“She really thought her lover boy was going to take care of her for life? And now he’s split and has probably left her with nothing,” Ben surmised.
“That’s what I’m hearing. I contacted a couple who used to be friends of ours in L.A. yesterday, and rumor has it that good old filthy rich Omar has gone back to his wife. If that’s true, then I need to make sure my marriage to Kendal is solid in case Vonetta was serious about wanting Kia back.”
Ben nodded. “So when is the wedding?”
“This Thursday at the courthouse. I’d like you to stand as my best man, and Tonya will be there for Kendal.”
“And I take it only a few people will know about it until after the ceremony is over.”
“Yes.”
Ben headed for the door. “I’ll be there and hope things work out,” he said over his shoulder.
Jamison released a deep sigh. “I hope so, too.”
When Ben reached the door, he turned around before opening it. “And if I were you, I’d make it my business to do whatever it takes to assure Kendal that you aren’t the asshole her ex-boyfriend was.”
Six
Kendal tried keeping a calm smile on her face when Jamison walked into the judge’s chamber with Ben at his side. She ran a nervous hand through her hair. Lordy, did the man have to look so good? She’d seen him in a suit before, so why did the one he had on today make him stand out and make her attraction to him that much stronger?
And yes, she had finally admitted she was attracted to him in a big way and that day at Parker’s hadn’t been fluke. Just this past week, they’d met a number of times to work out a game plan to assure today went off without a hitch.
Two days ago, they had introduced the girls and hadn’t been surprised by how well they had taken to each other. Just that morning at breakfast, Carr, with a huge grin on her face, had told her she had a new best friend whose name was Kia. That had made Kendal feel good and reinforced her belief that she and Jamison were doing the right thing if for no other reason than to assure the girls’ futures.
“Will you leave your hair alone?” Tonya leaned over and hissed in her ear. ”You have no reason to be nervous.”
Kendal was about to tell Tonya that she didn’t know the half of it when Ben and Jamison reached them. Automatically, as if it was the most natural thing to do, Jamison leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek. The masculine scent of his cologne infiltrated her nostrils. Before he moved back, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, “You look beautiful, Kendal.”
She swallowed and wished his words hadn’t sent a spray of flurries through her stomach and pushed her heart to beat that much faster. “Thank you. And you look good yourself,” she said, smiling up at him.
Jamison felt a tightness in his chest with her smile. He’d actually awakened this morning with no misgivings or apprehensions about what he intended to do here today. He and Kendal had agreed on this plan, and he was more determined than ever to make it work.
And he meant what he’d said about her looking beautiful. It didn’t matter one iota what type of woman might have appealed to him before, but this woman he was about to marry was definitely appealing to him now. While Kendal stood there joking with Ben and Tonya, Jamison couldn’t stop his gaze from roaming up and down the length of her body. He was definitely drawn to her curves. There was something about them that was bringing out the primitive male in him.
She was wearing an off-white lace dress that stopped a little past the knees and showed what a gorgeous pair of legs she had. And he appreciated the way the top fit her bosom, pushing her breasts up to reveal a very enticing cleavage. A pair of cute silver earrings dangled from her ears, and the matching necklace hung around her neck. She was definitely one voluptuous beauty.
He hoped she knew his compliment had been genuine, because she truly looked beautiful. He was about to tell her again when Judge Washington appeared. “Is everyone ready?” he asked.
Ben answered. “Yes, sir, everyone is accounted for.”
He smiled at everyone. “Then let’s begin.”
***
Kendal hoped no one heard her knees knocking together from nervousness as Judge Washington began the ceremony. He had instructed Jamison to hold her hand, and it was hard to take her mind off the sensations flowing through her from Jamison’s touch. And then he was staring at her, and the intensity of that stare began radiating heat all through her.
She blinked when his grip on her hand tightened, and it was then that she realized he was sliding a ring on her finger. They had come to that part of the ceremony already? She glanced over at Tonya, who was giving her a stern “pay attention” look.
Kendal did. It was now her time to slide the ring she had purchased for Jamison on his finger. He had long fingers, and her heart began beating faster when she followed the judge’s instructions and repeated the words. “With this ring, I thee wed.” Jamison smiled over at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back.
“Now by the power invested in me by this great state of Virginia,” Judge Washington was saying, “I now pronounce you man and wife. Mr. Savoy, you may kiss your bride.”
Kendal looked up at Jamison, fully expecting him to lean in and place a kiss on her cheek…or possibly brush a light one across her lips. When he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, just seconds before lowering his mouth down to hers in an open-mouth kiss, she almost melted to the floor.
***
He hadn’t meant to do this, Jamison thought, but there was no way he could resist. Judge Washington had given him the opportunity, and the primitive male in him had seized it. Immediately, he was stunned by the rush of sensations he felt ramming through his body. At that moment, it had been erased from his mind that their marriage was not just one of convenience but also one of necessity. Instead, he concentrated on kissing the woman who was legally his wife.
He suddenly remembered where he was and what he was doing. When he released Kendal’s mouth, she almost stumbled back. He heard the “wow” from both Ben and Tonya at the same time, and the shocked look on both of their faces was too comical.
“Well, I must say,” Judge Washington spoke up and said, smiling from ear to ear while patting him on the shoulder. “If that kiss is anything to go by, it seems the two of you are off to a good start.”
***
“Are we on our way to pick up the girls?” Kendal asked when she looked out the car window and noticed they were taking a different route than she’d expected.
For a quick second, Jamison averted his gaze from the traffic to glance over at her and smiled. “Not yet.”
She lifted a brow. “Then where are we going?”
His smile widened. “It’s a surprise. After realizing that after today there will rarely be a moment when it will be just the two of us, I decided to take advantage of it.”
“To do what?”
He chuckled and spoke up again. “You’ll see.”
She stared back at him, not sure what to make of what he’d said. There was that tingling sensation that had returned to her stomach. If she was really honest with herself, she would admit that it had never left. And what was that kiss all about in the judge’s chamber? It had definitely been more than she’d expected and had left her in a daze and off-balance…with all sorts of hot tamale thoughts rampaging through her mind.
Deciding she didn’t like the quiet stillness inside the car, she spoke up and said, “I think it was a nice ceremony, don’t you?”
“Yes, and you made a beautiful bride.”
Of course that was something every bride wanted to hear, but today, in her case, it wasn’t necessary. “You don’t have to say that, Jamison.”
He came to a traffic light and glanced over at her and smiled. “But I did. You’re going to have to stop doing that, you know.”
Now it was her brow that lifted. “Doing what?”
“Taking my compliments with a grain of salt. You did make a beautiful brid
e. There, I said it again and meant it, so take it and run with it. But don’t question my sincerity in making it.”
She didn’t any say anything as she continued to look into the dark piercing eyes staring back at her. He was serious. “All right,” she said quietly. “Thank you.”
“And you’re welcome.”
Kendal broke eye contact with him to glance out the window, and it was then she saw he had crossed over into D.C. and was pulling into a very exclusive restaurant that sat on the Potomac. She’d heard about the place but had never dined there. Reservations were booked six months in advance. And she’d heard they were usually closed during the week and were open only on Fridays and weekends.
She glanced back over at him. “Isn’t Arcana’s closed on Thursdays?”
He smiled over at her. “Yes, usually. But tonight, they have a special reason for having it open.”
She lifted a brow. “What’s the special reason?”
“Our wedding.”
She stared at him, and then his words sank in. “You had them open the restaurant just for us?”
“Yes. So, honey, we have it all to ourselves.”
She was determined not to let his term of endearment go to her head. Instead, she sat up straight in her seat and looked out the windshield. The place was lit up, but there were only two cars in the huge parking lot. She glanced over at Jamison. “How did you arrange this?”
“I had connections. The owner is the brother of one of my clients back in L.A.”
“Oh.”
“I wanted to make the evening special.”
Although she parted her lips, she fought back the temptation to tell him that he had in ways he would never know. She broke eye contact with him and looked out the window again when he pulled up to the door for valet parking. As if on cue, a guy seemed to materialize from within the shadows. It seemed Jamison had thought of everything.
Within minutes, he was escorting her up the walkway to the entrance, where they were greeted by an older man with silver-gray hair and a huge smile. “Welcome to Arcana’s, and congratulations on your marriage.”
“Thanks, Lowery. And I would like you to meet my wife, Kendal Savoy.”
Kendal drew in a deep breath. Hearing Jamison introduce her as his wife did something to her insides, sent a funny feeling cascading through her stomach. Kendal Savoy. She remembered how at fourteen she would fancy that being her name one day.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Savoy, and welcome to Arcana’s,” Lowery said, offering her his hand.
“Thank you.”
“If the two of you will follow me, your table is ready.”
Kendal noticed the lights had been turned down, which gave the interior of the restaurant a warm, romantic feel. She knew she was probably imagining things since there was no reason for Jamison to set a mood of romance with her. It wasn’t that kind of party. He was merely being kind. And considerate. He had been married before, so it wasn’t a big deal to him. But he knew that, whether their marriage was real or not, it was her first and evidently he wanted her to remember some positive aspect of it.
And she would.
Jamison held out the chair for Kendal, and she glanced around. The walls and beams were all historic, probably dating back to the late seventeen hundreds, although the exterior had been given a face-lift in the eighteen hundreds. But the differences in era didn’t in any way clash. Instead, what they provided was a very interesting décor.
She glanced back at the table and the beautiful, huge candle in the shape of a rose. It was sitting in a bed of water and mimosa leaves. And when she glanced over at Jamison and caught him staring at her, she couldn’t help asking, “Is anything wrong?”
He smiled and shook his head. “No. Everything is just right. Perfect.”
She smiled back, unable to do anything else. He had that type of smile. It was engaging, inviting, not forced or restrained.
Lowery came and handed them menus while going over the list of wines, making a suggestion that they try a bottle from the Jules winery in California. Since it came highly recommended by Lowery, they went along with his suggestion.
“This place is beautiful.”
Jamison lifted a brow. “You’ve never been here before?”
Kendal shook her head. “No.” Never could afford to, she didn’t add. She’d always believed in living within her budget.
“Well, I’m glad I brought you here.”
She was glad, too. And to think he had arranged this entire evening just for them. Jamison broke eye contact with Kendal to glance down at his menu, and she knew she should do the same. It didn’t take her long to conclude that all the dishes were too rich for her, but she decided to break her “only salad” rule and get something she could really sink her teeth into. She figured she would walk it off at Busch Gardens tomorrow.
“So, are you looking forward to our trip tomorrow?” she glanced up to ask Jamison.
He looked back up at her, and she thought he had the most arresting hazel eyes. She remembered when she was younger and he would come over to her house with Conley, how she would find any excuse to hang around just to stare into them.
“Yes. What about you?”
“Don’t have much choice. I think the girls will wear us out this weekend.”
Jamison chuckled. “I know they will wear me out. I’m used to one, but two…”
Kendal grinned. “It’s going to be fun.”
“Yes, it will be.”
At that moment, Lowery returned with their wine.
***
Jamison sighed in contentment the moment he bit into his steak. This had to be the best he’d ever tasted. He glanced over at Kendal’s plate and was glad she’d ordered something other than a salad. She had ordered baked chicken with stuffed mushrooms and chinaberry peas.
“Have you told Carr yet that she’s moving?” he asked. His home sat on two acres of land in a gated community. And since it was nearly four times the size of her condo, with a huge yard and what almost looked like an Olympic-sized pool as well as an area set up like a kid’s private playground with every kind of fun equipment imaginable, they had decided to live at his place. Already his younger twin cousins, Laya and Maya, who’d graduated from high school this past June, had expressed an interest.
“Yes, she’s excited and was ready to move in this week,” Kendal said. “I calmed her down and told her we would pack and move after we returned from Busch Gardens. I think the swimming pool was a big boost, and the playground in the backyard was hard to pass up as well.”
She paused a moment and then asked, “Have you told Kia?”
“Yes, and she’s ready. I think it would be nice if Carr has her own bedroom, but Kia is not having any of that. She’s insisting that Carr stay in her room with her.”
“And Carr wants to be Kia’s roommate as well.”
Jamison wiped his mouth. “Let’s see how long that’s going to last. Kia has never had to share before, and the few times she tried, I hate to admit, she wasn’t good at it.”
“That’s fine, and I think the girls will get along beautifully if this week is anything to go by.”
He agreed and then decided to ask her the question he had put off asking her all week, but considering they were man and wife it was time for them to discuss it. “And what about us, Kendal? Have you come up with any ideas about how we’re going to handle our sleeping arrangements?”
Jamison watched Kendal nibble on her bottom lip and thought it was the most sensuous thing he’d seen in a long time. Watching her mouth reminded him of how good it had tasted when he’d kissed her. He would have kept on going if he hadn’t needed to come up for air. He was sure of it.
She wiped those lips with her napkin and then took a sip of her wine. Jamison watched the entire thing and enjoyed doing so. “Yes, I’ve come up with a plan,” Kendal said, looking at him with a tentative smile on the corners of her lips. I got the idea from a cruise I went on a couple of years ago with a
girlfriend.”
“I hope you’re not going to suggest bunk beds,” he said.
She shook her head and grinned. “No. But when we got to our cabin, we saw there was one big bed, and we called guest services to let them know they’d made a mistake. We thought we would be given another cabin, but a few moments later, a guy came and merely pulled the beds apart, turning a single king bed into two double beds.”
He got the picture. “And you’re suggesting that we share the bedroom but not the bed?”
“Exactly.”
She said it like she assumed doing so would be a piece of cake. He had news for her. It wouldn’t be. He was attracted to her and had tried fighting that attraction since she’d walked into Parker’s that day to join him for lunch and discuss the aspects of her ad. Kendal Fischer was a very attractive woman with a beautiful face and a curvy and voluptuous body. And that was with clothes on. Lately, he’d been thinking about her with clothes off. She looked soft, feminine, and very, very luscious, even without trying. Whether she knew it or not, she had the ability to emit a very sexy effect.
“The beds will be apart; however, if we have guests, it will be easy to slide them together to make them into one big bed.”
“And you’re okay with us sharing a bedroom?” he asked to make sure.
“Yes, I’m okay with it.”
He rested his chin on his hands, studied her a moment, and then asked, “And what happens if I can’t help myself?”
She lifted a perfectly arched brow. “Help yourself from what?”
“You.”
She stared at him a second before bursting out laughing and waving off his words. “Can’t help yourself from me? Please. Don’t insult my intelligence.”
ALL HE DESIRES (Voluptuous Woman Series) Page 29
