Forbidden Bride

by Wylder, Penny

  “I was going to tell you, Jill, I have a date for the gala so you don’t need to worry about me.”

  She stops typing and stares at me. “Seriously?”

  I laugh. “Seriously.”

  “Is it just like a date or are you seeing someone?” It’s impossible for me not to blush, and she sees it right away. “Oh my god, Nicola, tell me everything.”

  “It’s new,” I say quietly. “I don’t want to say too much yet.”

  “But you have to give me something. In the time I’ve known you you’ve never been interested in anyone, so what makes it different?”

  I hesitate, not wanting to give it all away. “We’ve known each other for a long time, and we kind of…reconnected.”

  Jill chuckles. “If you’re blushing that much just thinking about it, then I’m sure you did.”

  “Let’s please talk about the gala and not about my love life?”

  “You brought it up.”

  I laugh. “Just so you wouldn’t rope some soul into being miserable at the gala with me.”

  “You’re round the bend. Any guy would feel fucking lucky if he got to spend the evening with you, and I won’t accept another answer because that’s the only one that will ever be true.”

  There’s nothing to say to that. “How are things coming for the party?”

  “Good,” she says, while giving me a look that tells me that this discussion isn’t over and will probably continue when we’re not in a work situation. “I think I’ve gotten the decorations sorted. I’ll show you the sketches in a minute. But I was thinking about the charity element.”

  “Oh?”

  “I know that it’s usually just a donation thing, but since it’s Valentine’s day, I thought maybe we could do something fun. Like a bachelor auction. Maybe like dinner dates but for a good cause?”

  I laugh. “That’s a fun idea, who would you get to do it?”

  “Well, I have a list. There’s a few hotties on the production line, and I think some of the non-employee guests who are single might go for it. It is Valentine’s Day, after all. There’s one person that I really want to get, but I’m not sure how it will go over.”

  “Who?”

  “That new guy. Tristan Swallows. I have to say I’m jealous that you guys get to work so closely together cause he is yummy.”

  My heart pounds in my chest and I try to not blush, and I’m entirely unsuccessful. But thankfully Jill is too pre-occupied to notice this time. “Why wouldn’t it go over well?”

  She smirks. “I googled him cause I’ve got a little bit of a crush. I’m just not sure we should put someone up there when that kind of scandal is the first thing that comes up on google.”

  I freeze in shock. “What?”

  “It doesn’t seem like it would be a problem since it happened a long time ago, but I still have to think about it. But I know that he would raise a lot of money, if you know what I mean.”

  “Yeah,” I say. “That’s for sure.”

  It’s taking everything in my power for me not to pull out my phone and google this right now, because what the hell happened? Is this what he meant when he said he’d been through stuff that made him want to leave? I can already feel the questions brewing inside me, itching, grating under my skin. “Do what you think is best.”

  “Do you think he’d say yes?”

  I do think about it, and I think he would. Especially if I promised to buy him, or at least try. Having a date with him that everyone knows about would be amazing and fantastic, and could potentially be the gateway for us coming out as a couple. “Yeah, I think he’d be game.”

  Jill smiles. “You know him that well already?”

  “Oh, he’s my dad’s best friend,” I say. “They’ve known each other for years, and Tristan just moved back to town.”

  My friend’s head snaps up so fast that it makes my head spin. Shit. “He’s your date, isn’t he?”

  I could lie and deny it, but the words dry up on my tongue. God, I wish that I could ask Tristan before I do this, but she’s already made the connection. I just nod.

  “Holy shit!” she squeals, shoving everything she’s working on to the side and leaning over her desk. “Girl, you have to tell me everything.”

  “Before I do, I have to tell you that no one knows. My parents don’t know, and we’re keeping it that way. For now.”

  “My lips are sealed.” She makes a locking motion with her fingers. “I promise. But what the fuck? You go from nothing to that hottie? That was fast.”

  I allow myself to smile now, my chest easing. I’m glad she knows, because now I can talk about it. “Like I said, we’ve known each other for a long time. I always wanted him, and it was a little…I don’t know, scandalous? I told him that I wanted to be with him the day I turned eighteen. He’d never given any indication of wanting me before that, and I’d never have asked him. The next day he left town and didn’t come back till a couple of weeks ago.”

  “I suppose that makes sense,” she says.

  I look at her. “Why?”

  She clears her throat. “Nothing. It’s fine. I’m happy for you, Nicola. I really am. You deserve someone who sees you for who you really are and have I mentioned how smoking fucking hot he is?”

  Nerves bubble in my stomach. This has to be about what she said, whatever she found on the internet. I want to ask, but if it’s really that bad then I’m not sure I want to find out while sitting in her office. “Thank you,” I say.

  “What else do we need to figure out for the gala?”

  “You’ll ask Tristan?”

  I nod. “Yeah, I think he’ll get a kick out of it.”

  “Perfect.”

  She dives into preparations for the rest of the gala and we go over food and decor and what kinds of our ice cream might be served. Now that Tristan helped me have a breakthrough, I’m hopeful that Orange and Basil might be one of the flavors that we could debut. We go through everything that we can think of until it seems Jill has everything under control. The gala really isn’t part of her job description as our media and PR person, but she loves it, so she volunteers. I help because it’s a big job, and it’s always something that helps our sales and gets us good press for a non-profit event.

  In fact, it’s actually becoming pretty big. We have some minor celebrities on the guest list this year and I would love for it to turn into a thing that people travel to Leighton City for. Not only would that help the company, it will help with general tourism and the economy of the city. Need something to do for Valentine’s Day? Come to Leighton City, home of Thompson’s Ice Cream for a romantic weekend.

  By the time we’re finished it’s almost five, and I have an idea. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Anything.”

  “Since my parents don’t know about Tristan and me, it’s been…hard to find time together. I was wondering—”

  “If you can use me as an alibi to go get laid with your super-hot new boyfriend? Girl, I got you.” She grins. “Hell, take an overnight bag and tell them that you’re helping me work on the designs for the centerpieces.”

  “The centerpieces are done, aren’t they?”

  Jill smirks. “Yes.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Go get some ass.”

  I roll my eyes, but I’m grinning as I leave her office, and I pull out my phone. This is going to be a welcome surprise.

  8

  Nicola

  The lie goes smoothly, and I find myself packing an overnight bag, knowing that I’m going to spend the night at my boyfriend’s house for the first time in my life. That question about what Jill found is still nagging me, but I can’t make myself look it up. I’m terrified that it will ruin everything, and if it does ruin everything, then I want one more night with him that’s untainted.

  I’m not sure if that makes me selfish or stupid, but I’ve made up my mind.

  Tristan was ecstatic when I told him I was able to spend the night, and I’m happy too.
We haven’t had an evening together like this. All we’ve had was last Saturday where we spent most of the day at his house and I helped him unpack—at my insistence. But tonight will be dinner and maybe a movie and definitely something more than that.

  “Bye,” I say to my mom, who’s working at the kitchen table.

  “Bye, sweetie. Have fun,” she says absently.

  I’m definitely planning on it, and I get out of the house before she can ask me any more questions. I didn’t have to use Jill as an excuse. I’m an adult. If I want to go out and spend the night elsewhere, I don’t need permission. But I also know that it would bring up a lot of questions, and that’s not something I want to get into right now either.

  Tonight is going to be great. Especially once I show Tristan the surprise that I’m wearing under my clothes. This isn’t exactly the most comfortable underwear I’ve ever had, but the look on his face is going to make it all worth it.

  I pull up to his townhouse, and the cheery light pouring out of the windows into the snow makes my heart ache. Somehow, impossibly, this already feels like home.

  When I climb up the steps, he opens the door before I even knock and sweeps me into a bruising kiss that ends up with me pressed against the doorframe, gasping for air and nipples hard. “Not pulling out the stops tonight, are you?”

  “Are you kidding?” he asks. “You’re mine for the night. I want to make the most of it.”

  “I’m glad.” As he pulls me inside I’m enveloped by the mouth-watering scent of Italian food. “You cooked for me?” I can’t help but smile.

  Tristan nods as he helps me take off my coat and hands me a glass of wine. “I won’t pretend that it’s up to the standards of someone who went to culinary school, but I can hold my own in the kitchen.”

  “I’m sure it’s great. By the way, I need to tell you. Jill, my best friend, she knows about us.”

  His eyebrows raise. “Really?”

  “She figured it out. There wasn’t any denying it at that point. But it does come with a certain benefit.”

  “Oh?”

  “That’s where my parents think I am tonight.”

  A slow smile spreads across his face. “That is a benefit. Though I’d just as soon have you be able to spend the night whenever you want.”

  “Soon,” I say, barely getting the word out before his mouth crashes down on mine again. I’m lucky that I don’t spill any of my wine, because this man has magic lips. Every time he kisses me I go limp with the pleasure of it all.

  “We should eat now,” he says, “because we’re going to need all of our strength.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  The meal is simple—spaghetti with meatballs and an arrabbiatta sauce. And it’s good. Really good. “Was one of the things that you did while you were away learn how to cook?”

  Tristan smiles. “Yes, actually. One of my jobs was marketing for a restaurant chain. I picked up some pointers.”

  “It shows. Honestly.”

  “Thank you. It really was a great place to work.”

  Something clicks in my head. “There’s something you’re not saying about that chain, isn’t there?”

  Leaning back, Tristan swirls his wine. “How did you know?”

  “You asked me about me about culinary school and if I was happy in my job. And now I find out that you worked in the food industry. It’s not a huge leap.”

  He laughs. “Well, it’s not set in stone yet.”

  “Tell me.”

  Tristan reaches across the table and takes my hand. It’s such a common gesture, but it pulls at my gut. I love that we can do this. Hold hands and just talk. “They’re a restaurant that specializes in menus that are community focused. Very experimental. I reached out to them and suggested that Leighton City would be a good match to open a new place, and if they were in fact interested in opening a place that I had a lead on a promising new chef that could be a perfect fit for what they’re looking for.”

  Holy shit.

  It’s like he read between the lines of what I wanted to do. Creating a menu that is based on community needs and ingredients? Helping build a place that’s experimental by nature instead of trying to change a restaurant that’s already set in its ways? It sounds like a dream come true.

  I love my job, but Tristan was right when he noticed that it’s not my whole life. I like connecting with people and I can’t really do that when I’m stuck in a lab most of the time. The focus groups are one thing, but they’re generally more interested in getting free ice cream than helping in the act of creation.

  Plus, as much as I love my family, I don’t imagine there’s much room for growth at Thompson’s. Dad is happy with me in my role, and I don’t think I want him to tap me to be the new CEO. If I want to create something truly new and feel any sort of upward motion in my career, I’m going to need to do it somewhere else.

  And I’m still staring at Tristan, because I’m completely and totally speechless. “Are you serious?”

  “I am.”

  Excitement bubbles in my chest but I try to tamp it down. He said that it wasn’t a sure thing. “What’s the likelihood of this happening?”

  “I still have some pull there. If I can prove that Leighton City would be a profitable place, I think they’ll go for it. Just like Thompson’s, they’re actively looking to expand into new markets.”

  “I have no idea what to say.”

  He grins. “So you’re interested?”

  “Yes, I’m interested!” I jump out of my chair and practically tackle him, straddling his lap and kissing him absolutely senseless. “How did you know that I would like something like this?”

  The look on his face is serious. “Because we keep forgetting that we both know each other pretty well. Four years apart doesn’t erase the history we have. I know it’s tricky, but it’s still our history. And everything I know about you tells me that you don’t want to be strapped down to the family company for the rest of your life. You want freedom and vibrance and more than that job can give you, even if you love it.”

  “I love you,” I say. The words just fall out of my mouth. I wasn’t planning on saying it now, but I can’t stop it, and the air goes still between us with the admission. “I love you, Tristan, so much. I’ve always loved you, and I haven’t been able to say it.”

  The look on his face is filled with an emotion that I can’t name. But it’s so deep that I feel it in my bones. “I love you too, Nicola. I’m sorry that it took me this long to say it.”

  Unexpected tears prick my eyes, and I lean my forehead on his shoulder. His hands lock behind my back, and with my arms around his neck, we fit perfectly together. This isn’t like the movies, where after the perfect admission of love the couple gets swept away into a crazy scene of sex in perfect lighting with emotional music.

  It’s more than that. It’s too big of a moment for me to do anything but hold onto him. We’ve been reaching out for each other and both floundering, but this is real. I love this man, and just like I knew that he was the one for me four years ago, today I can’t imagine my life without him. No matter what happens, no matter what happened in the past, I want to be with him.

  There’s a settling in my gut. A certainty that hadn’t quite been there since he came back to town, but I feel it now. He’s mine, and I’m his. Lifting my face up, his lips find mine. It’s purifying fire, burning away the unease and the doubt, binding us together in a way that neither of us will forget.

  I can feel him hardening beneath me, and my own passion is rising in time with his cock, but I don’t want to leave this moment yet. “Is this crazy?” I ask, between kissing him and sharing his breath. “Are we crazy? It doesn’t seem possible that this could happen. To find each other at all.”

  Tristan’s voice is a rumble that I feel from his chest to mine. “It feels crazy, but it’s not. Whatever is out there in the universe, it’s on our side. I love you. I’ll always love you, no matter what happens.”

&
nbsp; I brush my hand over his face, tracing the lines of his features. I love the signs of his laughter and the pure color of his green eyes. I love everything about him. “I wasn’t planning on saying that tonight,” I whisper. “It just slipped out.”

  “I’m glad that you did. I’ve been dying to say it, but I didn’t know if you were ready to hear it.” He stands, lifting me up with ease, and I gasp. I haven’t gotten used to the fact that he can pick me up like a feather and just carry me. We’re almost to the stairs when I wrap my arms around his waist. “And I was going to offer to watch a movie with you before we skipped to the sex.”

  “Fuck that,” I say, running my tongue along his neck.

  Another rumbling chuckle. “I was planning on fucking you.”

  “That’s also a good plan,” I say. “And I have a surprise for you.”

  Tristan makes a questioning sound as he pushes the door to his bedroom open with his foot. “What’s that?”

  “You’ll have to undress me to find out.”

  I can hear the smile in his voice. “That’s definitely the kind of surprise that I like then.” He sits me down on the bed, and runs his hands down my ribs, finding the hem of my soft shirt. I lift my arms and let him pull it over my head, exposing the black, scrappy lingerie bodysuit that clings to my skin and disappears into my pants.

  Tristan blows out a breath. The look on his face is every bit as perfect as I imagined that it would be. He consumes me with his eyes, and I have no doubt that he’s already doing deliciously dirty things to me in his mind. “That is a very good surprise.”

  His voice heats me up, specifically between my legs. “Care to see the rest of it?” I hook my fingers into the waistband of my jeans and shimmy them off my hips and to the floor. Then I lean back and strike what I hope is a pinup pose on his bed.

  The straps of this lingerie weave in and out of each other, gathering over my breasts and through my legs and leaving little else to the imagination. I take my hair down from where it’s pinned up and shake it out, meeting his eyes. Tristan is so hard that I can see it through his jeans, and my mouth waters just thinking about what he’s hiding in there. “You have too many clothes on,” I tell him.