Her already pouty lips jutted out further, making her look unbearably sexy. “Let’s not take any chances with this particular tradition. Honestly, I can’t believe you even care. I assumed you’d just as well see me trot down the aisle stark naked.”
“Is that an option?” The image was certainly appealing. He ran his hand along the curve of her thigh, unable to keep from touching her.
Justine raised her eyebrows and batted her lashes. She tossed her head just enough to make her flaxen hair swish behind her shoulders, her trademark move which never failed to enthrall him. “You’ll have to wait and find out.”
“I think churches generally frown on that sort of thing.”
“That’s true. But you know I enjoy a good fashion risk.”
He inched closer, the citrusy scent of her perfume luring him to her. Could any woman be more intoxicating? “You could give me a preview here. If you don’t think it would be bad luck.”
“Being naked with you is never bad.” The purr of her voice was more than he could resist.
His mouth descended onto hers and she responded, as always, with passion so white hot it blocked out all other thought. Her lips, her tongue, her fingertips—every part of her stirred him into a frenzy. He couldn’t get enough of her.
He didn’t remember removing her clothes or his own but he could still feel the sensations. Her skin on his. The satiny fabrics slipping beneath them as they moved together, in perfect synch. Sex with Justine was nothing short of amazing. Intense. Explosive. Beyond anything he could have imagined.
***
The music paused then the harpist played the first notes of Pachelbel’s Canon and the entire congregation rose to their feet. Daniel’s eyes were drawn to the arched doorway at the far end of the aisle. Justine appeared, hand delicately placed on her father’s sturdy arm. Everything slowed. Time. His breathing. He could hear his mother’s voice in his mind. “Find someone to share your life with. Promise me.”
Daniel’s heart hammered. This is it. Justine appeared to glide down the aisle toward him, her normally graceful movements even more so. She was a vision. White satin molded around her every curve, as if she were a Greek statue come to life. He’d been expecting a veil to cover her face, but instead a single piece off sheer fabric cascaded down her back, secured to the top of her head with a ring of shimmering crystals. Even from a distance he could see her clear blue eyes shining, locked on his.
She arrived before him and a tremor ran through him. This is real.
The minister spoke, his voice startling Daniel. “Who gives this woman’s hand in marriage?”
Justine’s father cleared his throat. “Her mother and I do,” he said, with more emotion in his voice than Daniel would have imagined he was capable. He kissed Justine on her perfectly smooth cheek, gave Daniel a nod and took his seat beside his wife.
The service continued but Daniel was only vaguely aware of the words being spoken. He could hear the stanzas of Elizabeth Barrett Browning being read, but the lines swirled together, mingled with memories and blurred by Justine’s beauty. He took in all of her, as if trying to memorize every detail. The curve of her cheekbones, the swell of her lips, the gentle arch of her neck, the contours of her breasts. Each bit of her more mesmerizing than the last. She was flawless. And she was about to become his wife.
The thought still made his stomach flutter. Wife. He’d promised his mum that he’d find someone and he had. His throat tightened as once again he wished she could know that even though he was thousands of miles away from his childhood home, he was living his life as she’d hoped. That he was happy. That even if everything was completely different from what he’d grown up with, even if he didn’t entirely fit into the so called American dream, he had found a new home and he’d no longer be alone.
“Repeat after me. I, Daniel, take thee Justine.”
He recited the vows, just as they’d rehearsed, scarcely able to hear his own voice over the incessant pounding of his heart.
The minister asked the final question. “Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?” Arnold’s words drifted into his mind. “Do you love her?”
A slow, expectant smile spread across Justine’s face and in that moment Daniel felt as if he could see their future. The wedding night. The honeymoon. A house. Children. Grandchildren. The family he’d always longed to have. “I do,” Daniel said, answering both questions. And that’s all I need.
***
Daniel and Justine’s story continues in Meant To Be, available now from Turquoise Morning Press!
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karen Stivali is a prolific writer, compulsive baker and chocoholic with a penchant for books, movies and fictional British men. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking extravagant meals and serving them to family and friends, who never seem to mind the excessive quantities she tends to prepare. She attributes her ability to multitask to the fact that she rarely sleeps, which gives her more hours every day. Prior to deciding to write full time Karen worked as a hand drawn animator, a clinical therapist, and held various food-related jobs ranging from waitress to specialty cake maker. Planning elaborate parties and fundraisers takes up what's left of her time and sanity.
Karen has always been fascinated by the way people relate to one another so she favors books and movies that feature richly detailed characters and their relationships. In her own writing she likes to explore the dynamics between characters and has a tendency to craft romantic tales filled with sarcasm and sexy details. Although she writes in three genres (erotic romance, contemporary romance and women's fiction) all of her stories are love stories with happily ever after endings.
Karen has published several erotic romance novels with Ellora's Cave including two award-winning stories: Always You (published September 2011, First Place Winner of the RWA Passionate Plume Award - 2012) and Marry Me (published June 2012, First Place Winner in the NEC-RWA Bean Pot Reader's Choice Award - 2013).
Her works of women's fiction, Meant To Be, and its sequel, Holding On, (published by Turquoise Morning Press in August and November 2012, respectively) both made the Best of 2012 list at Literati Literature Lovers.
To learn more about Karen you can visit her website karenstivali.com where she blogs original recipes, sassy commentary on The Bachelor, and tidbits about her journey in the writing world. Karen can also be found attempting witty banter on Twitter @karenstivali.
***
THE MEANT TO BE SERIES
All I Need
Meant To Be
“White Wedding” in The Wedding Day Collection
Holding On
Just In Time (2014)
ALSO BY KAREN STIVALI
Leave the Lights On
Decadence
Then, Again
Long Distance Lovers
Marry me
Always You
“Hard at Work” in Felt Tips: Office-Supply Erotica
***
ALL I NEED. Copyright © 2013 Karen Stivali. All rights reserved.
Published worldwide by Karen Stivali. Previously published in the Foreign Affairs anthology. First standalone ebook edition published September 2013.
Cover design and layout by Andrew Shaffer. Cover photo by Pete Saloutos, licensed from photos.com.
All I Need Page 3
