“I need you,” he growled, and nipped her earlobe.
She felt his words all the way through her body. She couldn’t get any words past her closed throat. The entire night had been about magic, and this was the perfect ending to it all.
All their clothes finally discarded, he lifted her into his arms and laid her on the bed. She instinctively tried to shield her naked body from his roving eyes, but he quickly joined her on the bed and drew her hands away.
He started caressing every sensitive part of her. His fingers skimmed over her satin skin, sending ripples of delight all through her. She became bolder in her need and her desire, and began running her fingers across his hardness.
She reached his hip and circled around to touch his arousal, then couldn’t stop her excited gasp from escaping. He was so ready for her, and so impressive. She didn’t know how the two of them would fit together, but she was more than willing to try.
“I won’t hurt you, I promise,” he told her, sensing her fear.
She couldn’t help but relax at his words and touch. He was being so gentle with her, how could she do anything but trust him.
He kissed her deeply, exploring the sweet recesses of her mouth, touching every satiny surface. When she was absolutely breathless from that kiss, he moved his head down her slim throat and nipped at her beating pulse. She brought her hands up, running her fingers through his hair, holding him against her body.
He moved over her breasts, swiping his tongue across her peaked nipples and then blowing warm air across those tender buds. She arched off the bed and groaned. She felt the wetness building in her core. She was done with foreplay, and she ground her hips against his. Her nervousness had vanished.
“Patience” was all he said as he continued traveling down her body.
She couldn’t protest, since what he was doing was melting her from the outside in.
He reached her thighs and spread them apart, something no other man had ever done. She wanted to hide from this intimate exposure, but he wouldn’t allow it. She was on display for him, and from the look in his eyes, he was enjoying what he saw.
“You are breathtaking,” he whispered before he brought his head down and nipped the sensitive skin on her stomach.
She stopped fighting him and simply enjoyed the sensations washing through her. He moved his lips further down, his tongue sliding against her hot flesh. When he inserted his finger into her tight core, she nearly shattered. It was too much. But he was relentless. He started moving faster, pressing his hands and mouth forward in a rhythm that quickly had her exploding in passion.
Her head fell back as wave after wave of intense pleasure washed through her. He slowed his movements and made sure she enjoyed every single second of the prolonged orgasm. After the final shudder passed through her body, he started moving upward once again. She felt so spent. She couldn’t possibly do anything further. She couldn’t even open her eyes.
And yet, when he gently nipped one of her hardened nipples, she was proved wrong. That gentle bite started to wake up her body once more. How could he pleasure her so well and then make her want even more?
He lavished attention on her breasts and then again took her mouth with his. He was no longer slow and gentle. He was fast and demanding and she was answering his call. The more feverish he became, the more she needed him to join them together.
He reached down and lifted her leg around his hip, pressing his generous arousal against her core, with just the tip teasing her there. She jerked her hips, no longer afraid of his size. She wanted him to finish what he’d started.
He continued to caress her mouth with his while his hand rubbed along her hip, and the smooth curve of her backside. His every touch sent shivers through her. She jerked her hips again, tired of waiting. Finally, he started to go in inch by amazing inch.
She was so slick, his thick shaft effortlessly moved far insider her. There was no pain, only pleasure, and she felt fuller than she could have ever thought possible. He sank deep within her, up to the hilt, and then paused so they could both relish the sensations.
He looked into her eyes, and the moment so beautiful she almost wept. She loved him so much, and there was no better way for them to be close. He started thrusting in and out of her, and pleasure completely consumed her.
He locked his lips back on hers, gripped her hips tightly in his hands, and started thrusting hard. She thrust met him stroke for stroke as their movements grew frantic.
Her entire body started shaking as she shattered again. And then Liam threw his head back and groaned as she felt him pumping his release inside her.
He collapsed on top of her, and she could hardly breathe from the weight of him. But she didn’t care. She could feel herself sinking into the bed.
With the last bit of energy he had left, he shifted the two of them so that he was lying on his back with her snuggled tightly against his side.
“Thank you,” he whispered as he caressed her back. She couldn’t even reply. Darkness took over her vision and she slipped into a deep, blissful sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Whitney had never been happier in her life. She knew their relationship was theoretically impossible, but somehow they’d seemed to conquer all the obstacles in their path. He seemed as in love with her as she was with him.
She was grateful she’d decided, against her better judgment, to stay. The children were thriving, and she didn’t miss home at all. All it held for her was memories of losing her sister, of never being able to see her again.
She walked down the hallway in search of something to do. The kids were both enrolled in school, and Liam was discussing business with his father that afternoon. Perhaps she could get a ride into town, but she’d be wandering around all alone, and that didn’t seem too appealing.
Strolling by Frederick’s office, she dropped her earring. As she bent down to find it, she heard voices.
“You and Whitney seem to be spending a lot of time together,” she heard Frederick say. Whitney smiled. She knew no good ever came from eavesdropping, but she was couldn’t seem to help herself. She would leave in just a moment.
“Yes, I have. She’s been very good company, and she loves Brayden and Ally so much,” Liam replied, which made Whitney grin. Okay, so it wasn’t a declaration of love.
What Whitney couldn’t see was that Frederick was looking at a list on his desk, checking the people who had reserved places at another fundraising dinner.
“I really didn’t want her to attend the dinner,” he said to his son.
“I quite understand,” Liam replied. “She’s utterly lacking in manners, she dresses inappropriately, and she seems to have no sense of how to behave at such a function.”
“I don’t know how she got invited in the first place,” Frederick said with a sigh.
“Is it too late to uninvite her?”
“Yes, too late. We’ll just try and tuck her away in some corner and hope she can behave for one evening,” Frederick said.
“I suppose you’re right,” Liam told him.
Whitney stood frozen outside the door. She knew she was nobody special, but she felt she’d grown in the time she’d spent with them. Liam had never acted embarrassed to be with her.
Unable to listen for even a moment longer, she ran down the corridors to the safety of her room and locked the door. She lay there crying for a long while, but she somehow managed to pick herself up. She refused to shed another tear.
If they were simply tolerating her for the sake of her niece and nephew, she simply couldn’t stay there anymore. Maybe Liam thought of her only as an amusement, and all the things he’d said to her in the last several weeks were lies. How could she have been so wrong about him? She should have realized, though, that someone like him didn’t fall for girls of her social class. That happened only in her romance books, not in real life.
She started packing up her things, and that didn’t take long. She then went to find the kids. She didn�
��t know exactly where she would go when she left, but she knew she had to get out of this place. Though being away from the kids would rip her apart, she couldn’t take them away from here — they were doing so well. She’d visit them often, but she couldn’t see Liam again, not when she knew how he really felt.
She found Brayden first. He was in his room, looking so handsome and so happy. He was smiling every day now, so she could never regret the time she’d spent at this mansion.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
He beamed at her. “Of course, Aunt Whitney.”
“I have to leave for a little while, but I just want to let you know you can call me anytime, and I’ll be back to visit soon.”
“Why do you have to leave?” Brayden asked her.
“I have to get back to the real world. This place is amazing but it’s not my home. This is your family, and you need time to bond with them.” She was fighting tears as she spoke.
“It won’t be the same without you,” he said, sounding more like a child than the young man he was growing into.
“I’m so proud of you, Brayden. You’ve grown so much since we got here. I know your parents are looking down on you and smiling.”
“I love you, Aunt Whitney. Please promise we won’t be apart long.”
She loved hearing those words. It made her feel as if she hadn’t completely failed in the responsibility her sister had left to her.
“Aunt Whitney, you aren’t ready for the dinner,” Ally said as she came into the room.
“I won’t be able to make it to the dinner, sweetie,” Whitney told her niece.
A tear ran down Ally’s cheek.
“Oh, baby, I’m sorry. I have to go now but I promise I’ll see you real soon.” Whitney’s emotions hanging by a thread. She hugged both kids and scurried away. If she didn’t leave the mansion right now, she’d talk herself out of it, and it was obvious she wasn’t wanted.
She made it to the taxi she’d called and away from the mansion before she allowed her tears to fall. Her heart was shattered, but she’d survived worse things in her life and she would survive this too. The taxi pulled into a cheap hotel nearby, and she wiped her face as she walked inside. She would soon go back to Oregon. That was her home, even if she’d forgotten that for a short time.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Where is your Aunt Whitney?” Liam asked Brayden as the two children came into the room.
“She left, Uncle Liam. Didn’t she tell you?”
“Left? Where did she go?”
“She said she had to go back home. We don’t really know why. She just said she didn’t belong here and had to leave,” Brayden said.
Liam was stunned speechless. What could have possibly happened?
He rushed to his office and placed a phone call. He then rushed out to find his father and explain he’d be late for the fundraising dinner.
With his connections it didn’t take long to find her, and with his heart thundering like never before, Liam approached the door of her hotel room and rapped on it with some force, and waited impatiently for the knob to turn.
When he saw her red-rimmed eyes, his heart raced. “Why?” He couldn’t utter another word.
“What are you doing here, Liam?”
She sounded so defeated. None of it made sense.
“Why on earth did you leave?” he said, pulling her into his arms.
“Don’t do this to me. Liam. You’re a better man than this. Or maybe you aren’t.”
“What are you saying? You know very well how much I love you.”
***
Whitney shook her head, trying to clear it, and to deny his words at the same time. He couldn’t love her and feel ashamed of her.
“You…you were talking to your father. You said I was an embarrassment,” she finally said, horrified she had to admit she’d overheard the horrible conversation.
“What are you talking about, Whitney?”
“I heard you speaking with your father earlier about the fundraiser. You both said you didn’t want me there because I was an embarrassment and didn’t know how to behave in proper society.” It was so much humiliation.
“Oh, Whitney, I’m sorry you thought we were talking about you. That was about a different guest, and when you see her, you’ll realize why we said what we did. How could you ever think I was embarrassed by you? We’ve been together long enough for you to know how much you mean to me.” Liam looked deep into her eyes.
She stared at him, barely hoping to believe he really loved her.
He suddenly kneeled down and pulled out a little velvet box. Her entire body started to shake.
“Whitney, you’ve brought joy and hope to my heart. I can’t picture my life without you. Please take away my suffering and marry me. It would do me such honor.”
He was proposing to her on bended knee. She couldn’t speak at all now, so she nodded her head as her tears flowed. Liam jumped up and pulled her into his arms, lifting her high off the ground and locking his lips to hers. She fell into his kiss, thinking her day had gone from the worst of her life to the best.
A long while afterward, he pulled away and took her hand, then slipped the beautiful diamond on her finger. Its sparkle mesmerized her.
“I love you so much, Liam,” she told him.
He once again drew her into his arms and the magic continued as his lips caressed hers. Then he lifted her into his arms and carried her to his awaiting car. She would never again question their love.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“I can’t believe this day has arrived. It both seems to have taken forever and yet gotten here in the blink of an eye,” Liam told Brayden as he helped the boy get his tie on correctly.
“I love my aunt,” Brayden replied. “She’s been almost the only good thing in my life since I lost my mom and dad. I don’t think Ally or I could have made it through everything if she hadn’t been there to take care of us.”
“She’s one of a kind, Brayden. We’ll all be a family and take care of each other now.” Liam stopped fiddling with the tie and placed his hands on his nephew’s shoulders.
It tugged on Liam’s heart to see how much Brayden resembled his father. It made Liam miss his lost brother a great deal, yet it also comforted him to know that Vincent would live on forever through his children.
“We’ve got to get all this sappy stuff over with,” Brayden said, trying to pull himself together. “Today is a happy day. You’re marrying the most amazing woman on the planet.”
“I agree with you on that,” Liam told him. “Just know that if you ever need anything, I will always be here for you. I can’t replace your father, and I wouldn’t want to try, but I can be the best uncle you’ve ever had.”
“You’ve already proved that,” Brayden replied.
They gave each other a long hug before they finished getting ready for the wedding. It wouldn’t be long until Whitney arrived, and she probably wouldn’t be too happy if the groom and best man weren’t in place.
***
Whitney tried to catch her breath as she stared in the mirror. She couldn’t believe it was her wedding day. She never thought she’d feel joy again after losing her sister, but she allowed herself a moment of happiness.
The wedding had taken six months to plan. Nothing moved quickly when it came to a wedding with someone as notable as Liam Felton. She’d been through so many interviews that she felt as if a smile was permanently fixed on her face.
But Liam promised her things would slow down after the wedding. He was going to take her on a month long honeymoon to a private island, away from cameras and reporters. She could hardly wait.
She heard a flurry of activity outside her bedroom door, but none of that mattered for one moment in time. Getting ready for the wedding had taken her two days, and she missed Liam desperately. But knowing he’d be waiting at the end of the long aisle was the thought that would get her through.
There was a knock on the door and she
let out the breath she hadn’t even know she’d been holding in. She wasn’t ready yet to face the crowd.
“Your carriage is waiting, Darcy said as she stepped through the door. “You truly are a vision.” The maid walked over and adjusted the already perfect bridal headpiece.
“I’m having trouble breathing,” Whitney admitted.
“It will be soon be over, and then you have the rest of your lives together,” the maid replied.
The once stern woman had become quite soft in the time Whitney had known her. The bride-to-be couldn’t help but throw her arms around the woman and give her a hug of gratitude.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” Whitney told her with emotion crackling in her voice.
“Now, now, don’t start getting all emotional and ruining your makeup,” Darcy said, but the tears in her own voice took away any harshness from the words.
“Okay, I’m ready,” Whitney said.
The maid led her from the room, down the long staircase, and out the front doors. Sitting at the curb was a beautiful horse-drawn carriage, with a footman waiting outside.
It took several people to help her inside because of the long train of her wedding gown. She had been intimidated by all the silk and lace when she’d first seen the exquisite dress, but it floated on her, and she could barely feel the yards of fabric draping her body.
The bodice had thousands of sparkling beads, and the gown hugged her tightly down to her hips, but then cascaded down in a full skirt. Before the train had been attached she had twirled in a circle loving the layers of silk arcing out, reminding her of when she was a little girl and dreamed of being Cinderella. The buttons up the back of the dress had taken half an hour to be fastened up. Whitney smiled, thinking Liam would be frustrated when it came time for the gown to come off.
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