulls up to the curb that tonight's party is the Global Needs event.

  “This dress is going to make it a very short night for us,” Darian says as we walk inside, and he kisses me in that spot on my neck that drives me wild.

  “I’d love nothing more.” His sexy smile is enough to warm up my body, and I open my mouth to ask him if we could leave now. But before I can get the words out, some senator is introducing himself to Darian.

  My eyes float around the room as they talk. I recognize so many faces and not only because of all the events over the last couple of years. Some of the people are the same families I grew up with, ones that turned their noses up at Darian and me when we got married.

  I’ve heard a few of them call me crazy for walking away from my family, but I didn't walk away. They closed the door on my face without looking back, so what choice did that leave me? Now here I am rubbing shoulders with these people again as they pretend to care about charity. My guess is there won’t be enough money left after this event is paid for to donate a dime.

  I don’t want to be here, but I smile and nod because I know that Darian does. His dream of proving himself has paid off, and I don’t want to be like them and turn my nose up at it. He’s finally gotten to the place in his career he’s been working toward, and now is the time for me to offer him support, not drag him away from it.

  As I hold on to his arm while he talks business, I scan the room. My stomach drops when I see a woman in the distance, and I realize it’s my mother.

  “I-I need the bathroom,” I whisper to Darian.

  “I’ll take you.” He stares down at me, and I catch the face the senator makes like he’s annoyed Darian would step away from his conversation.

  “It's fine. I’ll be back soon.” He presses his lips together but nods as he squeezes my hand.

  I can see the bathroom in the distance, and I quicken my steps, but just as I’m almost there I feel my elbow being tugged, and I nearly trip over my own feet.

  “Rosy.” I knew she’d find me the second I stepped away from Darian.

  “Mom.” I turn around to face her, and the chill of her eyes is like a blade.

  “You look well.” It looks like it pains her to admit even that small compliment.

  There was part of me that wondered if they would reach out to us once they got word of Darian’s success, but their pride was much bigger than their social standing, and they never did.

  “Thank you.” The moment is awkward, and there’s a beat of silence. “As do you.”

  My mother looks exactly the same as the day she and Dad told me they were cutting me off. They didn't mean only financially, they meant in any way they had the power to. I never landed a good job because of them, and that still burns, but nothing will ever burn more than how they treated Darian—a boy who loved me from the moment we met and was there for me in more ways than they ever were.

  “I think it’s time that you and your husband came over for dinner. Sunday?” I stand there in shock because it’s a smack to the face. That was the last thing I thought would ever come out of her mouth, and I’m stunned for a moment before I shake my head.

  “No.”

  The one word makes her face tighten and lips purse. “People are talking.” She says this like it’s going to convince me to make amends, and I can’t help it. I laugh. “It’s not funny,” she says through clenched teeth.

  “Let me guess, Mother. People wonder why you're not close to Darian? Friends are asking Dad for introductions? Am I getting this right? Am I reading through your bullshit dinner invitation correctly?”

  She shakes her head at me, her face filled with disappointment. I don’t know why she thinks it will work on me. It didn't work back then when they tried to make me choose, why would it work now?

  I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t wish for an apology on some level and an admission of wrongdoing. Maybe then and with time we could heal. But I know that it's the young girl in me that seeks their approval even though I know I don’t need it. It’s the part of me that let them go years ago, and though it was hard, it was the right choice.

  “You think you’re better than me. You think you got out of this life and chose love, but guess what? Here you are.” She looks around the room filled with all the pretty people and things that I despised for so long. “You’re on your husband's arm like a trophy wife. You’re one of us, whether you like it or not.”

  She brushes her hand over an invisible wrinkle in her gown and smiles as she walks away.

  When I look into the crowd, I see Darian surrounded by people. You’re one of us. I didn't want to be one of them. I’d chosen him.

  But is he choosing them?

  Chapter 10

  Darian

  “We’d love for you to come speak at the conference next month in Switzerland.”

  “That sounds like an incredible opportunity, but I’ll need to discuss it with my wife.”

  “What’s to discuss?” the head of European Biometrics pushes, but I push back
.

  This meeting has gone on long enough, and I’ve been late every night this week. “Like I said, I’ll need to discuss it with my wife before I commit. I know you’d be disappointed if I called tomorrow and had to change my plans.”

  “Of course.” His smile is tight on the video chat, and I nod before ending the call.

  I sigh as I lean back in my chair and rub my eyes with the heel of my hands. God, this has been a long day and an even longer year. I thought things would begin to slow down by now, but it feels like it’s picking up at every turn.

  I’ve done my part with creating the program and the software, but everyone wants more. At first it was just about pushing to get this done with my team as perfectly as possible, and it happened faster than we all anticipated. It blew up overnight, and the next thing we knew we were getting calls from world leaders and our own government. I didn’t intend for all of this to go so far, so fast, but here we are.

  My phone vibrates on my desk, and I see a missed text from Amber. I swipe to see a picture of her and Allison on an island in Greece, and my heart clenches. They look so happy popping bottles and laughing, it makes me miss our Saturday night karaoke sessions with the four of us. Rosy hasn’t asked about doing that lately, but it’s not like I’ve been home enough to have that conversation.

  With a heavy sigh, I text back that I hope they’re having fun spending my money, and Allison replies that Amber is doing her best to bankrupt us by summer. I laugh because that would be an impossibility.

  I notice Rosy hasn’t sent a text since this morning telling me to have a good day. I left her in bed sated and sleeping but she must have woken up. After that my day got away from me and I didn’t have a chance to call. I need to take a day off, but first I’ve got to figure out how the hell that’s possible. With my assistants packing my schedule with every moment of the day taken up by meetings, it’s impossible.

  I’m sulking as I get into the back of the town car that’s waiting outside of the lab. My phone rings, and I answer it without seeing who it is.

  “You’re fucking this up.”

  “What the hell, Lindsey?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Okayyyy.” I pause as I wait for her to continue, but she doesn’t. “Are you going to tell me what I’m fucking up? As far as I know the twins are getting chummy with a pair of royals in Greece and you are living in the lap of luxury in your penthouse overlooking the park. Rosy is at home, probably taking a bubble bath—”

  “It’s her birthday, dumbass.”

  All the air in my lungs leaves my chest, and my heart stops. Panic and heat climb up my neck as I pull the phone away from my ear to see the date.

  “Fuck,” I whisper because my mouth is as dry as the desert. “Oh fuck, Lindsey.”

  “Yeah,” she says in confirmation, and I feel like my soul is ripping in half. “I went over there and she was in tears.”

  “Oh god, no.” This is not happening. How could I forget? “I’m so sorry—”

  “Don’t fucking apologize to me.” Her Boston accent is thickest when she’s pissed. “You better make this right, or so help me god.”

  “I know, I will. Fuck.” I squeeze my eyes shut and wish I could kick my own ass.

  “Baby boy, we knew you were always the treasure. We knew you’d be the one to make it and make good on the family. But right now, you’re fucking up a real good thing. The best thing you got.”

  “I know.” Tears burn my eyes because she’s right and we both know it. “How do I fix this?”

  Lindsey sighs, and there’s a long pause. “Look, she doesn’t know you forgot. Not for sure anyway. I went over there to drop off the cake I made, and she said you weren’t home, then she started crying.”

  “Goddamn it.” I feel so low.

  “I told her you were late because you had something big planned. So, baby boy, plan something pretty fucking big.”

  “You got it.” My mind begins to race with what I can do to make up for this.

  “You don’t have a lot of time, so I’m not going to stay on the phone and give you shit about it. But call me tomorrow because I’ve got more to say.”

  “Okay.”

  “I fucking mean it.” Her voice is stern and final.

  “I will, I promise.”

  “All right, talk tomorrow.”

  She hangs up, and I stare down at the black screen wondering how the hell I’m supposed to fix this with almost no time left. My mind races at the possibilities, and then an idea hits me.

  “Can you take the next exit?” I call to the driver and he nods.

  An hour later I’ve got a plan and I’m on my way back home. As soon as I pull up, I see the lights are off, and I feel like dog shit. I can’t believe I forgot her birthday, but I plan on making it up, starting now.

  When I get inside, I go into the kitchen and see the beautiful cake Lindsey made that probably took her all day to create. It’s a punch in the gut, but I try not to let it slow me down as I put the cake back in the box and set it by the front door.

  I go upstairs to the bedroom for a few moments before I go in search of my wife. When I find her in the media room, the lights are off, and she’s asleep on the couch. Walking over, I sit beside her and just watch her for a moment. Her eyes are closed, and her lashes are fanned out on her cheeks like an angel. She still is and always will be the most beautiful woman in the world.

  “Hey,” I say as I brush my thumb over her cheek. “Wake up, baby.”

  She blinks a few times before she focuses on me and then her eyes widen. “Oh, you’re home. What time is it?”

  “Seven.” Her eyes fall, and I touch her chin. “I’m sorry I’m late, but I had a few things to take care of.”

  “Work okay?”

  “Not for work.” I stand up and take her hand in mine. “Come with me.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Out.”

  She looks down at her leggings and sweatshirt. “I’m not dressed.”

  “You look perfect, like always.”

  We get to the front door, and she sees the bags then looks up at me. “What is this?”

  “A surprise.”

  Chapter 11

  Rosy

  “Are you really not going to tell me where we’re going?” I press myself into Darian’s side and already feel so much better.

  My emotions got the best of me, and to be honest I’m not sure if Darian forgot my birthday or he was busy doing things for it and that’s why he’d gotten home so late.

  Either way I didn't ask and don’t want to know. He’s here now, and it looks like we’re getting away for a few days. I have to remind myself that he’s a busy, brilliant man and that some of the technology he’s created has saved lives.

  “What would be the fun in that?” He pulls me into his lap, a sexy smirk playing at his lips. I love that he can still surprise me.

  “Are we going to the airport?” I shift on his lap, making sure I press myself into his cock. He goes from being half hard to a full-on erect instantly. Two can play at this game.

  “Yes.” The hand on my hip flexes, and his fingers dig into me.

  “Will it be warm?”

  “Yes.” He slips his hand under my oversized sweater. “The plan is to keep you naked.” He hadn’t given me much time to get ready so all I was able to do was grab a sweater and slip on some flip-flops before we were out the door.

  “I’m loving this already.” We could have stayed home for all I cared because more than anything I just want a few days with only the two of us. I want to disconnect from the rest of the world and get lost in each other.

  He runs his fingers back and forth along my skin before his eyes flick to the front of the vehicle, checking on the driver and the security guard in the passenger seat. I already know what he’s thinking. He wants to slip his hand into my panties so he can feel how turned on I am. His fingers are itching to do it as he traces the top of my yoga pants.

  “I’ll
be quiet.” I lean in closer, resting my head on his shoulder. “I promise.” I feel his breathing pick up as I kiss his neck in encouragement. I smile against him because he’s the one to make a sound first as his hand cups my sex.

  “You always feel so damn good. I could have the worst fucking day, and once I touch you, nothing else matters,” Darian says, spreading the lips of my pussy as his finger goes for my clit.

  I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out. Darian’s dirty talk could range from filthy and blush-making to sweet, reminding me why I only ever want his hands on me. Right now, his pace is slow and steady. He wants to get me off but not too fast that I forget two other men are within earshot. My moans are for his ears only. It really is a dangerous game we’re playing while my husband is having his own inner battle. He needs to make his wife cum, but his jealousy is riding him hard too. He doesn’t want anyone to hear the sounds he pulls from me because they belong to him alone.

  “Darian.” For me the idea of sneaking around in the back of a car with my husband only turns me on more.

  “Fuck me,” Darian grits out. I start to rock my hips, but his vise-like grip keeps me still. “Get out of the car,” he barks.

  I open my eyes when I hear doors slam closed, leaving Darian and me alone in the car. The next thing I know Darian has me pinned to the floor of the SUV, and he’s pulling my leggings down.

  “You’re so fucking wet. I need to taste it,” he growls before burying his face between my thighs. His mouth makes me forget about everyone and everything beyond this moment.

  The first orgasm is fast—too fast. I don’t want him to stop and neither does he as he pumps his fingers in and out of me. His tongue caresses my clit, and I swear he knows my body better than I do.

  “Darian!” I cry out when the second orgasm explodes through my body. My legs shake, and my skin is sensitive to any touch. He lifts his head, and when his eyes meet mine, he licks his lips.

  I lie there trying to catch my breath, not wanting to move. Darian starts to put my yoga pants back on, but I want him inside of me.