Attractions of the Heart
Page 22
“Have you seen Olivia? Mom is adamant about not letting her see me before the ceremony. How’s she doing?”
“Fine.” My voice was too gruff. “You’ll see her soon enough. I’ll let them know you’re ready.” I swallowed hard and took my leave. Thankful to get out of there, I barged into the nearest bathroom and nearly knocked Olivia for a loop.
Olivia was a stud in her tux. I couldn’t find fault with her no matter how hard I tried. And believe me, right now I tried. I knew she’d be good to April and that she’d take care of her, but I hurt all over and could have killed her with my bare hands. Had I been home and not off being a Marine, could I have been in her place?
“Hey, man. What gives?” Olivia rested her hand on my shoulder. “How’s my girl in there?”
I cleared my throat, and the sound amplified in the small space between us. “You have to be ready in five.” I stood up tall and proud, befitting a Marine. “Good luck.”
“Thanks. See you in a few.”
I forgot why I’d gone in there and headed for the designated waiting spot. April was already there. She had the jitters and her eyes were clouded. Was she having misgivings? I fought the urge to feed into her fears, despite a supreme wish she’d call off the whole thing.
“Cheer up. This is not acceptable for a woman about to be betrothed,” I said softly.
“You’re right.” Her lips formed a sad excuse for a smile. I tried to calm her, but was having too much trouble with my own dismay. The music began, and it felt like every note ripped my veins to shreds as it coursed through my soul. Anger beat the heck out of misery. Olivia was about to steal my girl, and I’d be damned if I’d let her do it. But what about seeing it through? What about honor, duty, and doing the right thing? What about my military career? I had no idea if April felt about me the way I did about her.
When it was our turn to enter the chapel, I took her father’s place. I felt him watching from heaven as I walked her down the aisle, and all the time he was cursing me under his breath for being such a moron.
“You’re trembling,” April whispered.
“Sure it’s not you?”
“Maybe.” She let a nervous laugh escape. “I love you, Shell.”
“I love you, too.” I held her elbow even firmer now. My dress uniform and her pale blue gown were a perfect match.
She and Olivia exchanged a look too brief to hold the promise of love and all that good stuff. I’d have to be blind to have missed that something was lacking. I acted like a robot and went through all the motions until the moment they were about to exchange vows, rings and a kiss. Every inch of my being revolted. The anger bubbled to above boiling. I had to speak or forever hold my peace.
“Wait!”
Every set of eyes, even some that bore holes through my soul, focused on my face.
“April, I can’t let you marry Olivia.”
Gasps raced through the room. Olivia stepped into my personal space, and I stood my ground, honest for once and as firmly as I should have done years ago. With all the gathered guests, the clergy, and even God as my witness, I declared, “I love you, April. I always have, and I always will.”
Tears rolled down her face, slowly at first, and then with gusto. It was like a Mississippi River of tears, but her faint smile egged me on.
“I can’t give you away. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you marry Olivia. If you love me even half as much as I do y—”
April flung her body into mine and showered me with tear-laced kisses until it didn’t matter if I couldn’t breathe, just as long as she was with me.
“Oh, Shelby, Oh, oh, oh. Why didn’t you just say?” She couldn’t wipe away all the tears. Olivia stepped aside and gave me the ring. “I believe this rightly belongs to you.”
I shook her hand oblivious to the tears streaking my face and not caring about the uniform or anything but me and April together in wedded bliss forever more.
I knelt before her. “April. I promise to love, honor, and cherish you, my sweet angel, for all of my days. Will you marry me?”
Giant sobs filled the room. Her sobs. Her mother was crying now, too. I thought I was a goner, but then she smiled wide right through the water works, and whispered, “Yes, oh yes.”
I kissed her like there was no tomorrow. We held each other tight, until I felt a tug at my sleeve.
“I haven’t said you can kiss the bride yet,” the clergyman uttered.
“And I haven’t properly given her away,” Olivia added, the relief evident in her smiling eyes.
When it was finally time to get in a quickie honeymoon, I had to make it memorable enough to last until my next leave. That’s if I still had a job when I went back. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell can only get a Marine off the hook so far.
Not a moment too soon, we headed up to her hotel room. I carried her over the threshold amidst her glee and locked the door behind us once I had my wife safely inside. My wife. Not that I could tell anyone in the corps, but I loved the sound of that. At twenty-four, I didn’t have to re-enlist if the military didn’t like it. But this wasn’t the time to think about that.
April threw herself at me again and held me as if she’d never let go. “What took you so long, you creep?”
“I don’t own the elevator.”
“Not that.” She playfully slapped my arm. “To propose, silly.”
“Oh that.” I smiled, full of myself and deliriously happy. I drank in her beauty knowing a lifetime was too short to get my fill. “I’ve loved you since our very first kiss.”
“Sweet sixteen? Me too.”
“But you, you made it seem so trivial?”
“What would you have had me do? ‘Out’ us right then and there? You ran away, Shell. What did you expect?”
“Oh, babe. Let’s not waste another minute. We have so much ground to cover and so little time.”
“Shhh, just kiss me, okay?”
I obliged her again and again and again. I took what was mine and savored her sweet taste, memorizing each drop. I got lost in her essence, satisfied with just being with her like this, but only for as long as it took to pull her closer and realize my dream come true. My mouth was busy making love to her face, and my body hummed as she crashed into me with lust oozing out of her pores.
I explored her luscious body through the thin fabric. The tips of my fingers longed for more skin, and when I squeezed her buns, she jumped into my arms. With her arms clasped tightly around my neck and her legs gripping my waist, we melted into each other, which made getting undressed a priority. While it was hard to put her down, I released my grasp and unzipped her dress. After that, we quickly ripped off our clothes until we stood naked and motionless. I found my voice first.
“Oh, my God, April! You’re incredible,” I murmured. “Beautiful.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“I don’t have any other girls.”
“Honestly?”
“Honestly.” I held out my hand and escorted her to the bed. It was our wedding night. I had to repeat ‘our wedding night’ countless times, and still, I couldn’t believe it.
This was to be our first time making love. Dare I tell her, I had never had sex, nor had I looked at another girl because they all paled in comparison to my April?
My body yearned to speed things up, but my mind commanded that I get lost in each fold, each crevice and not miss a single part of her goodness. I was more in love with her than ever although it hardly seemed real. Life was never this good without a catch. I fought hard not to dwell on having to leave for base at 07:00 hours in less than two days.
She must have read my mind. “Don’t think about leaving. Please just love me up, Shell. Love me up real good.”
“You got it, babe.”
I traced her torso with my tongue. Her skin was so soft and fragrant. I lost myself in all the sensations that threatened to overwhelm and consume me completely.
We made love for two solid days, barely sleeping or eating o
r even seeing the light of day because all the brightness we needed was right there between us. The future held no definite plans, but one thing was certain; besides enjoying each other to the max, we’d be married until death do us part. This time I did see it through…in the best way possible.
About The Author
Cheri Crystal is a healthcare professional by day and an erotic romance writer by night. She was born and raised in New York and lives in the United Kingdom with her wife. Cheri began writing fiction in 2003 after reviewing for Lambda Book Report, Just About Write, Independent Gay Writer and other e-zines. Her debut short story collection, Attractions of the Heart, is a 2010 Golden Crown Literary Winner for Lesbian Erotica. Cheri is delighted at a second chance to release her baby. In her spare time, Cheri enjoys swimming, hiking the Moors, viewing wildlife, cooking, jigsaw puzzles, Scrabble and spending quality time with family and friends. Visit www.chericrystal.com and friend her on Facebook for the latest news.
Stories by Cheri Crystal
Award winning author of
Attractions of the Heart
Road Rage
Top Bird
Innocent Kiss
Exercise Dyke
The Ties That Bind
Does The Butch Come With The Recipe?
Campus Craze
Steam
Playing With The Band
Going Fishing
Climbing Rocks
Better Than Vibrators
Help Wanted: Clitoris Missing In Action
Taking Chances
Risky Pursuit
Better Late Than Never
Broken Vows
Best Friends Don’t Fuck
New ‘Nude’ Neighbors
Wet and Wild
Lobster Box
Mirror Image with Bonus Read: Slaying Dragons
Business or Pleasure? Formally titled: Consult My Pussy
Summer Relief due out in Diva Magazine July 2015
Kumquat Did You Say?
Across the Pond (A novella) due out 2014
To learn more about Cheri, visit her at:
http://chericrystal.com/
and
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