by Paige Tyler
Although the chicken cordon bleu Rachel and Bob had decided on for dinner looked delicious, Kate was too busy having a good time with Dawson to pay much attention to what they were eating. She hadn’t even realized it was possible to fall for a guy as quickly as she’d fallen for Dawson, but as she listened to him give the toast, she realized he was the man she’d been searching for her whole life and this time, she hadn’t even been looking. Maybe that was why she’d found him.
Kate was still marveling at that as she and Dawson walked out to join the rest of the bridal party in the traditional first dance a little while later. As he took her in his arms and pulled her close, she discovered he was as talented on the dance floor as he was in the bedroom. But then she’d always thought dancing was a little like making love. All those rhythmic motions were quite erotic. And feeling his body move against hers as they danced was one very erotic experience.
She would have been content to stay on the dance floor for the rest of the night, or at least until they went up to Dawson’s room, but a little while later, the DJ announced it was time for the bride and groom to cut the cake. As they sat down along with everyone else, Kate eagerly reached for her water glass and took a sip.
“I’m glad we decided to hook up for the weekend,” Dawson said as he reached for his own glass and took a long swallow of water. “It was a good idea.”
Something about the offhand way he said the words made Kate’s heart suddenly squeeze in her chest. Was this his subtle way of reminding her that he was only in this for some casual sex? Had he somehow figured out she’d started having feelings for him and wanted more than a simple weekend fling? Her hand began to tremble and she quickly set the glass down on the table.
She forced herself to smile. “Yeah. Me, too.”
Kate supposed she should have said more, but right then, she couldn’t trust herself to speak. She wasn’t even sure she could breathe. Tonight was it. This thing with him was really going to end. But how could she spend the night making love to Dawson now when all she wanted to do was go up to her room and cry her eyes out? At the same time, how could she not? It was her last chance to be with him. There would be time enough for tears on the ferry ride home tomorrow. Tonight at least, she was going to enjoy herself.
But that was easier said than done. Fortunately, Dawson didn’t seem to pick up on how quiet she’d gotten and Rachel was too busy being the blushing bride to notice. Or so Kate thought. Unfortunately, the other girl was still observant enough to realize Kate hadn’t gathered around with the rest of the single women when it was time to catch the bouquet.
“Kate!” she called. “Where are you, girl? Get over here!”
Kate groaned inwardly. Damn. She’d forgotten all about catching the bouquet. Considering the man she was in love with wanted nothing to do with her after their little weekend fling was over, she wasn’t really in the mood to take part in the silly tradition. But now that Rachel had singled her out, there was no way she could get out of it. Not that it mattered, she supposed. She never caught the stupid thing anyway.
She got to her feet. “I’m coming, I’m coming!”
As Kate made her way to the center of the dance floor to join the other single women, the other bridesmaids clapped and cheered, as did the rest of the guests.
At all her other friends’ weddings, Kate always made sure she was front and center for the bouquet toss, desperate to get her hands on the darn thing, but this time, she purposely positioned herself at the back of the group, figuring there was less chance of catching it there. However, when Rachel threw the bouquet over her shoulder, it sailed over all the other women to land right in her hands like it was guided by GPS. How was that for ironic?
Around her, everyone clapped and cheered again, more loudly this time. Though her heart really wasn’t in it, she picked up her gown and gave the room a small smile and a curtsy all the same. As she straightened up, Rachel hurried over to wrap her in a big hug.
“Congratulations, future Mrs. McKenna,” her friend whispered in her ear.
Tears stung Kate’s eyes and she quickly blinked them back, not wanting the other girl to see. She even managed to give Rachel a smile when her friend pulled back to look at her. This was Rachel’s wedding day and she wasn’t going to do anything to bring her down. Luckily, Bob swooped in and whisked his wife away before Kate could reply.
“I think someone’s impatient to get his bride up to the honeymoon suite,” Dawson whispered in her ear.
Kate shivered as his warm breath tickled her cheek. She’d been so caught up in her own thoughts she hadn’t heard Dawson come up behind her. She took a deep breath, then turned to smile at him. “I think you’re right.”
“You know what that means.”
“What?”
He flashed her a sexy grin. “That you and I can finally be alone.”
Kate’s pulse fluttered at the promise in his eyes and she went up on tiptoe to give him a kiss. “And you can ravish me just like you promised.”
As it turned out, it was another hour before Rachel and Bob left the reception, but once the bride and groom were gone, Kate and Dawson said good night to the rest of the wedding party and hurried upstairs. In his room, he took her in his arms and covered her mouth with his. She closed her eyes and melted against him, shutting out everything else as she kissed him back. If this was going to be her last night with Dawson, she wanted it to be perfect.
Letting out a groan, Dawson tore his mouth away to kiss his way down her neck to the curve of her shoulder as he reached around to undo the zipper on her dress. With his help, the straps slipped over her shoulders and the gown landed in a puddle of peach satin at her feet to leave her standing in nothing but a lacy bra and matching panties of the same color. He took a step back to slowly look her up and down before he bent his head to kiss her again.
His mouth was hot and demanding on hers and Kate parted her lips with a moan as his fingers found the pins holding up her long hair and began removing them one by one. When he’d gotten all of them out and the tresses tumbled down her back, he slid his hand in her hair and tilted her head back, plunging his tongue into her mouth to take sweet possession of hers.
Still kissing her, Dawson ran his hands down her back to find the clasp of her bra. Opening it deftly, he slid the straps off her shoulders and down her arms, releasing her breasts from their confines. Kate waited breathlessly for him to cup them in his hands, but instead he hooked his fingers inside her panties and slowly pushed them down, then slipped off her high-heeled sandals. As he straightened, he ran his hands up her bare legs and over her hips to bury his hands in her hair and close his mouth over hers once again.
Kate grabbed onto the lapels of his tux, pulling him closer. Her nipples tingled where they brushed against his jacket, and she slid her hands inside to push it off his shoulders. She reached for his bowtie next, giving it a little tug before undoing the buttons on his shirt. She eagerly yanked it out of his waistband and would have reached for the zipper on his pants when he swung her up in his arms and gently set her down on the bed.
He stood gazing down at her, his gaze caressing her naked body with an intensity that made Kate catch her breath. No matter how many other men she took her clothes off for, she would never forget the way Dawson McKenna looked at her.
That thought brought a pang with it and tears suddenly clogged her throat. She swallowed hard, wondering how she was going to keep from losing it. Dammit. She didn’t want to spend their remaining night together crying. But Dawson didn’t seem to notice and she was relieved when he finally stripped off his shirt and pants so she could focus on his magnificent body instead of how much she was hurting inside.
Tossing the last of his clothes on the floor, Dawson climbed onto the bed and settled himself between her legs. He braced himself on his forearms and teasingly rubbed the head of his cock up and down the lips of her pussy for one long delicious moment before slowly sliding inside.
Kate gasped, her arms and
legs going around him to pull him in even deeper. Dawson mumbled something she couldn’t make out and before she could ask what it was, he bent his head to claim her lips in a searing kiss. She moaned against his mouth and tightened her arms around him, instinctively lifting her hips to meet his when he gently began to thrust.
Unlike the other times they’d made love, she didn’t beg him to go faster or take her harder. This time, she wanted to make it last all night if she could.
Dawson seemed to want the same thing, because he kept his thrusts slow and steady, sliding out until just the tip of his cock was inside her before sliding back in to completely bury his length in her pussy again. Then he would hold himself there, pressing so firmly she swore she was going to come just from the fullness of it.
But as much as she wanted it to, there was no way they could last all night. It just felt too good. When neither of them could hold off coming any longer and Dawson buried his face in the curve of her neck and exploded inside her, the orgasm that coursed through Kate was so powerful and so beautiful that it brought tears to her eyes. This time she didn’t try to stop them, but let them roll silently down her cheeks, hoping Dawson wouldn’t see them in the semi-darkness of the room.
Kate lost count of how many times she and Dawson made love after that first time. All she knew was that whenever they came down from their passionate high, they would reach for each other and do it all over again until they finally both fell into an exhausted sleep.
Chapter Six
Leaving Dawson the next morning was the hardest thing Kate ever did in her life. Which was why she took the coward’s way out and decided to leave before he woke up. No matter how much she hated herself for doing it, she simply couldn’t trust herself to say goodbye to him without bursting into tears. She was on the verge even now. And that would completely ruin everything.
Swallowing hard, she tore her gaze away from the handsome man sleeping soundly beside her and carefully slipped out of bed. Tiptoeing across the room, she picked up her bra and panties from where they lay on top of her dress and put them on, then stepped into the satin gown and zipped it up as quietly as she could. She bent down to pick up her shoes next, but then hesitated as a twinge of guilt assailed her. While this thing she had with Dawson might just be a weekend fling, it wasn’t right to just leave without a word. She should at least leave him a note.
Forgetting about her shoes for the moment, she padded over to the desk. Behind her, Dawson stirred in bed and she threw a nervous glance over her shoulder. Getting caught sneaking out of his room would require more explanation than she could give without crying. But to her relief, he was still asleep.
Breathing a soft sigh, Kate took out a piece of hotel stationery and picked up a pen, but then hesitated again. What did a girl say to a guy like Dawson? Words didn’t seem enough, so in the end, she kept it simple.
Dawson,
Thank you for the most wonderful weekend of my life.
Kate
She stared at the paper for a moment, then let out a sigh. Putting it in an envelope, she wrote Dawson’s name on the front, then walked over to the bed and placed it on the pillow beside his, careful not to disturb him. Fighting the urge to bend over and give him one last kiss, she picked up her shoes and the bridal bouquet she’d caught from Rachel the night before and quietly slipped out of the room.
Kate hurried down the hall to her room, tears blurring her vision. Her chest hurt so much she could barely breathe and once inside, she had to lean against the door to steady herself. Dear God, it felt like her heart was actually breaking.
Choking back a sob, she took off her gown and carelessly stuffed it into her suitcase along with the rest of her clothes, then changed into fresh underwear before putting on jeans and a T-shirt. After that, she grabbed her stuff from the bathroom and shoved everything haphazardly into her toiletry bag. Later, she would probably regret packing so hastily, but right now, all she wanted to do was get out of there. She didn’t even take the time to redo her makeup or brush her hair, but just ran her fingers through its long length on her way to the door.
Hand on the knob, Kate turned back and gave the room a quick look to see if she’d forgotten anything when her gaze settled on the bridal bouquet she’d tossed on the bed. Her first instinct was to leave the damn thing, but for some reason, she found herself snatching it off the bed to take it home.
Fortunately, the rest of the hotel was still asleep at that time of morning, so Kate didn’t encounter anyone on her way down to the lobby. The desk clerk seemed a little surprised she was checking out so early, but made no comment other than to tell her to have a nice day. As she pulled out of the parking lot a little while later, she berated herself for not checking the ferry schedule before she left, but to her relief, it was still at the dock when she got to the marina. Parking her car on board, she got out and went up to take a seat in the enclosed deck.
Since the ferry wasn’t due to leave for Anacortes for almost half an hour, Kate had a lot of time to wonder if she’d done the right thing by leaving. What if she’d been wrong about Dawson? What if he was the kind of guy who was open to a long-term relationship? She was thinking maybe she should go back when the ferry pulled away from the dock.
Her heart sank. Well, it was too late now. It was probably for the best anyway.
Letting out a sigh, Kate walked outside to stand at the railing. No one else was out there, so she could be alone with her thoughts and as she watched San Juan Island retreat in the distance, she blinked back fresh tears. She wondered if Dawson had read her note yet. Did he regret their parting as much as she did? The idea that he might just shrug and toss her letter in the trash hurt almost as much as leaving him and she swallowed hard.
Kate was so lost in her own misery she didn’t even know someone had come out on deck until they were standing right beside her. Confused and a little annoyed that another passenger had to invade her space when there was a whole deck to make use of, she turned her head to see who it was, only to gasp in surprise when she realized it was Dawson.
At first, she thought she was imagining him, that her mind had somehow conjured up his jean-clad form to torture her even more, but when his beautiful brown eyes met hers, she knew for a certainty he was really there. His hair was tousled as if he’d just run his hand through it, and he was breathing hard, too, like he’d been running.
“Dawson,” she breathed. “What are you doing here? I-I mean, I thought you’d be taking a later ferry.”
“I was, but then I woke up and found your note and…” He shook his head as if searching for the right words. “God, this is really awkward. I don’t even know if I should have followed you. But I just knew I’d be kicking myself for the rest of my life if I let you go without telling you how I feel. So, when I discovered you’d checked out of the hotel, I decided to come after you.”
Kate’s heart seemed to stop in her chest. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?
“Look Kate, if my chasing after you like this makes you uncomfortable, then I’m sorry. I know we both agreed to hook up for the weekend and that it was just supposed to be about the sex, but it ended up being more than that for me. I didn’t plan on falling for you, but somewhere between making love to you that first night, having dinner on the balcony off my room, and dancing with you at the wedding reception last night, I did fall for you. Hard.” He reached out to gently cup her face in his hand. “What I’m trying to say is that I’d really like to keep seeing you when we get back to Seattle. I want to see where this thing between us can go. I hope you feel the same.”
She gazed up at him, too stunned to do anything but stand there.
The corner of his mouth edged up. “When I practiced this whole speech in my head as I was hauling ass to catch the ferry, I imagined you saying something encouraging at about this point in the conversation.”
Kate blushed. She opened her mouth to tell him she did feel the same way, but nothing would come out. Deciding to just show
him how she felt instead, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. That must have been good enough for Dawson because he kissed her back with a passion that left her breathless.
“I take it that means you’re okay with us continuing to see each other,” he teased when he lifted his head.
She laughed. “Okay with it? Dawson, it’s what I wanted since the first night we slept together.”
His brow furrowed. “Then why did you leave?”
She gave him a sheepish look. “Because I wasn’t sure you’d feel the same. And because I wasn’t as brave as you are. If you’d been the one who left, I would never have had the courage to come after you.”
He reached up to gently brush her hair back from her face, his mouth quirking. “I didn’t stop to think about being brave when I decided to come after you. I just knew if I didn’t, I’d be making the biggest mistake of my life.”
She kissed him again. “Well, I’m glad you did. It’s just good you were able to make the ferry before it left. You must have checked out of the hotel in record time.”
“Speaking of that, I’m going to have to turn around and go back to San Juan Island when we get to Anacortes.”
It was her turn to frown. “Why?”
“Because I was in such a hurry to catch you before you left I didn’t check out of my room. Actually, I didn’t even bother to take any of my stuff.”
She shook her head in amusement. “No problem. I’ll go back with you.”
His eyes darkened with a look she was coming to recognize. “You know, I don’t have to be out of the room until noon. If we get back in time, we might be able to slip in a quickie.”
Her pussy tingled at the suggestion and she let out a little moan as she went up on tiptoe to kiss him again. “And what if I can’t wait until we get back to your room?”
