She decided to grab a shower and eat a light meal to fortify her to deal with Alec.
It was so wild to her that only two months ago, she’d been excited for any crumb of time he’d thrown her way, and now she couldn’t wait to be rid of him.
Zuri enjoyed Anna and Jordan immensely, and was having a wonderful time working on their wedding, and really getting back into her groove and feeling confident about her work. Except for Alec’s presence.
Surprisingly, he didn’t make her doubt herself, and her irritation at having to deal with him had nothing to do with how she felt about herself professionally. He was simply a buzzing insect in her ear she couldn’t seem to swat.
Zuri found strength in that.
After she’d showered and eaten a magnificent salad of field greens, chicken, bacon, hickory almonds, and a ridiculously large serving of crispy capers (her favorite thing) sprinkled on top with a ginger vinaigrette, she was ready to work.
She didn’t know how she’d ever go back to not having a magical kitchen ready to anticipate her every need.
A travel mug with the Charming B and B logo appeared, and Zuri snatched it up to find it was a blond mocha with heavy cream. Exactly what she needed to get her workday off to a great start.
“Thanks,” she murmured to the castle.
She felt a little silly speaking to it, but she thanked her maps app and all her smart devices. It just seemed like the thing to do.
The Once Upon a Time Ballroom was set up with tables and undying flowers in the soft blue theme that Anna and Jordan had chosen. Hansel was busy constructing the stage where the happy couple would act out the shoe scene, and she saw a place had been cleared for Rosebud.
In fact, it was almost as if half of Rosebud’s shop had been transplanted in the northwest corner of the ballroom. Chaises and pillows abounded, with changing closets and mirrors, and even a small place for each person to model their clothes.
Rosebud was already waiting for Zuri and waved her over.
“I’m so sorry to have to bother you with this, but we can’t seem to make a choice. I don’t care for how the color turned out on the bridesmaids’ dresses, or Alec’s tux. I feel Alec’s outshines the groom. The groom, of course, doesn’t care.”
Zuri took another sip from her coffee. “No worries, Rosebud. This is what I’m here for. Where would you like to start?”
Rosebud gestured vaguely, and Zuri understood exactly what she meant.
“Okay, let’s start with the bridesmaids’ dresses.”
Rosebud called out, “Ladies, if you please.”
One by one, the women stepped out from the dressing area, and Rosebud was absolutely right. The blue on the dresses was too dark, and it was the ugliest shade of blue Zuri had ever seen.
Somehow, it managed to be dark blue and brown at the same time. Zuri wasn’t quite sure how any fabric could look like that.
“Oh!” she gasped. “Oh no.”
“So it’s not just me losing my mind? I’ve been in this business for a long time, but never . . . I’m afraid we might be too late. I could try to dye them, but . . .”
The bridesmaids all looked rather horrified and sad at this change of events.
“Don’t worry, this is all under control,” Zuri called to them. “We’ll get them fixed. You all look lovely in the cuts and styles of the gowns you’ve chosen. This is an easy fix.”
“It is?” Rosebud asked her. “Do you know something I don’t?”
“We can ask the castle. If it can miracle me a mocha, I don’t know why it couldn’t change the color on the dress,” she said under her breath.
“You’re a genius!” Rosebud cried. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. Hmm. So,” she began, as she pulled out a color wheel from her bag. “What do you think?”
Zuri considered and pointed to a blue silk sample that was two shades darker than baby blue but managed to complement the blue of the groom’s jacket. “We should try this one.
“I was thinking that as well. With some pale pink rosettes on the sleeves and the waistlines?”
“And a pale pink insert in the trains.”
“Perfect!” She looked up at the bridesmaids. “You can all go. Leave your dresses in the changing room, I’ll take care of them, and we’ll do another fitting soon. Thank you for your time!”
As they began to file out, Rosebud smiled at all of them, but when she turned back to Zuri she said, “I was losing my mind. My brain gave up and said no more.”
“I totally understand. I’m sorry I couldn’t come to the shop, I know that would’ve been easier for you.”
Rosebud waved it off. “It’s fine. I know you’ve got a lot to do, too. What with trying to put this together in three weeks? Even with magic, that’s kind of a miracle.”
“I think we’re going to pull it off.” Pride surged in Zuri’s chest. “It’s going to be beautiful. So, thank you for your part.”
Rosebud smiled. “It’s my job. And of course, there’s the part where I do love it.”
“So the best man’s tux is a problem?”
Rosebud pressed her palm to her forehead. “Anna and Jordan said they could all choose their own styles. They wanted everyone to be comfortable, which is so thoughtful, but . . .” She turned toward the dressing rooms. “Alec, are you ready?”
Alec came out of the dressing area and stopped to stand in front of the mirrors, and it, too, was perfectly horrible.
He’d chosen a blue . . . well, it had breeches and a military jacket with tassels and . . .
“Doesn’t that look exactly like Ransom Payne’s look?” Rosebud asked her.
Thinking back, she realized it did. “What does the groom’s tux look like again?”
Rosebud pulled out her laptop and showed her a pic of the groom.
The groom had chosen a royal-blue ensemble that was a fabulous choice for his build, coloring, and sense of style. It was elegant but understated.
The best man was flashier, and it definitely drew the attention away from Jordan and Anna.
“Can you turn to the side, Alec?” Rosebud called.
He did as he was told, and the tassels were just too much.
Zuri approached him, trying to decide if she should advise Rosebud to make alterations to this or if they should tell Alec he needed to start over.
At this stage in the game, working with what they had would be the best choice, if that was possible.
She tugged lightly at the tassels, and they came off without too much effort. It was still as if Alec were dressed as the groom.
“We may need to go with something else, if that’s all right with you?” she asked him.
“Whatever you think,” Alec agreed easily.
“Yeah, okay. Did you have any other choices? We can go through them and see what will best fit the theme of the wedding.”
“Yeah, I have them in the changing room.”
Zuri didn’t think anything of following him back into the changing room. Not until he locked the door behind her and stood between her and the door.
“What are you doing?”
“Zuri, we’re going to talk. I can’t get you to talk to me any other way; we’re doing it now.”
“You know, I could just scream my head off, and Rosebud would come and let me out.”
“Please just talk to me.”
“We’ve already been through this. I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t care. It’s over. It’s done with.”
“Not for me, it’s not.”
Instead of getting angry, Zuri said, “It doesn’t always get to be about you.”
“I know that. I was wrong. I love you, Zuri. Let me prove it to you.”
“If you love me, you’d respect my space and my wishes. You’d let me do my job without locking me in a dressing room.”
“Come on, you can’t say there’s anyone else you’d rather be locked in a room with than me.” He reached out to touch her face. “We had some good times. We can have them a
gain.”
“I can say there’s someone else I’d rather be locked in a dark room with.”
“Oh really? Name him.”
“Phillip Charming.”
A light exploded overhead, sending bits of spark and glass raining down on them, and suddenly everything was dark, and it smelled of must and age.
She reached out with her hand to feel the wall and realized she was no longer in the makeshift dressing room because the walls were stone.
Someone else was in the dark with her. Someone big, who sucked all the air out of the space. Heat radiated from him.
“Zuri?” Phillip asked.
“Oh, thank God it’s you.” She breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
“What are we doing here?”
“I don’t know. One minute, I was helping Rosebud in the ballroom, and the next I was here. Wherever that is . . . ?”
She couldn’t see much and reached out again. She found his solid chest, noticed that it was bare and his flesh was hot under her hands. It calmed the panic that had been rising in her throat, but stoked urgency other places in her body.
“I was just getting dressed and now I’m here. Might you have made any wishes?”
“What’s with you and wishes? First the wish coin, and now this.” Except, she had kind of made a wish, hadn’t she? “Oh,” she murmured.
“Oh, what? What did you do?”
“Don’t blame me. It’s your stupid castle that takes things too literally.”
He rumbled with a laugh. “Okay, Zuri. But what did you say?”
“I was in the changing room—”
“Changing room?”
“Rosebud brought half her shop to the castle so I could help finalize some details. There were some issues with some of the fabrics. Anyway, I was trying to help Alec, and he locked us in together. He said he was sure there was no one else I’d rather be locked in a dark room with . . . and I might’ve said you.”
Phillip laughed. “Oh God. Okay, you’re right. The castle definitely takes things too literally.”
“It delivers a great mocha, and I had the best salad for lunch, so I can’t complain too much.” She realized her hands were stroking over his shoulders, and his back, and she jerked her hands away. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t mind. You can touch me all you like.”
The idea appealed. “I’m supposed to be helping Rosebud.”
“I’m supposed to be getting dressed to come help you help Rosebud. But here we are.”
She dared to touch him again, her hands sliding down his sides. “How naked are you?”
He laughed again, and his hands covered hers, guiding them down to his hips, which were also bare.
“Good Lord,” she breathed.
“We could always try telling the castle to let us out,” he said.
She didn’t want to be let out. “Or, you know, a door. Is there one of those?” But she wasn’t really interested in a door.
“I don’t think so. I’ve been here before. Once, I decided I wanted to hide from the world. I told the castle I didn’t want to be found. It locked me in here for two weeks. Basically, until I’d gotten over my tantrum.”
“But it still fed you, right?”
He laughed again. “Yeah, it still fed me. Do you want snacks? Or do you want it to let you out?”
“You keep saying to let me out. You don’t want out?”
“Not really. I know what I’m supposed to say, and I know what I really feel.”
“So you’re feeling better from last night?”
“Not really. I got some bad news.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked him, still hyper-aware of her hands on his skin and the proximity of his naked body.
“No. Not until I decide what to do.”
“You don’t have to decide by yourself. I can be a good listener.”
“I don’t want to tell you where I can’t see your face.”
She stepped closer to him. “Maybe it’s better that you can’t.”
“Maybe.” He released her hands and pulled her even closer so she was flush against him. “I found out that if I don’t break my curse, one of these next times I change into a frog, I won’t come back.”
His words stabbed her with a thousand knives. That just couldn’t happen. She wouldn’t let it.
“No.”
“Straight from Fairy Godmother Academy.”
“Phillip, we’ll figure it out. The godmothers have to know some kind of loophole. This is what we do. You can’t have a Happily Ever After as a frog.” What she wanted to say, but knew it sounded selfish as hell, was that she couldn’t have a Happily Ever After if he was a frog.
“I don’t want to discuss it anymore, if that’s all right with you,” he said softly.
Zuri wasn’t going to push. He’d opened up to her, and if that was all he wanted to give her, that was okay.
Except she had something she wanted to give him.
If they didn’t have any time left, she wanted to know what it was like to be with him.
“Maybe we should go back to what we should be doing. Castle?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “I don’t want to go back. That can all wait. This can’t.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes to press her mouth to his.
“Zuri, all the reasons why you wanted to wait are still valid.”
“I don’t care.” She took his hands and moved them to her breasts. “Touch me, Phillip.”
“If I was really Prince Charming, I wouldn’t allow our first time to be in a broom closet like some bad fairy-tale fan fiction.” His mouth closed over the tender part of her neck, and his hands tore her shirt off.
“Wait, wait,” she gasped. “In the unsanitized versions of these stories . . .”
“No. That’s not me.”
“Oh, good. Carry on,” she said, and arched back into him.
His hands were everywhere, and in just moments, she was bare to him. The room was cold, and she wanted his touch, his warmth. She’d never felt so naked being naked. So exposed.
So vulnerable.
Even though it was dark, she could still feel the intensity of his gaze somehow.
A small candle breathed to life as the room changed around them to accommodate their fantasies.
“In my whole long life, I’ve never seen a woman as beautiful as you are, Zuri. Let me worship you.”
Who the hell could, or would say no to that?
He lifted her easily and she found herself reclining on the softest mattress she’d ever felt. It was like a cloud. But it could’ve been the stone wall for all she cared, because when he dipped his head between her thighs, she was floating anyway.
Phillip took her higher than she’d ever been before. She pushed her fingers through his hair, and arched up to meet his mouth.
This was definitely better than anything else she had on her to-do list.
She wondered vaguely if elsewhere in the castle they were searching for her, but any other cares were washed away by the insistent flick of his tongue.
Zuri surrendered to the pleasure, to the waves of bliss, and it wasn’t long before she was clawing at his shoulders while starbursts of ecstasy washed over her in a tsunami.
He didn’t stop worshipping her. He kissed her thigh, her hip, her stomach, and blazed a trail up her body, back up to her mouth, where he kissed her hard.
She could taste her own pleasure, and his erection pressed hard against her belly.
“Do you still want this?”
Chapter 16
He searched her eyes, and waited for her answer.
Phillip wanted her permission again. He needed it, because he knew this might be their only chance to be together like this. He didn’t want her to regret it, or him.
“Yes,” she said simply.
“Are you on birth control?” he asked.
“Will the castle supply condoms, too, if we want them?”
“Most defi
nitely.”
“Do magical people get STDs?” she asked.
He laughed. “No, not unless it’s a curse.”
“That’s an awful curse.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, I got tested right after I found out about Alec anyway. Clean bill of health. I have an implant. So no unplanned babies.”
“Tell me again that you want me. Then tell me how you want me,” he whispered in her ear.
“I want this more than anything, and I want it with no barriers between us. I want to feel all of you.”
Her words drove him. Phillip hadn’t thought he could get any harder, but at the moment, he was sure he could use his dick like a jackhammer and pound their way out of the room, if that’s what either of them had wanted.
She wrapped her legs around his hips and he eased his length into her slowly, until he was as deep inside her as he could get.
Her lashes fluttered upward, and she met his gaze. They drowned in each other, both utterly consumed.
He’d never felt so connected to another person. Her pleasure was his own, and he didn’t understand how, by any definition in any universe, she wasn’t the one.
Phillip shifted his hips carefully, moving in that age-old dance to a rhythm that was born with time itself.
It had been a long time since he’d been with someone, a century at least, but thankfully his body was in no hurry to betray him. He wanted this to last for as long as it could, to wring out every sensation, every bit of bliss.
Phillip committed every gasp, every sigh, and every press of her nails into his back to memory. He inhaled the coconut-apple scent of her lotion, her hair, and he couldn’t get enough of her lips.
They moved together, their bodies in tandem striving toward the same goal of ultimate sensation. The world fell away in pieces, as did time and maybe even destiny.
Phillip wanted to stay there with her forever. He wondered how long he could make it last, until she pushed at his shoulders.
“On your back.”
That was when he knew he was a goner, but he eased onto his back, and she straddled him, taking him deep. She grasped his shoulders and began to rock her hips.
Men Are Frogs Page 16