by Alice Raine
‘I’d like nothing more, but if I got you overexcited and wet for me then you might need to change out of those gorgeous lace knickers I know you’re wearing right now. You are wearing them, aren’t you?’
Swallowing hard, I nodded, and then belatedly realised that he couldn’t see me down the phone. ‘I am. And the suspenders…’ Oliver let out a growl so lusty and rough that I’d place money on the fact he was now sporting a raging hard-on.
The underwear set was a wedding gift from Oliver that had been delivered to my suite first thing this morning. Beautiful lingerie to wear under my wedding dress that included white lace panties, a matching strapless bra and, of course, a set of stockings and suspenders that would sate his obsession with peeling them from me with his teeth.
My skin heated further as I imagined him doing that exact thing to me tonight, and I had to really focus on not letting myself get carried away. ‘They’re stunning, Oliver. Thank you.’
‘You are more than welcome. But seeing as I wish to be the one removing them, I think perhaps I should behave myself and leave you in peace now to finish getting ready.’
I would be seeing him in less than two hours at the wedding, so the pang of disappointment that I felt at our imminent goodbye seemed a little silly.
‘OK,’ I murmured reluctantly, and as I did I had a feeling that this might be one of those moments where neither of us wanted to hang up.
Oliver chuckled down the line as if thinking the exact same thing, and then he clarified that yes, he had indeed accurately read my mind. ‘I don’t want to hang up either, Robyn, but I will, because the sooner I do, the sooner I can be on my way up to the house to marry you.’
Hmm. When he put it like that maybe I could bring myself to hang up. ‘OK, that sounds good. Really good.’
‘Really good. Yes, it does. Now, you have two hours left as a free woman and then you’ll be mine, Robyn, and there will be no escape.’ His words were teasing, but knowing Oliver’s possessive tendencies as well as I did, I suspected there was also an undercurrent of need in them as well.
‘I don’t want to escape,’ I replied huskily, knowing it would soothe him. ‘I’ll happily accept an entrapment in your lair, Mr Wolfe.’
‘My lair?’ Oliver sounded amused, but confused, and I giggled as I heard Sasha bark out a loud snort of laughter in the bathroom.
‘It’s nothing, it’s just a joke Sasha has. I’ll see you really soon.’
‘Hmm.’ He made a contented humming noise that vibrated right to my core. ‘You will indeed.’
‘I love you.’ I’m not sure why I felt the need to splurge the words out, but I did, and in response I heard Oliver give another hum.
‘I love you, too, Robyn.’ The call was still connected, and I sat there listening to his breathing, amazed at just how attached I could feel to another individual. It was as if we were two halves of the same whole. ‘And now, because I know you won’t hang up, I will,’ he murmured, a smile evident in his tone. ‘See you very, very soon, cariño.’
And just like that the line went dead and I was left with the biggest, soppiest smile on my face.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Robyn
I’d planned on being fairly casual in my preparations for the wedding. I mean, I wanted to look nice for Oliver, obviously, but I never wore that much makeup, and the most lavish treatment my hair usually got was an extra shot of conditioner when I visited a salon for a cut and blow dry.
Sasha, Sophia, and my mum had other ideas, though, and over the last hour I’d found myself being primped to within an inch of my life; my hair had been washed, dried, and styled thanks to a friend of Sophia’s, Sasha had lovingly done my makeup, and my mum had given my nails a slick of pale pink polish.
I felt like a princess with this much care being showered upon me. Being the centre of attention like this wasn’t something I’d usually enjoy, but as I slipped on my wedding dress and let Sasha secure the back I had to admit that it had all made the day feel even more special.
‘Wow. You look fucking gorgeous!’ Sasha blurted, before blushing and holding a hand over her mouth. She flashed an apologetic glance at my mum and Sophia, who were both suppressing smiles at her foul mouth. ‘Sorry, but you do. Even more than last time.’
Last time. Sasha’s gaze widened as she realised what she’d said, but I just rolled my eyes. Her words could have upset me, but I was so excited about the day that I let them wash over me.
‘Let me see a mirror, then.’ I hadn’t been allowed to look in a mirror since their fussing had started so I had no idea what to expect. Sasha had spent ages on my face, and I was slightly worried I might look like a hooker dolled up and ready for her first client of the night. If that did turn out to be the case, then I’d be grabbing some makeup removal wipes and cleaning it all off regardless of how much Sasha might complain.
‘I’m a bit worried the makeup might be a bit much… oh…’ Reaching the full-length mirror in the bathroom, I caught a glimpse of my reflection and my breath caught in my throat.
Wow. I looked… well, I didn’t have a big ego, but even I could admit that I looked beautiful. My hair was styled in a messy up-do, elegant, yet totally me, and the makeup Sasha had done was incredible. It was there, but not obvious; my skin looked flawless and natural, my lips plumper somehow and with just a hint of coloured gloss on them, and the light eyeshadow and mascara she’d used made my eyes look wide and clear.
I loved it, and I was pretty sure Oliver would love it, too.
The dress was the cherry on the cake: strapless, simple, and falling to the floor so that it managed to flatter my waistline at the same time as giving me a great cleavage.
It was official – I was ready for my wedding.
Just ten minutes now separated me from becoming Mrs Oliver Wolfe, and a ball of emotion built in my throat as I watched my eyes become bright with unshed tears.
‘Don’t you bloody dare cry, you’ll set me off,’ my mother chided, and the sound of her swearing was so rare and so comical that instead of crying I found myself turning to the gathered women and laughing instead. Sasha’s love of bad language was clearly rubbing off on us all.
‘Shall I open some more fizz?’ Sophia asked, holding a bottle up expectantly. ‘The bride is allowed to be traditionally late, after all.’
As much as some Dutch courage did hold a certain appeal, I shook my head almost before she’d finished her sentence. ‘No. I don’t want to be late. I don’t want to wait another second.’ After everything that had happened, all the ups and downs we’d faced this past week, I wanted to be at Oliver’s side as soon as was physically possible.
Passing my gaze around them all, I saw nods and looks of understanding. Both my mum and Sophia pulled me in for delicate, non-creasing, non-makeup-smearing hugs before disappearing off to join the wedding guests below.
Sasha sucked in a deep breath and joined my side in front of the mirror. She gave me a gentle bump with her shoulder. ‘So, let’s go get you married, eh?’
With a nod and a nervous giggle, I picked up my bouquet and followed her from the room to find my husband-to-be.
The ceremony was beautiful; we exchanged vows while nestled under the citrus trees on Oliver’s parents’ estate – it was exactly as I’d dreamed – and now that it was over I almost felt guilty that I hadn’t absorbed as much of it as I should have. Once I’d joined Oliver at the altar I’d found myself too captivated by him to listen to much of what the priest had said. Oliver had looked beyond stunning in his sleek tuxedo and navy-blue tie. I was so distracted by him that I’d spent the best part of the ceremony ogling him greedily instead of paying attention.
He really was mine. The gorgeous, powerful man by my side was about to become my husband. It had almost seemed hard to digest.
His eyes had gleamed with amusement when he’d caught me staring, and from the way his blue gaze had heated, I knew that he was just as affected by all of this as I was.
Luckily
, through my haze of lusty love I had managed to hear the prompt for my reply of “I do”, and instead of ogling him I’d become ensnared in Oliver’s captivating eyes as he’d repeated the promise and then leaned down and captured my lips in a kiss to seal the deal.
As always, his kiss was so much more than just a simple meeting of lips. When his tongue had demanded entry to my mouth it had been more like a meeting of souls. Our hands had clutched, and mouths melded as we became one in both name and body, and we’d both become so carried away with it that we’d only stopped when the crowd had woken us from the trance by whooping and hollering about our erotic public display.
As embarrassing as that had been, no one had looked particularly put out by our passionate embrace, and even my mum had been grinning goofily at us as we’d made our way down the aisle towards the rest of our lives.
The food afterwards had been delicious – a spread of Spanish delights that had been rich and tasty but not too filling – and now we were in mid-flow enjoying the after party.
So far, I’d danced with my dad, Oliver’s father, Richard, David from Club Twist, and now I was working my way through the official wedding party, starting with Nathan. Bless him, he was trying his best, but his body was so tense that it was like dancing with a well rooted tree. From what I’d witnessed since knowing him, this man only ever relaxed fully when he was with his partner, Stella, and from the way his eyes kept darting across the room towards her I could only assume that he was desperate to get back to her right this second.
We made it about halfway through a song before Nathan cleared his throat and stepped back from me. ‘I think it’s time for you to dance with the best man. Marcus, you’re up.’ Nathan held my hand out towards a startled looking Marcus who had been lounging in a quieter corner of the marquee.
‘Oh, I don’t really dance…’ Marcus protested, but Nathan was already dragging him onto the dance floor and shoving him towards me.
‘The bride needs to dance with the best man; it’s tradition.’
Marcus’s usual easy demeanour seemed to be missing as he stepped in front of me and placed a hand on my hip. As I copied the action and laid my palm on his waist, Marcus stiffened up.
‘Um… do you mind just putting your hand on my arm instead?’ he asked tightly, and, with a small frown, I did. Weird. So, the no touching thing that Sasha had mentioned wasn’t just confined to her, or the bedroom.
Marcus took a deep breath as if struggling with this level of intimacy, and then took my other hand so we could start dancing.
‘Sorry. I’m not very good at this,’ he mumbled.
‘You’re doing great,’ I reassured him, thinking it was funny how all of Oliver’s closest friends were similar in their stiff, uncomfortable dancing styles.
‘You look beautiful, Robyn. Today has been amazing, and I’m so pleased to see you and Oliver so happy.’
It had been a day filled with happiness and grins, and my cheeks ached as I smiled broadly yet again. ‘Thanks, Marcus, it’s been such a special day.’
As we swayed to the music a more comfortable silence fell between us. It wasn’t often that I got Marcus all to myself like this so, after a few moments, I decided to use this opportunity to take a risk and play Cupid. ‘You know Sasha feels terrible?’
Marcus’s frame visibly tensed, and his eyes shot to mine. ‘Oh, yeah? Hungover?’
‘Hmm, no.’ Licking my lips, I decided to just say what I knew my best friend hadn’t been able to. ‘She told me what happened at the club, Marcus, and she hates the way it ended. She feels terrible.’
His cheeks flushed as I mentioned their tryst, but his eyes darkened as he seemed to close himself off from me. ‘Well, she doesn’t need to worry, I’ve got the hint. She doesn’t do guys twice, apart from me, and that was a mistake. I’ll be staying away from now on.’
‘No! That’s not what she meant at all! Think about it, Marcus, she didn’t actually say those words, did she? That’s just what you assumed.’
Marcus stilled as he thought back, but the deep frown was engrained on his forehead.
‘Sasha was panicking afterwards, but not because you were a mistake.’
He listened to my words but then shook his head. ‘She certainly looked like it was a mistake to her.’ His eyes flashed briefly with hope and then dropped away from mine self-consciously. ‘If it wasn’t regret, then what was she panicking about?’
‘She said that she finally understood just how much she likes you and she started to freak out a bit. I suspect what you thought was regret on her face was actually shock.’
‘But…’
Squeezing his hand, I interrupted him and then gave him a look which encouraged him to let me finish.
‘She’s not good at opening up with guys, Marcus. She has her reasons, but basically, she doesn’t do relationships with feelings and when she realised how much she liked you it scared her to death. She told me herself that she’s falling for you.’
Marcus completely stopped any pretence of dancing and raised his eyes to mine. ‘Really?’
‘Yep.’ I let go of his hand and stepped back to give him his personal space again. ‘I wouldn’t tell you this otherwise, but honestly I’ve never seen her like this about a guy before. She’s absolutely gutted about the way things ended between you two.’
Marcus nodded slowly and shoved one hand into his trouser pocket. ‘Thanks, Robyn.’ Leading me with his other hand, he took me towards our other groomsman, Matías, who welcomed me with open arms and a wide, wicked grin.
As Matías took my hand I watched Marcus move away to the side of the garden. If my chats with both him and Sasha didn’t prompt them into doing something about the connection they shared, then perhaps they just weren’t meant to be together.
From the twinkle in his eye as he’d given me over to Matías, though, I would place money on the fact that Marcus was on his way to track Sasha down right this very second.
Matías brought my attention back to him by squeezing my hand and offering me a small tilt of his head in greeting ‘Ah! It is finally my turn with the beautiful bride!’ He wrapped me in his arms and literally spun me onto the dance floor with such gusto that I let out a yelp of shock and had to cling on to him as I giggled and tried to keep up with his skilled moves.
OK, so David, Marcus, and Nathan might have been stiff and uncomfortable in their moves, but boy, could this man dance! Matías had the skill of a professional, and after just a minute or so of twirling and dipping we had drawn a crowd and were being cheered and clapped from all around.
Strong hands landed on my waist from behind and halted my movements, and I watched as Matías grinned over my shoulder at whoever had interrupted our dance.
‘I think that’s quite enough of that.’
The sound of Oliver’s deep tone just beside my ear sent shivers through my body, and I glanced over my shoulder to see him giving Matías an amused but disapproving stare.
Matías threw his head back and laughed before winking at me. ‘I think I have upset your very protective husband.’
Oliver’s hands tightened on my hips as if he very much liked to be called my husband, and I couldn’t help but wiggle backwards into his touch.
‘You spoil our fun, old friend,’ Matías said. ‘Just one more dance, no?’
With a growl, Oliver swept me into his embrace and twirled me so that his strong body now separated me from Matías. ‘No. The next dance is mine.’
Matías held up his hands in defeat but was grinning from ear to ear. ‘Fair enough. I must say it is good to see you so ensnared by this beautiful woman. It gives me hope that maybe one day I, too, will be able to find such fierce love.’
From the slightly sad tinge to his eyes as he spoke, I could only assume that all Matías’s playfulness and flirting was actually hiding a deeper loneliness. He bowed at me as he stepped backwards, then grabbed Chloe and, with a howl of laughter, began to spin her around the dance floor with relish. Rolling my eyes, I
rewound my earlier thought. Perhaps he wasn’t lonely; maybe he was just a playboy through and through.
‘Wife.’ Oliver’s growled statement brought my eyes back to his and I grinned up at him with a small nod before slipping my arms around his neck and stepping into a slow dance with him.
‘Husband.’ I tried out the title for him, instantly loving the way it sounded.
Oliver hummed his appreciation and tucked me closer into his embrace as we continued to sway to the music. ‘Now and forever, baby. Now and forever.’
CHAPTER FORTY
Sasha
As expected, the wedding had been amazing. After all the craziness of the last few days I had finally got to watch as Robyn walked down a tree-lined aisle towards Oliver. I’m not sure I’d ever known a couple who were so well suited for each other. They were like two halves that completed each other. It was clear he was besotted with her, and I’d never seen Robyn so head over heels – Oliver was undoubtedly the absolute love of her life.
They had picked possibly the most beautiful setting I could ever have imagined; flowers had been scattered amongst the fruit trees, the summer air had been heavy with the scent of orange blossoms, and the valley view behind them as they exchanged their vows was utterly breath-taking.
Every single person gathered to celebrate their union had been grinning from ear to ear. It had been so fucking perfect that it was like something out of a movie.
Sniffing, I swiped at a stray tear on my cheek and rolled my eyes. What the hell was wrong with me? I never cried, but spending the whole day surrounded by all this bloody romance was ruining me.
The ceremony was done, meal eaten, and the first dance had been danced, but it was still warm as the evening drew near and the wedding party lazed around the beautifully decorated gardens of Oliver’s parents’ house.
I’d moved away a little to have five minutes in the sun, and I closed my eyes, letting the warmth relax me. All I could hear was the quiet lull of voices in the distance, crickets in the tall grass behind me, and the gentle rustle of the breeze in the trees. It was utterly tranquil.
