by Nadia Lee
The helicopter was much quieter than Vanessa had expected, better soundproofed even than her father’s helicopter.
The sound system played Wagner’s “Here Comes the Bride” as they flew over the falls. The dark water churned and foamed underneath. Water drops spread out in a white mist and split the sun into rainbow arcs.
After some time to appreciate the scenery, the music faded and Aaron started the ceremony. His voice was surprisingly resonant and carried clearly over the muffled sound of the blades chopping the air. He didn’t drag out the ceremony with a flowery speech about true love and commitment, which relieved Vanessa—this had nothing to do with love—but he didn’t seem to rush things, either.
As a hammer beat inside her head, she focused on the majestic natural surroundings and drawing air into her lungs in a steady rhythm. This isn’t permanent. It was just for the baby. She wasn’t like her mother. She didn’t need a husband to afford a decent lifestyle. She could opt out at any time and still create an excellent life for herself and her baby.
There was simply no reason to worry about the marriage or her future.
She blinked when Justin poked her gently on the side. She glanced at the minister and blushed. “I do,” she said, hoping that was the right answer.
He beamed at her and moved on to the next part of the ceremony.
Relieved, she let out a soft sigh and slumped in her seat until the minister ordered them to exchange rings. He held a pair of simple platinum bands.
Her hands grew clammy and started shaking.
Justin squeezed them and kept his eyes on hers. “I give you this ring as a symbol of my commitment to you. Know that from now on, all that I am, all that I have are yours.” He slid the band on her finger. “Wear it with happiness and think of my vow to you.”
Her mouth dried. She hadn’t prepared a vow. She’d been so busy working and trying not to think about their elopement. One would think she should be able to extemporaneously come up with something clever, given her experience and education. She was one of the best lawyers in the state!
But the only thing her hormone-addled and sleep-deprived brain could come up with was, “With this ring, I thee wed.” So she murmured the six words and put the ring on his finger.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
The joyous tune of Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” burst from the helicopter’s sound system. Aaron and the lawyers clapped, while the photographer snapped more shots.
Justin linked their left hands together and kissed her. Her mouth parted like it couldn’t wait. Maybe it was something in the state of her mind that made her want to cling to him. What had just happened felt like a scene from some surrealist’s imagination, and Justin was the only thing that felt normal and sane in a world where the clocks were melting.
Before she could prolong and deepen the kiss, Justin pulled back. A bemused smile ghosted on his face. “Wife.”
Because it was the right thing to say, she murmured, “Husband.”
Her stomach jittered, and she managed to smile while locking her jaw. Even if it wasn’t something she’d ever wanted, she wasn’t going to throw up at her wedding ceremony.
* * *
“Is there anything else planned for the evening?” Vanessa asked, as their limo glided toward their hotel.
Justin nodded. “We have a dinner reservation.”
“Okay.”
He frowned. She seemed listless and her voice lacked its usual vigor. On the other hand, she hadn’t been herself all day. She’d been so tense, her skin cool and clammy. He’d chalked it up to her uncertainty about their marriage. But now it seemed like it was more. When Vanessa sighed, Justin looked at her more closely in the dying light. Tension marked her lips, and her eyes seemed to have sunken deeper into her skull. There was something wilted about the way she slumped in the seat and let her head loll.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Besides, I have to eat. Right?” She patted her belly.
Justin cursed himself. Knowing her, she’d probably half-killed herself to finish up all her work to take the day off. A lot of people thought she wouldn’t take her career seriously, given how wealthy her family was and the big trust that she inherited when she’d graduated from college, but she worked harder than anyone he knew.
“We can always get room service,” he said. “It’s no big deal.”
Relief flashed through her eyes. “You don’t mind?”
“Nope. We can go next time. Let me cancel it.” He texted his assistant, telling her to cancel everything booked after the wedding ceremony.
“Thank you.”
“You’re my wife. You come first.”
She nodded, but she broke eye contact. Her face seemed frozen in disbelief and wistful resignation. She was probably preoccupied with all sorts of thoughts, most likely about what this marriage meant to the two of them, what sort of family they would create together. With the Sterlings, it was Barron at the center of all sorts of rollercoaster dramas. He could be delicate when he had to, but in general he had the finesse of a bull in Pamplona. With the Pryces, it was Salazar, Ceinlys and Dane, the oldest of Vanessa’s four brothers. Salazar had cheated on his wife ever since Justin could remember. Because of the prenup, Salazar had been brazen about his other women. Justin was certain Ceinlys had had her share of lovers. He’d heard hushed whispers, and he didn’t blame her one bit for wanting some affection while her husband flaunted his mistresses.
Justin wondered what it would’ve been like to grow up with parents like that. His parents certainly hadn’t been perfect, but they’d been deeply committed to each other. His father would’ve considered it dishonorable to break his wedding vows.
The limo pulled up in front of their hotel, and a smartly uniformed man opened the door. Justin climbed out and extended his hand, helping Vanessa out. She swayed a bit on her feet. “Sure you’re okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine.” She gave him a wan smile. “Just hungry.”
Justin nodded and took her to their suite, keeping a hand at the small of her back. She seemed more fragile, like she’d lost weight. “Are you having morning sickness?” he asked when they were in their suite.
“No. I can’t eat a lot, but I’m not nauseous or anything.” She sat on the love seat, her whole body sagging in relief. She stretched out her legs. “What are you in the mood for?”
“I’m pretty simple. Meat and potatoes should do it. How about you?”
“Maybe…some lightly prepared fish, if they have any? Nothing too heavy.”
Justin picked up the room service menu and glanced at it. They had salmon in a tarragon cream sauce, but it was probably not what she wanted. He didn’t know if the kitchen had anybody who could make decent seafood. Vanessa was undoubtedly spoiled by her brother’s chefs. He dialed and placed their order, instructing them to prepare Vanessa’s fish lightly without the cream sauce. He added an order for extra bread and hung up.
“That was a pretty picky order.”
He sat next to her. “So? It’s their job to make you happy.”
Wordlessly, she rested her head on his shoulder, and he put an arm around her. Peace settled over him. He’d been on the edge ever since Vanessa had left Chicago the week before. Even though she’d agreed to the marriage, he hadn’t been completely sure she’d show up on Friday. Over the ten years they’d spent together, she’d been fickle in her affections, changing her mind frequently about their relationship.
But now she was officially his.
* * *
Some time later their room service arrived. Justin got up to sign for it, and Vanessa sighed, missing him next to her. The server disappeared, and she moved over to the table to have dinner. She wasn’t that hungry, but she knew she had to eat for the sake of the baby growing in her womb.
The table was beautifully set with two red roses in the center. She picked one up and inhaled. It smelled fr
esh and dewy.
Then she suddenly stopped, feeling Justin’s gaze on her. She raised an eyebrow, but he merely gave her a devilish smile.
They sat at the table. Justin had ordered a steak for himself. He looked at her salmon and asked, “Let me know if you don’t like it.”
She took a bite of the firm orange flesh. It was moist…and perfectly seasoned and prepared. “Mm. Good.” She smiled, her fingers toying with a glass of mineral water. “It’s so weird to eat without any wine.” Unless she was working, she always had a glass of wine. “You should’ve ordered some champagne.”
“Let’s wait until the baby’s born. Then we can enjoy it together.”
Her smile faltered. It seemed unreal, both to think about the baby’s birth and the idea that Justin would be with her till then, and that he would want to drink champagne with her. That was a long time to be committed to a woman. She’d seen some associates at her firm who’d gotten huge during pregnancy. Would he still find her attractive? Or would he want somebody who didn’t waddle?
If one of her friends had been having the kind of doubts she was having, she would’ve told her that any man who didn’t worship the body of the woman who was pregnant with his child was a worthless jackass. But she couldn’t seem to muster the same certainty for herself. What a hypocrite, she thought.
She made a mental note to talk with Mark’s fiancée, Hilary Rosenberg. Out of all the women close to her, Hilary was the one who would know what Vanessa was going through the best.
“So. Living arrangements,” Vanessa said as she broke off a decent-sized chunk of fish with her fork. “Where do you exactly plan to live in L.A.? Have you found a rental?”
“Nope. I plan to stay at your place.”
“Justin… People are going to notice and talk.”
“I doubt it. I checked out your building already. It’s mostly occupied by young professionals. Lawyers, doctors, consultants and so on.”
“You checked it out.” She had an image of him lying on the roof of the building across the street, with a telephoto lens and access to a private detective. “Okay, so what if you did?”
“When was the last time any of your neighbors said hello to you?”
She thought back. “I don’t know. Maybe a few days ago when I ran into Sarah?”
“Uh huh. And how often do you run into someone?”
“Not that often,” she admitted. Being a young professional meant long hours. When she’d moved in, probably half a month had gone by before she’d met anyone in the building.
“Right. So, no real issue. And if anybody sees me at the airport or anything, they’ll just assume I’m in L.A. on business. But I doubt it’ll be a problem. L.A. isn’t interested in me. Too preoccupied with Hollywood.”
That was true enough. The media had better stories to chase.
“Don’t look so serious. Besides, if you want a pregnancy buddy—do women have those?—you can always ping Kerri. She’s expecting, too.”
“Really? I had no idea.” Vanessa had been to Kerri’s wedding at Barron’s invitation. The Sterlings were family friends, but she’d never been overly close to Barron’s granddaughter. They lived too far apart, and Kerri had been out of the country for most of her life. But now they were cousins by marriage.
“Barron told me last week. You two are at about the same stage, too. I think she’s six or seven weeks along now. If her kid’s anything like her, it’s going to drive her insane.” He smiled as he dragged his knife through the meat. “Don’t worry. I was a complete angel.”
“That remains to be seen.” Vanessa ripped a small piece of bread. “Do you ever think about your future, like ten years down the road?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?” She’d assumed he thought about his future all the time. He was one of the few who had everything he could hope for. Why not think about it?
“Because nobody knows what’s going to happen ten years from now. But I don’t let the uncertain future take away the certain happiness of today.”
And that inexplicably touched her. The day had been beautiful, thanks to Justin. He’d done so much to make it special even though they were eloping on short notice. It embarrassed her she hadn’t prepared anything. She couldn’t even blame her work since Justin was just as busy as she was.
After they finished dinner, Justin led her over and opened the door to the adjoining bedroom. Vanessa gasped at the scented candles flickering everywhere in the room. They cast a romantic glow, and she felt herself start to melt. “You’ve thought of everything.”
He hugged her from behind. “It’s our wedding night. I wanted it to be special.”
“It’s already special.” She blinked away the sudden moisture gathering in her eyes. She didn’t know why she felt so weepy all of a sudden. This was such a sweet gesture.
If you’re not careful, you’re going to fall in love with him.
And she didn’t want that at all. Nothing was more seductive and dangerous than the belief that love conquered all. The reality was that love could lose out to an awful lot of quotidian circumstances. Couples broke up over money, although she knew money wouldn’t be an issue in their marriage. But there would be other things. There were always other things.
Justin buried his face in the crook of her neck. “You smell like heaven. I can’t believe you’re finally mine.”
Her heart thumped. She swallowed and turned around. She wasn’t the only one who “belonged” now. He was hers.
She thought about the effort he’d put into making the day as perfect as possible for her. She couldn’t be like him and only focus on the happiness of the present, but she didn’t have to let the worries about their future ruin the moment. The least she could do was appreciate it and make the night as memorable as possible for both of them.
She put a hand to his cheek; the stubble scraped her skin. Cradling the back of his head, she pulled him down for a kiss.
His firm, sexy mouth slanted over hers. She swallowed a gasp at the possessive way his large hand traveled under her skirt and cupped her butt. It certainly wasn’t the first time they’d made love—they were intimately familiar with each other’s bodies—but this was the first time she felt like he was really making his stake clear.
A small knot of fear unfurled.
His tongue ran over the seam of her mouth, skittering her anxiety, then it probed gently, seeking an entry. Grateful he was pushing away her doubts, she pulled it into her mouth and rubbed her tongue against it, sucking it. She could feel the beginning of a moan vibrate in his chest, and her nipples beaded almost painfully. They were ultra-sensitive now that she was pregnant.
He unzipped her dress. His eyes filled with glittering desire and reverence as the silk whispered down her body, revealing creamy skin. The bra and thong she wore were bridal white, delicate with lace. She flushed, suddenly shy. This was…different from all the previous times. This was a step toward their entwined lives.
“You look divine,” he murmured. His lips traced every slope and curve of her exposed body, and warmth pooled in her core, making her slick and needy.
His eyes on hers, he took off his clothes. He was gorgeous, his sculpted, powerful chest dusted with crisp hair that followed his tight, ridged belly to the junction of his muscular thighs. Vanessa licked her lips. Again, this felt different—like this was their first time.
He deposited her on the bed and covered her body with his. Their hands linked, and he kissed her again, deeply and hungrily. She kissed him back, unable to help herself. His hard, thick length settled against her wet folds, and as he rocked, his chest brushed against the pointed peaks of her nipples, sending electric shocks of pleasure along her spine.
Their breaths mingled, and she was unable to look away as he slipped inside her, filling and stretching her. Her inner muscles clamped down on him, needing more. Despite his hungry kiss earlier, his thrusts were measured and steady, as though he knew exactly what to do to drive her insane. Pleasure built,
at first slowly and steadily, but then it seemed to gain a momentum of its own, growing bigger, faster…all consuming.
The pleasure was drowning her, but unlike before, she couldn’t break free, keep control of any part of herself. It was Justin—his scent, his sound, his warmth, the knowledge of his vow—that pulled her deeper and deeper. Even as the orgasm shot through her with a blinding intensity, she drowned in him.
And when he joined her, his voice hoarse as he cried out, they drowned together, their limbs tangled. And she was afraid she might never reemerge.
Chapter Nine
Vanessa opened her eyes. The room was dark but warm, and she was alone in bed. Had the wedding been a dream? No. She was in a hotel room, and her body was pleasantly sore from loving the night before.
She turned and saw a bedside clock glow: ten thirty-three. She wondered briefly if it was p.m. still, then bolted upright and covered her mouth as nausea hit her. Clenching her teeth, she ran to the connecting bathroom. She managed to reach the toilet before she lost everything in her stomach.
Feeling wrought out and gross, she slumped. The toilet flushed, and a big hand rubbed her back.
She closed her eyes. Of all the things for Justin to witness. “Help me up.” Her legs felt like wet noodles.
He pulled her up easily, and led her to the sink as though he’d read her mind.
“Can I have a few minutes in private?” she asked.
“Sure. I’ll be right outside if you want anything.”
She nodded, but she wouldn’t be needing him again. There was nothing in her stomach now. Sighing she rubbed her face. She didn’t know why her body decided to start having morning sickness all of a sudden. Maybe it was the strange city and bed. Once she went home, she’d feel better.
After brushing her teeth, she took a quick shower. Morning sickness or no, the hot water cleared her head, and a good night’s sleep had put a lot of things into clearer perspective. She would talk with Hilary as soon as she could, but at the same time she wouldn’t be so gloomy about the marriage. What was done was done. Hadn’t she known that becoming pregnant with Justin’s child would bring about changes to her life? She couldn’t deny either Justin or the child a chance to bond with each other. They had the right, and she had a feeling Justin would be a good father.
