Waking Up Wed

by Christy Jeffries

  The thought should have sobered him, but her moan only incited his passion, and he was immune to any rational thought. He’d been right. One touch, one taste of Kylie would never be enough.

  It wasn’t until she pulled back and urgently spoke his name that Drew realized they weren’t alone. He’d been so caught up in their kiss, in her, that his senses had tuned out the rest of the world.

  “Are you two going to come inside and join the party?” Cessy Walker asked when Drew regained enough control to release his wife and what was barely covered by her minuscule skirt.

  “From the looks of things, I’d say you lovebirds were creating your own party out here.” Freckles’s laugh threatened to pop a few sequins off her wicked-witch ensemble.

  “You ladies go on ahead. We’ll be right behind you,” Kylie said, her voice not quite as shaky as Drew’s would have been—had he been able to find it.

  “Sure you will.” Cessy, dressed in Glinda’s pink ball gown and tall crown, shot them a disapproving look as Freckles sang the chorus from “When a Man Loves a Woman.” The women walked on, their costumes a direct contrast to their personalities.

  Drew clenched his jaw. He was ashamed. And speechless.

  This wasn’t him. This wasn’t how he acted. His parents had raised him better than this. Yet he was behaving like a sex-starved maniac, treating Kylie as though she was some cheap hussy in a back alley. This was why he didn’t let himself lose control—why he’d spent years studying the mind and its cognitive functions. This was why he’d had to redirect and distract himself physically every night this past week by working out.

  He didn’t look at Kylie. He couldn’t bear to see her embarrassment—or worse, her disgust—at finding out she was married to an absolute ogre who couldn’t even put a lid on his lustful urges when they were out in public.

  “We should probably make our way to the party,” she said.

  He should have been relieved she wasn’t asking him to drive her home. Of course, after the behavior he’d just exhibited, it was wise of her to not get into a car alone with him. She probably wanted to be as close to other witnesses as possible.

  He chanced a peek at her and saw her adjusting her corset and using the side mirror to fix her smeared lip gloss. “I’m so very sorry.” It was the first response that came to him.

  “There’s nothing to be sorry about,” she said, starting to walk down the street.

  He caught up to her. “I know you probably would prefer to forget what just happened. But I just wanted to make it clear that I know it was wrong and I promise nothing like that will ever happen again.”

  Her steps quickened, but otherwise, Kylie gave no indication that she’d heard him, let alone believed him.

  * * *

  “It was bad enough your former mother-in-law caught us making out like a couple of teenagers,” Kylie whispered to Maxine in a corner of the Marconis’ lit garden. The party had spilled from the hosts’ elegantly restored Victorian mansion and into their yard, but she was too twisted up inside to enjoy the twinkling lights or the professional catering. “But then he told me that kissing each other was wrong. I told you this plan would never work.”

  “Kylie,” Mia said, joining them. “I just saw your husband pacing over by the buffet table like a lion trapped in a cage. Every time someone comes up to him to congratulate him on his marriage, he goes straight for the bacon-wrapped scallops and crab cakes. I know the cooking situation at home isn’t ideal, but if he keeps downing the seafood appetizers like that, he’ll wind up with a stomachache and tonight will be ruined.”

  “Stop worrying, you two,” Maxine said. “Mia, the plan is actually going better than we expected. Doctor Handsome got all worked up when he first saw Kylie in her costume outside, and they got busted getting all hot and heavy against the Nanamobile.”

  “Eww!” The dance instructor scrunched her nose.

  “Don’t worry. He only kissed me to prove a point. Then he apologized and promised it would never happen again.”

  “But how was the kiss?”

  “It was fine.” She tried to focus on the other guests and feign an interest in the party. But she knew her friends weren’t buying it. “Okay, so it was wonderful. Beyond wonderful. I’ve never been kissed like that before, and if Cessy and Freckles hadn’t walked by when they did, I doubt we would ever have made it inside.”

  “You guys got busted by Mrs. Walker? Double eww.”

  “Thanks.” Kylie crossed her arms in front of her, wanting to duck farther into the corner. “That makes me feel way less mortified about the situation.”

  “Sorry,” Mia said, putting her arm around Kylie. “Maybe we need to restrategize.”

  “I don’t think so.” Maxine nodded toward Drew. “See how he’s staring at Chuck Marconi and the rest of the good ol’ boys club holding court over by the open bar?”

  “Hmm.” Kylie glanced at her husband, who didn’t look at all like his normally poised self. “I wonder what they did to get him all bent out of shape.”

  “Kylie, he’s giving them the evil eye because those men are all gawking at you and your costume.”

  “First of all, my costume is not that bad. There are other women here with outfits similar to mine.”

  “Yeah, but those women are working with a lot smaller curves than you.”

  She rolled her eyes. It wasn’t as if she could help the way her body was shaped. “Second of all, if you think he’s upset because they’re looking at me, you’re seriously...”

  She lost all sense of what she was about to say because the subject of their conversation was striding toward her, looking more like a Special Forces sniper than a scholarly navy psychologist. She swallowed and glanced at her friends, hoping for some sort of support. But they were just standing there with silly grins on their faces.

  “Drew, how are you?” Maxine said when he arrived, seemingly ready to pounce. “We were just talking about Kylie’s costume and how beautiful she looks in it.”

  “Beautiful is one way to describe it.” He glanced over his shoulder at the men by the bar, then stood closer to Kylie, as if he was trying to block her from their view.

  What had gotten into him? When she’d chosen her outfit, she’d had no intention of trying to make him jealous. She’d simply wanted him to see her in a sexier light. Or at least draw his physical interest. “Seriously, you guys. Stop giving me a hard time. I’m supposed to be Diana. You know, the Greek goddess of the hunt?”

  “Wasn’t Diana also the goddess of fertility?” Mia murmured before Maxine nudged her in the ribs. Kylie frowned at her friends.

  “Anyway, Drew,” Maxine said, “did Kylie tell you that Hunter invited the twins to come stay the night at our place tonight?”

  “Ah, no. I’m pretty sure that never came up,” he said, finally dragging his attention away from the group at the bar. “I don’t think the boys are ready to handle a sleepover just yet. They’re still getting used to being with me and, even though they’re settling into a routine, I don’t know if I trust them not to be a handful for you.”

  He was putting the brakes on this whole time-alone thing, and Kylie couldn’t help but suspect he was doing so wittingly. He didn’t want to be alone with her tonight and knew that if he allowed the twins to stay with Maxine and Cooper, he’d lose his towheaded buffers.

  “Of course they won’t be a handful. And we’d love to have them. I can understand you worrying about them spending the night somewhere new. I was the same way with Hunter the first time he went to a sleepover. But I promise that Cooper and I will take good care of them, and we’ll even make extra pecan waffles in the morning for you when you come pick them up.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked, and Kylie’s pulse took a little leap. She didn’t want to think that the only reason he was relenting was the promise of another home-cooked meal. But when he looked at her, one eyebrow raised as if to ask her opinion, she couldn’t help but hope he was silently asking her if she was comforta
ble with the arrangement.

  She honestly didn’t know if she was. But she did know they couldn’t continue living together and pretending the kiss of the century hadn’t just happened. She gave a tentative nod, hoping they could use the kid-free opportunity to have a good, long talk and sort out their feelings—or at least set some ground rules for the rest of the summer.

  After several rather transparent reassurances from Maxine, Drew went to speak to the boys, and she could hear the children’s squeals from across the yard. Part of her wanted to squeal as well, but the other part of her wanted to run straight to the Nanamobile and drive directly to Noodie’s. She’d never needed some serious ice cream therapy more than she did at this exact moment.

  Saying their goodbyes and doing their three hugs—with two excited kids in one oversize costume—created enough of a scene without her having to wonder if every townsperson home was snickering about why the newlyweds were leaving early.

  Her husband was perfectly polite—as usual—but did not touch her as they walked back to the car. He opened the door for her and she thanked him, but otherwise they didn’t speak. She was too afraid he might suggest dropping her off at her condo—with her brother, who’d been as surly as a grizzly bear when she’d talked to him a few days ago.

  Instead, she repeated prime factors in her mind until he turned onto Sweetwater Bend. Apparently, he was taking her back to the cabin. She didn’t know whether to exhale the breath she’d been holding or to start sucking in more air to prevent her from hyperventilating.

  “I always forget how beautiful the stars are up on this mountain,” he said, finally breaking their uncomfortable silence.

  She craned her head, leaning forward to see out the windshield. “I think it’s because the air is so pure up here.”

  See, they were making small talk. She could do this.

  “My brother, Luke, the twins’ dad, used to say that the sky was better in Sugar Falls than anywhere else in the world because it was so close to heaven.”

  “Do you miss your brother?” There, that was a neutral enough subject.

  “I do. We’re twins, so we have this connection—I don’t know how to explain it. Sometimes, when we’re not together, I feel things as though I’m experiencing them with him.”

  “Is he anything like you?”

  Drew chuckled. “Hardly. My mom would say we’re exactly alike when it comes to certain things, but mostly, we’re complete opposites. Luke is way more intense and impulsive. He knows what he wants and he goes after it. I’m more of a thinker, a planner. I manage my emotions better than he does, which is why we went into such different fields.”

  Kylie didn’t want to point out that just a couple of hours ago, Drew certainly hadn’t managed his emotions all that well. And she’d been enjoying it.

  “He was the fun twin growing up,” he continued. “The wild one. I was the dependable son. I always went out of my way to follow the rules, as though my perfect behavior would offset his recklessness. When he married the twins’ mom, he became a little more like me—methodical, but still passionate about life. I know it sounds weird, but back then a part of me thought that if matrimony made him more like me, then maybe finding a wife of my own would make me more exciting like him.”

  “So then why didn’t you marry your last girlfriend?” This was the kind of conversation they should be having on date number two, not on the second week of marriage. He’d touched on his prior relationship before, but now Kylie was wondering exactly what Drew was looking for in a wife.

  He turned onto the private dirt road toward the cabin, and she wanted to tell him to keep driving. To keep talking.

  “I don’t know. I dated Jessica for a few years, but it just never felt right.”

  Wait. Did he say a few years?

  He parked the car and shut off the engine. Kylie wanted to ask him if this moment together felt right. If she felt right. But the man had just admitted that it had taken him a hell of a lot longer than two weeks to decide if a woman was the one. Besides, on this night of all nights, she didn’t want him comparing her to his ex. Or to any other women.

  She needed him to realize that she was special. That she was unique and that she’d already given him something sacred that she’d never given another man. Even if neither one of them could remember it. Tonight’s conversation had to be about just the two of them, because she didn’t know how long she’d have him in her life, and she wanted to know that what they had—even if it was only temporary—was meaningful.

  He rested his arm along the back of her seat and turned to look at her. Maybe it took Drew years to figure out his feelings, but apparently Kylie was making quick work of hers. No doubt that if he looked at her this way two weeks ago, even without the cocktails in souvenir cups, she would’ve had a hard time staying away from him.

  “Listen,” he said, keeping his hand nearby but not touching her. “I just wanted to apologize again for my behavior earlier.”

  Whoa. There he went with his stupid regrets again. “I told you that you had nothing to be sorry for.”

  She shoved open her door and then slammed it closed behind her—no small feat considering it had to be two hundred pounds of solid steel. She was stomping up the steps to the back porch when he called after her.

  “If I shouldn’t be apologizing, then why are you so clearly upset?”

  “I’m not upset.” Disappointed? Yes. Humiliated? Totally. She stormed into the cabin with him close on her sandaled heels.

  “Really? Because I’m pretty sure I’m the expert on recognizing people’s emotions.”

  “Well, Doctor Perfect, you certainly aren’t the expert on me.” She threw her small gold clutch on the table and turned to face him, ready for the showdown. How dare he presume to know how it felt to have the sainted Andrew Gregson regret their kiss? To have him vow not to make the same mistake with her twice?

  “Kylie, I think we need to address this. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or worry that I can’t control myself around you.”

  “Drew, has it ever dawned on your expert mind that I don’t want you to control yourself around me?”

  She could hear the air hiss between his clenched teeth.

  “Then, you’d better be really sure about what you do want, Kylie, because as you saw before we went inside the party, once I get close to you, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop.”

  It took every bit of courage she possessed to put one foot in front of the other and walk toward him. This was it. There’d be no going back now. “I don’t want you to stop.”

  Chapter Nine

  Before Kylie could take that final step, Drew came toward her, placing one hand on her cheek a split second before molding his lips against hers. She knew the kiss they’d shared a couple of hours ago had shaken her senseless, but she’d never imagined a man could make her feel like this.

  As though she was melting, yet she couldn’t get warm enough.

  For a guy who always practiced such an unusual amount of caution, he was certainly leaving her no opportunity for second-guessing and no time for doubt. And she didn’t mind one bit, because she’d never been more certain of anything in her life. His mouth delved farther into her own as he drew her body closer. His fingers tangled into her long auburn hair, keeping her head exactly where he wanted it.

  His chest was chiseled, hard as rock, and she ran her hands along its ridges, amazed that something so firm could also be so hot. The upper section of his homemade costume had come unpinned, and she felt even more heat as his exposed skin pressed against the flesh rising above her corset. He must have felt the same heat, because his fingers were immediately at her back, working the small stays that barely managed to hold her top closed.

  Drew didn’t show the slightest hint of slowing down, and Kylie worried that she’d soon be topless in the living room. This might not be her first time with him, but it was the first time she would be able to remember the experience, and she didn’t want it occu
rring out in the open.

  “Should we go into the bedroom?” she murmured against his lips. His response was to move his hands to cup her bottom and then lift her up, forcing her to wrap her long legs around his waist.

  She was pretty sure that he carried her to the king-size bed. But by the time he laid her down, she didn’t care how she’d gotten there, only that she didn’t want him to let her go.

  His mouth never left hers as he tore what remained of her corset and flung it to the ground. His large hands covered her breasts and she arched into him, unfamiliar with the sensation, yet craving more.

  She had never been ashamed of her body, but suddenly she was hyperaware of everything he was doing to it and wondering if her response was normal. How could she experience this sense of floating above the bed when his tall, golden body was planted so firmly above her?

  He balanced himself on one arm, kissing a trail down to her tightened nipples, as he used his other hand to slide her skirt and panties past her hips. When he brought his fingers back up, he did so along her inner thigh. The metal of his wedding band was cool against the delicate skin near her core, and she couldn’t help but think, This man is my husband. I’m finally giving myself to my husband.

  He was passionate and he was perfect and he was hers, just as much as she was now his.

  She reached for his head and pulled his lips back to hers, wanting to seal her realization with a kiss. The movement caused his body to wedge itself between her open legs and, without hesitation, he drove into her. Her muscles clenched and she stilled, the small burst of pain already ebbing away.

  He pulled back and looked at her face. “You’re a... You’ve never... We’ve never?” There was no accusation in his blue eyes, only tenderness.

  “I guess that answers the question of whether or not we already did this in Reno,” she said, not sure of what she should do now. All she knew was that she didn’t want to ruin this beautiful moment with any recriminations. She shifted her hips and his shaft slid deeper inside her.

  He buried his face against her neck and said, “Forgive me, honey, but I can’t stop.”