Wrong Wedding

by Noelle Adams

  She walked in. Carter closed the door behind them. She turned to face him and had no idea what to say. To give herself something to do, she went and sat on the foot of the bed. The room smelled like sweat and liquor. It wasn’t really what she wanted to smell after the long night she’d had, but it was the least of her worries at the moment.

  Carter came over and sat beside her. “Sorry about last night. About how I acted.”

  She nodded, a tension relaxing in her chest at the words and at the sound of his voice. He sounded like the Carter she’d known and loved all her life. “It’s okay.”

  “It’s not okay.” He was staring down at the floor. “I’m a mess. I screwed up. I really screwed up.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Everyone screws up sometimes. It doesn’t change who you are or how we feel about you.”

  He shot her a quick look. “I lost a shitload of money this weekend. Way more than we can afford.”

  “That doesn’t matter either. When the acquisition goes through, Wilson Hotels will be making a profit again, and your finances will turn around.”

  “I dropped the ball on work too.”

  “Then you can pick it up again. You didn’t do anything that can’t be fixed, Carter.”

  He was still staring at the floor, chewing on his lower lip.

  “Carter, what’s the matter? Why can’t we just shrug this off and move on?”

  He shook his head and muttered, “I’ve been so stupid. I should have... I didn’t realize... And now it’s too late.”

  She had no idea what he was talking about, but she didn’t like the desperation in his tone. She wrapped one arm around his shoulders. “It’s not too late, Carter. So you went on a major binge this weekend and you wasted some money. It happens. People do it all the time. And anyone who would judge you harshly for it needs to do some self-reflection and ask themselves if they have any cause to be so self-righteous. People mess up. Even good people. It doesn’t change who you are, and it’s not going to stop you from getting what you want out of life.”

  He turned his head and gazed at her with a look that was too poignant, too aching.

  She gulped. “Carter, please tell me. What’s the matter? What’s hurt you so much?”

  He opened his mouth like he would say something but then gave his head a firm shake.

  Her shoulders drooped a little, but she didn’t want to risk pushing right now. “Okay. You don’t have to tell me right now. I hope you’ll tell me eventually, but that’s up to you. I’m really sorry, Carter.”

  “What are you sorry for?”

  “For always acting like you’re supposed to be perfect. Just because you’re always so good and strong and I’ve always been able to depend on you, I sometimes forget that you’re not... not a saint. I hope I didn’t make things harder for you.”

  He reached up and touched her cheek very lightly before dropping his hand. “You don’t make anything worse, Summer. I’m the one who screwed up. And the truth is I like for you to think of me that way. I want to be that man for you.”

  “But you’re a human being like everyone else, and it’s wrong for me to not let you be. I’ll be a better friend to you, Carter. I promise I will.” She leaned her head against his shoulder in a companionable gesture and was relieved when he wrapped an arm around her. He didn’t smell very good, but it was comforting anyway.

  “Shit,” he muttered, not pulling away from her. “I hate this crash back to the real world. I hate feeling like such a failure.”

  “Everyone hates feeling that way, but it’s not that big a deal. We’re the only ones who know what happened this weekend. No one else does. Not even your mom. And we love you, Carter. We’re not going to change how we feel about you.”

  “We?”

  “Me and Lincoln.” She raised her eyes to his face and saw a strange expression there. “He does love you, Carter. He really does. And he’s been great for the past few days, helping me find you. I couldn’t have done it without him.”

  “Yeah.” The one word sounded faint, utterly exhausted.

  “So will you come home now? Will you come home with us?”

  He hesitated just a minute. Then, “Yeah. Yeah, I will.”

  THEY GOT BACK TO GREEN Valley after dinner that evening. The three of them. They had a quick bite to eat when they got home, and then they went their separate ways to their rooms. Mrs. Wilson was still on her trip to the south of France, so she wasn’t around.

  All of them were tired, and none of them really knew what to say.

  It was enough that Carter was home now. They could fix everything else after a good night’s sleep.

  Summer was sore and felt kind of gross from the flight, so she took a long bubble bath in the big tub in her bathroom. Then she put on a little knit gown and rubbed on vanilla-scented lotion.

  She was exhausted and restless at the same time.

  She knew what she wanted.

  She wanted Lincoln.

  It felt like she needed him.

  But they’d agreed it was just a one-night stand, and she could hardly go pounding on his door and begging him to fuck her again.

  Or what was worse, begging him to cuddle her. She wanted that just as much as sex.

  She rubbed lotion into her legs for longer than normal, trying to work through her feelings so she could go to sleep like the good, reasonable person she’d always been.

  When there was a knock on the door, she jumped.

  The knock had come from the connecting door. Flutters broke out in her chest.

  “It’s open,” she called.

  The doorknob jiggled. “No, it’s not.”

  She jumped up and hurried to unlock the door. “Sorry,” she said, swinging it open. “They must have locked it when they cleaned in here.”

  “Yeah. My side was locked too.” He’d obviously just gotten out of the shower. He smelled like soap, and he wore nothing but his pajama pants.

  They stared at each other over the threshold. Summer had no idea what to say, but her blood was starting to throb in her veins.

  “I was just checking on you,” he said at last.

  “Oh. I’m okay.”

  “Are you?”

  “Yeah. Are you?”

  “I guess.”

  They stared at each other again.

  Eventually the compulsion was simply too strong. There was no way to stop the words from her throat. “Did you... did you want to come in?”

  Something broke on Lincoln’s face. “Is that what you want?”

  “Yeah. Yeah. I do. I really want that.” She stepped out of the doorway. “So... please.”

  He made a rough sound in his throat as he stepped into her room. Then he grabbed her urgently, pulling her into a hungry kiss that ended with him picking her up and carrying her to her bed.

  He didn’t leave her room for the rest of the night.

  Seven

  LATER THAT WEEK, ON Saturday evening, Summer walked into Lincoln’s bar, feeling self-conscious and just a little excited.

  Lincoln’s week off had ended yesterday, so he was back at work this evening. He’d suggested that she should stop by the bar tonight to see him. When she’d assumed he was teasing and responded accordingly, he’d made it clear he was serious.

  He really wanted her to stop by.

  And the truth was she wanted to see him too. She’d gotten used to spending her evenings with him for the past week, and she didn’t like that he was suddenly gone for so many hours at night.

  In order to preserve her sense of self-sufficiency, she’d come up with a good excuse. Mrs. Wilson had returned from France today, tanned and relaxed and overflowing with herb and lavender concoctions to gift her family and friends with. She’d blithely given Summer and Lincoln a quaint newlywed basket filled with herbal sachets, lavender spray for the bridal bed, and scented oil intended for sensual pleasure.

  Summer had thanked Mrs. Wilson profusely when she’d received the basket since it was fresh and pretty.
But when she’d started to dig into the contents of the basket, her eyes had bugged out of her head.

  Surely Mrs. Wilson hadn’t actually paid attention to the specific items included. A mother wasn’t likely to give sensual massage oil to her son and daughter-in-law. She’d probably just seen the word “newlywed” and thought it was pretty and so had gotten it for them.

  After her initial shock, Summer had started to giggle, and she hadn’t been able to stop.

  So she returned the items to the little basket and put the basket back into the gift bag and then carried it with her to the bar so she could see Lincoln’s face as he opened it.

  Because she’d grown up in Green Valley and the town was a particularly insular community, Summer saw people she knew whenever she went out. Tonight was no exception. She saw a few of her former classmates as soon as she entered the bar, so she stopped to chat with them for a minute.

  She glanced over a couple of times toward Lincoln, who was pouring out beers for a large group of young guys who must have just arrived. He’d obviously spotted Summer. He wasn’t looking at her, but his mouth had turned up in a familiar little smirk.

  Like he was pleased with himself for getting her to come visit him.

  Summer wasn’t as annoyed by the smirk as she should have been. In fact, it filled her with a possessive kind of excitement. Like that smug, handsome man behind the bar was hers.

  He was her husband. Legally, officially, her husband. They were both wearing rings to prove it.

  When she finished talking, she went over to the bar and took an empty stool, putting the gift bag on the counter and waiting until Lincoln was done with the guys.

  It only took a minute for him to saunter over to her. He leaned over the bar to kiss her. It was probably just to confirm their role as a newly married couple, but it made her blush anyway.

  “You want something different to drink this evening?” he asked her. “What about an amaretto sour?”

  “Yeah, that would be good. I haven’t had one of those for a while.”

  “What’s in the bag?”

  “That’s for us from your mom. Wait until you see it.”

  His eyes narrowed on her mischievous expression. “I guess this is going to be good. Give me just a minute.”

  He made her drink and then a couple of cosmos for two women who’d just come in. Then there was a lull, so he came back over and opened the bag.

  He pulled out the basket, his eyes laughing and curious. Summer waited with held breath as he pulled one item after another out of the carefully displayed arrangement. “Oh perfect. This is just like her.” He held a sachet up to his nose and reared back quickly at the scent. “What are we supposed to do with these things?”

  “Put them in our drawers to make our underwear smell nice.”

  “I don’t want my underwear to smell like a spice rack. She’s out of her mind. What is this?” He pulled out the oil.

  Summer waited, her mouth twitching just slightly.

  “Oh my fucking God,” he breathed, his eyes widening as he read the label of the bottle.

  “Very thoughtful of her, wasn’t it? She must want to spice up our sex life with lavender and cinnamon-scented sensual massages.”

  Lincoln made a choking sound. Then he put down the bottle and burst into laughter. People around them turned to look, but no one appeared surprised. They were married, after all. It must seem natural that they’d be laughing together.

  “She couldn’t possibly have known that was in here,” he said.

  “I hope not. I know she’s not any sort of prude, but I can’t imagine her giving that oil to her son.”

  “I don’t think I’ll mention it to her.”

  “Definitely not. No need to embarrass her. It was a nice thought, I suppose, especially since she definitely must suspect that our marriage isn’t exactly...”

  “Yeah. She knows.” Lincoln’s expression quieted a bit as he continued, “But she’s seen people get married for much worse reasons. Green Valley folks marry for money and business connections and to get around inheritance prohibitions all the time.”

  “I know.” Summer did know. She’d always suspected that their friends Lance and Savannah had gotten married because of a provision in Lance’s grandmother’s will. She didn’t know specifics, but she’d heard plenty of rumors. It was their business, and it had clearly worked out well for them. The two were obviously completely in love now.

  People in Green Valley did things that would have seemed crazy in a different place. Money always changed the way people made life decisions.

  “I’ve got to get back to work,” Lincoln said in a different tone, turning to look at a group who was entering the bar. “Hang out for a while.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I like having you here.” He slanted her a flirtatious look. “And it gives me something good to look at.”

  She rolled her eyes at him.

  He leaned over and murmured in her ear, “And if you stay up late enough, we can try out that massage oil after I get off.”

  SHE WENT HOME AFTER a couple of hours and hung out with Carter and Mrs. Wilson, who were watching TV in the media room. She didn’t go up to her room until almost midnight, and when she got there, she decided to take a bath.

  So she had a long, relaxing soak in the tub with a candle and a glass of wine. Then she changed into a little nightgown and climbed into Lincoln’s bed.

  No reason not to wait for him there.

  She fell asleep but woke up again when she felt him climb into bed beside her.

  Smiling, she scooted over toward him, pressing herself against his warm body. It didn’t take long for her to realize he was naked. “What?” She blinked and pulled the covers down to verify what she’d felt. She hadn’t been very deeply asleep, and Lincoln’s familiar, sexy presence in bed had woken her all the way up.

  He chuckled and pulled her into a loose hug. “What, what?”

  “Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?”

  “Figured it would save us time later. You were planning to take my clothes off eventually, weren’t you?”

  She kissed his chest. Then his neck. Then his mouth. “Probably. But no reason for you to be presumptuous about it.”

  “But presumptuousness is one of my strongest qualities.” He smelled clean. He’d obviously taken a quick shower after work.

  “Hmm. That’s true. You really shouldn’t be rewarded for that particular quality.” She ran her hands up and down his body, delighting in the firm, rippling contours and flat planes of his form and finally ending on his erection, which was already mostly hard.

  He sucked in a sharp breath and shifted his hips slightly as she stroked him. “That feels kind of like reward to me.”

  “Does it?” She moved one of her hands down so she could massage his balls, delighted when he moaned in naked pleasure.

  “Fuck, yeah. If you’re trying to punish me for my presumptuousness, I might suggest a different strategy.”

  “I’m not really into punishment, if you want to know the truth.”

  “I know you’re not,” he murmured thickly, gently brushing her hair back behind her shoulder so it wasn’t blocking her face. “You’re the sweetest thing I’ve ever known.” His face twisted as she intensified her intimate massage.

  She was getting really turned on by his responsiveness to her, how easily she was turning him on. And her heart was doing something else from his words. Something just as strong.

  She moved one hand to caress his belly as she lightened her touch to a brush of her fingers up and down his shaft. She leaned down to kiss his neck, trailing her mouth down to one of his nipples.

  “Fuck, baby, I love how you touch me. I love—” He broke off with a gasp when she lowered her head even farther to lick a line up the underside of his erection. His hips bucked off the bed as she sucked hard on the tip.

  She was grinning when she let him slip from her mouth, but she didn’t have a chance to gloat
about her victory for long. His expression shifted to something hot and feral as he grabbed her and flipped them both over.

  He started on her body, tugging off her nightgown and then kissing and caressing her the way she had him. Soon she was just as shamelessly turned on as he was, writhing beneath him and begging for him to make her come.

  Once he’d gotten her into the state he wanted her, he turned her over onto her hands and knees and fucked her vigorously from behind. He made her come repeatedly, and it was so intense that she had to hide her face in a pillow so she wouldn’t be heard outside the room.

  She’d never been loud in bed. Not until she’d had sex with Lincoln. It was almost embarrassing how completely he could make her let go.

  When they’d both had enough, he’d turned her over onto her back and positioned them so her legs were wrapped high around his back. They rocked together slowly, kissing a lot, completely wrapped up in each other. Lincoln was beyond words now, but his eyes were speaking. He was with her. All the way.

  Summer had never felt so close to another person.

  Not once in her life.

  Lincoln took his time, but he finally came—hard and almost desperate as the spasms of release shuddered through him. It took him a while to recover afterward, so Summer found the energy to take care of the condom and go to the bathroom to pee and clean up.

  She returned to bed, pleased when Lincoln pulled her over to snuggle beside him.

  “We forgot to use the sensual massage oil,” she said after a few minutes.

  He gave a huff of what sounded like exhausted amusement. “We sure did. Just as well. Not sure I want my bed smelling like all that stuff.”

  “If you check out your underwear drawer, you’ll find I put all the sachets in there, so your underwear should smell particularly good tomorrow.”

  “You did not,” he said slowly.

  Summer giggled.

  He stroked her hair with a chuckle. “You shouldn’t tease your husband like that.”

  “What? You tease me all the time!”

  “That’s a husband’s prerogative.”