by Young, Alexa
Fucking bitch.
“We’re not covering it up, but I want to make Luce my wife before the baby comes along. There’s nothing wrong with that. If you don’t like the dress then sorry, it’s either like it or lump it and don’t be in the wedding at all.”
“Why are you marrying her?”
“Excuse me?” I ask, totally dumbfounded by her question.
“I know you, Dray, and you’re not the marrying type. You think you’re in love with Luce but it’s just a fad, a flash in the pan.” She smiles in delight.
Evil cow.
“Fuck you, Sam.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’d like to, and here’s the thing: I’d let you, too. Yeah, you look shocked, but I’ve seen the way you look at me. I have to admit you’re fucking hot, so why not? We’re here in London, while Luce is on her lonesome in Manchester. She’ll never know and hey, if you’re as good in bed as they say, maybe we can make an arrangement.” A smile quirks on her lips as she thinks I’m contemplating it. The only thing I’m thinking about is how I’m about to snap that scrawny neck of hers.
I feel my blood boil, my rage taking over. I know I’m going to completely lose it. I grab her by the throat and push her hard against the wall. She gasps but her eyes heat slightly. She thinks it’s a fucking game and I’m about to kiss her.
She thought wrong.
Her eyes widen when she sees the look of anger in mine. “Listen here, Sam. If you ever fucking come near Luce again, I will snap this neck of yours. I’ve always known you’ve never been a real friend. You’re a selfish, manipulative bitch and I don’t know why the hell she ever put up with you, but I’m finishing this. The friendship you have with her is done. You tell her that you can’t make the wedding—you’re going away, your mum is sick, I don’t fucking care, say anything. But if I see you at the wedding, I will relay every word of this conversation back to her, you got me?”
“Dray, you’re hurting me,” she gasps as I squeeze a little tighter just to get my point across before finally letting go.
Her head falls back as she tries to draw breath.
She’s pissed.
“I wonder if Luce knows what kind of violent man she’s marrying? I should tell her about this, show her the marks. I wonder who she’d believe, huh? I’m pretty good at convincing her so far that you weren’t good enough. You know, she liked you growing up, but a few words from me in her ear and that soon changed. I enjoyed letting her know all the women you were screwing, making her convinced she deserved better.
“You fucking bitch.” I lunge forward and pin her back against the wall.
“Careful, Dray, wouldn’t want to cause any more marks. I could get the police involved, have you up for assault.”
I look around the corridor; there are no cameras within view, no one around, she has nothing.
“Remember Dereck?”
Her smile drops slightly, but she pulls it together. “What about Dereck?”
“I know you fucked him behind Luce’s back,” I growl.
Her eyes bulge slightly. “You have no proof.”
“I think I do. See, I got word that he was seeing you on the side. I remember him clearly admitting it to me before I put my fist through his face. Do you remember that visit to the hospital when he was robbed in the street? Yeah, that was just an excuse. He broke up with Luce after that. I said he’d better else next time, I’d break every bone in his body.”
“She won’t believe you,” she squeaks, all confidence gone.
“Ahh, but I have evidence. A tape locked away in my safe.”
Her face falls at my admission.
“Yeah, Dereck liked to secretly film you. Luce, too, but I destroyed all of hers. Yours, I kept. Let’s call it a necessity I might need to use one day.”
“So, how come you never told her?” she whispers.
“Because her heart was broken when he left her. I didn’t need to cause any more damage telling her you were fucking him behind her back. But trust me, I will. If you don’t walk away now, I’ll tell her everything.” I move back and let her fall to the floor, holding her head in her hands.
Wow, she might have a conscience after all.
“Fine, have it your way. I’ll call her tomorrow and tell her I’ve got to go away with work.”
“I never want to see you around her again. Lose her number or trust me, I will be filling her in on how good a friend you really are,” I growl.
“I said okay, just fucking leave me alone. You’ve got what you want, now go.”
“Trust me, darling, I’m gone,” I sneer before walking back along the corridor with a huge smile on my face.
What a fucking result.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Dray,” Luce croaks, and she sounds sleepy. For a second, I feel bad for waking her, but I need to hear her voice more than ever.
“Hey, firecracker. Sorry, did I wake you?” I look at my watch, noticing it’s just after twelve. After I left Sam, I found a wasted Ritchie and dragged him back, leaving Tom, Jack and Charlie to head off to the strip club. They are in for an interesting night. We’ll no doubt hear all the gory details tomorrow morning at breakfast.
Ritchie groans and rolls over as he falls back to sleep.
“No, it’s okay, I was waiting for you to call. Have you had a good night?”
“Hmmmm,” I say. I just wish I was home with her.
“You sound sad, what’s wrong?”
“Just missing you, baby. This bed feels far too big.” I sigh.
Jesus, I’m turning into a girl.
“Awww, I miss you, too. I wish you were here to snuggle with,” she whines. I can only imagine she’s pouting right now.
“Trust me, we’d be doing more than snuggling right now.”
“Dray,” she whisper-yells as I smirk.
“You know it’s true,” I add, chuckling.
“What would we be doing?”
Like she needs to ask.
“Oh, what wouldn’t we be doing is more the question.”
“I need you to tell me.” Her voice sounds needy, which stirs my cock.
“Baby, I need to see you. Can we Facetime?” Her voice is not enough right now; I need more.
“Dray.” She sounds hesitant. “Is someone there with you?”
“Just Ritch, but he’s sleeping, baby. He’s plastered, out for the count.”
“I don’t know.”
“Please, baby,” I urge.
I will beg if need be.
“Okay,” she relents, and I smile.
I call her back and sigh, seeing her perfect sleepy face on screen.
“Hey, baby.” Her voice is husky and already I’m hard.
“Hey. What are you wearing?” I ask, grinning.
Straight to the point, as always.
“Dray,” she exclaims.
“Baby, show me,” I plead.
I need to see her.
She points the phone down her body, and she’s wearing my t-shirt.
“Fuck, you look sexy.”
“What? As if! Makeup free and in your old t-shirt.”
“Just the way I like you. Do you know how hot it makes me seeing you wear my clothes?”
“No.” She bites her lip, waiting.
“It makes me so hot. I’m so hard right now, baby, I need you.”
“Dray, what do you—”
“Take off the t-shirt. As much as I love you wearing it, I love what’s underneath more.”
She hesitates, but I see a look of lust in her eyes. She wants it just as much as me.
“It’s okay. Ritch is asleep, and the other guys have gone to a strip club,” I say reassuringly.
Her eyes widen slightly in surprise. “Did you not want to go?”
“Well, I gave you my word. Plus, the only girl I want to see stripping right now is you, firecracker, so please do this for me.”
She takes a deep breath then sits up, ripping the t-shirt over her head and tossing it to the side.
“And now your knickers, baby. I need you completely naked.”
Her lips twitch but she soon complies with my order.
“Now, show me.”
She pans the phone down her naked body and I groan.
“Stop. Open your legs. Show me what I need right now.”
Her legs slowly part and I bite my lip. I want to taste her so bad. Fuck bloody London, I want to be at home, burying my face deep and have her coming on my tongue.
“That’s so fucking beautiful. Are you wet?”
“Yes,” she groans. Her voice sounds so needy; it’s a direct link to my cock.
“If I was there right now, I’d be touching you. Are you going to touch yourself for me?”
“Dray, I—”
“Yes, you can. Take your hand, baby, and touch your tits. You know how much I love them. That’s it, tweak the nipple. Fuck, I need them in my mouth now. Harder, baby, they look so fucking beautiful. Work them, show me what you like, what you need. I’m so hard for you now.” I point the phone to my hard cock I’ve now released from my shorts. I use the pre-cum to lubricate my hand as I slowly make my way down the shaft then back up. I could already shoot my load.
“Now, show me where you need me the most, let me see. I need to see you touch yourself.”
Luce moans as her fingers glide over her pussy. She soon finds that little bundle of nerves and begins to circle it with her fingers. Her moans quicken as my hand begins to work my cock faster.
“Fuck, baby you look hot. If I was there with you, my head would be buried between your legs right now.”
“I wish you were here. I miss that dirty mouth.”
“Trust me, I’ll be eating you for hours tomorrow.”
“Promise,” she asks. Her voice sounds higher-pitched, so I know she’s almost there.
My hand yanks my cock, and I’m not far off myself. Watching her on the brink of coming is one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.
I’m about to come.
“Luce,” I warn. I can barely speak. Watching as she arches her back, her fingers work her ever closer to an orgasm.
“Dray,” she groans, biting her lip to stop herself waking Laurie by screaming out my name.
“Luce. Fuck, Luce. Fuck,” I groan as I come hard all over my stomach. I keep going till there’s not a drop left. I’m fucking spent, but that’s the most amazing video sex I’ve ever had.
Luce’s face fills the screen now; she’s flushed and her hair is all dishevelled.
“You look beautiful, baby. I love the way you look right after you come.”
“Dray, come home to me soon. I need you.” The look in her eyes breaks my heart. She needs me just as much as I need her.
“Tomorrow, firecracker. I’ll be home, and I’ll show you just how much I’ve missed you. Now, go to sleep, you and our little angel need plenty of rest. Tell her Daddy will be home soon.”
“We miss you, too. Love you. Goodnight, baby,” she whispers while waving.
“I love you, too.”
The screen goes blank, but I continue to stare at it a few moments longer. I wipe the cum from my stomach and toss the tissue into the bin.
“I love you, too.”
My eyes snap up to the sound of a voice from across the room. Ritchie chuckles into his pillow.
The fucker.
“How long have you been awake?” I bark, not amused.
“Woke up towards the end, might have a little hard-on myself. You fancy doing a round two? We could rub one out together. I don’t have the breasts, though.”
I lob a pillow in his direction. “Fuck off, dirty pervert.
He chuckles some more and grabs the pillow, putting it under his head.
“Well, the offer’s there.”
“Shut the fuck up and go to sleep.” I turn the lamp off and slide down, nuzzling my head into the pillow. I’ll be counting down the minutes till I’m back home with my Luce.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I wake early with a huge smile on my face. I grab my sweats, heading out for a run in preparation for the big day.
Today is the day I get married.
I could not smile any harder.
I’m antsy and buzzing with excitement. The ceremony doesn’t start for another five hours, so I need to keep my mind occupied. I make my way jogging along my usual route, fighting the urge to call Luce. I want to hear her voice, but I know I have to wait. Pushing on, I feel the burn despite my muscles screaming for me to stop. I take a hot shower and eat a hearty breakfast before the nerves start to kick in.
I stare over at the wrapped present sitting on the table. It’s a surprise gift I have for Luce, all her grandma’s heirlooms restored. Even I was amazed by the quality. I know it will mean the world to her to have them back. I could not think of a more perfect gift to present her with once we return home.
Ritch shows up at eight, and we play a few games of FIFA to kill the time. I’m just about to hang up my controller when my mobile rings, Luce’s name flashing up on screen.
Shit, is something wrong?
I click on accept. “Firecracker?”
“You know, you don’t have to marry me just because of the baby,” she blurts out, leaving me stunned.
“I’m not. Why are you saying this now, two hours before we’re due to get married?” A wave of panic rips through me.
What’s put this in her head?
“I’m just giving you an out, that’s all. We can still be together with the baby without being married.”
“So you don’t want to get married?” I can barely say the words.
“Yes, I do…but I don’t want you to feel obligated that I’m tying you down.”
“Firecracker, what the fucking hell is going on?” I bark.
I’m losing it.
“I’m just—I don’t know, maybe it’s nerves. I just wanted to give you an out, that’s all.” She whimpers. I can tell she’s crying, hearing her sniffles down the line.
“I don’t want an out. In fact, it’s you who should be questioning your commitment because when I marry you, baby, I’m marrying you for life, till death do us part and all. You sure you’re ready for that? I sure am. I don’t want you regretting this, regretting us.”
“Dray, I would never…I’m just hormonal. I just wanted to be sure.”
“This is me saying I’m one hundred million percent sure I want to marry you. Jesus Christ, I just went from the happiest man alive to almost suicidal in two seconds,” I snort.
“Dray, I’m sorry. Forget this conversation happened, I’m just being stupid.”
“I love you, firecracker, with every beat of my heart and with every breath I take. You are my world. Today, you will change it forever, and I cannot wait.”
She descends into sobs and I smile. I know she always cries when I tell her exactly how I feel.
“Hey, Dray, it’s Laurie.”
“Hey, Laurie.”
“I can’t wait to see you all soon. Thanks for the pep talk. She’s now back in the chair as the makeup artist tries to save her face.”
I sigh with relief. “I fucking love her with all my heart, Laurie. I don’t know what more to say.”
“She knows, it’s her hormones. She just needed to hear your voice. She’ll be fine. See you at the church.”
“See you later, can’t wait.”
I hang up and groan. Ritchie gives me a look.
“Is the wedding still happening?” He has his suit in hand, ready to get changed.
“Yes, it’s still fucking happening. She just had the jitters thinking I was marrying her for the baby, but she’s fine now. I made her cry, so the makeup artist is probably wanting to rip me to shreds right now. Other than that, it’s perfect,” I growl back.
“Oh, thank fuck for that. I couldn’t handle you having a meltdown today.” He smirks before heading off to shower, his suit slung over his shoulder.
Charming.
* * *
“Have you got
the rings?” I ask Ritchie, who rolls his eyes and nods.
Fine, just fucking checking.
I tap my foot and Ritchie glares. I swear I’ll punch him in a minute. I check my watch; she’s five minutes late. It’s only five minutes, I tell myself over and over.
But what if she’s changed her mind?
I stare down the aisle trimmed with beautiful flower arrangements, each one mixed with variations of flowers and colours to keep with the wedding theme. The whole church looks beautiful. Kara has excelled herself in the decoration and in securing this small church steeped in so much history. I was happy to make a large donation, to make sure Luce’s wish came true. Both her parents are very church-orientated and wanted that for their only child on the big day.
Luce’s mother smiles over and winks, as she can see I’m nervous. I know the wink is her way of telling me her daughter is always fashionably late. She looks good dressed in black and gold; she’s always had an elegance about her. I’m particularly loving the humongous hat she’s adorned. I’d be surprised if anyone behind her can see. There are a few other close relations of Luce’s, but she wanted to keep it small. The person she wanted here the most could unfortunately not be here.
Her grandma.
Luce was the apple of her grandma’s eye and still misses her with all her heart. I know Agnese would be smiling down on her on her special day. She’d already been given her something old, a beautiful diamond chain passed down to her, which Luce will be wearing with pride.
Apart from a few close friends, my side is practically empty, but I’m fine with that. I know my mother is with me in spirit. Ritchie nudges me as the organ strikes up with the wedding march.
I take a long breath. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for forever. I turn in time to see Luce walk through the doors. Her eyes meet mine, and it’s like no one else exists. She’s so breathtakingly beautiful it brings a lump to my throat. Her ivory lace dress is so elegant, fitted along the bust line then flaring out to accommodate her bump, and the long sleeves give it a very Victorian-like look. Her hair is piled up high into a fine, detailed bun, which is finished off with an elegant tiara. I can’t wait to take it down later. She’s wearing the diamond studs I bought her; alongside her grandma’s necklace, they are a perfect match. We don’t lose eye contact for a moment. The love shining there in her eyes is enough to take my breath away as she makes her final steps forward before kissing her dad.
