She finally backs down, whirling in an irritated huff to stalk off down the hallway.
“I’ve never once heard you throw your family’s name around like that,” Mackenzie comments quietly after a moment of tense silence.
“I knew where it was headed. She was going to threaten you. And the whole thing was my fault to begin with.” Not that I regret pretending she was my fiancee for the tour. That’s what led to us first admitting this attraction.
She nods, looking down at her clipboard, dog-earing the corner of the paper clipped to it. “Thank you.”
I stare down at the top of her head, her beautiful curls pinned back off her face in some kind of intricate updo. “You know I’d do anything for you.” Even if that means stepping aside.
What did I expect, though? I knew she had standards from the beginning. From the first night we met, in fact. And a man on the verge of marrying another woman doesn’t exactly meet those standards.
But for me, there’s no chance of ever thinking this marriage to Serena will be real. Not after experiencing what love is actually like. In my heart, Mackenzie’s the one I’ll always be faithful to. Today is nothing but a piece of paper to sign.
“I have to go,” she says, keeping her head down as she strides back into the ballroom, her movements quick and efficient.
But she’s not quick enough. I still spot the splash of a teardrop on her clipboard.
The music swells as Serena enters the ballroom, hundreds of guests standing to get a better view of the ethereal beauty walking down the aisle, her fair hair braided partly around her crown, the rest left free to fall down her back in waves.
Even I have to admit how angelic she looks in that dress, silver shimmers in the bodice catching the light to make her appear radiant.
But it doesn’t hide the fact that she’s not looking at me, but slightly to my left.
Toward Archer.
I glance over, but there’s nothing other than polite interest on his face, the same as most everyone else watching her.
When my bride reaches my side, Mackenzie collects Serena’s bouquet, then returns to her spot far behind her along the edge of the wall, out of the spotlight, head cast down solemnly.
The minister begins his monologue, but I barely hear any of it, focused solely on the way Mackenzie’s knuckles tighten on the flowers in her hand till they’re white, the blood drained out of them. The way her lips pinch together, gaze directed at the floor, as if she can’t stand to witness what’s occurring just across the room.
Everything in me screams to go over there and comfort her, take her in my arms and assure her it’ll be okay, that none of this is really happening.
Except it is.
My eyes cut to Serena directly in front of me, her breaths shallow, swallowing repeatedly as if she’s forcing herself to make it through the next five minutes.
What are we committing ourselves to here? A lifetime of misery? An endless stretch of years wishing we’d never gone through with this?
A nudge on my back has me startling, looking over to find Archer leaning his head toward the minister. Did I miss something?
“We shall now say your vows,” the man says, in a tone that implies he’s repeating himself. Oh, guess I should pay attention.
I glance out into the crowd for just a moment, Dad’s icy blue eyes meeting mine, arms crossed over his chest, like he’s waiting for me to mess up. Next to him, Connor gives me an almost smile, putting on a brave face for me.
We’d talked a long time last night after I went back up to the restaurant following Mackenzie’s rejection. Archer had already left, but like always, Connor was there when I needed him. I admitted to him I had fallen in love with another woman, though I didn’t tell him who it was, and he listened as I ranted about the unfairness of it all, empathized with me despite it having nothing to do with him. I’m the one who got myself into this mess.
Nausea rises within me as the minister opens his mouth once more. “Do you, Gabriel, take Serena to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward?”
“I…” I swallow painfully, trying to get past the blockage in my throat. Serena’s fingers clutch at the sides of her dress, nearly tearing the delicate fabric.
“I…” I look beyond her to Mackenzie, who’s finally gazing back at me, unshed tears in her eyes, biting her lip hard, like she’s about to lose it.
Hope surges in my chest.
“I can’t do this.”
Silence descends upon the crowd, the weight of their intense stares crippling me, but all I can do is keep my gaze trained on Mackenzie, who drops the bouquet to bring her hands up to her mouth, the tears at last releasing to run in thin streams down her cheeks.
Is it good that she’s crying? Or bad?
The minister clears his throat, bringing my attention back to the matter at hand. “You can’t?” he whispers, brows raised in disbelief.
“No.” I look Serena in the eye, her expression easing. If nothing else, at least I did one right thing.
The minister’s mouth opens and closes a few times, utterly speechless, as a hushed murmur spreads throughout the room. In my peripheral vision, it’s painfully obvious that people are whispering to each other, pointing, cell phones being brought out to record what happens next. I can already see the headline. Bishop billionaire dumps fiancee at altar. I’ll be painted as the worst kind of villain, leading a woman on until the last possible instant.
But I’m not concerned with what they write about me. I’m done with all that.
The murmuring grows to a buzz as we continue to stand awkwardly at the altar, and even though it’s likely only been a few seconds, the moment stretches out infinitely until Archer steps up beside me, proclaiming, “He can’t marry her… because I’m in love with her.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gabriel
A collective gasp ripples through the room, but none is louder than Serena’s, her eyes widening to almost caricature level.
I stumble back into the spot Archer just vacated as he takes my place, joining hands with her as the minister fumbles to recover his place in the script.
I can’t see my brother’s face from this angle, but Serena appears to be in a euphoric daze as they repeat the vows and Archer says, “I do,” in a firm voice, brooking no room for argument.
My gaze shifts to Mackenzie, who’s staring raptly at the new couple, but she must sense my attention because she soon looks over at me, a beatific smile spreading across her face.
My stomach unclenches, the tightness in my shoulders loosening until my body is light, free. I made the right decision.
They finish their vows and exchange rings, Archer leaning down to give her a quick, chaste kiss upon the minister’s pronouncement they’re now husband and wife.
A hum of excitement rushes through the crowd as the recessional starts up, all eyes on the new bride and groom as they head arm in arm down the aisle.
Guests stand, craning their necks to get a better view, and my eyes flick to Dad out in the first row, blue fire raging in his gaze. I step back instinctually, more people rising from their seats to watch Archer and Serena, the level of noise growing to a din as everyone has something to say about the unexpected turn of events. A group of men in their early fifties I recognize as business associates of his approach him, and I grab hold of the opportunity to slip away toward an unmarked door on the side of the room, not knowing where it leads, and not caring. There’s no way in hell I’m walking back down that aisle in front of everyone.
As it turns out, it’s a storage closet, the single bare bulb from the ceiling illuminating shelves with stacked tablecloths and extra chairs piled high in the corner.
What the hell just happened? Did Archer… sacrifice himself for me?
His alleged confession of love was a complete crock of shit, but if the public buys it, then maybe the fallout won’t be as bad as I feared.
A pang of concern runs through me for Ser
ena, who didn’t seem to realize Archer’s words were for show, but she’ll discover it soon enough. Hopefully he lets her down easy.
The doorknob turns and my first instinct is to press my palm against it to hold it closed, not sure who’s on the other side, but when a flash of blue lace appears, my apprehension lifts.
Mackenzie shuts the door quickly, leaning back against it with her hands behind her, the snick of a turning lock loud in the silence of the room.
We stare at each other, her eyes still teary, but she doesn’t move any closer.
“Is Archer really in love with her?” she asks quietly.
“Not that I know of.” My fingers itch to reach out and hold her, but it seems she’s purposely staying away for the moment.
“Did you know he’d do that?”
“No.”
She studies me, but I have no idea what she’s seeing on my face. Hope? Relief? Excitement? “So you called it off with no plan for what would happen afterward?”
I try my best to detect that emotion she so readily displayed out there, but she has her poker face on again. “I couldn’t marry her when I’m in love with you,” I admit. “Regardless of what you decide. But I’m yours, if you’ll have me.”
Her lower lip trembles for a moment before she takes a step forward. Then another and another, until she’s rushing into my arms, wrapping herself around me in a tight embrace.
I squeeze her back, an overwhelming sense of peace flooding through me. I’ll deal with the backlash later, with Dad’s threats, with the salacious gossip The Manhattan Herald is sure to report. For now, breathing in deeply of her gardenia-laced scent, everything is right in my world.
Her hands run over me, nearly frantic in her touch. “Is this really happening?” she murmurs, palm cupping my jaw lightly before she presses her mouth to mine, lips soft.
“Yes.” I kiss her again, needing her, but she doesn’t stay in my arms long, letting go of me to lean back, remorse all over her face.
“I thought I was making the right decision before,” she says, gripping my hands tightly. “The responsible one. But when I watched you up there, I had this moment of clarity. And I wanted to scream, to rush over and be one of those awful people who shouts I object, to tell you how wrong I was and beg for your forgiveness.”
“The only place I want you begging is in bed.” I give her a lopsided grin, trying to make her laugh because there are still so many tears in her eyes, but it doesn’t work. They slide down in rivulets as she gives a hiccuping sob.
“I couldn’t ask you to do it, but I’m so relieved you did. I don’t deserve you,” she manages to get out. “You’ve done so much for me and I-”
“Hey.” I run my thumbs over her cheeks, cupping her face gently. “There’s no keeping score. And I literally have nothing to offer you now. Pretty sure after tonight I’ll be homeless and penniless.”
A ghost of a smile crosses her lips, eyes still watery. “There’s always room for you at my place.” She reaches up on tiptoes to press a soft kiss to my mouth. “I love you, Gabriel.”
My grip on her tightens for a moment before I remember myself, bending down to capture her mouth in a deeper kiss. She responds greedily, unbuttoning my suit jacket to run her palms over my dress shirt, her touch hot on my pecs, lips eager under mine.
She wants me. There’s a future for us.
“I love you,” I whisper, my hands traveling over her body, needing to touch her too, to make sure this is really happening. I’ve never said those words to any other woman, but with her, they’re as natural as breathing.
“I love you,” she repeats, urging me forward until my back bumps against a shelf, twining her arms around my neck. “And I’ve missed you. It killed me to tell you no last night.”
“I understood. Even if I hated it.” My hands find her slender waist, pressing her into me, the remembered feel of her soft curves awakening my body. I kiss her again as she rubs against me, loving the way she cradles her hand around the back of my neck, my dick rising in anticipation as her movements become a touch more aggressive. I’ve missed hot and eager Mackenzie.
She snakes her other hand down between our bodies, stroking me over my pants, her kiss insistent. Warmth floods through me at her caress, my breaths shallow as she breaks away with desirous intention in her eyes, drawing my zipper down slowly.
I groan as she reaches in my boxers to grasp me, gripping me lightly as she moves up and down my length. “You gave up everything for me.”
While that’s true, I have to admit it wasn’t only for her. The notion of no longer being under my father’s thumb is incredibly liberating. I should have done it a decade ago. Besides that, Serena and I never would have meshed. I need someone with more fire.
But I’ll wait to tell her that later. Right now, I’m focused on how her soft fingers pump me, gradually increasing in speed, all my senses heightening as a rush of adrenaline courses through me.
“I didn’t think it was possible to feel this much toward another person,” she murmurs, leaning in close to press gentle kisses to my neck. “To have it… consume you.”
That’s what she does to me. My hands shape themselves over her backside, drawing her dress up, wanting her, but she shoos me away with her free hand.
“I can’t wrinkle this dress. I still need to look presentable later.”
“But I need to touch you.”
“How about I touch you more instead?” she whispers, kneeling down, carefully making sure the bottom of her dress stays in place, face eye level with my dick.
“Mackenzie,” I breathe as she slowly feeds my length in her mouth, warm and willing. “I wanted to get you off.”
She makes a noise of dismissal, freeing me just long enough to say, “It’s my turn.”
I make the mistake of glancing down, curls beginning to escape her updo, tendrils dancing round her head as she bobs up and down, her pretty pink lips wrapped tight around my cock. My hand drifts down to cup her cheek and she leans into my touch, looking up at me, her hazel eyes warm with love, the emotion so obvious now it’s a wonder I didn’t see it before.
A shiver races through me, electric with anticipation, and she seems to instinctively know, swirling her tongue around the head, bringing her hands up to grip my ass, pushing me further into her mouth.
“Oh, fuck.” My hips pump, unable to help myself, and she makes an mmm sound in the back of her throat, the vibrations spurring me on.
“I’ve imagined this so many times.” The words spill out of me, unable to hold it in. “But it was never as good as this.”
She releases me for just a moment to tell me, “The night we touched ourselves, I wanted so bad to lean over and suck you off. You were so sexy. And now I finally get to do it.”
I’m sweating, my hands reaching out to either side of me to grip the storage shelf, bracing myself as she continues her attentions. Under normal circumstances, I’d do everything in my power to hold myself at bay, draw the experience out, but we can’t be in this closet forever. For one, anyone could bust that flimsy lock if they really wanted to. And two, she has to return out there soon. She’s the wedding planner after all, despite the groom switching shenanigans.
My hips jut forward as I let myself go, spilling into her, my back bowing with the force of it. There’s something incredibly satisfying about watching her swallow me down, her expression one of pleasure. I’ve never been the kind of guy to feel a sense of possession over a woman, but the only thought running through my head right now is that she’s mine. This amazing, talented, gorgeous woman is mine. Not just for tonight. Not till the next thing sets us back. This is forever. I’m not letting anything get in our way again.
No matter what happens.
She releases me and I take a moment to calm my breathing before dropping to my knees to take her mouth in a drawn out kiss, tasting myself on her, that possession filling me once more. “You’re incredible,” I murmur, smoothing my hands down her back, heedful of keeping t
he fabric of her dress wrinkle-free.
She shakes her head. “I’m really not. I… There’s all this guilt inside me.”
“Over what?”
“Rejecting you yesterday,” she whispers, pressing the flat of her palms against her stomach, like the guilt is physically inside her. “It’s not that I wanted to-”
“Mackenzie.” I cup her cheeks, cutting her off. “I promise you, I don’t hold anything against you. We’ve had the odds stacked against us from the beginning, but I’m willing to push past all that. Are you?”
She nods frantically, eyes wide.
“Then there’s nothing to worry about.” I give in to the urge to lean forward and kiss her again. “We’re together now, with a clean slate on both our parts. And if any problems arise, we’ll figure them out. Together.”
“Okay.” She breaks out in a broad grin, nodding happily. “Okay.”
I help her up off the floor, my body languid and loose after my release, relaxed for the first time since she was last in my bed.
“I have to get back out there,” she murmurs. “They’re probably wondering where I am.”
And I’m sure Dad is looking for me. “You leave first and I’ll wait a few minutes to exit. And…” I take her hand, not wanting her to think in any way I’m ashamed of her, but I don’t quite know how to word this. “We probably shouldn’t mention-”
“Oh, definitely not,” she agrees. “We need to come up with a game plan.”
I breathe a sigh of relief, glad she understands. “Exactly.” I bring her hand up to my lips, kissing it softly. “Can I see you later?”
“I’m counting on it.”
The door snicks shut behind her, my mind already on running back to my apartment and grabbing the most essential things. I have no doubt Dad will make good on his threat to evict me. It’s his building after all. The only thing I’m unsure of is how much time he’ll give me to leave. I wouldn’t put it past him to have the locks changed tonight.
At this point, though, I don’t care. I honestly don’t. He can take away whatever he wants from me. But he can’t touch what truly matters - this connection with Mackenzie. The love that’s grown between us.
Resisting the Billionaire Page 22
