by Frankie Love
Pushing from the counter, I stalk toward her. “Because today, little mouse, is your wedding day.”
She gasps, her mouth dropping open in shock.
“T-today?”
“Yep. We’re all scheduled in at the courthouse in…” I pull my cell from my pocket. “Two hours. Now’s the time to decide if you really want this.” I hate to say the words but I can’t help giving her the chance to run if she needs to. It’s better she does it now than when we’re already bound together.
“You think I want to run?”
“I don’t know, Ella. There are a lot of things I don’t know right now,” I admit, although it pains me to do so.
She swallows nervously. “Honestly, not much has changed, Spence. I’ve hardly been living the high life for the past five years.”
The sad look that passes over her face makes my chest constrict, but as much as I want to demand she tell me everything about her life in New York, I know that now isn’t the time.
“I want to know everything. But right now, you have a decision to make. If you’re serious about this then you’ll find a dress and everything you’ll need in a cupboard in one of the spare bedrooms. If you don’t, then walk away now before I’m not able to let you go again.”
“Spencer,” she says softly, walking farther into my workshop and reaching out until her hand cups my cheek and the fronts of our bodies press together. “There is nowhere else I’d rather be and there’s no other man in the world I want to commit my life to. It’s always been you, Spence.”
Emotion clogs my throat to the point I think I’m not going to be able to contain it.
I nod, accepting her words and trying to tell her with my eyes that the feeling is entirely mutual.
Reaching up on her tiptoes, she gently presses her lips to mine. Every single part of my life clicks into place with that one simple move, and it takes every bit of restraint I possess not to take her in my arms and show her just how much she means to me.
“If you need me, I’ll be getting ready for our wedding.”
Tingles race through me despite the fact she steps away, taking her heat with her.
Tearing her eyes from mine, she turns to walk back to the house. But at hearing my voice, she stops and looks back over her shoulder at me.
“I’m going to make you mine like I always should have done.”
Her eyes soften and her lips curl up into a smile.
“I can’t wait.”
“Fucking hell,” I mutter to myself once she’s out of earshot. What the hell did I do to deserve this second chance?
Chapter Seven
Gabriella
I race to the back bedrooms as fast as my legs will carry me, more than ready to get this show on the road. I was fully prepared to see this mail-order bride thing through, no matter who was at the airport waiting for me yesterday. I’d made a decision and I was sticking to my guns and trusting Holly. But finding Spencer, it only makes me even more certain that I did the right thing that night.
I wanted to escape a life I hated and return to one I loved so much, but I never could have expected this.
The first room I enter has no cupboard, so I try the other. The moment I spot the door, I run over and pull it open.
Inside, I find a dress bag and an ivory box. I gather both up and take them to the guest room I was supposed to spend last night in. I lay the bag out on the mattress and pull the zipper down.
“Oh my god,” I gasp, my hands covering my gaping mouth.
It’s incredible. It’s perfect, and as I pull it from the bag, I realize something. It’s exactly the same style as the one I used to draw as a kid.
Tears spill from my eyes as I stare down at the ivory white lace before me, and I shake my head in shock.
I make quick work of showering, blow drying, and curling my hair before spending an inordinate amount of time on my makeup in an attempt to look my very best.
I pull on the lingerie that’s inside the box along with a pair of shoes and purse.
I briefly wonder how he got all the sizes right but then I remember Holly requesting all of my measurements at one point in the application process.
Once I’m ready, in all but my dress, I stand at the end of the bed staring down at it.
There are so many things that people could say is wrong about this. My parents aren’t here, hell, they don’t even know about it. Spencer and I no longer know each other, along with a million other reasons why this could be described as crazy and reckless, but to me, it couldn’t be more perfect.
It was always the two of us, and that’s how we’re going to go into this new chapter of our lives.
“Twenty minutes, Ella,” Spencer calls through the door, causing butterflies to take flight in my belly.
I’m about to marry my best friend. I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited.
“Okay, I’ll be down in a second.”
I somehow manage to get myself into my dress and do up the zipper without any help. I check myself over in the mirror before tucking my wallet and cell into the purse and pulling the door open.
I descend the stairs on weak knees to find Spencer waiting for me in a tan pair of pants and white button-down, although he’s got his back to me.
“Spence?” I whisper before sucking in a deep breath and steeling myself for him seeing me.
He turns so slowly that I think he’s never going to get all the way around but the second he sees me his eyes widen and his chin drops.
“Gabby,” he gasps. “Shit, sorry.”
“It’s okay. Do I look ok—”
“You’re breathtaking.”
“The dress, it’s…”
“Like the one you always wanted.”
“How? How did you remember?”
He shrugs. “It just felt right. Here, I’ve got something else for you.”
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a box. I recognize the Tiffany blue immediately and my heart somersaults.
“I hope you like it,” he says nervously. As he passes it over, his hand trembles. It’s the most endearing thing I think I’ve ever seen. I look up and into his eyes. I can read everything he wants, see all his true feelings about my return that he tried to hide yesterday behind his anger. He wants this. He wants this as much as I do.
I take the box from him and pull the top off.
Inside, I find a beautiful locket with a floral design engraved in it and a cluster of diamonds in the center.
“Open it.”
“Okay.” I pull it from its setting and pass the box back to him, seeing as there’s nowhere to put it.
I tuck my nail under the clasp and pop it open.
“Holy shit,” I gasp. “How’d you…”
“Can I?” he asks, stepping forward and taking it from me. I lift my hair as he walks around my back to put it on.
I allow him, while the image inside of us as kids stays in my mind.
“Spencer, how’d you get this so fast?”
“I didn’t. I was going to give it to you at homecoming, but you—”
“Left,” I finish for him.
“Yeah. I should have gotten rid of it. I almost did a few times, but I just couldn’t do it. I dug it out last night.”
“It’s perfect, Spencer. I love it so much.” I bite my tongue as words I don’t want to say to him yet almost follow.
“I’m glad. Shall we?”
“Yes.”
We’re both silent on the journey to the courthouse in the car that Spencer had ordered, both lost in the strange turn of events in the past twenty-four hours.
They’re expecting us when we arrive and after a short wait, I’m handed a bouquet that I’m told Spencer organized to have here for me before I’m being shown into the room where my soon-to-be husband is waiting for me.
He looks over at me the second the doors are pulled open and it’s like he’s seeing me for the first time once again.
“Hey,” I say once I join him at the front
of the room.
“Fancy seeing you here,” he jokes.
The officiant gets to work and before I know it, we’ve exchanged rings that Spencer had also organized, and we’re being announced as husband and wife.
“You may kiss your bride.”
A wide smile spreads across my face thinking that he’s finally going to kiss me properly, but when he leans toward me all he does is press his lips to mine in a chaste kiss.
Disappointment floods me, and I start to wonder if I’d imagined his excitement about this in the past hour. Maybe I’ve been wrong, maybe all of this is just one-sided and I’ve just been blindsided by the romance in all this.
He pulls away from me and tears burn my eyes. Thankfully, he doesn’t look at me, so he doesn’t see them.
Instead, he thanks the officiant, takes my hand and together we walk back down the aisle as husband and wife.
The empty seats are a stark reminder of my reality.
I got swept away with the idea that I’m marrying my best friend, the only person who’s ever got me, the only one I’ve ever loved.
I forget about what’s really going on here. Spencer wanted a mail-order bride. He didn’t want me. He didn’t come looking for me. It’s just total luck that I was the one who arrived for him. I don’t even know his reasons for this.
I’m still arguing with myself as we step outside and find the car waiting for us.
“So what now?” I ask sadly after watching Spencer talk to the driver through the window. He waited until I got in so I couldn’t hear. That sure didn’t help the ball of dread that’s sitting heavy in my stomach.
With his eyes focused forward, he says words that make me want to curl up in a ball and sob. “Well, I had booked us for a private meal, but I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
My lips part as if I’m going to respond. But I don’t. I can’t.
Pain rips through my chest at his distance, his obvious disinterest now we’ve made our vows, ripping me open.
I turn away from him, just the sight of him sitting there is too much to bear and I focus my attention on the passing town. A place I’ve longed to be back in for so long, but now, I fear my visit might be a fleeting one.
Chapter Eight
Gabriella
The car pulls up outside the house, and to my surprise, after climbing from the car, Spencer puts his hand back inside to help me out.
I don’t take it, much to his annoyance, but my little bit of defiance after the last half an hour makes me feel better.
Marching past him, I walk to the front door, trying to make a point. It all comes crashing down when I have to stop to allow him to unlock it.
I step through silently, ready to run for the safety of my bedroom but his voice stops me.
“Gabriella.” I suck in a breath at the roughness to his voice. “I’m… I’m sorry.” My spine stiffens at his apology. So he knows he was being a dick then. “Please, turn around.”
I hesitate for a couple of seconds, but I soon do as I’m told. I’m powerless but to do so.
“Fuck,” he groans. His eyes finding mine before dropping down my body.
“What’s going on, Spencer?”
“I…” He lifts his hands to his hair and tugs. “I fucked up. But if I kissed you… really kissed you in that courthouse, then I’m not sure I’d have been able to stop.”
“Oh,” passes my lips as he closes the space between us. “You look so beautiful,” he says, cupping my cheek. “So much more so than any of my fantasies. And now, you’re all mine.”
“But—”
“I need to seal the deal, little mouse. It’s time to take this all the way.”
My lips part, although I’ve no idea what to say and my stomach clenches in desire.
His fingers twitch a beat before he closes the final space between us and brushes his lips gently against mine. It’s as innocent as the kiss in the courthouse, but already it’s so much more.
He does it again, his other arm wrapping around my waist, pulling me flush up against him.
My knees go weak as his tongue licks at my bottom lip, seeking access.
I open up almost immediately, desperate to lose myself in him.
He moans the second our tongues connect, and I feel the vibrations all the way down to my toes. His taste explodes in my mouth and suddenly I’m just a horny teenager again, desperate to explore new things with the boy I would give my life for.
“Spencer,” I whisper against his lips. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m asking for something or if I’m just reminding myself that it’s him.
“Upstairs,” he breathes, his lips brushing across my jaw and sending a shiver down my spine. His fingers twist with mine and long before I’m ready to lose his lips, he spins me and starts pulling me up the stairs, not that I really need the encouragement.
“Oh my god, Spencer,” I gasp the second I’m in the room. There’s no longer just a mattress on the floorboards but a stunning, handcrafted four-poster bed in the middle of the vast room.
“You like?” he asks, his hands slipping around my waist, his front pressing against my back.
“It’s incredible.”
“I could hardly make you mine on just a plain mattress, could I?”
I know that if I were to turn around, I’d find a boyish smirk on his face.
“It could happen in your workshop for all I care, Spence. I just want you.”
“Fucking hell, little mouse,” he says, ghosting kisses down my neck. “You slay me. Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you?”
“Yeah, I have a rough clue. But please, can we not talk about all that right now.”
He nods against me before grasping my shoulders and spinning me around.
His lips find mine once again and he kisses me so deep I start to see stars.
I start to think it’s going to be just like old times, making out without taking it any farther, but when he pulls back and his dark eyes stare into mine, I can almost read all of his dirty thoughts.
Heat floods my core and my temperature spikes at knowing what’s to come.
“I can’t stop looking at you,” he admits. “I keep thinking I’m dreaming.”
“This is very real,” I say, reaching for the top button on his shirt and popping it open.
His eyes blaze with fire at my move.
I pull off his shirt, my eyes taking in every glorious inch of him before he toes off his shoes and kicks off his pants.
“Turn around,” he whispers, and I immediately spin.
His fingers make quick work of the zipper that runs down my spine before he pushes the straps from my shoulders, allowing the fabric to pool at my feet.
Holding his hand out for me, I slip mine into it and step out of the dress. Standing in front of another person in only my underwear isn’t a normal thing for me but with the intensity, the passion and love oozing from his eyes, I don’t feel an ounce of the insecurity I thought I would in the situation.
“So beautiful. So sexy. So…”
“Yours,” I finish for him.
The front of his body crashes against mine and he takes my lips in a bruising kiss. It’s wet, dirty, messy, and exactly what I need from him.
He walks us backward until my legs hit the edge of the new bed, then he eases me down so gently.
“You’re going to feel this for days,” he promises before his lips once again land on mine before dropping down my neck and across my collarbone after a minute or two.
My back arches as he kisses and licks across the swell of my breasts that are swollen and begging to be released.
“Please,” I moan when his teeth graze me over the lace. “More, Spence. More.”
His hand slips underneath me and unclasps my bra. His eyes hold mine for a beat, but his restraint doesn’t last because he drops them to my bare breasts before cursing some intelligible words and dropping his lips to them.
He sucks my peaked nipple into his hot mouth, his
teeth nipping lightly before he switches to the other side.
“Oh god, oh god,” I moan, wondering why he never did this to me before.
He continues, bringing a hand up to tease the other side while his mouth goes to town.
My panties are soaked and my clit is throbbing for some attention.
Threading my fingers in his hair, I lightly push him lower.
He chuckles at my encouragement, but he follows orders, kissing down my stomach and then over my panties.
“So wet,” he whispers when he parts my legs. He kisses down my thigh all the way to my knee before working his way back up, driving me crazy with my need for him.
“Spencer.”
“Fucking love hearing you beg, little mouse. Tell me what you need.”
“You. I need you. I always needed you.”
“Fuck,” he barks before his fingers wrap around the edges of my panties and the sound of them ripping fills the room.
“You ruined my wedding panties,” I gasp.
“I’ll buy you more later. But right now.”
“Oh shit,” I cry, my back arching as he licks up the length of me before putting the perfect amount of pressure on my clit.
I’m so worked up, so desperate for him that I’m falling over the edge in what feels like seconds.
“Spencer,” I scream when he slides two fingers inside me and twists them just so. Lights flash behind my eyes as the world around me seems to disappear as wave after wave of pleasure rushes through my body.
When he comes up, he’s got the smuggest smile playing on his lips. It’s so endearing that every single feeling I had for him back when we were kids has come rushing back to me. I knew I still loved him the second I saw him at the airport. Five years might have passed, but he still owns my heart just like he always has.
“I… I love you,” I say, his face immediately turns serious.
I start to panic that I just said the wrong thing, but then he drops forward, his hands landing on either side of my head, effectively caging me in as he stares down into my eyes.
