by A. M. Kusi
The day was spent stealing glances at Isa as they helped set up for the wedding.
“Hot damn, woman! You are breathtaking,” Jax called out to Harper as all three women entered the kitchen.
“The most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” River added, looking hungrily towards his soon-to-be wife.
Ethan’s gaze was fixed on the vision in front of him. Her dark-painted toes peeked out of the black, red-soled high heels, the air crackled with anticipation. He followed the tan legs to the dress that came to mid-thigh. His heart thudded faster, thinking how sweet those thighs would taste on his mouth. The black silk, barely there dress hugged her curves in all the right places. His veins burned with lust. The front hung low, exposing her full breasts and ample cleavage. His mouth watered zooming in on the curve of her neck that he wanted to suck and nibble before he glanced to the smiling face staring back at him. The dark pools of blue that took hold of him, possessing him, were decorated with makeup for the first time since he’d met her. Dark and shadowed, they warned him of the depths he was getting sucked into.
Jax clapped his hand against his back. “Looks like my boy here is speechless.” Jax smirked.
Ethan cleared his throat before speaking, “A masterpiece.”
Isa’s cheeks blushed pink as she blinked at him as if she didn’t believe him. He’d called her that once before at the art studio. Did she think he was joking?
“Well, alright, you three. Take a good long look because you will be without us after dinner until tomorrow!” Harper teased, pulling Jax towards the door.
“Oh, I will.” Jax laughed, swatting Harper’s behind playfully.
River was still smiling from ear to ear as he grabbed Ella’s hand reverently. He looked at her as though forever was on the horizon.
Ethan reached out for Isa’s hand, feeling the burn when she took it. He pulled her closer, peonies and possibilities overwhelming his senses.
“Ready to go?” she asked, her eyes unsure.
Ethan nodded. She gasped when his hand wrapped around her, finding the warm naked flesh of lower back that the dress exposed. Any lower and he would get a nice handful of the ass that was burned into his memory.
She walked unsteadily towards the door, following their friends outside and up the hill to the pub. The fall air was crisp and cool.
They made their way to their destination with nothing but the bright full moon to guide their way. Isa glowed in the orb of night’s light. The black silk she wore was a stark contrast to her skin. She shivered, and he shrugged the suit jacket off immediately and placed it over her shoulders.
“Thank you,” she said. As if she expected anything less.
He hadn’t known her for very long, and he wasn’t sure of the lengths he would go to keep her warm, safe, and cared for. It scared him that he was feeling so much so quickly—the only relief being that she’d been handpicked by his best friends who knew him so well.
They sat next to each other at dinner and he couldn’t help himself—he had to be touching her at all times. A brush of his leg against hers. A hand resting on her thigh. And when it became too much, he rested his arm behind her, pulling her close against him. Her body responded to each caress, each moment of connection, like a live wire. The desire was stoked, the fire fed as they made their way through dinner. His only appetite was for her.
Harper clicked a fork against her glass, calling for everyone’s attention. “I know I haven’t known you for very long, Ella, but you have become like a sister to me,” she started, and Ella smiled, mirroring River’s joy.
“You have taken the shell that was my brother and breathed life into him, and for that I will be forever grateful. Most importantly, you forgave him when he did what men do best—screw everything up.” Everyone laughed.
Ethan looked around at the small party of friends who had gathered to wish the bride- and groom-to-be all the love and luck in the world. Ella’s friends Maggie and Julie were there, holding hands. Lucas joined them with his girlfriend, Kate. All the happy couples surrounding them were so completely lost in love. Ethan glanced at Isa. Did she see they were sitting in the midst of four couples who proved her thinking about love and marriage wrong?
Spoons were clinked together with glasses, a signal for River and Ella to demonstrate their love for all to see. The couple kissed, and Jax whooped and hollered as the server set his third whiskey of the night in front of him.
“Let me show you how it’s done,” Jax challenged, before taking Harper’s face in his hands tenderly. He kissed her until River complained.
“Hey! That’s my sister, man. I don’t need to see you do that.”
Jax and Harper gazed lovingly at each other’s faces, their chests rising and falling rapidly. Jax smirked. “You do know we had to do more than that to make a baby, right? A lot more.” He waggled his eyebrows at River.
“Dumbass.” River shook his head.
“Alright, who’s gonna kiss next?” Jax asked, looking at the remaining couples at the table. Lucas smiled before kissing his girlfriend. Maggie and Julie were next. Jax’s stare finally landed on Ethan. “Come on, man,” he demanded.
Ethan looked at Isa; she seemed nervous. He was afraid too. Every time he touched her, he became more addicted. Every time they kissed, he felt like his world was shaken on its axis.
Everyone was waiting, including her. A flash of something clouded her eyes, and he had an overwhelming urge to make her forget everything, clear her mind of anything but him.
He cupped her face, rubbing his nose gently against hers before he brushed his lips to hers tenderly. Her mouth opened in invitation, and he slid his tongue inside where it was welcomed by hers. The kiss ignited a fury of flames.
Aware of the watchful and probing eyes, he pulled back. She shivered, and her skin prickled with gooseflesh. He knew it wasn’t because she was cold this time.
“Well, damn, bro,” Jax said.
Whatever that was, he wanted more of it. He didn’t care who was around to witness; Isa Grayson was going to be his.
Chapter 12
Harper closed the suite door and walked towards them, baby monitor in hand. “Mila is sound asleep in with my parents down the hall. If she wakes and needs to nurse, I’ll have to leave for a bit. I’m not ready to leave my baby for the night just yet.”
Once the women were settled by the fireplace in the cabin they had rented for Ella’s bachelorette night, Harper turned to Isa. “You need to spill!”
“It’s the night before Ella’s wedding. Tonight should be about her,” Isa argued.
Ella wrapped her hands around her legs. “It is my night, and I want to hear this!”
Maggie huddled closer to Ella and handed her a piece of chocolate and a hard cider.
Isa’s audience was ready and waiting.
“He . . . I . . . I don’t know where to start,” Isa admitted.
“Have you slept with him yet?” Harper asked.
“What? No. We’ve just kissed. I mean they aren’t just any kisses. They are like nothing I have ever felt. It’s as though he is destroying me and building me up all at the same time. My body is . . .” Isa trailed off. How can I even begin to explain it?
“On fire,” Harper said.
“Electrocuted and alive,” Ella added.
“Forever changed,” finished Maggie.
“Yes. All of it. Yes.” Dreamy gazes stared back at her and she swallowed nervously.
“Oh my God, Isa. I freaking knew it!” Harper exclaimed excitedly.
“You were right.” Isa never thought the words would taste so sweet coming out of her mouth. “It won’t work though,” she said, feeling the dark cloud hovering over her.
“What? Why?” Harper asked, taken aback.
“He wants marriage and a family. His life is so different to mine. He is so focused and I’m . . .
I never commit to anything. I can’t even commit to my passion and put it out there to make a living from,” Isa confessed.
Ella placed a hand on Isa, halting her speech. “I can understand some of where you are coming from. I felt the same way with River. My past is full of pain and dysregulation. His was love and structure. I came with scars, and he only loved me more because of them. Our love isn’t perfect; no one’s is. We just knew the other was worth the fight.”
The usually quiet woman took a moment before she continued, “Love is a choice we make every single day, no matter what comes our way. It’s intentional. I just happen to think that what we have, that River, is worth the struggle.”
Harper nodded and added, “You know Jax and I didn’t have it easy. You were there to witness every sordid detail of the issues we had. There were times I never thought we would work out, but then he chose me. We worked together and came out stronger.”
Maggie leaned in and put her hand on Isa’s shoulder for a moment. “I don’t know you that well, but I am pretty good at reading people. I see a lot of doubt in you. But the way that man looks at you, like you are the only thing in the whole universe, you have captured his attention. There is more than just normal attraction going on between you two. The way you gaze at each other? Well, it speaks of a future.”
Isa gulped in a breath of air, overwhelmed by the support of these women. Truth and care dripped from their words, like a warm hug wrapping around Isa’s insecurities. Hope bubbled up in her belly, a flutter of belief in what could be—more than she had imagined for herself. What if she let go and gave in to whatever this was? It would surely shape her and change her, but she had a feeling it would be for the better.
“Alright, enough about me. Let’s party!” Isa said.
***
Ethan sat at the bar with his best friends as they sampled the flight of local IPAs Lucas had served them. His body buzzed as the alcohol warmed his insides. “I can’t believe you are getting hitched tomorrow. The two of you married off and starting your own families.” Ethan sighed.
“You don’t look so far behind us,” River joked. As if Isa wasn’t at the forefront of his thoughts at every moment, every second of the day already.
“There is something between us,” he admitted.
“I’ll say.” Jax smirked.
Ethan sighed. “I told my mom I was seeing someone, and she was not so happy to hear that Isa doesn’t share our culture.”
Jax nodded knowingly. “Dealing with your parents’ expectations is tough, man. It nearly broke Harper and me up.”
“You did that on your own,” River chided.
“I fucked up, big time. I do my best every day to make amends for all the shit I put Harper through. I throw every piece of myself into being a better husband and father for my girls,” Jax said, rubbing the back of his neck and sighing. “It wasn’t easy, but we got the help we needed—therapy, man. I always thought it was for pussies. I was wrong. It takes a strong man to admit he needs help, and then seek out and use that resource.”
Ethan was in awe of how much Jax had grown in the last year. Ethan had been there for his fallout with Harper. He knew they were meant for each other. And now his friends’ faces were telling him that he and Isa had a shot at that too.
“Yeah, I screwed things up with Ella when she needed me most. I failed her in a lot of ways, and we still found a way to make it work. Man, I wish I could get rid of some of the demons that follow her around. I’ll spend forever by her side as she slays those dragons herself, supporting her when she feels too weak to stand,” River said, emotion pouring off him in waves.
Ethan stared into his near-empty beer. With his friends’ hearts bleeding all over the bar top, his guts clenched with excitement and hope. He was all in if Isa was. If these two had fucked up so badly and still made it out with the women of their dreams, then he had a fighting chance to win over Isa, his masterpiece.
***
Isa walked into the beautiful event room at the inn. White-paneled walls were tastefully accented with green-leaved myrtle wreaths and burlap bows. Stringed lights hung overhead, crisscrossing above the ceiling. The centerpiece was a circular chandelier of wrought iron and flameless flickering candles. Other guests filed in, passing her as she made her way to the front few aisles.
Isa found a seat next to an older woman named Miss Matty who told her she was the one who helped River find his game. She wanted to ask the little old lady what she meant, but it was almost time for the ceremony to start. Ethan’s gaze burned her skin as he ushered the last guests to their seat.
The music started and Avery walked down the aisle, pulling a wagon with baby Mila in it, surrounded by rose petals. She stopped and tossed a few onto the path as she made her way forward. Mila cooed and wiggled and smiled at all the smiling faces. Once they got to the front, Harper’s mother, Sandra, picked her up.
Julie walked down the aisle first, followed by Harper. Both bridesmaids wore the same strapless navy blue dress as they traveled through the path with bouquets of white calla lilies. They took their places opposite the very excited and handsome groom and his groomsmen. Maggie came next as the maid of honor, her bouquet of calla lilies a mixture of white and red.
The music changed and Ella appeared in a long, flowy champagne-colored dress that made her look like a Greek goddess. Her tattoos were accentuated by the delicate fabric, portraying her as the most beautiful warrior princess. Her arm was linked with Lucas’s as he guided her to their destination, her future, her forever.
Enraptured by the happy beginning playing out in front of her, Isa’s heart filled with joy for her friends. She had always hated weddings, except for Harper and Jax’s, seeing them as being for show. This one was different too. This one was true love.
The couple sealed their vows with a kiss in front of the other hundred close family and friends. She felt a tinge of envy in her chest. Did she want this? No . . . maybe . . . with the right person.
She shoved the thoughts out of her mind as she glanced in Ethan’s direction. Those obsidian spheres gazed intently at her rather than at the beautiful display around them. He smiled. Her cheeks burned hot and she forced her eyes elsewhere. Butterflies of nervousness did summersaults in her belly as she stood to watch the wedding party walk out.
She made it through dinner only because she chose to sit at a separate table than him. The wedding festivities were winding down. A few of the guests had left. After Ella and River had their first dance as man and wife, everyone was welcomed onto the floor.
She didn’t need to look to know he sought her out in the crowd like a beacon in the night—a lighthouse in a storm. She sensed his closeness before he rested his hand firmly on her lower back, the thunderbolt of electricity zapping through her only magnified by their distance over the last day. Her knees grew wobbly as he leaned in to whisper in the shell of her ear, “Dance with me.”
His voice was like a rumble of thunder booming as it vibrated through her. It was more command than question. She stood, feeling the magnetism of his pull.
He weaved her through the throng of bodies until they were shielded on every side, closed in. The smell of pine enveloped her as she laid her head against his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart. His hands squeezed her tighter against him, resting on her naked back. Inner storm clouds of apprehension and confusion grew. She had a choice to make.
He lifted her face to look at him and she could have sworn the ground quaked beneath her feet. Her arms linked around his neck, keeping her from falling. Those onyx eyes looking back at her whispered pleas to her subconscious. “You are so beautiful,” he said, his voice deep and laced with lust.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said, trying to sound more put together than she felt.
Flames of lust danced around them, through them, as they moved together. She rocked her hips and he ground agains
t her. She felt his hardness against her belly, only serving to make her ache and throb with emptiness, begging to be filled.
He leaned down. Lightning flashed in the dark pools of his eyes. His lips met hers. The kiss was a thunderbolt, shaking her to the very core. Ethan dominated all of her senses at once. He was a gale-force wind that made her knees give out, but his strong arms were there to catch her. He kissed her, and she kissed him back. The fury of the storm grew.
She pulled away, her lips swollen and most assuredly red. Her whole body flushed as she focused on the face that held her captive.
The music had stopped and they were the last ones on the dance floor. How much time had passed? She wasn’t sure.
He cupped his hands around her face and spoke as if he were in pain, “I need to see you, all of you. I want to taste you, Isa. I want to make you feel good. I want to worship your body. I won’t pressure you if you’re not ready. But I have to ask if you’ll let me.”
His words were like arrows piercing her remaining armor. A man asking to make her feel good. To worship her body without expecting anything in return. Who was Ethan? He wasn’t human, she was sure. An Adonis sent from Olympia, straight from the gods. His mouth, oh God, his mouth. She wanted nothing more than his lips on her.
“Please,” she breathed out in a pleading voice she wasn’t sure was her own.
He took her hand and led her past the tables. He nodded to Jax, who looked like the Cheshire cat, before pulling her out of the event hall and towards their rooms at the inn. Her room.