An unfamiliar female voice reminded her. “Oh, yeah, Kev. Slip her the tongue,” she said. “I wonder if making out on holy ground is an automatic ticket to hell?”
With an irritated groan, Kevin broke the kiss and dropped his forehead against hers. “That’s Jordan,” he whispered.
For the second time in half an hour, Jasmin wanted to die from embarrassment. She was on a roll today. Kevin’s body was shielding her and she only caught sight of his tall, slender sister when he took a step back. She was beautiful; long, dark brown hair and the same blue-gray eyes as Kevin’s. A tall man—who she assumed was Tyler—stood behind her, towering above all of them. His broad frame was intimidating at first glance, yet his brown eyes and warm smile made him look approachable. He was handsome in that suave, sophisticated kind of way.
“God made the whole world,” Kevin replied. “Ergo…everywhere is holy ground.”
“You make a solid point, Bink.” Her eyes shifted to Jasmin. “Care to introduce us to the lovely lady you were sucking face with?”
Kevin shook his head at her bluntness. “Jeez, Jo!”
“You have to excuse her,” Tyler chimed in. “I’m still trying to find someone to fix her brain-to-mouth filter.”
“I’m just kidding,” Jordan told her. “It’s just a little payback for all the times they embarrassed me. Billy Mason. That’s all I’m saying.”
“You’ve been holding a grudge for almost nine years?” Kevin was in shock, but Jordan simply shrugged it off.
“I’m petty like that.” She gave Jasmin a warm smile. “I’m assuming you’re Jasmin. Mom can’t stop raving about you. She told me you were really smart, but judging from the guys you date, I have to disagree.” She stuck her tongue out at Kevin and he, in turn, groaned his annoyance.
“How do you put up with her?” he asked, looking at Tyler.
“Drinking helps,” he replied with a straight face. “Also she forces me to watch this stupid Soap Opera, which is always a very good reminder that life could be worse.”
Jasmin giggled. Tyler was a little strange, yet the way Jordan looked at him showed that she was crazy about him.
She hit his arm playfully. “Wow. Your third joke for the day, Mister Evans. I’m impressed, but we both know that you love that soap opera.” Tyler didn’t bother trying to deny it and Jordan turned her attention back to Jasmin. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Jasmin felt more comfortable now. If Jordan was the worst of the bunch, then she was confident she could handle the rest of them. “Same here. I can finally start putting names to faces.”
“Just watch out for cousin Morris,” Jordan warned as she began weaving through the cars to get to the church gates. “He’s a bit of a creeper.”
“Who’s cousin Morris?” Jasmin asked.
“You’ll know him when you see him,” Jordan replied. “If you see some guy staring at you like he’s about to hogtie you and toss you in the trunk of his car, that’s probably cousin Morris. Get as far away from him as possible. Trust me, being bound and fuckin’ kidnapped isn’t as fun as some people think.”
She gave Tyler a playful wink and it seemed to be an inside joke between them because he chuckled. “Fun is a relative term, Roman,” he replied.
Jasmin didn’t ask to be let in on their banter. Instead, she focused on cousin Morris. “So if he’s so weird, why was he invited to the wedding?”
“He wasn’t. He crashes every family event. I don’t even know how he finds out about them. And in all honesty, he really is harmless. He just has a really creepy stare.”
Jordan was still explaining the extreme creep factor of their cousin when Kevin took hold of her arm and lowered his lips to her ear. “At some point today,” he whispered, “I’m going to get you alone.”
She smiled, her body heating up with those simple words. “Is that a promise? Because it sounds like a threat.”
He didn’t answer and dropped his head to hide the naughty grin on his face. He took her hand and led her into the church.
It was an all white wedding. The aisles were lined with white flower bouquets and sheer white cloths were draped over the side of the wooden benches. They took a seat on the same bench as his parents and Tyler and Jordan sat down beside them.
“That’s Max,” Kevin said, pointing to the front of the church where his brother was fidgeting with the buttons of his suit jacket. “And the gray-haired dude next to him is his best man, Charlie.”
Although he was taller, thinner and a little less rugged, Max had the same brown hair and boyish face as Kevin.
“He looks so nervous,” Jasmin commented.
“I think he’s more anxious than nervous. He’s been waiting for this for years.”
It took a few minutes before the sounds of the organ filled the church. Kevin’s three nieces walked down the aisle, sprinkling white rose petals on the floor. Danny followed behind them. She looked beautiful with her dark hair swept up, wearing an elegant off-the-shoulder white dress. The smile that lit up her face was a telling sign that she’d been anxiously counting down the days until this moment.
Mommy Jess was a blubbering mess as she watched them declare their vows to each other and despite her cool exterior, Jordan was also desperately trying not to let mascara stain her cheeks, continuously dabbing her eyes before a tear escaped. The love of this family and this couple seemed almost tangible and Jasmin got a little choked up too just watching them.
After the ceremony, everyone gathered at the front of the church to congratulate the happy couple. Kevin waited until the crowd dispersed before he led her towards them. The broad grin Max had been wearing for the last hour stretched even wider and Jasmin noticed that he only had one dimple.
“Congratulations, bro!” Kevin said, giving his brother a hug. He moved to Danny and kissed her on the cheek. “You look beautiful, Danny.”
“Thanks, Kev.” Her eyes shifted to Jasmin. “So is this your girlfriend that we’ve been hearing so much about?”
“Hi,” Jasmin said, extending her hand. “Jasmintha.”
Max ignored her hand and instead wrapped her in a tight hug. It was amazing how warm and welcoming his family was. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Jasminda.”
She tried not to cringe at the mispronunciation of her name. She couldn’t understand what was so hard about getting the TH right. “Uh…it’s Jasmintha,” she corrected.
“That’s what I said.”
“No, you said—”
“Just call her Jasmin,” Kevin cut in. “Jasmin works fine. I have to admit, this seems so surreal. The two of you are actually married. Never thought I’d see the day.”
“I know. It’s been a long wait. Mom has already started nagging us for more grandkids. She’s even picked out names—”
Max was cut off when his best man came rushing out of the church. Up close, Jasmin could see that even though his hair was almost completely gray, he didn’t look a day older than Max.
“Oh, my God!” he gasped. “Danny, how are you? Are you fine? You were in church for so long…surrounded by all that holy water and…goodness. I thought you were gonna burst into flames.”
“Go to hell, Charlie!” she snapped.
Kevin seemed taken aback and Jasmin stared wide-eyed as the two of them went at it. Max, however, just shook his head as if this type of snarling was a regular occurrence.
“Do you have a room set up there for me?” Charlie retorted. “I never pegged you for the hospitable type.”
“Oh, there’s a room there for you all right. Right there in the senior section, Grandpa.” Danny sneered her irritation and turned to Max. “Why did you even invite this loser?”
Max chuckled. “He’s kinda the reason we’re together.”
“I’m just kidding,” Charlie said, and just like that, the fake animosity between them faded. “You clean up good, Satan.”
“Thanks,” she replied with a smile.
“Well, I’ll see you two at the receptio
n.” He patted Max on the shoulder. “I wanna say congratulations, but I think good luck is more appropriate.” He gave Danny one more teasing grin, then walked away.
“I’m dying to hear his best man speech,” Kevin commented.
“I think he knows better,” Max said, putting his arm around Danny. “My wife is the violent type.” Another broad smile stretched across his face and he leaned down to kiss her. “I like the sound of that. My wife.”
He kissed her again and Kevin groaned. “I think we’re gonna leave before I lose my breakfast.”
“Sure, Kev,” Max replied with a laugh. “We’ll see you later.”
They left the two lovebirds staring adoringly at each other and walked back to the car. His mother’s tears of joy were still flowing ceaselessly as they drove to the reception venue.
Once they were inside, Jasmin was overwhelmed with the amount of people. Kevin introduced her to his aunts, uncles and cousins, and after about the first dozen, she stopped trying to remember names. Cousin Morris really was creepy. He didn’t sit at any of the tables, but rather chose to linger at the back of the room, watching everyone like he was about to set the building on fire.
His parents sat up front with the bride and groom while they sat at a table with the rest of his siblings and their partners. Dom and Shane were equally welcoming, greeting her with a warm hug. Jasmin sat down beside Tyler, who seemed to be in a heated debate with Kevin’s youngest niece, Makayla. She was trying to convince him that the flowers on her dress were pink and he insisted that they were peach. Although his stamina to argue with a toddler was impressive, after a few minutes, his growing irritation caused him to relent and he let her win the squabble.
Shane was exactly as Kevin described him, talking non-stop. As if the color debacle wasn’t enough for Tyler to deal with, he also had to fend off comments from Shane about him and Jordan living in sin and how he should make an honest woman out of his sister.
Dom got involved too, and she heard the words balls and shears thrown around a lot. But thankfully Tyler was taken out of the hot seat when Charlie stood up and tapped his fork against his champagne glass to get everyone’s attention.
“Hi, everyone,” he said as the room settled into quietness. “As many of you may have experienced, the road to happiness for every couple is different. For Max and Danny, the road has been hard and very, very long.” There was a slight titter from the crowd. “My man, Max, here was stuck in the friend zone for many…many, many, many years, just hanging onto the hope that one day the woman he loved would want something more. And then one day, she did. Although tragic, Danny finally got some sense knocked into her. She finally realized that the love she was looking for was right in front of her. It goes to show that every moment should be embraced, the good ones and the bad. Sometimes the most beautiful thing can blossom from what you thought was a tragedy.”
Kevin clasped her hand in his and held it tight. “I agree,” he whispered.
“Sometimes it just takes a twist of fate,” Charlie continued, “and a very trustworthy friend to set you on a path that eventually leads you to your destiny.”
Those words hit home for Kevin and she noticed his other hand move to his chest, rubbing against the medal of Saint Christopher hidden beneath his shirt.
Charlie smiled at the crowd. “If any of you are wondering, I’m the trustworthy friend and, not to brag, but it’s because of my sound advice that you see these two before you a happily married couple. If it weren’t for me, all of us—including Danny—would still be waiting for Max to make a move.”
Max gave an irritated humph and the crowd erupted with laughter. Charlie turned to face them then. “Max, Danny, I know this road hasn’t been easy for either of you and there will definitely be more bumps along the way, but that’s love and the love the two of you share is strong enough to conquer anything.” He raised his glass. “To Mr. and Mrs. Shepard! Congratulations!”
Whoops and zealous cheers filled the room and Max pulled Danny in for another kiss. He whispered something in her ear, which made her giggle like a love-struck teenager, then they stood up and made their way to the dance floor for the first dance. There were a few confused faces as everyone watched Danny kick off her heels. Max loosened his tie and they smiled at each other when the beats of Timberland’s The Way I Are boomed through the speakers. They bounced and hopped and slid across the dance floor. It wasn’t the best choreography. Actually, it was ridiculous, but it looked like it was very well-practiced by the two of them.
“Is that the robot?” Jasmin asked, barely containing her giggles.
“Probably Max’s idea,” Kevin said.
“I think this is the most unique first dance I’ve ever seen. I’m definitely gonna do something like this at my wedding…Wait. Scratch that. I’m not the best dancer, so maybe I’ll have a rap battle.”
His dimples sank in and he kissed her hand. “Yeah. I guess we could do that.”
There were those tingles again. “Did you just say we, Kevin? Like we’re gonna get married some day? Like I might be your future wifey? Did I hear you right?”
He rolled his eyes, but there was still a smile on his face. “Yeah, you heard me right…Now, fuck off.”
“Language,” Tyler reprimanded from across the table.
Jasmin was neither deterred nor offended by his rudeness, but still sided with Tyler. “He’s such a grumpy asshole, isn’t he?” She plucked a kiss on his cheek before facing the other man.
“I don’t think it’s grumpiness,” Tyler said. “I think cussing just runs in the family.”
“Not true,” Shane argued. “Dom and I are respectable gentlemen. I don’t know what Mom and Dad did wrong with the rest of these hooligans.”
Jordan giggled. “We’re just very expressive.”
There were no stilted moments in the conversation. His family truly was amazing and it was so easy to get swept into the banter because they didn’t exclude her. They laughed and teased each other. She wasn’t excluded from that either. Mostly they mocked her about her poor taste in men. Kevin had told her a lot about his family, but somehow interacting with them was far better than she’d imagined.
“Okay, I’m ready to dance the night away,” Jordan said after swallowing her last bite of dessert. “Who’s with me?”
Tyler shook his head. “I’ve learned that to keep up with you on the dance floor, I need a few more drinks in me. I’ll catch up soon.”
“No drinks needed for me,” Jasmin replied. “Dancing is my forte.”
“It really isn’t,” Kevin chuckled.
She gave him a quick kiss and headed to the dance floor with Jordan. Max and Danny pulled away from each other to join them. Two songs in and Jasmin realized that sarees and dancing weren’t the best combination. It was time to change into her party dress.
Kevin got her overnight bag from the car and waited outside the ladies’ room while she changed. She was still a little nervous to wear the dress—the short, black number she’d bought in Vegas, but over the months she’d learned not to be discouraged by nervousness.
She walked out of the restroom and Kevin’s mouth dropped open. He had a way of staring at her, that penetrating gaze that made her feel exposed and exhilarated at the same time. The intensity in his cobalt blue eyes left her hot, wet and aching.
“Fuck me,” he whispered. “Is that what you’re wearing?”
“Not bad for a twelve-year old boy, huh?”
“That dress make you look at least…thirteen. Damn! Now we really need to keep you away from cousin Morris.” His eyes were still scanning her up and down like he was about to devour her. “Turn around.”
She slowly turned around and the strained groan she heard brought a satisfied smile to her face. “It does make my ass look big,” she said.
“Huge.” He stepped towards her and his hands slid down to firmly cup her ass. “I think you should make peace with the fact that nothing can make it look small. This ass is so big it has its
own gravitational pull. Look what happens when I try to take my hand off it.” He withdrew his hand and slapped her hard against her left butt cheek. “See? It snaps right back.”
He smiled, but there was no humor in it. After a less than gentle squeeze, he grabbed her hand and started walking down the long hallway. They passed the door leading back to the dance floor and she realized that they weren’t returning to the party.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
His response wasn’t immediate. “You know, I actually had quite a romantic night planned for us. I got us a room in a really fancy hotel with a nice, big bed. We haven’t seen each other in six months and I wanted to make it special. Had roses and candles and soft music…All that corny boyfriend stuff. I was gonna take my time and re-learn every inch of you.” He was walking faster now and she had trouble keeping up with him in her heels. “But then you…and Alfred…and whoever made that dress went and fucked it up.”
For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out who this guy was. “Who’s Alfred?”
He didn’t answer. They reached the end of the hallway and even though she could still hear the music, this side of the building was completely deserted. There was another restroom there and he dragged her into one of the stalls. He shut the door and pushed her up against it.
Her eyes grew wide. “I know you’re not thinking about doing the nasty here…in a public place…with your entire family just down the hall.”
He smiled, stripping off his suit jacket and tossing it over the door. He loosened his tie, heat and hunger flickering in his eyes. It was obvious that he didn’t care one bit about where they were. God, he looked so sexy and she wanted to throw herself at him, but their location was a problem for her.
She placed her hand on his chest before he could kiss her. “Kevin, if someone catches us…what will your family think of me? They’ll think I’m some cheap ho that gets her kicks from fucking in a public bathroom.”
He wasn’t listening to her at all. He stepped closer and the feel of his hard cock pressing against her stomach weakened her resolve instantly. His mouth moved down her neck, his hands caressing her from her waist up to her breasts.
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