Girl in Luv

by Jay Crownover

  We broke eye contact as I passed, and I took my place on the tiered steps.

  Camille made her entrance, and the first time I even looked at Richard was when I took Camille’s bouquet so she could join hands with him. Richard’s expression was the perfect combination of chagrined and awestruck, topped with a hint of hungover. He was clearly regretting his drunken outburst last night, and slightly overwhelmed by the events happening today. He really was a man-child, and I was glad I wasn’t the one stuck waiting for him to grow the hell up.

  My eyes strayed to Iker all through the ceremony.

  His were always on me.

  We were separated by at least twenty feet, but his gaze made my skin ache for his touch with the same intensity as when we’d been separated by only a few layers of fabric.

  Tonight was our last night, according to our bargain, but I wanted—I needed—more. I needed him in my life with his laser-tag nobility and fearlessness. Needed his smile, his kiss, the way he made me feel like I could fly if I just spread my wings and launched.

  But what did I bring to the table for him? He didn’t care about my money, my status, or my manners, which had been touted as my three finest features for the last five years. I had a crazy family that came with a rigid set of rules, and Iker had nothing but disdain for my world. Why the hell would he even want to stick around?

  But then he grinned, that dimple popping into his cheek, and I didn’t care about any of it.

  Not the expectations, or the rules. Not the differences in our worlds, or the many ways he was way too good for a pain in the ass like me.

  I cared about two things: I wanted him and he wanted me.

  Everything else could work itself out.

  “I now pronounce you man and wife,” the preacher said, and then we were clapping.

  Richard and Camille kissed, and then we followed them down the aisle, the entourage that hadn’t changed since high school.

  Well, they hadn’t changed.

  I was beginning to think that maybe I had.

  The newlyweds disappeared into the bridal room, and bottles of bubbles were thrust into our hands as we were ushered out to wait on the steps.

  Complete with a peony-laden carriage.

  As Iker walked toward me, my vision of the perfect wedding changed. I didn’t need the Broadmoor, or the carriage. Maybe just a beach, a few friends, and family. Maybe Vegas with a singing Elvis. Maybe a tiny town in the mountains. Definitely not this kind of spectacle.

  Camille could have her fireworks display as long as I had fireworks in my marriage—whenever I decided to marry, that is.

  Iker’s hands wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me against his chest with a soft kiss.

  “What were you grinning about?” I asked him, running my thumb over his dimple.

  “I was wondering what you were smiling about the whole time,” he answered.

  “Me?”

  “Yeah, you were pretty much ear to ear.” He kissed me again, and I let myself melt into him for those seconds our mouths lingered.

  I heard the snap of a camera and saw the photographer walking away as Iker and I broke apart, but kept our fingers intertwined for the few moments we had before it was time to blow bubbles for Camille and Richard.

  They climbed into the carriage and drove away, two matching, white horses pulling them back toward the hotel.

  “You did great up there,” Iker told me. “I knew you wouldn’t break down, but I was afraid of how deep the whole thing could cut you.”

  “I wasn’t really paying attention,” I admitted. Surprisingly enough, it was the truth. My thoughts hadn’t been on the loss of the life I could have had, but the potential of the life I could actually have if I was just brave enough to say the words and ask him if he felt the same.

  “I noticed.”

  We stood there for a second, looking at each other, oblivious to the movement of the crowd around us.

  “Langley!” Nessa called out to me from the limo.

  “I have to go take pictures.”

  “I’ll meet you over at the reception,” he promised as he walked me to the waiting car.

  As the rest of the bridal party piled in, I rose on my toes and pressed a kiss to Iker’s cheek, then let my lips linger at his ear. “Want to know what I’ll be thinking until then?”

  “Yes.” His hands held my hips, his fingers warm enough to feel through the silk of my dress.

  “How to get your hands on me later.” I let my teeth graze his earlobe, and was rewarded with a squeeze of his hands.

  Then it was his lips at the shell of my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “I’ll be thinking about how to keep my hands off you at the reception.” He pressed a hot kiss to the spot just under my ear, and I was ready to skip the reception. Cake was overrated.

  “Langley!” Nessa shouted from the door of the limo.

  “You should think less,” I teased him, sliding out of his arms.

  “Pictures. Go. Now. Before I send those hands you’re thinking about up your smooth thighs.” His playful tone was at odds with the intensity in his eyes.

  “Promises, promises,” I told him, bending to slide into the limo next to Nessa, flashing him a little peek of the thighs he’d just mentioned.

  He shook his head at me with a grin, and shut the door.

  I smiled all through the pictures, especially the ones where I got to cuddle next to Iker and piss Camille off at the same time. She grumbled about his visible tattoos more than once, but we both pretended not to hear a thing. I was too busy thinking of all the ways I was going to make sure this wasn’t my last night with Iker.

  I wanted as many nights as he had to give me.

  Iker

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Langley smile that way.”

  I shot a surprised glance at Langley’s father when he sat down in the vacant seat next to mine. He had a crystal glass with a shot of something I would guess was whiskey or bourbon in his hand, but his eyes were on his daughter who was doing the obligatory chicken dance. I flat-out refused, but promised her I would get up and shake it for the next song.

  Picking up my beer, I told him, “She’s a tough cookie. Much stronger than I thought she would be when we first met. She’s also very selfless. She puts everyone else’s wants and needs before her own without complaint. She should have some fun and get to smile like that more often.”

  The older man swirled the amber liquid in his glass and I heard him sigh. “She’s been taking care of me for a very long time. When her mother got sick, I sort of lost my purpose and drive. Langley kept our entire lives on track when she was just a child. One of the reasons I initially fell for Virginia was because she was so devoted to Camille. Her entire world revolves around her daughter and I foolishly believed that devotion would carry over to Langley once we got married. It wasn’t until this wedding, and everything with that prick Richard came about, that my eyes were really opened to the fact that Langley is hardly more than a second thought to my wife…or her own daughter.”

  I snorted, which drew his attention fully toward me. “Your wife treats Langley like garbage. She speaks to her as if she’s an intruder in your home. She’s totally unsympathetic to any little part of her mother Langley has tried to hold onto, and she does nothing to dissuade the unwarranted feud between the girls. In fact, I think she encourages it. From the outside looking in, it’s almost as if your new wife is afraid you don’t have enough love to go around, so she wants to make sure she and her daughter get the bulk of it. She’s fine with Langley getting scraps.”

  The man stiffened next to me, and his drink hit the table with a thud. I had nothing to lose and someone needed to tell the man the truth about the things happening in his own home. “You didn’t just throw Langley to the wolves, you moved them into her home and expected her to figure out how to fight them on her own.”

  Corbin Vaughn cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair. “If things have been that bad at home,
why didn’t she ever tell me?”

  I lifted a shoulder and let it fall carelessly. “Because she loves you. Because, for whatever reason, you’re happy with that harpy you married. Because she knows, eventually, she will be living on her own, making her own choices, and far out of the reach of both her stepmother and stepsister. Mostly, she’s a good girl, one who loves her father unconditionally, so she’s done what she’s had to do, and endured every moment to keep the peace.”

  The older man sighed again and reached for his drink. “I never intended to put so much on her, especially with this wedding. I should have put my foot down when Camille demanded she be in the wedding party. I knew it was going to be hard for Langley, but I caved. I told her things were going to have to change. I need to be more accountable if I don’t want to lose my daughter when she does have her own life to focus on.”

  I reached out and tapped the tip of my beer bottle with his abandoned glass. “Sounds like a plan.”

  He chuckled and I felt his hand land on my shoulder with a thump. “How is it you’ve known my daughter for such a short while and recognized she was suffering silently, and I’ve been blind to it all these years?”

  I shrugged again. “She doesn’t have to put on an act with me. There’s nothing to lose when she’s real with me. If she does that with you, she has to admit to how hard things have been for her when all she wants is for you to believe things are fine. She has to tell you the truth that your happiness is ultimately the reason she’s miserable.” He had to know she was too selfless to ever do that.

  At least one of us was totally honest when we were together. I hadn’t exactly lied to Langley, but there were definitely things I had omitted, things that more than likely would’ve kept us from getting as close as we had so quickly.

  Langley’s father released his hold on my shoulder as the woman we were talking about suddenly turned and started to make her way in our direction. Somehow, she managed to make the poufy, pink dress look good. She still resembled a piece of candy, but I had no problem imagining how sweet she would taste underneath the clingy fabric.

  “I’m happy she found someone whom she could share how she was feeling with. I’m glad you’ve been there for her this last week. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of you around the house, Iker. I know you both mentioned your relationship is casual, but my daughter looks at you like you hung the moon. That isn’t the definition of casual in my book.”

  It was the perfect opportunity to tell him I wasn’t going to be around the house, or anywhere else for that matter, after tonight. He was former military, he would understand, but I couldn’t force the words out. Couldn’t tell him the truth when I hadn’t been totally honest with Langley. Even if he would be more sympathetic to my predicament.

  The moment was lost when the woman I couldn’t stop thinking about appeared at her father’s side. He rose when Langley reached the table, bending down so he could brush a light kiss on her flushed cheek.

  “I’m so glad this wedding is almost over.” He muttered the words quietly under his breath, but they were loud enough to pull a laugh from Langley and a chuckle from me.

  He abandoned his now-empty drink and made his way in the direction of his wife. Langley’s stepmother was standing by the bar, a sour look on her face. I had a pang of regret that I wouldn’t be around when the horrid woman was finally knocked down a peg or two.

  My phone buzzed, and I swiped it open, my stomach sinking at the platoon-wide thread. Nothing like a small change to the schedule to get everyone in an uproar, including me. I wanted every single second I had left with Langley. I quickly typed my acknowledgement of the change, hit enter, and put my phone away as Langley sat.

  “What were you and my dad talking about so seriously over here?” Her hand landed on the top of my thigh, which immediately made my dick twitch.

  “About how pretty you looked today, and about what a trooper you are for getting through this wedding with a smile.” I put my hand over the top of hers and gave it a little squeeze. “It’s almost over.”

  Neither of us missed the double meaning behind that statement. All of it was almost over. The reality of the situation felt like a lead stone in my gut and had bitter regret rising in the back of my throat.

  “Are you sure you weren’t making fun of me doing the chicken dance?” Her gold-tinted eyebrows danced upward, and her teeth flashed as she smiled at me.

  I shifted closer to her so I could touch my lips to the soft curve of her cheek. “Cutest pink chicken ever.”

  She laughed, tossing her head back and looking more carefree and relaxed than she had since we’d met.

  “Come on.” She tugged on my hand until I got to my feet. “You promised to dance with me.”

  I followed willingly. I could hold my own on a dance floor, and I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to hold Langley close while she wiggled and shook her booty all up on me. Plus, there was bound to be a slow dance or two somewhere in the mix. I was very much looking forward to swaying with her in the dark, holding onto her like she belonged to me. It almost felt like if I pretended hard enough, I could make keeping her a reality.

  “You’re a good dancer.” Her hands slid across my shoulders and pulled me closer.

  I arched an eyebrow and gave her a smirk. “Why do you sound surprised? Just because I didn’t know how to foxtrot or waltz doesn’t mean I don’t know how to dance.”

  She gave a graceful shrug and giggled when I spun her around in a twirl. “I guess my image of the big, strong soldier didn’t include good rhythm and fancy footwork.”

  The smirk turned into a wicked leer. “If you want to test out just how good my rhythm is, I am more than happy to oblige you, sweetheart.”

  A mischievous twinkle lit up her blue eyes and my body instantly reacted. This girl affected me in ways no other had. She’d fallen into my life exactly when I needed her, but the timing couldn’t be worse. The irony of that was incredible.

  Shaking my head to dislodge the dark, negative thoughts trying to pull my attention away from the pretty princess in my arms, I forced a grin and lowered my head so I could whisper in her ear, “How soon can we dip out of here? I’ve been thinking about getting you alone since you crawled out of bed this morning.” I really needed to sit her down and explain things to her. I couldn’t leave her in the dark. No doubt she would find a way to blame herself if I left without a trace. “I want to talk to you about something.”

  I small furrow tugged at her blonde brows and her pert little nose wrinkled. “Is this about the rest of the money I owe you? I have it upstairs in my bag. I meant to give it you last night after the rehearsal, but…I got distracted.”

  She blushed, and I chuckled when thinking about exactly how I’d kept her distracted after her ex’s drunken nonsense the night before.

  “I know you’re good for the money. I’m not worried about it.” I couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. It would be so much easier to simply remind her the only reason I was here with her tonight was because she was paying me. But, I couldn’t belittle her, or the way she made me feel by hiding behind that lie anymore. I was here because she was here. There was nothing more to it. “I want to talk to you about something else.”

  The hope that brightened her eyes was like a dagger through my heart. I should’ve been honest with her from the start. As soon as I realized she wasn’t an entitled, stuck-up snob, I should’ve come clean. I knew from the start we were playing a game, but I never anticipated hearts getting involved. That made the situation so much more complicated and convoluted.

  Exhaling a long, slow breath, I pulled Langley to my chest as the beat switched to a slow, romantic ballad. She tucked her head under my chin and her arms wrapped around my waist. Once again, I was baffled by how well we fit together. She was not a girl made for me, so there was no reason for her to fill my arms—and the empty spot in my heart—like she was custom-made to belong there.

  Langley sighed and bent her head so t
hat her forehead was resting against the hollow of my throat. I’d ditched the bowtie hours ago so I could feel her warm skin against mine. Her arms tightened around my waist as if she was trying to hold onto something she knew was fleeting.

  “Let’s save any serious conversation for tomorrow. We made it through the wedding. Everyone is unscathed. Camille is going on her honeymoon, so the house will be quiet until she gets back. Richard showed his true colors. Right now, I want to focus on dancing with the hottest guy in the room…and whatever comes next. The real world can wait. Going back to your regular responsibilities can wait. Just give me tonight.” Her tone held a hint of sadness, almost as if she knew tonight was really all I could give her.

  Blowing out another deep breath, I dropped a kiss on her forehead and ran my palm up her back until I was cupping the back of her neck. “All right. Tonight is yours. I’m yours to do with as you please.”

  I felt her smile against my throat. “That’s a dangerous declaration but one I’m more than willing to oblige.”

  I chuckled and tugged her even closer. We were hardly dancing any longer, more just our bodies swaying to the slow song while we held onto one another.

  “Pretty sure whatever you ask me for, I’m more than willing to give you. You deserve everything, Langley. Don’t settle for less.” She needed to find someone who reminded her that her happiness was just as important as everyone else’s in her life. She should find someone who made that killer smile of hers a permanent expression on her flawless face.

  Even if I could stick around, I wasn’t sure that guy was me. I’d seen too much, lived too hard, spread myself too thin on the regular to be the type of guy wholly dedicated to making a good girl like Langley’s life easier. Sure, being together right now was fun and fairly easy, but when the actuality of the people we were in the real world hit, nothing about the two of us trying to make a relationship work would be smooth sailing. All those differences which we found intriguing and interesting now would become nothing but burdensome in the long run.