by Diana Nixon
Sudden tears burned my eyes, and even the beauty of the dress couldn’t diminish the pain my heart felt. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes for a second. It wasn’t the best moment for crying, and I couldn’t let my feelings ruin my life again.
“Not this time,” I said firmly to my reflection.
I took a shower, dried my hair, got dressed and went to the beach. I didn’t know exactly where I needed to go, as the note didn’t say anything about it. So I stopped not too far away from the water, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the sand, tickling my bare feet.
People were passing by, watching me curiously. Not every day can you see a bride standing alone on the beach.
Someone’s arms wrapped around my waist, and the voice behind me said, “You look exactly the way I imagined you would, wearing this dress.”
I forgot how to speak for a moment. No words were good enough to describe what I felt the moment I recognized the voice. Then I turned around slowly and gasped.
“Aiden?”
We had been looking at each other for no less than five minutes, and then I blinked and shook my head, as if trying to get rid of the vision in front of my eyes.
“This is not real, is it?”
Aiden’s lips smiled. “This is not the first time you have thought that I’m a trick of your imagination.”
“Oh, God…” I think my knees trembled, because Aiden’s arms were back around me, and he was holding me firmly, as if he thought I would faint.
“It was the only way to make you listen to me,” he said softly.
Uh, his voice still sounded like the most beautiful music I ever heard. My heart fluttered. The stupid thing still refused to forget him, and he … well, he was still gorgeous; wearing a white tux, with no tie, but with a few flowers pinned to the lapel. Today his eyes looked more blue than gray, reflecting the shades of the ocean behind me. The scent of his cologne couldn’t belong to anyone else, and only he could hold me with so much tenderness.
“Can we talk?” he asked, making sure I was standing firmly on my feet.
“Does it look like I’m going to run away again?” I didn’t know what else to say. I was still too shocked to think straight.
“No, but I know you well enough to think that you will find a way to disappear.”
I shook my head tiredly. “I’m not going anywhere. At least not until I get some rest after the two flights I had in the last twenty four hours.” I didn’t even want to think about Richard and his parents, or the wedding that we were planning.
“Shall we go somewhere we could take a seat?”
“Yeah, that would be great.”
Aiden led me to a huge tree, growing right on the beach, and we sat on a small bench under it.
“The day you left I thought I would lose my mind. Literally,” Aiden said. His features were so painfully familiar; I couldn’t take my eyes off him. My thoughts were still a little blurred, but my senses were pulling me to the man by my side, and I couldn’t help it.
“You turned my world upside down, Megan. You turned me into your slave. Now I can’t imagine my life without you, and there isn’t a day when I wake up not thinking about you. Every time I take a breath I feel the lack of air. As if you were my air, and I couldn’t breathe when you were not around. My heart sinks every time I look at your picture, because I can’t imagine you smiling so happily at anyone but me. I can’t work, I can’t sleep, I can’t do anything, because you are not there with me. And … I don’t know what else to say to make you believe me.”
He looked into my eyes, and I realized that he didn’t need to say anything else, because in the depth of his gray-blue oceans I could see all I needed to believe him. Love….
I touched his cheek softly. He closed his eyes, smiling slightly, and put his palm over mine.
“The best touch ever,” he said, kissing my fingertips.
I don’t know what happened to my rational thinking, or my plans about my peaceful future, but at that moment all I wanted was Aiden. And I didn’t care about the rest of the world; it could wait.
“Make love to me,” I breathed into his lips.
No more words were needed to make him comply with my wish. He took my hand into his and led me to his room.
Neither of us wanted to rush things. We went to the last floor and entered Aiden’s suite, still holding hands.
“No way out,” he said, closing the door behind him.
“And no more talking,” I added, smiling at him.
He came closer and kissed me, making my body ache pleasantly. Then he led me to the bed, and put me down on the satin surface.
His eyes were as mesmerizing as always, pulling me slowly into the sea of excitement and love. I reached forward to savor the flavor of his lips again. They were as smooth and demanding as I remembered. And even though it seemed as if the kiss was light, it was full of fire and passion that we could barely control.
Aiden began to take his clothes off, smiling mischievously down at me. He wasn’t ashamed to stand before me in his nakedness, and I couldn’t but admit that the view of his body was simply breathtaking. He was like a god to me; my own gorgeous god.
“Come here,” he said, outstretching his hand.
I took it willingly, and he pulled me into his tight embrace — the only place I always wanted to be.
I felt his fingers unzipping my dress, and a few seconds later it fell down to my feet, followed by Aiden’s fascinated gaze.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered. His lips felt hot against my skin, and so intoxicating, as if they had some elixir that he was covering my body with, kissing and biting softly the most sensitive parts of it.
Have you ever seen a man on his knees in front of a woman, yet still looking so masculine and strong? Well, I have. And it was the most exciting view ever. Especially considering the things that the man was doing, looking up at me with the eyes that were able to drive any woman crazy in seconds….
Chapter 30
Aiden
I never thought that love could be such an overwhelming feeling. But now I know that it can’t be compared with anything else. Whether destroying you or making you stronger, it is worth it.
And Megan was my love, the only and true one. I was ready to bring the whole world down to her feet just to see her smiling at me like this: happily and lovingly.
I removed the rest of her clothes, taking my time to please her unspoken wishes. When I got rid of the last piece of fabric standing in my way, I caressed the newly exposed part of her lower body with my fingers and tongue, and she moaned in response, making my own desires even harder to control.
I placed small kisses up her belly and all the way to her breasts, sliding my palms across the perfect curves of her figure. Then I put her on the bed, and worked my lips back down to her inner thighs, occasionally pausing to nibble at her delicate skin.
When I slid a few fingers inside her, she raised her hips, welcoming my touches. Her moans began to increase as the frequency of my moves became faster. And I knew we both needed so much more than that, so I leaned over her, placing myself in between her legs, and kissed her lips hungrily.
“I love you, Megan,” I breathed into her parted lips, before I entered her slowly.
“And I love you too, Aiden,” she replied, digging her nails into my back.
I pushed myself deeper inside her, and it still wasn’t enough to make me believe that she finally belonged to me. Our moves turned into a wild dance that neither of us wanted to end. With every thrust I wanted to show her just how much she meant to me, and with every kiss she gave me I realized that I was losing myself in her: in her scent, in her warmth, in her love and delight.
When we couldn’t wait any longer to melt in the waves of pleasure, I gave her a few more quick thrusts, and the two of us groaned in satisfaction, rocking every inch of our bodies.
“That was the best love making ever,” I said, breathing heavily.
She giggled and rolled onto her left side, facing me. “
I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Oh, yes. I enjoyed every second of it.” I smiled, kissing her lips. “I will never let you go, Megan.”
“Really? And I wanted to check on flights back to Bristol.”
“Don’t even think about it,” I said strictly, tightening the embrace. “There’s one more thing we need to do first.”
I got up, put on my trousers and went to the closet, where I kept a box with the ring.
“What are you doing?” Megan asked, moving to the edge of the bed.
I came back to where she was sitting, and kneeled before her, taking her hand in mine.
“There was a time when Adam was the only human created by God, and I bet his life sucked.”
Megan laughed at my words.
“Now I know that being alone is the worst punishment ever. And I don’t want to be alone anymore. And if you agree to spend the rest of your life with me, Megan, I will be the happiest man in the world. I’m not a perfect person, but I love you with all my heart, and you are the only woman I need and want to be with. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
A few tears rolled down Megan’s cheeks, and her palm trembled in mine.
“Maybe I’m out of my mind…” she said, smiling down at me. “But I want to spend the rest of my existence fighting with your arrogance and impossible temper. So yes, I think I will leave aside my prejudices and become Mrs. Devil-may-care Murphy.”
Now it was my turn to laugh.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I said, giving her the ring.
“It says ‘Yours forever’,” she read the inscription. “Does it mean that now you belong to me?”
“Just like you belong to me,” I said, kissing her palm.
“I don’t mind.”
I don’t know how much time passed before we were finally ready to leave the room, and when it happened, I called the local priest I talked to previously that today still hoping to make Megan accept my proposal, and asked him to marry us at the sunset.
It was just the way Megan wanted it to be: with a flower of orchid in her hair; ocean, singing quietly nearby and an altar made of white lilies and red roses.
We knew we would have to make a big wedding for our families as well, but right now we had our small, perfect ceremony, where nothing but our vows and eyes full of love mattered. It was the beginning of a new life that we were planning to spend together.
When the ceremony was over, we didn’t go back to the hotel; we decided to walk along the beach and drink our champagne under the moon.
Who would have thought that two people who had always been afraid of losing their independence would sacrifice every damn part of it just to be together? I guess the saying is right after all. We need to meet a few wrong souls, before we find the right one that becomes our mate....
***
We stayed on Maldives for two more weeks. It was a honeymoon that we didn’t want to end, but our families and friends were getting really impatient. Everyone wanted to know what happened on the island. We didn’t tell anyone about the wedding; it was supposed to be a surprise. And shock according to my wife’s words.
Megan was still worried about Richard whom she called a few days ago to cancel the wedding and explain things. He was the only person who knew about her new status, and to my surprise he wasn’t shocked or anything. He said he knew that Megan’s heart still belonged to someone else, and he was glad to know that she found her happiness.
The only person whose reaction we were afraid of was Mrs. Brawley. She always wanted a fancy wedding for her only daughter, and we were sure she would arrange one as soon as we came back home.
As for our home, we decided it would be London. Megan agreed to become my assistant again, and I actually liked my life in the big city.
Owen met us at the airport with a huge smile shining on his face.
“I’m glad you both made it home, safe and sound,” he said hugging his sister, and then me.
Megan and I shared a glance. “This is not the word,” she said, showing Owen her ring.
“You said ‘yes’?” His eyes widened in amazement.
“Why are you so surprised?” I asked, laughing at his reaction.
“Because I was sure she would give you a hard time just to see if you were worth accepting the proposal.”
“He was really good at persuading me,” Megan said, embracing me.
“No details needed,” her brother said, grimacing. “Now, it’s time to tell the news to the rest of the family. Your parents, Aiden, are here too.”
“When did they come?”
“A few hours ago. They couldn’t wait to see you, so your father called me, and ask if they could come to our place.”
“Good. It will save us hours of explanations.” I knew how much my mother would be upset about missing my wedding.
The first person we saw at Owen’s was his father. He shook my hand, saying the following, “The day you said my daughter made breakfast for you, I knew it wouldn’t be the only breakfast you would share.”
For a second I thought my cheeks turned pink. Do men ever blush?
“You were absolutely right, Daddy,” Megan said, coming to my rescue. “Now we are going to share every breakfast of our days together.”
“I’m glad for you two,” he said, kissing his daughter’s forehead. “Bless you, kids. And I hope to see my grandchildren soon.”
Megan, Owen and I laughed.
“Be ready to see the first one in about seven months,” Owen said, making Megan and me gasp in surprise. “Mary and I are having a baby,” he added, embracing his wife, who came to meet us.
“Oh, we are so happy for you!” Megan said excitedly. “This means I’m going to be an aunt! Does anyone else know the news?”
“Not yet,” Owen said. “First we wanted you to shock Mom with your news, and ours was supposed to be a kind of consolation.”
“Okay, let’s do this.” Megan took a deep breath and smiled at me encouragingly.
“Don’t worry, Sweetheart; she will forgive us as soon as we give her a carte blanche for everything she would like to do for our second wedding.”
“Amen,” Megan said, heading for the living room, where her mother and my parents had already been waiting for us.
It wasn’t as bad as we expected. Our moms were more than excited about the news, and they couldn’t wait to get to the preparations. Owen’s news about the baby was a great addition to everyone’s fun, and we spent the rest of the day discussing the future of our big family.
Megan and I decided to have a few more days to ourselves, so we went to Cheddar to share another breakfast together; this time as husband and wife.
“I fell in love with this place the day you took me here,” she said, sitting on my lap in front of the burning fireplace.
“I think we will keep this house for later.”
“Like for the time with children and grandchildren?”
“Exactly.”
“And how many kids do you want to have?” she asked, playing with the buttons of my shirt.
“At least two: a boy like me, and a girl like you.”
“No sane woman will ever agree to handle your son,” she said, laughing.
“But somehow you agreed to handle me,” I said, caressing her back and kissing her lips softly.
“You know how to make me say yes.”
“I will give my son a few pointers when he grows up.”
“Don’t even think about it! If we ever have a son, I will take care of his upbringing.”
“As you wish, Love.”
We smiled at each other and dived into the sea of all those incomparable things that love makes people feel.
For the first time in my life I didn’t want to go anywhere. Finally I was at the place where every man wants to be — in the embrace of the woman he loves. And the woman by my side was a picture of everything I ever loved and wanted.
“It was hate at first sight,” Megan said, looking dow
n at me. Her eyes were flashing joyfully, and I knew what she meant.
“No, Dear. In my case it was love at first sight,” I said, remembering the day we first met.
“You knew you would win the bet and my heart, didn’t you?”
“I really hoped I would.”
She shook her head, running her palms through my hair. “You are still impossible, Mr. Murphy.”
I placed a kiss on her shoulder, saying, “And you are stunning as always, Mrs. Murphy.”
“You like the way my new name sounds, don’t you?”
I chuckled, pulling her closer. “Oh, yes, Megan. You are the only woman I ever wanted to have my name.”
“And now I also have you. All for myself,” she said, as she closed her eyes, and put her head on my chest.
“I’m all yours, Baby. Yours forever,” I replied, kissing the ring she was wearing.
This time I wasn’t afraid of pushing my luck. I knew whatever was going to happen next would be great, because Megan was with me now, and the two of us could handle anything. Being with each other was already the biggest dare to take, and we were enjoying every second of it….
The End
Acknowledgments
My dear family, friends and readers,
I would have never been able to write this story without your help and support. You are the best, and I love you all!
Special thanks to Mona Tippins, Kristina Howells and Tracy L. Stuber for their help in proofreading.
Many thanks to my cover designer, Amina Black. I fell in love with the cover of this book the moment I saw it! You did a great job, Amina!
I hope everyone will enjoy reading Hate at First Sight!
Sincerely yours
Diana
About the author
Diana Nixon is a poet and the author of paranormal and contemporary romances. She was born in Minsk, Belarus, where she currently lives and works on her books.
