by Miley Maine
She gathered her hair up and twisted it into a bun. “There.” She pointed to a pile of rocks next to the rambling hotel. “That will be perfect for the bride and groom.”
For the next several hours, I stayed quiet while she worked. It was no hardship. The day was sunny, the air was pleasant and I could smell salt in the fresh air.
She’d mumble to herself about what place had the right lighting, or the flattest ground for the grandparents to stand on, and what spaces could accommodate a huge family portrait.
I had assumed it would be boring as hell to be her gopher, but she was so excited about her first gig that I got a kick out of watching her chew on her lip and make notes about the perfect location.
She was also hot as hell, and I spent the entire day with a raging hard on. That night, she followed through with the promise she’d made in the parking lot, and she sucked my cock again as soon as we got to our hotel room.
After I’d recovered from a mind blowing orgasm, I went down on her. I would never get enough of tasting her sweet pussy. And then we both passed out and slept hard for eight hours.
For the first time in two weeks, I didn’t have a single nightmare all night.
“Are you ready for this shindig?” Loren asked.
I rolled over to see her standing next to the bed, clad only in a teal blue bra and panties. She must have found her luggage that had been shipped ahead. I reached out and skimmed my finger over the front of her silky panties. “Ready for what?”
She jumped back, swatting at my hand. “Sadly we don’t have time for that. My family’s on their way. Their jet’s already arrived at the airstrip.”
“Christ. I need to shower.” I pushed myself out of the bed, thankfully feeling more rested than I had in a long time. “Any last words of warning?” I could handle anything a bunch of stuck-up rich people threw at me, but the prevalence of high-ranking members of the military that were going to flood this hotel set my teeth a little on edge.
“Just be yourself,” she said, beaming at me.
I chuckled. “Being myself always gets me into trouble, but sure. Let’s give it a shot.”
Once again, she threw her arms around me. I lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around my waist while I hugged her. Reluctantly, I put her down and kissed her on the top of the head. “Quit tempting me.” I palmed her bottom through those silk panties. “Get dressed before I rip these off of you.”
She stepped back and stuck her bottom lip out in a pout. “I wish that’s what we were doing instead.”
“Oh me too,” I said. And I locked the bathroom door so that I’d force myself to shower instead of tossing her onto the bed and ravaging her gorgeous body once again.
Thirty minutes later, both of us were standing in front of the inn, waiting for the entourage to arrive.
Loren wore a flowing navy dress that looked amazing and I had on the dressiest pair of jeans I owned and a nice shirt Loren had ordered from town.
The bride and groom -- Loren’s cousin Marie, and her fiance Douglas -- were the first to arrive.
Marie got on my nerves as soon as she stepped foot out of the Escalade she’d arrived in. She was cute, but nowhere near as beautiful as Loren. And she wrinkled her nose up. “Ew. Is that fish I smell? We can’t have that smell at the wedding.”
Loren rushed forward to hug her. “It’s the ocean. There are fish.”
Marie frowned and continued to sniff the air. Then she looked at me. “And who’s this?”
Instantly, my hackles were up, but I kept my mouth shut. Loren stepped over and grabbed my arm, holding on tight. “This is Jackson.”
Now Marie eyed me with interest. “Why is Jackson here?”
“Jackson is Loren’s boyfriend,” I said, unable to suppress myself. This spoiled princess could say what she liked about me, but I didn’t like the way she talked to Loren, and I was going to do my best to send that message loud and clear.
It seemed the message was received because Marie’s eyes bugged out. “Well,” she said. “Hello, Jackson. I spoke to Loren last week. I wasn’t aware she had a boyfriend.”
Loren’s arm snaked around my waist. “Things change.”
“That much is obvious. Well, Jackson. I’m glad you could join us here. I trust you’re enjoying Alaska?” Marie asked.
“He has a second home here,” Loren said. “He’s familiar with the area.”
It was becoming quite apparent that Loren didn’t have any real affection for her cousin, and I didn’t blame her.
“Oh. Interesting,” Marie said.
I could tell she was evaluating me. Trying to decide if I was one of the upper-crust, and if so, why she hadn’t heard of me. Beside me, Loren’s body was as tight as a bowstring.
Then the fiance stepped out. He was tall and pale, with dark hair. His green eyes were sharp, like he wanted to sneer, but he wore no expression on his face.
He held out his hand. “Douglas Copeland.”
My gut reaction was revulsion. His handshake was limp, and his hand was clammy. He nodded at Loren. “Hello Loren.”
“I hear you’re Loren’s new boyfriend. And what do you do, Jackson?” he asked after we’d been introduced.
“I’m an Army Ranger. Stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia.”
He withdrew his cold hand. “Thank you for your service,” he said. But his tone was dripping with anything but appreciation. “If you’ll excuse us. We need to take a walk around the property and see if things are on track for the wedding.”
I nodded. I didn’t say it was nice to meet them, because it wasn’t.
Loren and I both watched them walk away. When they were out of earshot I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “Why the hell did you say she was a nice person?”
Loren sputtered, covering her mouth with one hand. “Uh. She does a lot of charity work?”
“God. I thought you were going to punch her instead of talk to her a few times.” I wiped my hand on my pants. Something was off about the groom, but I couldn't put my finger on it yet.
Once again, Loren threw her arms around my neck. I was always a little surprised when she did it, but I loved the way her lithe body felt in my arms.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
Even her breath against my neck was going to get my libido going. I stepped back and stared into her green eyes instead. “What for?”
“The look on her face. When you said you were my boyfriend. You saw it. It was priceless.”
“She did look pretty shocked. It was the best present. Like Christmas morning.”
Gravel crunched and we both turned to look as another Escalade bumped over the path to the hotel. “That’s my parents,” Loren said.
“How can you tell?” The windows were tinted, and the Escalades were all rented I assumed.
She held up her arm, indicating her smart watch. “They keep us all updated on the schedule.” She dropped her arm and smiled up at me. “I had unsubscribed until just this morning.”
“I didn't even know you had a watch with you,” I said.
“I had it in my purse. It’s handy when I’m taking photos. But it was not necessary while hiking and fishing with you.” She edged over to stand even closer to me.
“Are you sure you need to be this close to me? My dad was not very nice to my sister’s first boyfriend.” Of course, that boyfriend had been a hoodlum, and immature. But overall he’d been a nice guy, nothing like the guy she’d ended up with. The guy who’d murdered my little sister. Her killer had been polite, an upstanding citizen. We’d all fallen for his act, until it was too late. We’d all learned the hard way how deceiving appearances could be. But I wasn’t going to think about that now. I was here to focus on Loren.
“Nah,” Loren said as the vehicle came to a stop. “My dad will like you just fine.”
At that moment, Loren’s mother stepped out of the SUV, assisted by a man who I assumed was a bodyguard. Loren’s mother looked exactly like she did on television, from the r
are times I’d seen her on the local news, or at nationwide press conferences. Loren’s mom wasn’t one of those politicians no one had ever heard of. She was always front and center on any issue, especially the explosive ones.
Loren’s features looked like her mother’s, but that was where the similarities ended. Her mother had on a black business suit, as if she’d just come from a meeting. Her hair and makeup looked like a bit much for the Alaskan seaside, but what did I know?
A man came around from the other side of the car, also trailed by a bodyguard. Loren’s father, the head of the multi-billion dollar Stevens Manufacturing, looked bigger in person than he did on television. I’d only seen him in passing, giving interviews about how to best invest money. I had the money I needed, but I wasn’t ever going to have enough to worry about investing it, and that was fine with me.
He also had on a full business suit, but his was gray. They both seemed completely unaware of Loren standing right in front of them until she said, “Hey! Mom. Dad.”
They both turned toward her, with identical blank expressions. Until they saw me standing next to her. Then her mother came forward, still flanked by the bodyguard.
“Loren. Hello.” Her eyes assessed me quickly. “Are you going to introduce me to this gentleman?”
Loren’s fingers wrapped around my bicep. “This is Jackson.”
“Hello, Jackson.” Her handshake was firm, of course. Her laser-like gaze went back to her daughter. “I don’t remember seeing a Jackson on the guest list for your cousin’s wedding.”
Her father stuck his hand out too, also with a very firm grip. “It’s very nice to meet you Jackson, but your mother’s right, Loren. We have a guest list for a reason.”
“Well, that’s because he’s not on it yet. But he will be.” Loren gave me an exaggerated grin. “He’s my boyfriend.”
Both of her parents stood with their arms by their sides, staring at us. I must have passed their silent inspection, because a radiant smile passed over her mother’s face. “Loren! You didn’t tell us you were dating.”
Her father’s look of mild disinterest faded. “You look like you’re in great shape, Jackson. What do you do?”
That was a really direct comment, and it was kind of odd, but it wasn’t terribly offensive. “I’m a member of the Armed Forces, sir.”
“He’s a Sergeant First Class with the Rangers,” Loren said.
Then her parents were all over me, asking all sorts of intrusive questions until Loren finally jumped in between us. “Okay guys. We’re going to go scout out a few more spots for photos.”
Loren was howling with laughter before her parents even walked inside the hotel. “That was even better than I imagined.” She fanned her face with her hand. “Oh god. They’re insane.”
I had started to understand why she thought so. “That was intense.”
She wagged her eyebrows a few times. “And that’s coming from someone who’s been through boot camp.”
I shook my head as she beckoned me toward the edge of the water so she could find yet another perfect spot for pictures. Throughout my whole life, no one had kept me laughing like Loren.
Loren swatted my hand as I tugged my tie for the tenth time. “Stop messing with it. You’re going to be the hottest guy there already.”
“I’m not trying to make it look better.” The full-length mirror showed off my scowl. “I’m trying to make it feel better while I’m in this damn monkey suit.” It wasn’t even that hot outside and I was already sweating.
“Sorry. Comes with the fake boyfriend territory.” She pranced by in her dress and slapped me on the ass. “How is someone who regularly carts around heavy supplies and wears all kinds of protective gear in boiling hot weather so whiny about a suit?”
“It’s tight.”
“It is not tight. It fits you perfectly.”
Another side effect of being extraordinarily rich -- after we’d arrived yesterday, Loren had called the wedding planner with my measurements, who in turn found a tailor in Anchorage that had delivered several suits to the hotel, hoping one would fit me. It had fit alright. It fit so tight I felt like the seam was about to split open. Which Loren seemed to like.
She had her hand on my ass again. “I can’t get over how good you look in these.”
I turned around and grabbed her waist. “If you keep touching my ass, I’m going to strip you naked and fuck you, and we won’t make it to this rehearsal dinner at all. And these pants suck. I can’t get over how much I want to get them off.” I bent my head to kiss her neck. “And I know exactly what I want to do with you when that does happen.”
She ducked her head away and pressed a finger to my lips. “Not yet, Mister. As the official photographer for this wedding, I cannot show up with my dress all rumpled and my lipstick smeared.”
I took the opportunity to check out her dress. It was teal blue and gauzy, and it hugged her body in all the right ways. “I like this dress.” I lifted the corner. “It looks exactly like something I’d like to take off of you later tonight.”
She grabbed my hand and pulled it toward her mouth, pressing her lips to my palm. “I can’t wait,” she said.
Fuck. Now I was hard inside the suit pants. But they were so damn tight that maybe it wouldn’t even show.
“Eek.” She started grabbing camera parts. “We have to go.”
I grabbed the rest of her equipment, and we took off toward the spot where the wedding party was going to rehearse.
While Loren worked, there wasn’t much for me to do, other than stand around. Just like Loren had predicted, her family was fascinated with me. I met her cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends. Every single one overstayed his or her welcome, and every single one asked way too many questions. I was not a fan of small talk, but these people sure were.
And then came the heads of state and the military family members. I felt ill at ease speaking to them. This wasn’t a military ball, which is something I knew how to handle, but it was a family wedding, and I wasn’t part of the family. I wasn’t even a friend. I was the fake boyfriend.
Now why had I agreed to play the boyfriend?
Just then Loren climbed up on a chair to aim her camera at the bride. Oh yeah. I’d agreed to play the boyfriend because of the gorgeous woman who kept coming back to my bed. I was doing this to make her happy. And as annoying as this wedding was, I didn’t regret it because it meant extra time fucking her, and extra time spent with her, which I was already starting to look forward to each day.
Jesus, thirty-six years old and you’re turning into a sap already.
When the last family member finally wandered off to take his place in the rehearsal, I drifted to the back of the lawn, where I could keep an eye on things. While the minister used a microphone to walk the wedding party though each part of the ceremony, I kept watch on the perimeter.
Beyond the wedding area, a movement caught my eye. I wished for my binoculars, but my 20/20 vision would have to do. It could have been a rabbit, or even a deer, but I wasn’t convinced.
I stepped to the side, where Loren had her camera aimed at the bridesmaids as they practiced their walk down the aisle.
“I saw something,” I said to her in a low voice.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to check it out.”
“Jackson. You can’t go traipsing off through the woods.”
“I can, and I will.” I stepped closer. “I want you to be careful.”
“Jackson. I’m working.”
“Do I need to remind you of what happened at the car rental garage?”
She set her mouth in a straight line. “That isn’t fair.”
“Put the camera away,” I said. “Listen to me.”
She gritted her teeth, but she did it. “What?”
“I’m going to check out the perimeter. I want you to be aware of what’s going on around you.”
“What the hell do you think’s going to happen at
my cousin’s wedding rehearsal?”
“I don’t know. That’s the point. But I don’t want your head so far up that camera’s ass that if I yell ‘duck,’ or ‘run,’ you just keep on taking pictures.”
She finally seemed to pay attention to what I was saying and looked directly into my eyes. “Something’s got you spooked,” she said.
“Everything has me spooked.” I brushed my hand over her arm. “Just be careful.”
Her irritation seemed to fade away. “I’m going to be right here,” she said.
I nodded, and I headed straight toward the woods. If someone had a problem with me leaving during the practice wedding, they could kiss my ass. When I reached the tree line, I heard a stick break, and rustling. The hair on my arms stood up. My gut told me something was off; I’d felt it when I first saw the movement. I was glad I’d brought my gun with me.
I crept forward, making no sound. And fuck. I was right.
In this instance, with Loren’s family, I’d have preferred to be wrong. But no such luck, because huddled on the other side of a tree, pecking away at his phone, was a man.
He had on an actual black ski mask. I rolled my eyes. He might as well write ‘incompetent thug’ right on his forehead. I stepped forward, pointing my gun at his head. “Don’t move,” I said. “Hands in the air.”
He dropped his phone, and his hands went straight up.
“Now, lie down on your stomach.”
He scrambled to the ground, and I frisked him for any weapons. He didn’t have a single one, so I kept him there, lying face down while I tried to figure this out. He had a bag with him, and I opened that. Inside was a listening device, like a small bug that could be planted, a map of the hotel, duct tape, and a knife. None of that looked good for him.
“What are you doing out here?” I asked.
I was going to have to get this asshole apprehended without causing a scene. I didn’t have the usual supplies I carried with me, like zip ties or a rope, because these pants were so freaking tight. I was lucky the gun holster had fit under my jacket.
If I drug this loser back out in front of the bride, she was going to panic and freak the fuck out. I wouldn’t even blame her.
