My wife.
The mother of my children.
The other half of my soul.
My everything.
Thorn placed her hand in mine and took a seat.
I felt her pulse in my fingertips, felt the emotion that seeped from her skin. I pulled her toward me and placed my forehead against hers. My arm moved around her waist, and I brought her into my chest, feeling the ache finally die away now that she was mine.
“Aww…” someone said in the crowd.
I finally released her and stood across from her, ready to vow to love her all my life.
She sniffed then wiped her tears away, unable to keep her emotion at bay. “My husband…”
My expression darkened as I stared at her face. “My wife.”
I had my first dance with my wife.
In the center of the clearing while everyone enjoyed the cake at their tables, Tatum and I danced in a circle of torches with the stars up above. The quiet music played over the speakers, and our eyes were only on each other. Her hand was in mine, and I gripped the small of her back as I took the lead. I pressed my forehead to hers and closed my eyes, enjoying the second happiest moment of my life.
The first was when she said I do.
“I thought I would never find you…” she whispered to me, her gaze shifted down to the floor.
I opened my eyes and stared at the perfect woman in front of me. “I didn’t think I would find you either.”
“And now you’re my husband… I’m in love with my husband.”
“Not as much as I’m in love with my wife.”
She smiled, her eyes bright with the film of moisture. “I don’t have a mother or a father, but I feel like I have everything with you. You give me everything I’m missing. You’ve made me believe in love, hope, and trust…”
“You give me everything too, Mrs. Hunt.”
She smiled wider. “That’s what you’re always going to call me, isn’t it?”
My eyes locked on hers. “Always.”
She moved her face into my chest and swayed with me. “This is the greatest day of my life.”
“Mine too.”
We finished the song together, lost in our joy while everyone watched from a distance. It didn’t seem like they were there at all because it was just the two of us. We barely had a few bites of dinner or cake because we were too busy touching, kissing, or talking.
Thankfully, people left us alone.
When the song ended, I kissed her forehead. “Do you want to stay longer, Mrs. Hunt?” I’d spent the entire day talking to these people as I waited for my wedding. Now that I had my wife, I didn’t give a damn about anyone else. I wanted to retreat to our hideaway, to make love endlessly. I didn’t only want her because I’d been denied her for almost a week.
I just wanted my wife.
“No.” Her fingers twirled the hair at the back of my neck. “I want my husband to make love to me.”
My hand instinctively gripped her dress at the small of her back, hearing the sexiest confession I’d ever heard. When she wore that gorgeous white dress and looked so beautiful, naturally, all I wanted to do was rip it off. “Then let’s go, Mrs. Hunt.” I took her hand and guided her to the tables where everyone was sitting. “Good night, everyone. My wife and I are going to bed.”
“To bed, huh?” Thorn asked, his arm over the back of Autumn’s chair.
I wrapped my arm around Tatum’s waist and guided her away. “Good night.”
People said their goodbyes as we walked off, and when we were finally in the hallway outside our room, the quiet surrounded us. I got the door open and stepped into the presidential suite she’d been enjoying on her own. It’d been cleaned, and now there were rose petals leading to the bed, along with champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries.
Neither one of us cared about any of that.
My hands remained steady as I unbuttoned the dozens of buttons that started at her neck and stopped at the top of her ass. I popped one after another, slowly revealing her beautiful flesh. When I reached the last button, I spotted the white thong underneath the dress.
I took a deep breath in anticipation.
I pushed the dress off her shoulders, watching it fall into a pile at her feet. My hands gripped her arms, and I kissed the back of her neck and the center of her spine. My hands curled around her body, and I cupped both of her tits, my thumbs flicking over the nipples. My breathing was unsteady, deep and hoarse. It was quiet in the room, so I could hear every sound she made, every soft moan that sounded deep in her throat.
My lips brushed against her ear. “Mrs. Hunt, turn around.”
She slowly faced me, still standing in the center of her dress.
My hands explored her slender stomach and her perky ass like I’d never touched her before. She was gorgeous, prettier than I’d ever seen her. From the flowers in her hair to the bracelet on her wrist, she was more perfect than a doll.
I rubbed my nose against hers before I finally kissed her.
It was like the first time I ever had.
My hand cupped her cheek, and I breathed into her mouth, filling her lungs with heat and warmth. I sucked her bottom lip then felt her push my jacket over my shoulders. After one article of clothing fell, the others followed.
She stripped me until I stood in only my skin.
I pulled her thong off her ass and left her heels on her feet as I guided her to the bed.
I’d never been this hard in my life
I laid her on the bed then moved on top of her, her legs opening to me instantly. My hands burrowed into the sheets on either side of her, and I rubbed my dick against her clit. The slickness of her entrance smeared against the base of my cock.
She dug her fingers into the back of my hair and pulled me more completely on top of her, her legs widening farther. She grabbed my base and pointed my cock at her entrance.
I slid inside slowly, greeted by nothing but wet warmness. “Mrs. Hunt…” She was so wet for me, just as aroused as I was. The last week had been torture, but the restraint had been worth it. She’d never felt so good.
“Husband.”
I slid inside until I was balls deep. Our breaths were mutually strained and unsteady. I’d been with her hundreds of times, but this felt brand-new. Now that she was my wife and the only woman I would ever be with for the rest of my life, it felt different.
It felt better.
Being this committed to another person gave me the greatest high I’d ever known.
And the fact that we could start our family that very night made it even better.
My lips trembled against hers as I started to thrust.
“Diesel…” She dragged her nails down my back as she moved her hips with me. “I’m already going to come…”
I’d barely been inside her for a minute, but I could feel her walls tightening. I knew it was her abstinence as well as her emotional investment that made her this way. She was trembling in my arms, eager for more of me.
Thankfully, she was ready. Because I was about to blow.
“God…Diesel.” She tightened around me instantly, her orgasm starting right from the beginning. She was desperate for me, needing my soul as well as my body. Her nails dug deeper, and her eyes gave me the most soulful look of love I’d ever seen. “I love you…” She buried her face in my neck as she rode out the rest of the climax.
I gave my final pumps then released inside her instantly, my moans louder than hers. I gripped her tightly, like she might slip away at any moment. I filled her with more come than I’d ever had, stuffing her with so much it immediately overflowed onto the sheets. Just a simple touch ignited us both, and we were already writhing for each other.
She held on to me like she hadn’t just exploded around my length, and I clutched her just as tightly as I did before. That was a personal best for both of us.
I kissed her softly on the mouth. “I love you too, Mrs. Hunt.”
Chapter Fourteen
Thorn
<
br /> My hand rested on Autumn’s thigh as we watched Diesel and Tatum dance in the distance. Pressed tightly together and oblivious to everything going on around them, they swayed to the slow music. Titan’s gown trailed across the floor as Diesel guided her. I’d never seen her so happy.
“They’re so in love,” Autumn whispered.
“Yeah…” I eyed her hand, seeing her fingers interlocked with mine. I wasn’t holding Autumn close to me as we moved on the dance floor, but I was certainly happy. I could feel it all the way down to my bones. Having Autumn in my life vanquished all the terrible habits in my life. I didn’t drink as much anymore, I didn’t sit in dark clubs and watch women dance on poles, and I didn’t care about work as much either. She filled a hole I hadn’t realized needed to be filled.
Vincent sat beside his girlfriend, Scarlet, and watched his son dance with his new bride. They didn’t share affection, but it was obvious they were linked together. Vincent hardly blinked as he watched the two of them move across the dance floor.
Scarlet placed her hand on his. “They’re perfect together.”
“They are,” Vincent whispered. “I wish Isabella were here to see it…she’d be so happy.”
“She is here,” Scarlet said gently. “And she’s very happy.”
Vincent turned his gaze to her, his eyes softening slightly.
I didn’t know Vincent very well because he was quiet all the time, but now I saw a different version of him. I saw him as a father, not just a crazy business tycoon. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and it was obvious he loved Tatum as much as his own son.
My parents were there too, sitting at a different table and staring at the newlyweds on the dance floor.
“You think we’ll spend time with them this evening?” Autumn asked.
I scoffed. “No. The second the song is over, Diesel is gonna take his new bride away. That’s what I would do. They’ll see us in the morning.”
Autumn squeezed my hand. “That’s romantic.”
“I’m telling you…”
The song ended, and they shared a soft kiss before they walked back toward us.
Diesel pulled her close to him and guided her around the tables. “We’re going to bed.”
I gave Autumn a meaningful look. “Told you.”
She smiled back.
“To bed, huh?” I teased.
Diesel hooked his arm around her waist and guided her away. Her white dress glowed under the torches until it was gone from sight.
“Doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy all this free booze and food.” I held my glass and clinked it against hers.
Vincent turned to Scarlet. “Thanks for joining me. Jax and Brett seem to like you.”
“They’re gentlemen,” she said. “You’ve raised fine men.”
Vincent’s eyes softened again. “That wasn’t all me, but thank you.”
“Boys will look to the man in their life for example,” she said. “All three of them looked up to you, and now they’re strong, intelligent, and gentle. Look at the way Diesel is with Tatum. He’s a whole different person.”
Vincent nodded slightly, the fatherly pride in his eyes. “Thank you for saying that.”
She patted his hand, a smile on her face. She looked like she was at least fifteen years younger than him, and even though she was a lot older than me, she was definitely pretty. She wasn’t like the models I’d seen him with in the past, but she was definitely more compatible.
“Do you have kids, Scarlet?” I asked.
“One daughter.” Her eyes immediately lit up at the mention of her. “She’s twenty-two. A nursing student.”
“That’s nice,” I said. “Does she look like you?”
“Exactly,” she said. “People think we’re sisters all the time.”
“Because you look like you’re in your twenties too,” I blurted.
Her smile widened. “Thank you, Thorn…”
Vincent moved his hand to her thigh.
“I’ve always wanted to have a son,” she continued. “But it didn’t work out at the time. And my daughter was already a handful. As an only child, she was a bit spoiled. She needed a lot of attention.”
“I have a brother, but I still needed a lot of attention,” I said with a chuckle. “I’m a bit of a mama’s boy.”
“He is,” Autumn said. “But in a cute way.”
I squeezed her hand. “I’m glad you don’t think I’m a sissy.”
“It’s not like you call her every day or something.” Autumn sipped her champagne.
A guilty look came over my face.
She caught the expression. “Or you do…”
“She usually calls me right before lunch.” I shrugged. “We talk for like fifteen minutes. She asks about the business, but we talk about other things.”
She finished her glass before she patted my thigh. “It’s okay, Thorn. I still like you anyway.”
You still love me anyway. A part of me expected her to say that, and a part of me hoped she would say that. “The music is still playing. Wanna dance?”
“We’ll be the only ones out there.”
“So?” I asked.
“And you don’t strike me as the kind of guy who dances,” she whispered.
“I’m not the kind of guy who has a girlfriend either, but I do.” I rose to my feet and helped her out of the chair. I guided her to the dance floor and then pulled her into my chest. Just as Diesel and Tatum had been dancing before, I held Autumn against me and looked into her eyes. In a light pink dress that contrasted against her black hair, she looked like an angel without wings. Tatum had looked beautiful in her wedding dress, but Autumn reached a whole new level of perfection.
“I’m happy for that.” Her face was nearly touching mine. “They found a perfect getaway where they don’t have to be gawked at by reporters. On Monday, it’s bound to be all over the news. But at least they got to have some privacy in the moment.”
“There will be lots of speculation when they realize I gave her away.”
“I’m sure there will be.”
The fire from the torches reflected in Autumn’s eyes, her gaze dancing like the flames. Her black hair was pulled over one shoulder, and just like Diesel, all I wanted to do was take her back to our room. “I never want to go back.”
“Never?” she asked playfully.
“I’d rather stay here with you…have a honeymoon of our own.”
“To have a honeymoon would require us to be married first.”
I could freak out at the mere suggestion, but I didn’t. After what Tatum and Diesel said on the plane, the words had slowly sunk deeper into my skin with every passing hour. I lay beside Autumn in bed unable to sleep because it was all I could think about. It made me happy to know she loved me, and that could only mean one thing.
I was a goner.
The rest of my life was staring back at me. It was too soon to make a claim like that, but now I knew. All my late nights with random women were over. Weekends in the club were long gone. My single life passed before my eyes, and now I was in a completely different place. Just as Diesel changed the instant he met the right woman, the same had happened to me.
I’d tried to fight it as long as I could, but it was pointless.
It was my fate.
I should accept it like a man.
“What?” Autumn must have noticed the intense way I was staring at her. I couldn’t remember the last time I blinked because my gaze had been locked on her for an eternity. Everyone enjoyed their wine and dinner by the tables, oblivious to our quiet moment.
“I like to look at you.”
“I know,” she whispered. “But I’ve never seen you look at me quite like that.”
Without being able to see my own face, I knew exactly what my expression meant. I knew what kind of feelings were pounding in my chest. The tightness in my throat could only mean one thing. The overwhelming feeling wasn’t as frightening as it used to be because I’d finally laid down my weapons a
nd dropped the fight.
I surrendered. “It’s the same way you’re looking at me.”
Chapter Fifteen
Vincent
Hand in hand, Scarlet and I walked down the beach in the darkness. The torches along the path around the resort gave us enough light to see where we were going. My slacks were rolled up, and my shoes were left behind.
The waves rolled up the beach, soaking our feet in the warm water.
“That feels nice.” Scarlet stayed close beside me, her dress short enough that the water didn’t damage the elegant fabric. “I can’t remember the last time I went on vacation. Anytime I travel, it’s usually for work.”
“Me too.” I was glad I’d brought Scarlet along. Otherwise, I’d be walking along the shore on my own, thinking about my wedding day. It was the greatest day of my life, and because of that, it hurt. But Scarlet lifted my spirits and made me appreciate what I did have. I was a healthy man with a growing family. Now I had a daughter.
“What changed your mind about bringing me along?”
When I’d asked her to come along, there wasn’t time to talk about it. “Diesel.”
“Yeah? What did he say?”
“I called early that morning and asked if you could come along. After we were…together…I knew it was the beginning of something. Not the beginning of a meaningless relationship, but the beginning of something deep. I don’t want to look back on this day and wish you’d been there to celebrate my son’s wedding. He told me he was thrilled I’d changed my mind. He also told me he’d stopped by your office.”
She looked down at the water, her expression exactly the same even though she’d been caught in a secret. “Diesel is wonderful. When he came by my office on your behalf, I thought that was the sweetest thing in the world. He wants you to be happy more than anything else in the world.”
I’d been touched by the gesture once the surprise wore off. “He’s been much better to me than I was to him…”
“He doesn’t see it that way, Vincent. Your son loves you.”
“I know he does…” Isabella was gone, but she left three pieces of herself for me to enjoy.
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