by Ella Fields
She shook her head, and I tried to stop my heart from falling. “No, no. I love that idea. So much.”
Relieved, I took her lips with mine, our tongues dueling as her hands slipped into my hair.
Renee pulled away. “We can’t ever tell them,” she whispered. “They’d disown us.”
I grinned. “So we won’t.”
Two months later, we made a three-hour trip to the small town of Willowmina, where we found a tiny old church and a reverend who walked us through our vows with a stern look of disapproval etched on his face.
We didn’t care. We’d done it.
Something for us.
That morning, Callum gifted me a Sailor Moon-inspired brooch, but in blue instead of pink. “Something new, something blue. And here …” He kissed me, long and hard. “Something borrowed, for I’ll need it returned. For the rest of our days.”
All by ourselves, we’d managed to make a memory saturated with excitement, promise, a small amount of fear, and a lot of love. One that would stay with us always.
“I belong with you, and you only,” were the only vows we’d came up with. But they said everything we needed to.
My dress was made in the quiet confines of my walk-in closet whenever my parents weren’t home and kept stuffed in an old box until the time came to pack it into the back of Callum’s car.
Now, I marveled at the beauty of it in the fading afternoon light on the church steps. The sweeping curls of intricate white lace interspersed over the silken ivory skirt beneath. The white lace veiled the skirt only. The ivory bodice was strapless, tiny beads raining down my chest and stomach in shimmering waterfalls.
“You’re glowing,” Callum commented, his hands in mine as he stood on the step below me, which had our eyes, nose, and mouths at perfect level.
“I’m … I don’t think I’ve ever felt so happy.” My chest felt too full, as though it’d burst if this day got any better.
“Oh, my goodness,” someone shouted.
We turned our heads to find a short, curvy woman with brown hair below the steps.
She dropped her shopping bags on the pavement. “Do not move!”
Callum tensed as she reached into her purse, moving in front of me. “Oh, rats. I can’t find it. Here,” she said as she straightened, walking over to us. “Give me one of your phones, and I’ll take a photo of you two.” She glanced around with a secretive smile on her face. “Seeing as you’re clearly here on your own. You can’t not have your picture taken when you’re both looking so beautiful.”
I smiled at her in thanks as Callum passed her his phone.
“Take her hands again. Yes, just like that.”
We posed as the woman took photo after photo, and I was grateful for her when we reached his car and I began flicking through them.
“We didn’t even get her name,” I mused, zooming in on a picture of Callum and me smiling into each other’s faces as he started the car.
“I don’t think she cared too much,” Callum said, shifting into gear and backing out of the small gravel lot of the church.
He took my hand in his, leaving it there as he sped through town toward the highway.
“We need to find somewhere to change.”
“They won’t be home until tomorrow,” Callum said.
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea to risk one of the cooks, cleaners, a neighbor, anyone, seeing us like this.” I plucked pins from my hair, which I’d worn half up with an ivory bow at the back of my head. I removed that too, carefully placing all of it in his glove compartment.
“You’re right,” Callum said, grudgingly.
I smiled, squeezing his hand. “You better get used to saying that a lot.”
He pulled off the highway, continuing down a tree-lined road for a few miles until we saw an old charming bed and breakfast.
“Shall we honeymoon in style?” he asked, holding his hand out for mine after opening my door.
I placed my hand in his, using the other to gather the gown of my dress. “We shall.”
We both laughed as he grabbed the bag that held our change of clothes and walked across the lot.
The bed and breakfast appeared to be made from a mixture of old wood and gray and black stone. Towering floors and windows loomed above us as we approached the front entrance.
A little bell signaled our arrival, and a large man with wire-rimmed glasses strutted out, taking our names and money before handing over a key.
“Is this place haunted?” I couldn’t help but ask as I looked around the small entryway. A low fire was burning even though it was approaching the end of summer, and a number of old portraits decorated the gray walls.
A cat raced by, jumping up onto the counter as the man said, “No more haunted than any other establishment passed down through many generations.”
“How long has this place been here?” Callum asked as the man led us up a rocky staircase that grew wider as we reached the top.
“Since 1910.” The man opened a door that creaked as he shuffled in after us, hurrying to the blinds to open them.
He fluffed the pillows, dust motes dancing as he glanced around before giving a nod of approval. Whether it was to the room or himself, I wasn’t sure. “Right, I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.” He pointed at a string on the wall by the bed. “You can tug that for room service, though I must warn you not to do so before six in the morning. My wife doesn’t like to be rushed.”
He left, closing the door gently behind him.
Callum wasted no time, dropping our bags and his jacket to the bed before sweeping me off my feet and carrying me into the bathroom where a large claw-foot tub sat on a raised slab of dark tiles.
He set me down on the edge, then got to work rummaging through the soaps beside the sink before turning on the bath water. “I’m only getting in if you do as well.”
“You can bet your fine ass I’ll be getting in. Stand,” he said, unbuttoning his white dress shirt.
“Getting bossy already? It’s hardly been two hours.” I stood anyway, smirking at him as he glared at me.
“Keep testing me. You know how hard it makes me.”
“Shut up and undress me,” I sassed, turning around as he approached.
His hands deftly untied the bodice, spreading it open enough to lift the dress up and over my head in one swift movement. “No garter?”
“You can tear off my panties instead.”
With a low chuckle that set my thighs clenching, he turned me around and did just that. Bending low, he pulled them down far enough to slip his finger inside me, keeping it there as his other hand dragged the scrap of white lace down my legs.
“Callum,” I breathed as his finger twisted, my shaking legs opening wider.
“What?” He stared up at me, eyes filled with wicked intention.
“I want my husband inside me.”
Removing his finger, he then removed my strapless bra, eyes roving over me as he took off his shirt, belt, and charcoal fitted pants.
He climbed in first, then held his hands out, helping me into the tub to straddle him. The tub was big, but there still wasn’t enough room, and so I pressed him to my entrance and sank down.
“Always so impatient,” Callum panted the words between his teeth.
I took his face, rolling my hips until I was filled completely. “You knew this before you made me your wife.”
His hand squeezed my hip, lifting me, then slamming me back down, water slapping the edges of the tub. His other hand palmed my cheek, moving my head to meet his lips. “And I wouldn’t want you any other fucking way.”
Our mouths crashed together, my heart rising and rioting at having this man as my husband. My heart’s greatest wish and enemy all wrapped up in one charmingly sly bow.
“I love you,” he rasped, nipping my bottom lip and licking it.
The water splashed, the tap still running behind me. “I love you.”
He slid us forward. “Turn it off now
so I can still see these.” He cupped my breasts, skating his fingers around my nipples.
Reaching behind me, I shut the water off, the movement making us both groan.
His arms slipped around me, pulling me flush to his damp chest. “You can’t see them like this,” I teased.
“No.” His smile was so endearing, my heart trembled. “But I can see this.” His hand dived into the back of my hair, tilting my face down to press his forehead to mine. “I could stare at you all day, every day, for the rest of my life and still feel my heart race every time.”
Oxygen was hard to find. “Liar. You just like feeling my breasts squished against you.”
A chuckle. “That too.”
His mouth fused with mine, and my hips started rolling. His other hand was still around my hip, helping us both get lost in the sensations, in each other.
Our breathing turned ragged, echoing into our mouths. My whimpering had his eyes blazing like black coal as he watched me climb closer and closer. “Yes, Mouse. Come on your husband’s cock.”
He swallowed my cry as my body shook over his, his hips pumping upward, making me delirious until finally, he stilled. My lip was clamped in his teeth as he came with a series of grunts.
“I have no regrets,” he panted, pecking my lips. “None.”
I laughed, squealing as he flipped us over, water overflowing and cascading to the floor.
My fingers twirled over the tiny hairs on Callum’s chest, my head resting in the crook of his arm as the small flat-screen TV on top of the dresser played an old episode of Top Gear.
It was just after twelve, and I had a sneaking suspicion Callum was about to pass out.
I was tired, completely worn out, yet I couldn’t sleep. My smile refused to fade. This kind of happiness was the kind I was unwilling to part with so soon.
Though, I supposed I wouldn’t have to.
My smile grew, a sigh leaving me. Husband.
A bang reverberated through the wall, startling my eyes open. Still hanging on the fraying, early fringes of sleep, it took me a second to sit up.
The bang sounded again, and this time, Callum groaned, cursing softly as he peeled his eyes open. “The fuck is that?”
“I have no idea.” I glanced around the dark shadows of the room, no light besides that of the TV.
Callum pulled me back down to his chest, rolling until my head was tucked beneath his chin and my nose in the column of his throat. “Sleep, probably just the people in the room next door.”
I tried but was unsuccessful due to the scuffling sound I heard in the wall. A rat, maybe. But then a weird tapping sound ensued, and I’d about had enough. “Nope, fuck this.” I rolled over and switched on the lamp.
“What?” Callum rasped, blinking away from the sudden light.
“Shhh, listen.” I pointed at the wall.
Callum gave me a look that said I was being crazy when nothing happened, then grabbed the remote to switch off the TV.
“Get back here. This place is old as shit. It’s probably filled with vermin.”
“Vermin ghosts?” I asked, slipping beneath the covers.
He chuckled, pulling me to him once more. “I’ll protect you.”
“Whatever. I’m keeping the light on.”
Half an hour ticked by, my eyes wide open and staring at a patch of peeling paint on the ceiling.
Then, from outside, came the sound of a door slamming repetitively.
“Holy shit.”
Callum woke up again, flinging back the sheets just as our door creaked open. “Put your clothes on, we’re getting the fuck out of here.”
My hands shook as I quickly tugged on my jeans and a red blouse. I refused to move from the bed, shoving my ivory peep-toe wedding heels on as Callum raced to the bathroom, returning with my dress and his clothes.
He fished his keys out of his pants pocket, checking to make sure he had his phone and wallet while I zipped the bag and glanced around the dimly lit room.
Another sound of scuffling from the wall had Callum’s eyes narrowing. “Let’s go.”
He took my hand, peering out into the hall before pulling me from the room and racing toward the stairs. The lights in the hallway had been lit when we’d gone downstairs to order some food earlier but were now all out. The cat was nowhere to be seen as Callum tossed the room key on the counter and pushed open the huge old doors.
I’d never felt so grateful to be outside in my entire life. Sucking in quick breaths, I dived for the passenger door when he unlocked the car, then tossed the bag into the back seat where he was hastily shoving our wedding attire.
Once in the car, Callum backed out into the middle of the lot, stopping to stare up at the dark structure. He exhaled a loud breath. “Well, that was romantic.”
We sat in silence as he drove, quietly freaked out until we reached the outskirts of town and hit the highway. Only then, with every mile we put between us and the bed and breakfast, did some of the fear that’d rattled my bones fall away.
“I demand a do-over,” I said once I’d found my voice.
We both laughed, a shiver rolling off us as we reached for one another’s hands.
“Do you think they’ll miss us?”
I glanced over at Renee, then flicked on the blinker to turn down Main Street of Gray Springs.
Coffee shops, restaurants, a laundromat, and an ice-cream parlor were a few of the stores that caught my eye before I rounded the bend to the string of apartment buildings on the connecting street.
“I’m not sure,” I muttered, searching for a vacant spot. We’d probably left home a little late, but our families had kept us busy with numerous farewell dinners and parties. Never mind we’d only be attending college forty minutes away from home; they acted like we were going off to war.
And despite our secretive smiles, and the panic we’d felt in the days after we got married, they never found out.
“You’re right. Our moms will probably just max out their credit cards sooner from boredom.” She pointed at our complex. “Park in the garage.”
“No because then it’ll be too cramped getting everything out.”
“Better than circling around the block,” she sang sarcastically as I turned out of the street and ran the loop again.
I shot her an annoyed look, which she returned with a mischievous smile.
“Say it,” she said when we drove down the ramp into the underground garage of the apartment building a few minutes later.
“Not a chance.”
She snapped her gum, giggling softly as I parked in visitor parking and got out. Renee jumped out before I rounded the Rover. “When are we going back to get your car?”
“Ray’s driving it up tomorrow.” I opened the trunk, grabbing some of the boxes that’d been wedged in like Tetris blocks.
“How will he get home?” she mused, pulling a box toward her and dumping her handbag on top before lifting it.
“Careful, that’s got a heap of clothes in it.”
Her look told me to shut up.
I blew out a breath. “And I don’t know. Bus maybe.”
“I’ll drive him.”
I laughed as I shut the trunk, grabbing the two boxes I’d hauled out, and headed to the elevator. “Public transport won’t kill him.” If anything, it’d give him something to do. Ever since I’d gotten my car, Raymond, my family’s driver, wasn’t needed as much. And he only worked for a few other families.
“I’ve read plenty of reports that say otherwise.”
“I knew there was more to those magazines than fashion and raunchy sex stories.”
Renee pulled her keys out, locking the Rover before swiping a card that had the elevator doors opening. “Never assume, my love.”
We stepped inside the mirrored interior, glancing around. “Do you find it weird that we never even viewed this apartment first?”
Renee shrugged, checking her teeth in the mirror. “Nope.” She rubbed her lips together. “You know our moms.
If something better existed this close to campus, they’d have found it.”
We rode all the way to the top floor, the doors opening to the penthouse suite.
Renee set her box down, unlocking the doors and holding one open with a dramatic bow for me to walk ahead.
“You’re lucky I love you.”
She guffawed, smacking me on the ass.
We set the boxes down, then explored the open plan living area, kitchen, and dining room. It was fully furnished with a mixture of black wood and white leather. The couches black, and a white chaise by the glass floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked campus and half of town. The dining table was stained so dark, it appeared black, with white leather dining chairs and a fresh tumbler of hydrangeas perched in the middle.
“Ugh, I’ve been looking at them all my life. Get rid of them.”
“My thoughts exactly,” I agreed, taking her hand. “After we’ve explored the bedrooms.”
There were three, if you counted the office that was big enough to be a bedroom. The spare room filled with a white queen-size bed and matching armoire. The main bedroom had the floor-to-ceiling window, and a black leather bed with a matching ottoman at the end.
Cushions were scattered expertly at the head of the dark patterned bedspread. The bedside tables made of the same leather with brass handles.
“Jesus, they didn’t skimp on the fancy, did they?”
“No, they did not,” I said, blinking rapidly as I took everything in.
Renee’s hand left mine, and she walked through the room. “The bathroom is almost as big as the office with a fucking spa bath and a bench in the shower.”
That last bit had me following to see for myself. Indeed, inside the shower, that was big enough to house an orgy, sat a marble bench along the dark tiled wall. “That’s going to be useful.”
Renee belted out a laugh, spinning to plant her hands on my chest.
I stared down at her, and this girl, this young woman filled with fire, melted in my arms.