I jerk my head down the hall in the direction I saw her go with an impatient expression on my face.
Jake's hands fly up in surrender and he takes a step back, "Go!"
"You too," I look back at poor Izzy alone with our folks as they grill her on probably every detail of her personal history, "Rescue your girl before Mom scares her off."
Jake nods and heads back as I take off on a dead run.
Kimberly
The room is a sudden flurry of movement and the sound of taffeta rustling and high pitched shrieks as the door bursts open and a tall man in a tuxedo rushes in.
"Oh!" Becky says, fanning herself in melodramatic relief, "It's just you."
Kay pokes her head out from behind the room divider where I've been helping her with the zillion little buttons on the back of her mermaid dress.
"What happened?" Kay shouts out to the rest of the girls as I try not to pull off the button I was working on when she suddenly moved.
"Oh my gosh, Kay Kay!" I hear another voice call out, "We thought it was Brent and we were freaking out because he can't see you in your dress!"
I stifle a giggle. I know Kay's not that superstitious, but her best friend from grammar school is one of the most dramatic women I've ever met and her sister, Becky, seems to be on a mission to compete with her.
"If it's not Brent, who is it?" Kay stands back up and lets me get back to work. Seriously, I thought there was supposed to be a zipper and all these little buttons were just for show.
"Where's Kim?"
At the sound of the deep baritone, Kay and I both freeze.
"Kay? I need to talk to her!"
Kay twists at the waist and looks down at where I'm frozen in mid buttoning. My fingers hover in the air where they were aiming for the next button just seconds ago and I watch them start to tremble in a vibration that matches the staccato of my heart.
Slowly, I manage to straighten up and make eye contact with Kay as she silently asks me what I want her to do.
The sound of Ryan's foot steps crossing the floor echo through the quiet room until they stop just on the other side of the partition.
Kay raises her eye brow and I shake my head quickly.
No no no, I'm not ready to talk to him, I think as I plead with her silently to tell him to go away. I know we need to talk but this is the worst timing possible.
"Kay? Is she back there with you?"
His voice has a desperate edge to it, like what he has to say can't wait. That just makes my heart feel like it's being pressed in a vice.
There's nothing we need to talk about that can't wait till after the ceremony.
My heart lurches when I see Kay smirk at me. I steel myself for what's about to happen as she blithely steps out from behind the partition.
"OK, guys, we need to clear out," she claps her hands and herds the rest of the bridesmaids out of the room, "Kim and Ryan need some time alone."
A chorus of protests meets her words but Kay's having none of it.
The sounds of girls packing up makeup kits and curling irons amid grumbling and insistence that this isn't "acceptable" fade into back ground noise as Ryan steps into view around the edge of the room divider.
"Hey," he says, suddenly sounding tongue-tied.
I open my mouth but nothing comes out so I guess that makes 2 of us.
Everything in me wants to throw myself at him. Bury myself in his arms and feel him holding me like he used to.
Instead, I back away from him slowly until I feel one of the chairs against the back of my knees.
"This is stupid," Ryan tells me with a wave of his hand that indicates both of us, "I never should have let you give this back."
His hand reaches into a pocket and holds my engagement ring out toward me.
My knees buckle and I fall backward into the chair behind me. The only thing preventing me from ruining my professionally applied makeup is the fact that I can't breathe as I look at the overhead lighting in the makeshift dressing room glint off the center stone.
"Look Kim," the strength is returning to his voice, the volume rising and I'm somewhat aware that the twitter of bridesmaids has gone silent. Not because they've left, but because they're eavesdropping.
"I get it, OK?" He takes a step closer to me and I don't know if the surge of energy running through me is anxiety or hope. "These two," he gestures out past the divider and I think he means Kay and Brent, "haven't exactly been making this look like fun lately--"
I can't help but smile. He's right, our friends have been making this wedding thing look miserable.
"--and I know both of us have had more than enough pressure from our families but I don't care about any of them." His voice gains more power as he comes a little closer to me, the ring still in his hand.
"I don't give two shits about a big, fancy wedding, Kim."
Ryan closes the remaining distance between us and drops to his knees in front of me, "I just want you."
The way he looks at me melts my heart. I feel everything inside me give in to the weight of the tears that have been threatening to break free and I'm making a mess of my makeup before I can stop them.
"Baby," he picks up my left hand and I feel the ring slipping back on my finger while his eyes hold mine hostage, "I should have spoken up that day in the coffee shop. I should never have agreed to let you walk out of there without my ring on your finger.
"We don't have to get married right away if you want to hold off. We don't have to have a wedding at all if you don't want one, or we can throw the mother of all shin digs." He gives me a smile that's all gratitude in return for the little laugh I almost choke on.
"But I'm still going to marry you, Kimberly. Come hell or high water, you're the one I want to go through it with, so don't think you're going to take that ring off again. Understand?"
I think I should say something back. I think I should find some tissue. I think I have more to say to him than just "yes" but he's kissing me.
Ryan's hands are bracing the sides of my face, tears and running mascara and all, and I just give in to it.
"Out, now!" I hear Kay's hushed orders to her other girls and their answering disappointed sighs as they finally make it out the door. "40 minutes, you two!" Kay calls out to us, "I'm locking this door but you better be walking down that damn aisle in 40 minutes!"
The door to the room clicks shut, but I'm not paying much attention beyond the vague awareness that we're alone because Ryann's kiss is deepening and my body is remembering all the reasons I have to let it.
Ryan
The red bridesmaid dress is just the right shade to go with Kim's hair and it hugs her curves in a way that makes my mouth water.
The fact that she lets me slide the ring back onto her finger sends adrenaline rushing through me. The fact that she lets me hold her face between my palms and tenderly kiss her till the tears stop streaming down her face calms my anxiety.
But it's the feel of her hands slipping under the lapels of my tuxedo jacket and flattening out over my chest as her mouth opens and her tongue slips against mine that finally convinces me she's not going to argue.
In fact, everything about the way Kim's hands slide down my torso till they're tugging my shirt tails out of my pants so she can reach my bare skin tells me that she's very much agreeing with every thing I just told her.
My hands move down her back and lower the zipper on her dress. The front loosens and with a shrug of her shoulders, Kim manages to free herself from the fitted top.
Fuck, her tits are perfection as they fill my hands.
"Wait." Kim pants as she breaks from our kiss. For a terrifying second I worry that she's pulling back, changing her mind, about to slip that ring back off her finger and tell me to go to hell. "If I ruin this dress before the ceremony there'll be hell to pay." She shoots me a wicked little grin as she stands up in the tight space left between the chair and my knees and lets the crimson gown slide down her body and onto the floor.
Wa
tching her pale flesh revealed takes my breath away. I get to my feet and move back, giving her some space to bend down and pick up the discarded dress.
It also gives me a chance to admire the dip of her waist where the fancy strapless bra sits low and connects at her back-- I reach out, dragging my fingers down her spine and unsnap the thing, watching it fall to the floor and letting her breasts swing freely as she tosses her dress over the top of the partition that divides this portion of the room from the rest.
Kim giggles at me as my hands refuse to let her move freely. Continuing to caress the smooth curve of her back and wrapping around her waist where it narrows just before the flare of her hips.
My dick swells, so fucking hard it hurts, and I dig my fingers greedily into that soft, freckled skin, pulling her backward so that I can press my cock against her ass.
"You're killin me here," I growl in her ear.
Her back arches, pushing back against me and she gasps as I reach around and pinch one nipple and then the other.
The pale pink buds are so hard, puckered tightly into extended peaks. Every touch seems to drive her a little further out of her mind. Her head dropping back to my chest as she arches against me.
When I look down at her sweet face contorted in pleasure I almost come in my pants. Which is about the time I remember that I'm not any more done with this tux than she is with that dress-- and I want out of it like it's on fire anyway.
I can't stop what I'm doing long enough to undress just yet though, Kim's eyes are closed and her bottom lip is caught between her teeth as my hand slips low on her body and into the tiny triangle of black lace that's barely big enough to cover the thatch of red curls that adorn the soft mound that leads to that hidden button that I'm seeking.
Moving my hand lower, I slip my fingers between her soft outer lips. The rasped intake of breath that catches in my chest when I feel her wet heat coating my fingertips echoes the gasp that sends her head lolling against my chest.
Looking down at her like this, watching the color creep into her skin and the look of abandoned thought taking over her sweet features as she leans back against me while I continue to slide my fingers through her slick petals, makes me wish we had more time.
I wish we weren't in some makeshift dressing room in a hotel ballroom. I wish we had time to go upstairs to my room where I could lay Kim's body out on the bed and show her just how much I've missed her these last few weeks.
I wish I wasn't still in my tux so I could feel the silky skin of her back pressed to my bare chest as I watch the fine sheen of perspiration break out over her body.
Kim's arms are behind her, wrapped around my hips with her hands grasping my thighs. I flex the muscles against her hands and brace her weight as her fingers dig in to grip me tighter while her breathing turns ragged and she rides my hand till her breathless gasps turn to light moans.
I feel the change in her body as her frantic movements turn to tense muscles. Kim's eyes pop open and she looks up to mine and then she's coming, her whole body locked in the moment while I try to keep my pressure and rhythm just right to bring her through it when all I want to do is bury my cock inside her pulsing little cunt.
"I need to get inside you," I'm surprised at the needy sound of my own voice, desperate and hoarse, as I move away from her only long enough to start tugging off clothes.
Kim nods vigorously as she wordlessly works to get me free of the clothes I can't seem to work on my own. Her fingers making deft work of the clip on the bow tie, the little studs on the dress shirt where buttons should be, the cummerbund that I've merely managed to twist to the side.
"If we get cum all over your tux she's going to kill us," Kim giggles as she makes the fly on these stupid pants seems effortless, "these black pants will show everything and we'll be the talk of the reception."
I feel stupid that I can't even manage to get this monkey suit off without her help. Hell, I'd just rip through it and pay the tux shop for the damages. I don't give a fuck about getting jizz on the fabric or even if I make the ceremony at all at this point.
At least I'm capable of kicking off my shoes so I can step out of the pants as Kim quickly tosses them over the screen with her dress.
There's just a couple of chairs in here. Not much to work with unless I throw her down on the floor.
I'm not saying I'm above that right now. Kim's got her hand wrapped around the base of my cock and she's pulling me toward her as she lands in one of the chairs.
When I look down at her full lips smearing red lipstick down my shaft I think I'm going to bust.
"Up," I'm rougher than I mean to be as I grab her by the upper arm and pull her up. Kim's eyes widen in surprise but she doesn't argue as I flip her around so she's on her knees on the chair. "I need to fuck to you," I ground out coarsely as I push her shoulders forward.
Her hands catch herself against the back of the wing-back chair as I yank her hips back toward me.
With a little moan that has my balls aching, Kim arches her back and moves her knees apart on the floral cushion of the hotel chair. Her ass juts out, rising toward me and presenting that perfect pink little slit, glistening with the remnants of her last orgasm and evidence of new need begging me to fill her.
I want to get down on my knees and bury my face there, lick up that sweet honey and fuck her with my tongue till she's squirming all over my face and screaming my name. But a glimpse at my watch reminds me some things are going to have to wait.
Kimberly
Everything feels even better than I remember. The way Ryan's hands brush roughly over my skin, the way his fingers pluck at my nipples till they're harder than I've ever felt them before, the way my body shakes helplessly in his hands as the orgasm splinters me to the core.
I'd convinced myself that I'd built up the sex in my memory to some impossible standard that couldn't possibly be real. Now that I'm on my knees in front of him, begging for him to fuck me while my greedy body begs for another climax, I'm wondering how I could have forgotten how good he feels.
Ryan puts me where he wants me, pushing me forward so I'm bracing myself against the back of the chair. The only thing I'm still wearing is my shoes-- and my ring. The stone catches the light just as Ryan pushes his thick cock inside me.
The feel of him filling me up has me fighting to catch my breath. He doesn't move slowly or carefully, he sinks into my eager body in one quick thrust and then he's moving before I can adjust.
There's something so erotic about the urgency. Knowing that we're racing the clock, both of us desperate to get as much of each other as possible in too short a time, something about it makes my body that much more responsive.
I feel the beginning of my next orgasm beginning to build. I'm hyper aware of Ryan moving in deep, firm strokes and the way my walls are stretched around him.
The air catches in my lungs, unable to escape when I expect to scream his name. Instead, my nails dig into the back of the chair and I move my hips frantically in time with his thrusts, bending forward more so I can take him deeper.
It's just enough to trigger his climax in time with mine.
Ryan's fingers grip my hip in one hand and my shoulder in his other. His thrusts get faster, deeper, less rhythmic and then my pussy is clenching down on him. The air that was locked in my lungs escapes as one long, keening, moan as I drop my head against the chair back and give in to my body wringing itself out around the throbbing rod inside me.
Then Ryan groans behind me and pushes deep inside me before holding me in an iron grip against him so that I can feel the heat of his cum emptying into me.
His forehead lands between my shoulders as I manage to push myself back up.
"I want more," he pants.
It makes me laugh, he doesn't sound like he can handle more right now, but his hands are already sliding over my body in a way that feels more about starting something new than bringing this to a close.
"Me too," I whisper honestly, "but Kay and Brent have ha
d enough problems planning this wedding, we can't bail out on them."
Ryan trails kisses down my spine as he reluctantly retreats from my body.
"Not till after the ceremony, I guess," he laughs.
"Not till after the toasts," I remind him.
"But then we get to go upstairs?" His smile borders on dangerous as I turn to face him after crawling off the chair. It does things to my insides that almost make me forget why we can't go up to a room now.
I nod with a grin that I know gives away all the dirty thoughts running through my head.
Making a mad dash around the dressing room, I find some tissues so we can clean ourselves up and check my makeup. Of course it's a disaster.
Ryan does his best to get dressed while I touch up the smeared eyeliner and reapply my lipstick. It's nowhere near the flawless finish of the professional makeup artist Kay hired for us, but at least I don't look like I was just getting the shit fucked out of me 30 seconds before I have to walk down the aisle.
"How does this..." I hear Ryan arguing with his tux and look over to see him wrestling with his tie.
"Hang on," I tell him as I come to his rescue.
"You need to put these away," he tells me as his hands cradle my breasts while I clip the bow tie back in place and adjust it so it sits correctly at his throat.
I laugh and bat at his chest but he's not making me want to put them away.
"OK," he concedes when I tell him that. He grins at his handiwork as I cover my pebbled nipples with the strapless bra.
The sound of the door being unlocked echoes through the room just as Ryan's zipping up my dress.
"You two done making up?" Kay's voice calls.
It's hard not to giggle self consciously but I manage to assure her we're decent.
"Oh good, they're getting ready to start, everyone's supposed to be lining up."
"Why is the bride the one doing the wrangling?" I ask her as Ryan and I join her in the hall outside the dressing room.
"No one else was willing to interrupt you two."
A Lucky Break: A Modern Match-Maker Romance Page 8
