by CA Quigg
I slid the USB key into the dock and searched for the drive. It held one MP4 file and nothing else. Without hesitation, I clicked it and held my breath waiting for it to play.
Elvis' Burning Love played and Happily Ever After Weddings flashed up on the screen followed by Melody and Kristian. Then there was a close up of my mom in white Daisy Dukes and a tight white t-shirt. I reached out and touched the screen. Tears prickled my eyes. She was every bit as beautiful as I remembered.
The video panned out. My mom was flanked by Kit and another man I guessed to be the cousin Beverly mentioned—Charlie—the Tandorf genes must be strong because they looked almost identical, except Kit was the taller of the two. Their eyes and ruddy cheeks showed they'd all had way too much to drink.
I laughed. Kit looked like a baby, but he was still hot in a college kid kind of way. The boy he was then hinted at the man he would become. All three of them stumbled arm and arm up the aisle to It's Now or Never.
This was the surrealist thing I'd ever experienced. The man I'd spent the most magical few days of my life with, was about to marry my mom.
When they reached the top of the aisle, Kit stepped to one side and was joined by a middle-aged woman wearing a kaftan, and Charlie stood, or swayed, opposite my mom. Why wasn't Kit standing by my mom?
I paused the video and zoomed in to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Nope, I wasn't. Kit wasn't the man my mom was about to marry. I pressed play. Elvis stopped singing, and the video switched to live audio.
Red curtains rose, and an Elvis impersonator wearing a rhinestone covered karate suit strode onto the altar.
"Thank you, thank you very much. I'm Elvis, and I'm very much alive. We're here tonight because Melody and Kristian are going to become man and wife. Marriage is a big and holy estate, but it's a commitment and a commitment that shouldn't be taken lightly. "
Off to the side, Kit lowered his head and snickered while my mom giggled. Charlie's brow furrowed and his face grayed like he knew something wasn't right, but he wasn't sure what.
"Kristian, do you promise to love and cherish Melody in good times and in bad to keep her in sickness and health, for richer, for poorer forsaking all others for as long as you both shall live?"
Elvis held a mic to Charlie's lips. "I do."
"I do too," my mom said with a squeal after Elvis asked her the same question.
"The rings you're about the exchange are the symbol of an unbroken circle. They have no beginning and no end and symbolize eternity just as you love you share will last for eternity."
My mom and Charlie dug into their pockets and produced what looked like rings made from paperclips. They exchanged the rings as tokens of their pledge and that their love would never fade.
Elvis swiveled his hips. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Sir, you may kiss your bride."
Charlie grabbed my mom, dipped her and pressed a kiss on her lips. The video faded out to Elvis singing Viva Las Vegas and everyone dancing.
I closed the cover of my laptop and sat on my sofa in stunned silence. My mom and Kit hadn't married, she'd married Charlie, but why was Kit's name on the marriage certificate? I held my head in my hands trying to make sense of everything.
"I don't understand," I whispered.
"I didn't understand either."
I shrieked and jumped up. Kit walked out of my bedroom and stood by the kitchen table,
Boiling angry rage left me shaking and it was all I could do not to burst out crying. The pain of seeing him was excruciating. I wanted to scream, and yell, and shriek. Tell him to get the fuck out, but all I could manage was, "What?"
He made a move to come towards me, but I glared at him at he stopped. God, the asshole was gorgeous. Stubble roughened his jaw, and his hair was shaggy, longer than it'd been when I last saw him. He wore a pair of faded jeans that cupped his cock and a white shirt with rolled up sleeves. The healthy tan he'd had when we first met had faded, but that didn't take away from his handsomeness. My already engorged clit was happy to see him as were my nipples, but the contempt I felt at myself for still wanting him so much soured my stomach.
His face was a picture of misery, and in a way that made me feel better.
"On the way to the chapel, Charlie and I made another stupid bet. If I could down five shots of tequila without throwing up, he'd have to marry your mother."
"And she was okay with this?" My voice cracked when I spoke. "She was okay with being treated like a piece of meat?"
"She wanted Charlie, not me. And she wasn't treated like a piece of meat. You saw how happy she was in the video. No one twisted her arm or forced her. None of us thought it was for real."
"How did your name end up on the marriage certificate when he was the one she said 'I do' to?"
"Charlie left his passport at the hotel. I had mine with me. When we were twenty-one, we looked enough alike that he got away with pretending to be me. The place was busy. The clerk didn't look too closely."
A lump lodged in my throat at what he was telling me, but I kept calm and collected. I didn't want him to know there was a cyclone of emotions whirling inside of me. "And you forgot this until now?"
"Five shots of tequila when you're already drunk will do that to a person. Charlie and I pieced everything together over a few beers and photographs." He pointed towards a manila envelope on the table. "I didn't remember much until I watched the video. After that, I spoke to Charlie, which I should've done when you first contacted me. He said he'd taken pictures but had never developed the film. I had them developed as soon as I got them. The photos tell a story of three drunk kids who didn't know what the hell they were doing."
I wanted to rip the envelope open so I could see the photos, but I would wait until I was on my own. I didn't want him to know how desperate I was.
He gave me a sad smile and all of me wanted to pull him into my arms and comfort him, but the voice in my head recited every lie he'd ever told me. "You know you broke the law and could go to prison."
He nodded grimly. "It helps to have money, a world-class lawyer and a security team at your disposal. The marriage doesn't exist. The USB I gave you is the only copy of the video in existence."
I drew in a deep breath and met his eyes. "Thank you for bringing this to me, but I'd like you to leave."
Chapter Nineteen
Kristian
"I'm not going anywhere, not until you hear me out." I closed my eyes and prayed for divine guidance because I would need it.
Since Emma had left, a murky darkness had seeped into my soul until it consumed me, but the second I saw Emma, even with hurt in her eyes, the darkness brightened. For weeks, I'd dreamed of pulling her into my arms, of kissing her, of giving her everything she ever wanted and more, but now she was in front of me, I feared she hated me. And fear wasn't something I was used to.
"I'm listening."
"Marry me." The words came out of nowhere. I'd planned and rehearsed a speech about how sorry I was. About how much I missed her, loved her, and wanted to marry her, but instead, I'd blurted out my proposal.
"Kristian, I—"
"Call me Kit. Always call me Kit."
"Marry you?" Her words were like ice picks digging into my skin and she launched herself across the room. "You shithead. Marry you? I hate you."
She curled her hands into fists and aimed for my chest, but before she could pummel me, I grabbed her wrists, imprisoning them, imprisoning her.
"You love me, and I love you." I pressed my lips to hers in a hard and angry kiss. Anger emanated from her, and she tried to break away, but my grip on her wrists was too strong. Our tongues fought and our teeth clashed, but I wouldn't let her go. I would never let her go.
My dick was so hard it hurt. I'd never wanted a woman like this. She curved her body against mine, and I ground my crotch against her, showing that our time apart had only increased my need for her. Feeling her taut muscles relax, I loosened my grip and released her wrists. She ran he
r hands over my chest, my shoulders and through my hair. Then she ran one down my chest to my zipper.
She kissed me harder, hungrier. Her kiss told me everything her words didn't. She loved me and missed me, and in time I hoped she would forgive me. Her fingers slid down the zipper, and she reached inside my jeans, freeing my throbbing cock. A rush of pleasure hit hard, stealing my breath, my mind. She literally had me in the palm of her hands.
"Make love to me," she murmured against my lips.
"Marry me."
****
I broke away. "I can't…we can't."
Piece by piece Kit pulled off my clothes, and I didn't try to stop him. With every touch, my anger dissipated but it didn't completely disappear. I had many more questions, and I would ask those later, but for now I would give into the desire I felt.
He slid his hands around my waist and lifted me onto the table.
"Do you have any idea how much I missed you?" His words were thick almost slurred, and he brushed his lips over my cheek.
I glanced down at his massive cock. "I have an idea."
"I don't think you do."
He stood back and pulled off his shirt, and I swooned—yes, swooned—at the sight of his powerful body. Heat rushed to my breasts, and millions of incredible sensations prickled my skin, and I wondered how I'd managed to live without him for over a month.
He moved between my legs and I rolled my shoulders back until my aching nipples were a whisker away from his chest. He gazed at me. It was as were he absorbing every inch of me. Every bump. Every dip. Every imperfection.
"You're something else. Something I can't live without."
Burning need coiled painfully inside of me. Desperate to feel his solid body press against my skin, I reached to pull him to me.
"No touching," Kit instructed.
"Seriously?" Huffing out a frustrated moan, I dropped my hands. "It's been forever."
"Then a few minutes more won't kill you."
"They might."
Concentration darkened his face. He trailed the backs of his fingers over my nipples before trapping the distended buds between his knuckles and pinching. Hard.
Next, he took the weight of my tits in his hands and lifted them to his lowered mouth. Delicately, he dragged his teeth over one nipple, closed his soft lips over the tip, and sucked. Surges of excitement raced through me until I could barely see straight. I'd missed him more than I would ever admit. More than I ever imagined.
"You're driving me insane," I whispered.
Kit removed his lips from my breast and turned his attention to the other one, repeating the same blissful torture. Needing to touch him, I gripped his biceps and dug my nails into his skin.
After a few maddening seconds of torturing my nipples, he dipped his mouth to my cleavage and trailed his tongue between the valley of my breasts, licking a pathway up to my lips where he caught my mouth in a slow, drawn out kiss.
Our tongues explored each other with desperate and reckless strokes, and when he molded his body to mine, the strong thud, thud, thud of his heart pounded against me letting me know he belonged to me.
The thick hardness of his cock pressed into my stomach. Kit tore his lips from mine, his breaths coming in rapid pants.
"I don't know how or why I held back." He leaned in and trailed the tip of his tongue down the side of my neck before returning to my mouth. "You're mine, Emma. Mine forever."
"Mine," I whispered.
His hands drifted down my spine, and his fingers pressed the sensitive spot at the base of my back. A whimper floated from my mouth into his. We were going to make love . Slow, sweet, frantic love.
I clasped my hands behind his corded neck muscles and lifted myself up. Hooking my legs around his waist, I fixed his cock against my clit and ground against his hardness. Desire consumed me, and I kissed him with all I had, showing him I couldn't live without his breath, that I couldn't live without him.
Blood fizzed through my veins, and I drew in fast choppy breaths. The fire between us became an inferno of desire, of need. He stepped back and tenderly spread my thighs, opening me up to his heated gaze.
"Touch yourself, Sweet Emma." He reached for my hand. "Show me again what feels good. Show me how you make yourself come."
"Help me show you." I closed my fingers around his wrist and trailed our combined hands through my damp curls into the warmth of my wet folds.
Kit's fingers brushed over the hood of my clit, and I braced myself against the tabletop. Ribbons of lust encased my body and longing throbbed deep inside.
His talented fingers swirled over and around my hard nub with just the right amount pressure. My hips jutted higher and higher and the need to come consumed me. I squeezed my eyes shut and lost myself to the sensations coursing through my veins, emptying my mind of everything but the here and now.
"No," Kit growled. "Open your eyes. It's been too long."
My eyes snapped open.
"Show me," he said. Dark longing rasped in his voice, and he took one of my hands and placed it over the entrance to my body.
With slow, timid movements, I stroked my fingers up and down my slit and over my clit, riding the rising waves of my oncoming orgasm.
"That's it, Sweet Emma. Get your body ready for me." Kit moved his fingers to my breasts and pinched and plucked my over-sensitized nipples, sending surges of urgency to my core.
Yes, Yes. I wouldn't last much longer, and I didn't want to. I wanted to show him how much I'd missed him.
"I need to see all of you." He dropped his hands to my ankles and spread my legs wider. I bolstered myself on my forearms and gripped the edge of the table with my toes, and opened myself to him fully.
I loved the way my body responded to his touch. Loved the way his body reacted to mine.
"I'm going to begin by sliding my fingers inside of you. Are you ready for me?"
Too much emotion crashed over of me, leaving me unable to speak, so I simply nodded, and after what seemed like forever, I managed to whisper, "yes."
A low groan sounded in his throat. He removed his hands from my ankles and brushed them up my legs. Starting slow, he ran the tips of his fingers around my opening, circling, teasing. Arousal dripped from me, coating his fingers, his hand.
When I was ready to pass out from waiting, he slipped one finger into my drenched channel. My pussy muscles clenched hard. There was no pain only euphoria.
"So fucking tight."
I threw my head back in ecstasy and ground against his hand until the agonizing need for release left me lightheaded. Slowly, carefully, Kit slid in a second finger, stretching me wider. He twisted his fingers, and I instinctively rode his hand, willing him to delve deeper, to thrust harder.
"I'm going to come."
He withdrew his fingers. "Not yet."
"I don't want to stop. Can't stop. Please. I've waited so long for this ." I brought my fingers to my clit and circled wildly. My hips jerked forward, wanting him, needing him to plunge his fingers into my depths.
"I told you no. If you want my cock, then listen to me." He gripped my wrist, restraining my movements, but the weight of his hand on mine was too much and my desire to come too powerful. Spasms seized control, and I screamed as an orgasm ripped through me. My body imploded, and for a millisecond the entire world disappeared, and then with a soundless scream, I broke into a billion pieces
Kit shoved my hand away, clamped his lips over my clit, and coaxed the rest of my climax from me. My hips rocked and rolled against his mouth, and the strength of my orgasm amplified the more he pleasured me.
Kit broke away and nuzzled the tender skin of my inner thighs. Still reeling from the intensity, I sagged forward and gasped in an attempt to catch my breath.
"You smell and taste as delectable as I remembered. A month without you was a month too long." Kit swiped the flat of his tongue over my swollen folds. "You make beautiful sounds when you come. Come again for me."
"Are you kidding?" I laughed and
wiggled away. "I don't think I can." More than one mind-melting orgasm in a row would make my head explode. I didn't think my body could take it, but the blazing light in Kit's eyes convinced me I should at least try.
"What are you afraid of?"
"Nothing." Everything.
"Then show me."
I anchored my feet over his shoulders, using my elbows for balance. With a satisfied grin, Kit lowered his head and captured my clit.
I flinched and pushed him away. "I can't…it's too much."
"You can and you will." Not allowing me to escape, he lowered his head again and lightened the pressure of his tongue. This time I didn't flinch or pull away, I forced my body to relax and gave myself over to the pleasure.
Kit eased two fingers into my wetness again, and I dreamed of the moment he would fill me with his cock. My hips jerked, and I moved against him, but Kit stilled his hand, and my inner muscles clamped him in place.
"Fuck me now. Let me feel you inside of me."
"Soon."
He repeatedly flicked his wrist, driving his fingers into me, preparing me for what was to come. I held my breath and pressed my palms onto the table.
"I want you to come on my mouth again," he said.
I laughed shakily. "I like how you think."
Kit tapped my clit with the tip of his tongue, and then took me between his lips. My breath whooshed out, and I buried my hands in his hair. I locked my thighs around his face, holding onto him for dear life.
When his teeth scraped over my clit, a choked cry tumbled from my lips, and I fell apart. My thighs imprisoned his face, and my inner muscles trapped his fingers. He didn't stop the demands of his mouth or the thrusting of his fingers until the last tremor rippled through me, and when it did, I fell back breathless, dimly aware of the world around me.
He eased his fingers from me, and I cried out at the emptiness. I needed him inside of me. Now. Needed to wrap my body around his. Needed him to make me his. Needed to make him mine.
"I want you." I jumped down from the table, clasped his hand and led him toward my bedroom.
