“No, she got caught up dealing with a huge mess Damien made,” Remi explained.
“Damien?” Ben asked. “That’s her cat, right?”
“Her evil cat,” I corrected him.
“Damien isn’t evil. He’s misunderstood. Hey guys,” Remi called out as we approached the table where the band was seated.
There wasn’t a huge crowd in the VIP room, only about thirty people.
“Oh shit!” one of the guys said.
“It’s Stone Morrison,” another added.
“I thought you were fucking with us,” the last added.
Their excitement drew the attention of others in the room, and soon I found myself being pushed away from my husband as he signed autographs. I let him enjoy the spotlight, already expecting this would happen when we went out at least part of the time.
Remi excused himself to deal with something at the main bar downstairs.
After the initial Stone Morrison frenzy wore off, I was surprised to find myself at the center of attention.
“You’re Stone’s wife!” a girl practically shrieked. “Oh. My. God. I can’t wait for the new season to start. I keep seeing clips, and now I’m dying to see how you dealt with that bitch, Debbie. Please, tell me you kicked her ass.”
“Sorry,” I told her with a smile. “We could get sued for talking about the show before it airs.”
“I’m so happy you’re still together,” another girl added. “That show was getting too predictable. It’s like they try to make you break up.”
They were aiming for that conclusion as far as I was concerned, but I kept that to myself. Even after it aired, we couldn’t talk about the inner workings of the show with others.
“It’s not easy to make a marriage work when you’ve just met someone,” I told her. “Luckily, Ben is great.”
“Ben?” she asked. “Oh, that’s right. Stone is his stage name. It’s really cool that you know him this well. You’re so lucky.”
“Give them a little space, ladies,” Jos, the lead singer of the band, told them.
All the Deluded Serenity members were in their mid-twenties except Lex, who was in his early thirties. The lead singer, Jos, had an olive complexion, hazel eyes, and short black hair. The drummer, Caeden, had long brown hair pulled back from his face and brown eyes. Their keyboardist, Zach, had long black hair and blue eyes. Sam, the guitarist, had short blond hair and green eyes. Lex, short for Lexus, had short, messy blond hair and green eyes.
The crowd turned their attention to Jos as Lex stood to move around the table to hug me. I hugged him back, somewhat surprised by his greeting.
“Hey, Gemma,” he said. “I heard all about your surprise wedding from Mercy. There was a lot of complaining.”
“Why was Mercy complaining?” I asked.
“She was relaying your sister’s complaints,” he explained.
“Huh,” I replied. “And here I thought Jade was okay with what happened.”
“I’m sure she was okay after the margarita night Mercy planned for them,” Lex explained. “My sister is good at listening to people complain—a skill that served her well when she used to tend bar.” His attention shifted to Ben. “And you married a real rock star.” He held out a hand to Ben. “I’m Lexus Whitier, but I go by Lex.”
“Lexus is an unusual name,” Ben remarked. “Are your parents into cars?”
“You have no idea,” Lex muttered. “Mercy is short for Mercedes, and I have another sister named Bentley.”
Ben let out a bark of laughter. “Are you and your siblings planning to carry on the tradition?”
“You’ve still got so many good names to use,” I added. “There’s Shelby.”
“Lotus,” Ben added.
“Cooper,” Sam chimed in.
“Lincoln,” Caeden added.
Lex shook his head. “There are a lot of good unused car names, but I’m not planning to have kids.”
“Don’t forget Viper,” Jos added as he joined us.
“That one’s totally badass,” Ben stated.
Lex looked thoughtful. “Damn. Why couldn’t my parents have named me Viper? That really is a badass name, but I’m not having kids just to use the name.” His attention shifted to Ben. “It’s all yours. You and Gemma can bring little Viper into the world.”
I laughed and shook my head. “We’re going to hold off on that for a while. I’m starting college soon.” Hopefully. “We’re enjoying the newlywed life without kids.”
“They are a lot of work,” Caeden added.
“How would you know?” Jos asked. “You don’t even have a girlfriend.”
“But I have five younger sisters. I’m constantly trying to keep them safe from asshole horndogs like you guys,” he argued.
“Five sisters?” Ben continued when Caeden nodded. “Any brothers?”
“Nope,” Caeden replied. “I’m the only line of defense between them and the assholes.”
“His sisters are hot,” Zach said with a grin.
“Crazy hot,” Jos agreed.
“How old are his sisters?” I asked. “Caeden can’t be that old, and you said they’re younger.”
“My parents had two sets of twins after me,” Caeden explained. “I’ve got two sisters who are twenty-one and two who are nineteen. My youngest sister just turned eighteen. The guys never joke about dating her.”
“That’ll change,” Jos told him. “Give us time to get used to her no longer being jailbait.”
“This is why I like Lex best,” Caeden grumbled.
“I’d feel like a dirty old man with any of your sisters,” Lex stated.
“You aren’t that old,” Ben told him.
“Old enough,” Lex argued.
“Besides, Lex has a girlfriend,” Jos added.
“For the last time,” Lex began with an exasperated sigh. “Mia isn’t my girlfriend. She’s a friend.”
“Who you go out with all the time,” Zach added.
“Who goes to almost every show,” Sam pointed out. “They’re so hot for each other.”
“Nope,” Lex replied. “We’re just friends.”
“When is Mia getting here?” Caeden asked.
“She has an early meeting tomorrow, so she can’t make it,” Lex replied before scowling at his grinning bandmates. “Don’t make me regret agreeing to join the band.”
“This is the part I miss about my band,” Ben remarked. “It was fun messing with each other like brothers.”
“Do you think you’ll join another band?” Sam asked. “We could always kick Jos out and let you have his spot.”
“Fuck you, too,” Jos said with a laugh. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’m not looking to join a band,” Ben told them. “Maybe later.”
We chatted for a few more minutes before Ben caught my hand. “If you’ll excuse us, I’m going to dance with my wife.”
The guys waved us off and took their seats at the table again.
“I wonder when my sister will get here,” I remarked as Ben led me away from the tables.
“She should be here soon,” Ben replied. “In the meantime, since I have you all to myself, this is the perfect time for that dance.”
Chapter 49
Ben
Gemma smiled, and when she held out her hand, I pulled her into my arms.
“They aren’t playing a slow song,” she pointed out.
Rather than releasing her, I grinned and pulled her closer. “I don’t care what kind of song is playing. This is how I want to dance with you.”
“You’re impossible,” she accused, but she didn’t seem to mind as I swayed with her in my arms.
“Don’t you know the rule when it comes to musicians?” I asked.
“What rule is that?” she asked in a breathy voice as I leaned forward to nuzzle the side of her neck.
“Musicians can dance to the beat of their own drummer,” I told her. “It doesn’t matter what kind of music is playing. If I want to dance sl
ow, I’ll dance slow.”
She laughed. “That’s not what that phrase means, and you know it.”
“I know no such thing,” I argued as I pulled her even closer until she was molded against my body. It felt incredible dancing with her like this. It was one of the things we’d missed out on at our wedding reception. I frowned at that realization.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as she pulled back slightly.
“Wrong?” I asked. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”
“You tensed,” she explained.
“Nothing’s wrong. It just sucks that I didn’t really dance with you at our reception,” I explained. “The dancing we did was staged.”
She nodded. “It didn’t feel like dancing.
They’d been so determined to get the right shots of our faces that they’d started and stopped the song several times. It couldn’t be considered a wedding dance, and that disappointed me.
“What do you think about having another wedding?” I asked.
“Another wedding?” She met my gaze again. “Just so we can dance?”
“Not just that,” I replied. “We missed out on a lot of the experience of getting married. It has to bother you that your sister wasn’t there.”
“It bothers me a little,” she admitted.
“What do you say, Gemma?” I asked. “Over these last few weeks, I’ve fallen hard for you. I love you. Will you marry me again? We can do it right this time.”
I felt more nervous than I had the first time I’d proposed.
“Yes,” she replied with a smile. “I love you, too.”
I simply had to kiss her. My lips lingered on hers, savoring her taste.
“Hey! This isn’t that kind of club, so you kids had better behave.”
I cursed Remi’s interruption, even if it was a good reminder that we were in public. Gemma laughed softly.
“My sister is here, so you might want to let me go,” she suggested.
I leaned in closer so only she could hear me. “Never. I’m never letting you go.”
Chapter 50
Gemma
I’d enjoyed spending time with my sister and Remi. Jade was excited about the prospect of helping me plan my second wedding to Ben. I’d never been one of those girls who’d dreamt of a perfect wedding. I didn’t need a fancy dress or a thousand guests, but I deserved more than our staged Vegas wedding.
“What’s on your mind, beautiful?” Ben asked as he parked in the garage and looked over at me.
“I was thinking about our Vegas wedding,” I replied.
He made a face. “I’m so glad we no longer have someone trying to script every aspect of our lives.”
“Same here,” I agreed.
“You know, if your sister hadn’t arrived, I’d have been tempted to drag you home the second we stopped dancing at the club.”
“I enjoyed seeing my sister, but I feel the urge to curse her for interrupting that plan,” I admitted.
“How about if we go inside and pick up where we left off when Remi interrupted us?” he suggested.
I smiled. “I like the sound of that.”
We made our way into the house and hurried upstairs. I stripped out of my dress before turning to find Ben had stopped to put on some music—a slow, romantic song. When he faced me, his gaze moved along me, taking in the sight of me in my red lace bra and panties.
“Very nice,” he murmured as he stripped his shirt over his head and kicked out of his shoes. He reached out one hand to me, and when I took it, he pulled me into his arms.
We swayed to the music as he ran his hands along my back, one moving to cup my ass and pull me closer. I whimpered as he kissed me, his tongue sweeping past my lips to stroke mine. With Ben pressed against me, our slow kiss didn’t lessen my passion; instead, my arousal intensified with each passing second. Ben broke the kiss and cradled my face as he stared into my eyes.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. “I can’t believe how lucky I am to have found you.”
“As I recall, I’m the one who found you,” I breathed out as I reached around to grab his hair and pull him closer. “It’s time to take this dance to bed.”
He nodded as he backed me toward the bed before guiding me down beneath him. His lips claimed mine again as we undressed each other. Once we were naked, Ben grabbed a condom and slid it on before settling on top of me. His gaze was filled with love and wonder as he positioned himself at my entrance.
I stroked his cheek and whispered, “I love you, Ben.”
He rasped out. “I love you so fucking much, Gemma.”
A soft moan came from the back of my throat as he pressed into me. We started slow, savoring each other with gentle kisses and caresses. As Ben’s movements increased, my own became frenzied and demanding.
I clawed at Ben’s shoulders as I lifted to meet each thrust. My moans grew louder until I was practically screaming. I felt myself tightening around Ben’s dick as it swelled, sending me over the edge. Ben let out a shout of completion as his dick twitched inside of me.
When I’d recovered some, I found Ben watching me with a smile.
“I don’t think I can move,” I said sleepily.
“Then it’s a good thing you have me here to take care of you,” he replied as he pulled out of me and went to dispose of the condom. When he returned, he settled us both under the blankets and pulled me into his arms.
I sighed as my head rested on his chest. His heart beat steadily beneath my hand.
“Even though I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get that job, I can’t imagine things being any more perfect,” he murmured as he held me.
Wrapped in Ben’s arms, everything really did feel perfect.
Chapter 51
Ben
Rich seemed disappointed that Gemma and I were still together, though he put on a happy face and pretended he was excited about the prospect of us being interviewed together. I didn’t know whether he believed the ratings would be better with an unhappy ending, or he just didn’t like us. I didn’t give a damn either way.
I was just happy they hadn’t dragged us back out to Vegas to film the follow-up interview. Instead, they’d decided to film the final segment in the Bay Area.
Ariel, the bride from the first season, interviewed us, and she gushed about how exciting it would be to marry me. When the cameras stopped rolling, she placed her hand on my thigh and leaned closer.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Stone,” she cooed. “We should have drinks to talk about the show. You know, share our unique experiences.”
“I’ll have to talk to Gemma and see when we’re both free,” I replied as I moved her hand off my thigh.
“Gemma is busy,” Ariel continued. “I’m sure she won’t mind sharing you.”
“Actually, I would,” Gemma told her as she stood. “Keep your hands off my husband.”
Ariel huffed. “Such jealousy. I’m sure Stone can make his own decisions on who he wants to see. You can stop with the loving couple act now that the cameras aren’t rolling.”
“Wow!” Gemma said with a laugh. “They should have brought you on earlier in the season. You’re great with the bitchy attitude. I’ll bet you can really cause trouble in a shaky relationship. Too bad for you, we don’t have one of those.”
“I love my wife,” I told Ariel as I stood and slipped an arm around Gemma’s shoulders. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re going home.”
We didn’t make it far before Rich stopped us. “Stone! Gemma!” His excitement sounded fake. “That was a great interview. We should plan a reunion show with the two of you. Maybe we can do a season where we follow your pregnancy, Gemma.”
“Pregnancy?” Gemma asked as she looked down at her belly.
“Gemma’s not pregnant,” I stated.
Rich waved off my words. “Not yet, but you could start trying now. I can get the ball rolling on this. We could do several seasons with the two of you.”
“Not goin
g to happen,” I replied.
“I’m going to be much too busy with my classes to do any more reality shows or consider getting pregnant,” Gemma added. She’d been accepted to a local college and just registered for a full load of classes.
“It could be good for your career,” he told me.
“My career will be fine without this mess,” I insisted. “If anything, being on the show may have damaged my chances to get the last job I wanted.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Rich scoffed. “All publicity is good publicity. The show helped you.”
I looked over at Gemma, taking her hand in mine and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Yes, this show helped me find Gemma, but it may not have been my smartest career move.”
“Let me know if you change your mind,” he told us. “We may not be able to find a spot for you on the show if you wait too long. If this celebrity version goes as well as we expect, I’m sure we’ll have some even bigger names during the next couple of seasons. You don’t want to miss out on your chance.”
“We’ll risk it,” Gemma replied.
Rich looked irritated. “Whatever. Have Tamara call me if you change your mind. And hey, if things don’t work out for the two of you, we can always do a second chance season.”
“We’ll keep that in mind,” I lied. My marriage with Gemma was going to work. Why wouldn’t it?
“I am so glad we don’t have to deal with Rich anymore,” Gemma said as we walked toward the car.
“You took the words right out of my mouth.” I opened the door for her. “I would say I regret meeting him, but he is part of the reason I have you.”
“You’re right,” she agreed. “We bonded over our hatred of his food.”
I chuckled as I walked around the car and slid behind the wheel. “Am I the only one who’s starving? I shouldn’t be, considering it hasn’t been that long since we had breakfast.”
“You aren’t alone,” she replied as I pulled away from the curb. “Something about spending time around Rich always makes me crave good food.”
“How about if we stop for lunch on the way home?” I suggested.
“I’ve got a better idea,” she began. “Let’s run into the grocery store and grab pizza toppings. I made the dough last night.”
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