No Regrets: a contemporary romance novel

by Lexie Davis

  Kaden closed his eyes, picturing his wife alone in their bed, looking absolutely beautiful. He knew she wouldn’t be naked, since she only slept naked with him by her side, but he could imagine which silky nightie she wore. Lavender, probably, since it was her favorite. With a lace bodice that crossed over her breasts, stopping just at her waist. The damn thing was knee length, but looked sexy as hell when she wore it.

  “Okay. Kiss Shiloh for me.”

  “I will.”

  They hung up the phone, and Kaden settled in his bed, hugging a very cold pillow that felt nothing like Brianna. He replayed their conversation over in his head. He needed his tux for his parents’ New Year’s party and hoped like hell Brianna didn’t plan on buying a damn dress that would threaten his libido before the stroke of midnight. But if she did, they’d be calling it a short night, to ring in the new year right.

  Chapter Nine

  Blair Riggens went all out for the spectacular party. A three-course meal had been planned, and guests had been invited, mostly lawyer friends of theirs and people from the country club Blair belonged to. Nevertheless, over two hundred guests were coming to their house to ring in the new year.

  Brianna made sure her mother had everything Shiloh would need since she’d be spending the night with Regina and then drove like a bat out of hell to get home and get ready before Kaden got there. He too had been recruited by his mother to pick up last-minute items and to arrange last-minute things.

  She pulled in the drive, forgetting about the mail and parked her car in the garage. If she didn’t get dressed before Kaden did, then they’d be lucky to walk out the door and make it to the party on time.

  She grinned, stripping as she ran to their bedroom. Her mother and his agreed along with Kristy that her dress would definitely surprise him. She just hoped he liked it.

  Leaving a mess of clothes on the floor, she jumped in the shower She’d pick them up later. After washing her hair and body, removing the remnants of the restaurant from her, she grabbed a hot pink towel and screamed when Kaden walked in the bathroom.

  His eyes widened, though he didn’t take them off her naked body. “Scare you?”

  “Stop doing that!”

  He chuckled, leaning against the vanity. She wrapped the towel around her and tried to calm her racing heart. He was a large man who took up a lot of space, and with him being so close, she had to remind herself to breathe again.

  “I’m not going to bite you.” The grin turned sly. “Unless you want me to.”

  “Stop. Go out there,” she said, pointing to their bedroom. “And get dressed.”

  “What? No ‘hi honey’ today?”

  “Fine. Hi, honey. Go get dressed.” She grinned, knowing he wasn’t going anywhere but closer to her. “Kaden, I’m serious.”

  He crossed his arms over his black and silver T-shirt with the Chinese symbol for “fuck you” on the front. It was a very rare occasion that she seen him out of his suits, but she liked him in denim just as well.

  “Come here.” He held his hands out, and she shrank against the wall.

  “No way. I just took a shower. You’re not touching me.” She grinned holding the towel closer to her body.

  “I just want to kiss you.” He motioned with his hand for her to come closer.

  “Yeah. Right. You don’t mean on the mouth.”

  He grinned. “What a dirty mind my wife has.”

  He pushed off the vanity and trapped her against the wall next to the toilet. She had no options of escape. His body heat surrounded her, the feel of him seducing her, and he hadn’t done one damn thing yet. She was the weak one. She wanted him now possibly more than he wanted her.

  “You’re getting wet, sweetheart. I can smell it.” He leaned down, brushing a kiss against her shoulder.

  “Kaden.” His name was a plea when she reached up for him and wrapped her arms around his neck. The towel was history, falling to the floor with one simple tug.

  He kissed his way to her mouth, keeping his hands firmly against the wall. She held on to him, fisting his shirt with both hands. They hadn’t had much time together during the last week, at least not alone. When he came in from work, he was worn out, and when she came home, she dealt with the baby. But now . . . now they could make up for time lost.

  “Kaden, please.” She slid her hands down to his jeans, sliding beneath the waistband and past his boxers.

  “I can never take my time with you, can I?” He kissed her lips and slid his hands to his zipper. Once he shoved his jeans and boxers to his ankles, he grabbed a condom from the potpourri dish and handed it to her.

  She rolled it on quickly, gaining a moan or two from Kaden as he kept his hands inactive against the wall, watching her. As soon as she pulled back satisfied, she met his eyes.

  “You’re getting pretty good at that.”

  “Shut up and fuck me.”

  He closed his mouth over hers, slid his hands to her backside, and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and with one smooth thrust, he was sheathed within her body.

  His passive motions soon became active as their bodies slammed against the bathroom wall, sweat breaking out across their skin. Brianna didn’t know how this man had such an affect on her, but she loved that he did. She loved everything about him.

  She couldn’t hold back her orgasm even if her life had depended on it. It literally came from nowhere and would have had the power to knock her down, had she been standing. Kaden stared into her eyes letting her body milk his, fighting his own urge to come, then giving up.

  Sometime later, Kaden pulled away from the wall and sat on the toilet to dispose of the condom. Brianna clung to him, keeping him as close as she could.

  “I’m taking my time with you tonight, wild woman, and you’re going to let me.”

  She kissed his shoulder, pressing her face against him. “You’re not going to last that long.”

  “Why?”

  “Wait until you see my dress.” She sat up, smiling. “That’s why I tried my damnedest to get home before you and get dressed. Hence, all the clothing thrown everywhere.”

  “Put it on.”

  She stood, grabbing her black lace thong and pulled it on. “You need to take a shower.”

  “I will.” He kicked his clothing off, watching as she dressed.

  She pulled the black strapless dress out, careful not to rip the gauzy material covering the satin lining. It was the only dress she found that was loose and comfortable, something she could stand wearing for half the night.

  She undid the zipper and stepped into it. Kaden took the hint and came to her to zip the back up. The bust pushed her breasts high, giving her a decent amount of cleavage without making her look like a whore. The A-line design fell to the floor, because of the matching five-inch stiletto heels Blair had picked out. Together the dress looked beautiful, and turning to see what Kaden thought, he agreed.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  “Not to sleazy?”

  “Nothing you could ever wear would make you look sleazy.” He kissed her. “You’re beautiful, baby.”

  She smiled. “I need to fix my hair and do my makeup, so you need to get moving.”

  “Hey, are we coming home or staying at my parents’ tonight?”

  “Home.”

  She wasn’t about to have sex with her husband in his parents’ house. It was too weird and awkward, and Blair checked in with her enough as it was. All she needed was her mother-in-law opening the bedroom door right in the middle of things.

  She did her makeup while Kaden took his shower, singing a wonderful rendition of Billy Squire’s The Stroke. With a few improvisations, he had her laughing so hard she nearly poked her eye out twice with the mascara wand.

  He dressed while she did her hair, then came back into the bathroom, kissed her shoulder and began working on his hair. It was so unusual for them to be in the bathroom at the same time since he woke before she did, and was dressed and ready for work by the
time she got up to make coffee. It was kind of nice getting ready together.

  “Hair up or down?” She wadded the curly strands in the form of an up-do, turning toward him, then dropped them do he could see her hair down.

  “Up.” He squirted gel in his hands and combed them through his hair making it stick out all over the place. He washed his hands and then began working a different product into his hair.

  “Do you know any of the people coming to this party?” Brianna clipped her hair up in several different places creatively forming a decent up-do.

  “Yeah. My friends are coming—the guys you met at the restaurant that first night. Derek supposedly has a new girlfriend, so this will be interesting.” He washed his hands again, drying them on the hot pink towel she had laid next to the sink. “Kyle’s coming. Some friends of ours from Charlotte. So yeah, I know the people there. Why?” He turned toward her rolling his sleeves down.

  “I’m going to feel out of place, aren’t I?”

  “No. You know Kyle. I haven’t heard if Jason and Kendra are coming, but if they do, you’ll know them. Ben and Jonathan are bringing their girlfriends, and then there’s my family. You know tons of people too.”

  Brianna huffed, getting frustrated with the bobby pin that wouldn’t quite make her hair lie right. “If you stick me with Kyle all night, I’ll save you the trouble and cut your balls off right now.”

  He laughed, only to get a mean glare from her. “I’m sticking you with me all night, how about that?”

  “Yeah, whatever.” She finally pulled the misplaced bobby pin from her mess of curls and huffed, looking at her hair in the mirror.

  “And after the party we’ll come home and start a little party of our own.”

  She pulled her hair to the side, hoping to push it in the direction she wanted it to go and slid the bobby pin in. “Fine. How does my damn hair look?”

  He frowned, coming in front of her to inspect the damage. He fiddled with the pins, pulling and yanking until he was satisfied with the results. He turned her around and both sides were perfect, just the way she wanted them.

  “How’d you do that?”

  “Magic. Come on. Get your cute little ass out here so we can go.” He swatted her behind and stepped over the mess of clothes heading into the bedroom.

  After taking one last look in the mirror, she followed him, stopping short when she seen he held a black necklace box in his hands. So far, the only necklace she wore was the locket he gave her at Christmas, holding both Shiloh and his picture inside. But the sexy grin on his face said he was up to something.

  “I knew you’d never agree if I asked you, so I didn’t and went for it myself.” He motioned for her to sit on the bed, and she did, wondering what he was up to.

  “Now, I had the jeweler pick out a sapphire blue necklace thinking your dress would be blue, but . . . I think this necklace is going to go perfect with that dress. Better actually.”

  He came to her opening the black velvet box to show her the most beautiful diamond and sapphire necklace she’d ever seen. Cut in marquis form, little diamonds and sapphires alternated around a huge sapphire set as a center stone. It was beautiful, and worth more than she could care about.

  “That costs more than—”

  “Don’t, Brianna. It’s a rental, and you’re going to wear it, along with the diamond earrings I purchased.” He pulled out another box and handed it to her.

  Taking a deep breath, she opened it and gasped at the teardrop diamonds set as dangle-form earrings. He purchased these? For her? She looked up at him, and he smiled as he undid the necklace from its case.

  “You bought these?”

  He scoffed, leaning over her to clasp the necklace around her neck. “Why do you think you don’t deserve nice things?”

  “I’ve never owned a diamond before, Kaden. You give me this beautiful ring for Christmas. And now these earrings. Not to mention letting me wear this necklace. It’s overwhelming.”

  He squatted in front of her, sliding his arms around her thighs. “You’re a beautiful woman, Brianna. You deserve beautiful things. Now put the earrings in and finish getting dressed.”

  She smiled sheepishly as she put the earrings in her ears. “It’s not my fault we’re late. You ravished me in the bathroom.”

  Dreading the first time of wearing a pair of new stilettos, she grabbed her new shoes. If she could make it for a few hours, she’d be doing great. She slid them on her bare feet while Kaden slipped on his tux jacket.

  “I ravished you? Were you not the one that said, ‘Fuck me, Kaden’?” He stuffed his wallet into the pocket as he continued talking. “Clearly that’s your fault because I mean, how could a guy resist?”

  He spritzed on his cologne finally and turned around to watch her finish up dressing. “Oh, whatever. If you hadn’t have come in there in the first place, I wouldn’t have said it.”

  She stood, a little wobbly at first in her new shoes, putting her up to Kaden’s chin now. She’d never worn heels this tall in her life. A few inches sure, but five? She felt like a hooker going to prom.

  “You keep saying it and playing dress up will be such a waste.” He kissed her, sliding his hands to her waist. “Are you ready?”

  “Let me spray some perfume, brush my teeth, and change my purse, and yeah, I’ll be ready to go.” She turned doing her best not to break her neck at the new and unusual height.

  “If we make it there on time it’ll be a miracle.” Kaden sat on the bed waiting for her to finish.

  After spritzing his favorite smelling perfume on, she brushed her teeth and grabbed her purse to exchange the vital stuff. Her wallet, driver’s license, and lip gloss all fit into the small satin bag, and that was about all that could fit. Once done, she stuffed it under her arm, grabbed the matching shawl, and looked over at Kaden’s raised eyebrow.

  “Ready?”

  He stood. “If three things are all you need, then why do you carry all that other junk in your purse with you?”

  “Well, some things I need at certain times but not all the time. Hence, tampons or gum or lotion. Depending on the mood and circumstance. It’s easier to carry it with you all the time instead of taking the chance of forgetting it when you need it.”

  He shook his head as she thrust her purse into his arms so she could fix the shawl around her shoulders. Once satisfied, she took the purse back and took her husbands arm. He held the car door open for her like a perfect gentleman. Once situated inside, he went around to the driver’s seat and climbed behind the wheel.

  “Have I told you that I love you today?” he asked backing out of the garage.

  “Yes. When Shiloh was crying this morning and you didn’t want to get out of bed. I told you I’d get her, and you said, ‘Thanks, babe, I love you.’”

  He grinned, grabbing her hand and placing their interlocked fingers on his thigh. “I did enjoy sleeping in that extra twenty minutes.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  “What if I say it now? Would that make me look to soft?”

  “As long as it’s before the party I suppose your softness will be just between us.”

  “I do love you, Bree.”

  “Yeah, well you can prove it to me tonight.” She pulled his hand to her strawberry glossed lips, kissing it. “I love you, Kaden Riggens. More than you’ll ever know.”

  * * * *

  Three hours into the party, Brianna couldn’t avoid Kyle any longer. He spotted her and of course asked Kaden if she was here. Like the good husband he was, he nodded and pointed to her with a huge smile on his face. She tried ducking behind a fake plant, but Kyle started her way, getting to her side before she could find a better hiding spot.

  “There you are.” Kyle pulled her to him for a hug, sloshing her fruit cocktail all over her hand.

  “Hello, Kyle.” She tried pulling away but his grip tightened around her.

  “Kaden told me about your marriage.” He pulled back with a smile. “Congratulations. How’s
that cute bundle of joy?”

  “You know about Shiloh?”

  “Of course.” He waved her off as if she was foolish to ask. “My mother is best friends with Blair. You know that.”

  Brianna nodded, tipping her strawberry daiquiri to her lips and swallowing the alcohol. Kyle was her friend. The five musketeers as their parents used to say. Kaden, Jason, Ben, Jonathan, and Kyle—Brianna wasn’t an official member, though she did hang out with them, mainly because Ben and Jonathan used her to get to her friends. But nevertheless they were all friends. Still are.

  “So, great party, huh? Kaden said Jason was here with his wife Kendra. I haven’t seen him though.” Kyle looked around seeking Kaden out.

  “Well there are close to two hundred people here. He may be lost in the crowd.” Or avoiding you, she added silently.

  “Yeah, you’re right. You always were right about things like that.” He tossed back the contents of his own glass and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “So you have a picture of that cute little doodle bug?”

  She grinned. To give him one compliment, Kyle was great with kids. Probably came from being a kid himself, but he loved them, and they loved him.

  She pulled the picture of Shiloh at Christmas that Kaden had taken. “She’s her daddy made over.”

  “Hey, hot stuff.” Jason came up behind her wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He pecked her cheek and smiled at her. “Greg told me you and that asswipe I call my friend tied the damn knot. How the hell did that happen?”

  Kendra smiled, standing to Jason’s side. She always was a quite girl, if Brianna could remember correctly. “One too many drinks.”

  He chuckled, pulling her tighter against him. “Don’t look now, but here comes two other losers we used to call friends.”

  Ben and Jonathan came up, each kissing Brianna on the cheek and saying hello to Kendra. Then a vast amount of profanities was exchanged between the men. Poor Kendra looked offended. Ben wrapped his arm around her, pushing Jason back to his wife.

  “Now, tell me why the hell you really married that dickhead.” Ben cradled her to his side, protectively, like a brother.