by Talia Hunter
Chapter Eleven
Luke
We barely made it to the hotel room.
Somehow I managed to get the key in the door and get us both inside with Willow’s legs wrapped around my waist and her hands ripping off my tie and unbuttoning my shirt while she nipped and kissed my neck.
Leaning her weight onto the nearest piece of furniture, which happened to be a desk, I struggled with the bodice of her dress. It was so tight, I couldn’t get her breasts out of it.
“Careful,” she gasped. “There are a hundred small buttons down the back of my dress. If you rip it, I’ll never get back into it.”
I pulled back a little, breathing hard as I met her gaze. “Then how?”
“It’ll take too long to try and get this dress off. We’ll have to work around it.” She yanked my shirt open and the hunger in her eyes as her gaze raked over my torso made me need her even more.
“Working around the dress isn’t an option,” I growled. “Turn around and show me the back.”
She twisted, and I groaned. She hadn’t exaggerated the number of tiny buttons holding the fabric snug against her body.
“Was this dress made in the Middle Ages by sadistic, sex-hating nuns? It’s a chastity belt for your breasts.” As gorgeous as she looked in the dress, it was now the most hated thing I’d ever encountered. “I should tear it off. It’s a symbol of control and enslavement. As a committed feminist, I demand your breasts have the right to freedom.”
“Here.” She hiked her full skirt further up to reveal a pair of lacy white panties. “Forget my breasts. Tear these off instead.”
“Forget your breasts?” I tried for outrage, but my mouth was back on hers and my hands were already spreading her thighs. Stepping between her legs, I yanked at her panties and heard a very satisfying rip as the delicate fabric came apart.
She pushed my jacket and shirt down my arms, and I shook them off and let them drop to the floor. Then I slid my hands back up her thighs, pushing her dress higher so I could stroke her warm, slick center.
“Silky,” I murmured, gliding my fingers gently over her. “Hairless?” I pulled back to check.
She nodded. “I always get it all taken off now. No more Willow Bush.” She attempted a weak smile, but for the first time, she almost sounded shy. As though uttering those words aloud had made her vulnerable.
My chest tightened. “Willow Rose Buchanan,” I said sternly. “Green, brown, bald, or hairy, every single part of you is beautiful.”
She slipped her fingers into the waistband of my pants and pulled me forward. “Show me.”
I felt my pants come undone, and she pushed them down with my boxer briefs while I was kissing her. Her fingers dug into my bare ass, leaving no doubt what she wanted.
“I have a condom.” I reached down to pull it out of my pocket before kicking my pants off.
“I brought a box of condoms.”
“So we have three more? We’ll need them.”
Her grin was wicked. “A box of ten.”
I laughed. “Good thing we have this room for the whole night.”
“We’d better not waste any time.” Hooking her feet around my thighs, she drew me into her, barely giving me time to roll on the sheath.
I’d planned to go slow and savor every inch of her.
That plan vanished.
Her hands were eager, her eyes hazy with wanting. She kissed me like she was on fire for me and squirmed like she couldn’t wait another instant.
I bit back a groan. My need for her was beyond control. Lifting her thigh, I gave into that urgency. My mouth found hers again, but we were both breathing so hard, our lips barely brushed. She felt too good to concentrate on any other sensation but being buried deep inside her.
She threw her head back, her eyes half-lidded, and leaned both hands on the desk behind her. I ran my hands under her thighs, pulling them up, angling her so I could drive in even deeper. Then I stroked her while she gasped and moaned. Her hands came to my shoulders and her fingernails dug in.
Instead of taking it slow, we were urgent and furious. With panting cries she urged me to go faster, harder. I pulled her hips closer and lifted her knees higher. Taking her—claiming her—with a fierce urgency that consumed me.
Her cries grew faster and her thighs clenched around me. She orgasmed like she did everything: fast, hard, reckless and uninhibited. Her lips parted, and she looked so deeply into my eyes it felt like we were falling into each other. Her irises had lightened, becoming luminous.
She was so stunning, she stopped my heart.
My own release seemed to start in my toes and travel all the way up my body. I gathered her to me, groaning against her hair, kissing her neck and along her jaw.
She caught my mouth with hers, and our kiss was like oxygen as the last waves of sensation shuddered through us both.
We stayed where we were for a long time, holding each other, smiling at each other and brushing soft kisses over each other’s lips and skin.
I never wanted to move.
But she was sitting on a hard desk. We hadn’t even made it as far as the bed, which was just a few feet further inside the room. And I hadn’t made love to her yet, not in the thorough way I’d intended.
“We should get back to the wedding.” She sounded as reluctant as I felt.
I’d give just about anything to rip her dress right off, lay her on the bed, and kiss her all over. Instead, I stepped back and helped her off the desk like the gentleman my body didn’t want me to be. Then I went into the bathroom to dispose of the condom and get cleaned up.
When I came back out, she was holding the torn scrap of fabric that used to be her panties. “Can’t wear these.” She tossed them into the small trashcan under the desk. “I’ll have to go commando for the rest of the night.”
Pulling on my clothes, I let out a groan. “God, woman, you’re going to kill me.” I was one kiss away from locking the door and keeping her all for myself.
“There’ll be some speeches, including mine.” She wrinkled her nose. “Then dinner. Cake and dancing after that, but by then everyone will be too drunk to notice if we disappear.”
“You think we can come back here right after dinner?” Knowing we’d only have a single night together made every second we had to spend apart into torture.
“I won’t even finish eating.” She smoothed her dress and hair. “How do I look?”
Some hair had come loose from her elaborate braid, her cheeks were flushed, and her skirt was crumpled. And I knew I was the luckiest guy in the whole damn world.
“You look stunning,” I said with feeling.
She flushed, but her lips curved up in a smile that made me instantly decide to tell her how beautiful she was at every possible opportunity.
“I’ll use the restroom, then we’d better go downstairs.” She stepped past me. “I have to give the first speech. If we’re late, Holly will kill me.”
When Willow was ready, we took the elevator down to the ballroom on the first floor, where the wedding reception was being held. The guests weren’t seated yet, but were standing around drinking.
The noise level of people laughing and talking was getting noticeably louder the more alcohol was consumed. If dinner didn’t start soon, some of the guests would be more than a little worse for wear.
Spotting Mason in the far corner, I led Willow over to say hi.
“Hey,” said Mason, giving us both a smile. “Having a good time?”
I nodded. “A wonderful time. Excellent. Outstanding.” I tried to look innocent, but couldn’t resist shooting Willow a conspiratorial grin.
“You could even call it breathtaking.” She grinned back at me, nodding enthusiastically. “Best wedding I’ve ever been to, by far.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
Mason narrowed his eyes at us, and I cleared my throat to hide a chuckle.
“Glass of champagne?” I asked Willow.
“Please.”
/> “Mason?”
He shook his head, still aiming a suspicious look at me.
I gave Willow one last smile, drinking in the flush of her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes, then went to get her a drink.
I was one lucky guy, all right. At least I was for tonight.
As long as I didn’t think about tomorrow.
Chapter Twelve
Willow
I watched Luke head toward the bar with an internal sigh. He looked as good from the back as he did from the front. His butt was so cute I wanted to take a bite out of it.
Dragging my gaze away, I tried to smile at Mason, but my heart was suddenly heavy. I liked Luke too much. He was so great, how could I leave him behind and go back to Vegas?
“Are you okay?” Mason gave me a concerned look. My sad thoughts must have shown on my face.
I nodded. “It’s just that Luke’s growing on me, more than I ever expected. I’m going to miss him when I leave.”
Mason took a thoughtful sip of his beer. In his suit he looked almost as handsome as Luke. With his enormous shoulders, there was no way he’d found a suit to fit him right off the rack. He must have had it tailored.
“You’re not tempted to move back to San Dante?” Mason asked.
“How can I?” I sighed out loud this time. “My business is in Vegas and I have big plans for it.”
“That’s a shame. Luke seems to like you a lot. You two could really have something.”
I blinked at him, surprised. My heart ached at the thought of what I’d be missing out on when I left. Talk about terrible timing. If I hadn’t been working with a business manager and financial planner, I might have been able to plan a trip back to San Dante.
But my business was too important to neglect. Turning it into a franchise would mean I’d get to help an entire chain of people start their own mobile event management businesses. If they did well, I’d finally be able to call myself a success.
And maybe Mom would too.
“I didn’t know you were such a romantic.” I tried to keep my voice light.
He shrugged. “This is a wedding. Love is in the air.”
“Are you here with a date?”
“Me? No.” A small smile lifted one side of his mouth, as though the idea was funny. “I’m only in San Dante for a little while. Heading back out of town soon.”
“For work?”
He gave a brief nod, looking around. “Are they serving snacks? I’m getting hungry.”
“You’re a cop, right?” I asked.
“A bodyguard. Hey, you haven’t seen any waiters with trays?”
Mason clearly wanted to change the subject. The whole thing was odd, because I was almost certain Luke had mentioned something about working with him, and why would a cop work with a bodyguard?
I’d known Mason at school, but he’d looked very different back then. Smaller, for sure. And he hadn’t had the nasty-looking scar on his neck, nor the one I’d seen on his forearm that was currently hidden by his suit.
“No snacks, but we’re having dinner soon,” I said. “What kind of bodyguard are you?”
“Just a regular one. Does your business have to be in Vegas? Doesn’t your sister’s wedding prove people in San Dante need event decorators too?”
Before I could answer, Luke was back, handing me a glass of champagne. “We should take our seats,” he said. “The speeches are about to start.”
“I’ll talk to you later,” said Mason. He gave us both a nod before melting away into the crowd of guests. For a giant man, he could move amazingly gracefully.
I wanted to ask Luke about Mason and why he’d given such evasive answers about what he did for a job. But the formal part of the evening was starting, and the MC directed us to our seats. Luke and I were both sitting at the head table, but at opposite ends so I wouldn’t get to talk to him or touch him during dinner. Hopefully the time would go quickly.
Holly and Rudy made their grand entrance, and we all clapped. The MC said a few words, then, when everyone was sitting in their assigned seat and the room was quiet, I moved to the small podium at the side of the large room to make my speech.
My heart was pounding. I’d been refusing to think about this part of the evening, but oddly, I wasn’t as nervous as I’d expected. The day had been so good, I felt a lot more confident than I had this morning. Mom didn’t seem to be waiting for me to mess things up, and the wedding guests were giving me supportive smiles. I’d just had amazing sex with a guy I liked more than I could have dreamed, and I hadn’t heard a single joke about green pubic hair all day.
Taking a deep breath, I leaned toward the microphone and recited the speech I’d memorized.
“My sister Holly is good at everything she does. She’s brilliant and beautiful, and we all love her. And she loves Rudy. When I see them together, I know their marriage will last a lifetime. I admire my sister and now she’s found her one true love, I’m glad to see her so happy.”
I thought I’d be able to get through my speech without getting emotional, but my chest ached, my throat felt thick, and tears pricked my eyes.
What if Luke was meant to have been my one true love, only I’d already ruined that chance once? And what if I left town again, became run off my feet setting up franchise operations, and ruined it for good?
I paused for a moment, fighting to keep my tears back. “Holly and Rudy are—”
“Heeey, Willow Bush!” slurred a male voice from behind me.
Jerking around, I stared at Gus.
He was standing behind the podium, swaying on his feet. He blinked blearily at me, his face flushed. His lips lifted in a nasty grin, and when he stepped forward the stink of whiskey hit me.
“Gus, what are you—?”
He bent and grabbed the hem of my skirt. Yanking it up high, he let out a howl of drunken laughter as he stared at my naked lower half. “Heeey! It’s winter! Willow Bush has no leaves!”
I stepped back, tearing my dress out of his hands, my heart hammering.
“What the hell?” I yelled at the top of my lungs.
Spinning to face him had put my back to the room, and because my dress had a full skirt, most of it probably hadn’t lifted. Maybe three hundred wedding guests hadn’t seen me naked.
But Gus had.
My fist shot out. I punched Gus in the face.
As he stumbled and fell, Luke dove on him. He grabbed both Gus’s arms and yanked him to his feet. Luke’s face was a mask of anger.
“She punched me,” Gus slurred.
“You’re under arrest for sexual assault, asshole.”
Gus shook his head so hard he almost fell over. “You can’t arrest me. I’m a cop.”
“Tell it to the judge,” Luke growled. He shot me a look full of sympathy. “Are you okay, Willow?”
I swallowed hard, my pulse racing and my stomach churning. My knuckles throbbed where they’d connected with Gus’s cheek. I still had my back to the room, but the shocked murmurs behind me were loud. If I turned, I’d see all the wedding guests looking at me with pity. Or laughing at me.
“Yes,” I lied, my throat so tight it was hard to get the words out. “I’m fine.”
I dropped my gaze to the floor. Most of San Dante’s residents were in the room. All the people I’d grown up with, all the people I’d chatted to, or bought things from, or looked up to.
I’d been humiliated in front of all of them.
Luke was dragging Gus to the door, taking him away, presumably to the police station. The buzz of scandalized conversation was getting louder, and I could hear people shifting in their seats to get a better look at what was going on.
“Will, are you all right?” Holly grabbed my hands. Even frowning at me with her eyes filled with concern, she still looked beautiful. My perfect sister, in her elegant white gown with her handsome husband by her side. She had no idea what it felt like to be humiliated in public.
“Sure,” I said. “Absolutely.”
“Come
and sit back down.”
She led me back to the head table and I sat, staring at the white tablecloth, refusing to look up. “I’m fine,” I told her. “Everything’s good now. Please carry on.”
Holly looked at Rudy. “Let’s eat now, and delay the rest of the speeches until after dinner, okay? Give everyone time to move on.”
“Sure, honey. Whatever you want.”
Mom was sitting at the end of the bridal table. She leaned over to talk to me, and I dragged in a deep breath, steeling myself to answer another concerned question about my wellbeing without bursting into tears.
Then I realized Mom was giving me a disapproving frown.
“Stop making a spectacle of yourself, Willow,” she hissed. “You’re going to ruin your sister’s wedding.”
I stared at her, my heart pounding. The unfairness of her words robbed me of breath.
My eyes stung.
If I didn’t leave, I was going to bawl in front of everyone.
Scrambling to my feet, I was conscious I was doing exactly what Mom didn’t want. By racing out, I was going to call more attention to myself and make everything worse.
But what choice did I have?
Chapter Thirteen
Luke: Christmas Day
The last time Willow ran out on me was eleven years ago, but the memory was so sharp, I could still recall the unfamiliar stiffness of my rented suit.
This time, at least I’d known her departure was imminent. Though I’d thought we’d have the night together, I was well aware Willow was leaving San Dante and I may never see her again.
I’d had time to prepare myself. The only unexpected part was that she’d taken off early. When I got back to the wedding reception, I found she’d already left town. But I understood why she had.
So why did I still feel so bad?
I shook my head, wishing I could somehow rid myself of every memory I had of Willow, until I could think of her without feeling like there was a knife in my chest.
