Needing Happily Ever After

by Elena Aitken

  “And what are you feeling?”

  He took her free hand in hers. “I’m feeling like, as fucked up as this situation is, it feels right. And that feels good. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  She couldn’t disagree. Everything they did the night before felt good. Very good. And being with Damon always felt right. After a moment, she nodded. “But we’re getting married today.”

  Saying those words out loud made it all the more real and her spine stiffened with the reality of it all.

  “We are.”

  “That doesn’t freak you out?” She stared at him. “I mean, for all different reasons than it might have a few days ago.”

  He laughed a little. “I’m not going to lie because of course it freaks me out. But after last night…” She blushed again and he winked. “It all feels a little bit more…real.”

  She nodded. Real. Yes. It felt real.

  He must have seen the uncertainty in her eyes, because Damon’s face filled with concern and he shifted closer to her on the bed. “You’re okay with all this still?”

  Still? Ever? Now?

  So many things ran through her head, but as real as the wedding suddenly seemed, that wasn’t a bad thing. “I am okay with it,” she answered honestly. “What happened last night, it…it was great and maybe it was all just meant to be.” She couldn’t help but laugh at herself. “I’m not usually so spiritual.” She held her fingers up in air quotes. “But…well… yes. For all kinds of reasons. Let’s do it. Let’s get married.”

  Chapter Eleven

  It was a perfect summer day. There wasn’t a cloud to be seen and the blue sky was the perfect backdrop for their nuptials. Damon took a breath and turned to look over the valley below, letting the view he loved so much fill him and bring him calm before he turned around again to look at the small gathering of family members who had collected on the decks of ElkView.

  He made eye contact with Debbie, who smiled before dabbing her eyes with a tissue. His own father had a small satisfied smile on his face, as if he were pleased with himself for getting exactly what he wanted. And maybe he had. Damon was finally meeting one of his expectations and getting married. The usual aggravation that Damon would feel toward his father, just thinking about him getting what he wanted, didn’t materialize. He shifted his gaze toward the cottage, where he knew Katie was getting ready to join him.

  The only thing he was feeling was calm. Even the stress and tension of the last few days had vanished after the night he’d shared with Katie. He’d been a little worried about how she would react after the fact, but when she’d told him that it all felt right, he couldn’t have agreed more. It might be a little ridiculous really, but Damon couldn’t help but feel like maybe everything happened for a reason, and he and Katie were actually meant to be together.

  It was crazy, but hey…crazier things had happened. And maybe, after all of this, there would be no reason to have the marriage annulled and they could just—

  The music began as the door to the cottage opened and then…there she was.

  She was stunning. Damon’s breath caught in his throat.

  Katie wore a simple, fitted dress that showed off every single one of the curves he’d had his hands all over only hours earlier. She was sexy and innocent, all at the same time. But most important was that she was walking directly toward him, her pretty pink lips curved up into the slightest smile as her eyes locked on his.

  Logan held tightly to his sister’s arm, but Katie didn’t need any guidance as they made their way across the patio toward him. Finally, when brother and sister were standing in front of him, Damon looked away from his bride long enough to shake Logan’s hand and thank him. But then when he turned and took her hands in his, he once again only had eyes for her.

  Vaguely, Damon registered the justice of the peace, who was talking about love and commitment next to him. He saw Katie nod once or twice, and then it was time to exchange vows, which in their case, because they had decided to keep things as simple as possible, meant repeating after the officiant and finally saying, “I do” before she declared them husband and wife and let him kiss his new wife.

  The kiss was probably not family appropriate, but Damon didn’t care because more than anything, it had become crucially important to wrap his arms around his beautiful bride and kiss her senseless so that there was absolutely no mistaking how he felt about her. Not to anyone.

  When he was finally able to pull himself away from her, Katie took his hand in hers and together they walked over to the table where they signed the marriage license and Faith handed them each a glass of champagne.

  “Nicely done,” she said. “Congratulations, you two.”

  “Thank you for all your work on this, Faith. I know a wedding in only a few days isn’t an easy request.”

  She shrugged. “This was nothing. You guys made it extra easy on me. Now if you’d wanted a big blow-out with all the fancies…that might have been a little bit more.”

  Next to him, Damon thought he heard Katie sigh. He squeezed her hand and bent to whisper in her ear. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded but her smile told him the truth. She was fine.

  “You look absolutely gorgeous,” he said and she smiled wider. “That dress is amazing. But as much as I like it, I’m going to like it a whole lot more on the floor when I rip it off you later.”

  Katie turned a sexy shade of pink, her blush reaching all the way down her deliciously exposed cleavage. But she didn’t have a chance to respond to his comment because their parents chose that moment to join them in a toast.

  “It was a beautiful ceremony.” Debbie pulled her daughter into a hug. “And you look absolutely stunning, sweetie.”

  “I was just telling her that.”

  Katie’s blush deepened and she shot him a look but she focused on her mom. “Thank you, Mom. I appreciate all your help.”

  “Of course.”

  Katie turned next to his father. “And Mr. Banks, thank you so much for your support. And for letting us use ElkView for the ceremony. It was just perfect.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and Damon watched his father react to the attention. The smile that crossed the old man’s face lit him up in a way that Damon couldn’t remember seeing since his mother was alive.

  “I couldn’t be happier for the two of you,” Anthony said. “And knowing that the two of you are going to live right here and make ElkView your home, well, it couldn’t be more perfect.”

  “You are?” Debbie asked. “I don’t know why, but I guess I thought you might live…well, I don’t know. But I hadn’t thought of ElkView.”

  “Of course, ElkView.” His father turned to face Debbie. “And it worked out so perfectly since I wasn’t willing to sell it to a single person. I wanted a family to buy the place ideally, but for Katie and Damon, well, I made the exception that the sale could go to a married couple.”

  Anyone else might have missed Debbie Langdon’s reaction to his father’s words, but Damon didn’t, and he knew Katie hadn’t either. She paused, her champagne glass almost at her lips, and she slowly put it down before looking first to Katie, then to Damon, and then finally to Anthony. “I didn’t realize there was any kind of stipulation on the sale of ElkView.”

  Katie squeezed Damon’s hand in warning, a signal he got loud and clear.

  “It was just a formality.” He jumped in before his father could answer. “And it worked out perfectly as far as timing went for the two of us.”

  Next to him, Katie beamed. “Sometimes things just work out perfectly, don’t they?”

  Debbie took a long sip of her champagne before looking pointedly at her daughter. “Don’t they, though.”

  Maybe it was the champagne that had gone to her head. Or maybe she’d just gotten too wrapped up in everything. Or maybe it was because she was having genuine feelings for Damon. But whatever it was, Katie found herself genuinely enjoying her wedding celebrations. If she’d been able to plan it properly—or, of course, if it had
been real—then maybe she would have wanted something a little bit bigger with all of her friends and some dancing. But she was still having fun, and everything had gone off perfectly. Katie couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate a wedding.

  Unless, of course, it was real.

  She’d forced herself to stop thinking of it any other way and by the time the guests dispersed and Katie and Damon were finally alone back in their cottage, she’d almost started to believe it could be real. After all, why not? She could think of a lot of worse things than being married to Damon for real. Especially considering the sex was…

  “Well, that went well,” Damon said the moment they were alone.

  “Did you think it wouldn’t go well?”

  Damon crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. “Not even for one moment.” He kissed her then and she melted into it. “Have I told you lately how stunning you look today?”

  “Not in the last few minutes.” She giggled and he kissed her again.

  “You do look amazing, Mrs. Banks.”

  Mrs. Banks? She pulled back and stared at him. “That sounds…”

  “Good?”

  She shook her head a little. “Not bad…”

  “It does seem a little strange, doesn’t it?” He released her and moved to the kitchen. “Wine? Or…”

  “Just water for me. I think I need to clear my head a little.”

  Damon nodded and opened the fridge, pulling out two bottles of sparkling water. Katie watched as he poured them into glasses and rejoined her. She took the glass gratefully and drank deeply.

  “Is it really that crazy?” he asked when she’d put her glass down.

  “What?”

  “You…me…” He gestured between them. “Being married…”

  What. Was. He. Saying?

  Katie forced herself to stay calm because she felt anything but.

  “I mean, I can’t think of anyone else I care about more than you,” Damon continued.

  She nodded in agreement. Besides her family, Damon was the most important person in her life.

  “And we get along so well.”

  She nodded again.

  “And the sex…” Damon shook his head. “Damn.”

  “Damn indeed.”

  “So, is it really that crazy?”

  “To be married?” She tried to keep her voice light. “I hope not, because we are.” She turned around so he wouldn’t be able to see her face. No doubt she had a wild expression that was somewhere between joy and disbelief. She’d never really thought about being actually married to Damon, but now that it was happening, she had to agree with him…was it really that crazy? No.

  Damon wrapped his arm around her and spun her to face him. “So let’s say we don’t worry about the annulment for a while.”

  “Really?”

  He grinned. “I mean, it certainly seems like a shame to waste such a perfectly good marriage when we enjoy each other so much. And I think we could be really good together.”

  She couldn’t disagree. Especially when he lowered his mouth to her neck and started kissing her right below her ear before moving his attentions down to the neckline of her gown.

  “It really does seem like a shame…” Her words trailed off into a groan.

  “So we’re agreed then?” He spoke between kisses.

  She nodded, unable to form words when the sensations he was stirring up inside her were so intense.

  “Good.” Damon ran his hands down her body until he knelt on the floor in front of her, the long hem of her dress gathered in his hands.

  “Damon?” She tried to step backward, but came up against the living room wall. “What are you doing?”

  His eyes danced with mischief. “I was going to give my new wife a little gift.” He reached up under her dress with one hand and tugged at her lace panties, pulling them down. She lifted her feet reflexively, so he could take them off. “I mean,” he continued, his eyes never leaving hers, “it’s kind of a gift for me, too.”

  Katie’s mind raced. What was he doing? She didn’t do that. Or…she’d never done that. She’d never let anyone…not that there had been a lot of men. Only one really, and Jeremy had never… She shook her head. “No. I don’t think—”

  “Katie.” He stopped her. “It’s okay.” He looked so confident, so sure of what he was doing. But… “Stop thinking, Katie. Really.” Before she could object again, he added, “Hold this, please.” He pressed the gathered-up fabric of her dress into her hands and with her panties gone, she was exposed to him.

  Her body shivered, but she wasn’t cold. Far from it. Damon grinned like a cat who’d just swallowed the canary and bent forward to kiss her between the legs. But before he could, she stiffened and he stopped.

  “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I just…I don’t know…I—”

  “Katie.” He got to his feet and stood directly in front of her. He cupped her cheek with one hand, his other on her waist protectively. She could feel his warm breath on her face as he spoke. “Do you trust me?”

  Without hesitation, she nodded. “Of course.”

  His smile was slow and sexy as it crossed his face. “Then you need to trust me now, okay?”

  Damon waited for her answer and when she finally bit her bottom lip and nodded, he kissed her quickly on the lips and once more got to his knees in front of her.

  It was insane for Damon to think that Katie had never been kissed in such an intimate way before. How could any man be with her, and not want to taste how deliciously sweet she was most certainly going to be? The thought boggled, but at the same time, the idea of her being with anybody but him made him a little crazy. So as soon as the image came into his head, he pushed it away so he could focus on the task at hand.

  And what a task it was.

  With one hand holding the thin cotton of her dress out of the way, he sat for a moment and admired the beauty of her. But only for a moment, before he leaned forward and with more restraint than he thought possible, kissed his new wife softly in her sensitive center.

  She let out a low moan in response and her knees quivered just slightly.

  Oh, I’ll make them weak, baby.

  Encouraged, he kissed her again, only this time he ran his tongue down her seam and she cried out.

  Damn. To hell with restraint.

  He began licking and kissing her most sensitive spot in earnest. She tasted so incredibly sweet and her response was absolutely perfect. The noises coming from above as she tried, and failed, to control herself only excited him more. He’d been looking forward to this moment all afternoon, imagining how it would be to have his mouth on her, his tongue inside her, driving her higher and higher until finally—

  “Oh my God, Damon!”

  Katie’s body shuddered and her knees threatened to collapse as he focused his attentions, driving her further and further to the point of no return, until finally it was there and her orgasm hit her.

  She cried out and after a moment, Damon sat back on his heels to look up at her face. Her eyes were squeezed shut and he found himself wishing he could see them, and the way they darkened when she was consumed with pleasure.

  He waited, and after a moment, her eyelids fluttered open and she looked down to where he sat.

  “Um…I…”

  “You don’t have to say anything.” He grinned and got to his feet so he could pull her close. She nuzzled her face into his neck and Damon breathed in the scent of her. He held her until finally she came back down to earth and pulled away just enough to look up at him.

  “That was…” She shook her head with a smile. “Pretty freaking amazing.”

  “I can’t believe you’ve never…damn, those men weren’t worthy of you, Katie.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

  “Not those men. Just one.”

  Damon stiffened. They’d never had the how many partners have you had talk. Even as best friends, that was one area they never discussed and Damon knew exactly why. Jealousy. H
e hated to admit it, but it was true. He’d been jealous of Jeremy when they were kids, and now…it was him again. The only other man who’d had the honor of laying his hands on Katie. And even though he had absolutely no right to it, the idea of that consumed Damon with jealousy.

  He forced himself to take a deep breath and focused on the exhale before he said, “Well, he’s a fucking idiot.” Before she could respond, he added, “But that doesn’t matter anymore.”

  And it didn’t. He needed to remember that. She was his wife. Not Jeremy’s. She’d said yes to him. Even if it hadn’t been real at first, it was real now. At least it would be real. It could be. And the fact that they were on the same page together made him genuinely happy.

  He ran a hand down her back and held her a little closer. “Today was perfect. Wasn’t it?”

  “It was beautiful.”

  They moved to the couch with their glasses of sparkling water. Damon couldn’t wait to get her into their bed, but there would be plenty of time for that. And plenty of time for him to introduce her to all kinds of pleasure.

  “I really am sorry if it wasn’t the type of wedding that you’ve always dreamed of.”

  Katie tucked her legs up under her on the couch. She had such a beautiful post-pleasure glow about her, it made her even more gorgeous. “I meant it when I said it was beautiful.”

  “But…”

  She grinned. He knew her too well. “But,” she looked at him pointedly, “I think if there had been different circumstances, I would have liked a big dance and all our friends and family.”

  “Really? A big white wedding?” He sat back and crossed one leg over the other. “I don’t know if I would have guessed that.”

  “I’m full of surprises, Banks. Just you wait.”

  They both laughed but after a moment, her laughter faded. “Do you think my mom…well, did you see her face?”

  He had, of course, but had been hoping that Katie didn’t notice. “I’m sure she just thinks it’s a coincidence that we got married at the same time as the house sale.”

  “I hope so. I would hate her to think…well…”