Love With Me

by Kristen Proby

  The guests are seated, with a few stragglers hurrying in to find their seats. But before long, the music starts. Levi walks in first, then I escort Mom to her seat and join Levi at the front.

  Wyatt follows behind me, waiting nervously next to me as the music changes, and the girls start to make their way in.

  Two little girls in matching white dresses drop rose petals down the aisle. Rather than make Stella and Olivia stand through the ceremony, they sit with their parents in the first row.

  Jules walks in next, followed by Anastasia. The dresses they’re in are the same color pink but different styles.

  And, finally, the music changes once more, and everyone stands to see Amelia as she’s escorted in by her dad.

  I know this is especially exciting for Lia. Her dad had a massive heart attack last year. I performed the surgery that saved his life, and I’m happy that he’s here to give his daughter away to my brother.

  I glance over at Wyatt, who has tears in his eyes. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from her if he tried.

  And I can’t blame him. I find Joy, sitting in the front row next to Mom, and smile when I see that she’s watching me. I wink at her, and she winks back.

  When Amelia and her dad reach Wyatt, the pastor asks, “Who gives this woman to this man?”

  “Her mother and I do.”

  I’m an idiot.

  Joy is dancing, having the time of her life, and I see green.

  Of course, it doesn’t help that she’s dancing with Will Montgomery. I’ve met him a few times since my brother became engaged to his cousin, and I can admit he’s a nice guy. Very down to earth and friendly despite being the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. He’s happily married, and he and his wife are expecting their second child sometime after the new year.

  But he has his hands on my Joy, and that makes me want to punch him in the face.

  He twirls her out, then back to his body, making her laugh.

  And I’ve had just about enough of that.

  I set down my beer and walk onto the dance floor, tapping Will on the shoulder.

  “Mind if I cut in?”

  “Sure,” he says with a grin. “Nice to meet you, Joy.”

  “You, too,” she says as I pull her into my arms and move her around the floor. “Why did you do that?”

  “Because I wanted to dance with you.”

  “But that was Will Montgomery. My favorite football player of all time.”

  “Yes.”

  She narrows her eyes at me. “Will fucking Montgomery.”

  “I’ve met him. He’s happily married, you know.”

  “I don’t care,” she says, staring at me like I just told her, well, that Will Montgomery isn’t a big deal. “I don’t want to marry him, I just wanted to dance with him.”

  “And you did. Luke Williams and Leo Nash are here, too.”

  “I know,” she says with a grin. “I’m too intimidated to talk to Leo Nash. Remember when I made you go to their concert when we were finishing our undergrad?”

  “You didn’t make me.”

  “They weren’t your favorite. But you still went, and it was awesome.”

  “I’m sure Leo wouldn’t mind if you said hello.”

  “But you would mind if I danced with him.”

  I shrug and brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’d rather be the only man touching you. Is that wrong?”

  “No, I suppose not. If any of these girls tried to touch you, I’d cut them.”

  Her voice is completely calm, which makes it even funnier. I laugh and sweep her in a circle, enjoying the way she smiles smugly. As it seems it always is when she’s within twenty yards of me, my dick is twitchy, completely aware that she’s near.

  I can’t keep my hands off her.

  Not that she’s complained.

  I cup her face in my hand and lean in to brush my lips over hers, lightly at first, then sinking in, claiming her in front of everyone.

  “You don’t have to worry about any of these women,” I assure her. “I don’t even see them.”

  “Wow,” she breathes. “You did that here.”

  “I’ll do it anywhere.”

  She swallows, then watches my mouth as I continue dancing her across the floor. “I guess I’m just surprised that you’d kiss me in front of all of your family.”

  “Why?”

  “They’ll ask questions.”

  “So? Let them. I don’t have anything to hide. I’m not ashamed of you, Joy. You’re the most amazing person in my life.”

  Her cheeks turn pink, and she smiles shyly, the way she used to when we were in school, and I’d tell her how fucking smart she was.

  When the song ends, someone taps a glass, getting everyone’s attention. I escort Joy back to our seats, not oblivious to the smiles directed at us by my parents.

  They’ve wanted me to date Joy for years.

  “I’d like to start the speeches,” Amelia’s dad begins, and for the next twenty minutes or so, we listen to him speak, along with her brother, Archer, and her sister.

  Then, it’s our turn.

  My dad isn’t much of a public speaker, so he left this task up to us.

  Which is totally fine.

  Levi and I stand, and before we do anything, we pick up our shot glasses, clink them together, and slam the whiskey. As the audience laughs, we fist-bump each other and then get down to business.

  “I’m Jace, the handsome one.”

  “And I’m Levi, the favorite.”

  “Where does that leave Wyatt?” I ask the audience, glancing at my baby brother, who’s already laughing. “Well, he’s the baby.”

  “He might also be the smartest of all of us,” Levi says, “because, well, look at this beautiful woman that he talked into marrying him.”

  More laughter.

  “I mean, he stalked her at first,” I continue and gesture to Levi, “despite having a cop for a brother.”

  “I don’t think that’s fair,” Levi says, shaking his head and putting on a great show. “Technically, he just had a crush on his neighbor.”

  “Well, I’m grateful that it turned out to be mutual and that you didn’t have to arrest him.”

  “Fair enough,” Levi says with a nod. “In all seriousness, I would like to say thank you, Amelia. Thank you for loving our brother and for reminding him how to trust.”

  “Welcome to the Crawford family, sweetheart.”

  There are applause and hugs, and then, much to our surprise, Will Montgomery stands and asks for the mic.

  “Hi, everyone. I haven’t met all of Wyatt’s family yet, so I’ll introduce myself. I’m Will Montgomery, and I’m Lia’s cousin. I just have a couple things to say.

  “I had a feeling about you two from the beginning.”

  He winks at Lia, making her blush, and Wyatt busts up laughing. I make a mental note to ask him later what the inside joke is.

  I glance over at Joy, who’s hanging on Will’s every word.

  I’ll get her naked later and remind her who, exactly, she has a crush on.

  “I know the journey you’ve taken to get to this moment, Lia, and I just want to say, on behalf of my whole family, how very proud of you we are. You’re strong, successful, smart, and you manage to do all of that and be a kind woman, despite what you’ve been through. You deserve this happiness, today and every day. You’ve come a long way, baby.”

  He lifts his glass, and we all follow suit.

  “To Amelia and Wyatt.”

  “To Amelia and Wyatt!”

  Joy sighs just before she takes a sip of her champagne.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “Oh, nothing.”

  “I’m sitting right here,” I remind her.

  “I’m sorry, but it’s Will Montgomery.”

  I take a sip of my drink, watching her over the rim. Finally, I lean in and whisper in her ear, “In about two hours, I’m going to strip you naked and fuck you so hard you won’t remember you
r own name, let alone Will Montgomery’s. You’ll be screaming and begging for more.”

  “If this is the response I get from a harmless crush, I’ll do it more often.”

  “What are you two whispering about over there?” Mom asks from across the table. She’s happy today, with a perma-smile on her pretty face. “You should share with the table.”

  “This isn’t your classroom,” I remind her. “And I’m not a fourth-grader.”

  “Jace was just telling me that you might actually retire this year, Melody,” Joy says with a smile and lays her hand on my thigh. She gives it a squeeze, and I’m grateful that the table’s there to hide my hard-on.

  “This is the year,” Mom says with a nod. “It’s time. Thirty years as a teacher is plenty.”

  “You’ll be missed,” Joy replies.

  “But I’ll be happy to have her home with me,” Dad says, pulling Mom in to kiss her cheek. “It’s time to start traveling and enjoying our nest egg.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Joy says with a smile. “Enjoy each other. That’s what it’s all about.”

  “How is your practice going, dear?” Mom asks Joy.

  “It’s great. I brought in two more doctors last year because I just couldn’t keep up with it by myself anymore.”

  “Her office is awesome,” I add, proud of the woman next to me. “She remodeled the place, and it’s gorgeous. Also, she makes fresh cookies in the lobby for the clients.”

  “I need to get myself a dog,” Levi says with a wink.

  “The cookies make the place smell better,” she insists. “And, sometimes, a girl needs a chocolate chip cookie.”

  “Makes sense to me,” Mom says. “And I just want to say, it’s nice to see you two together. Levi tells me you’ve been spending quite a bit of time together.”

  “We’ve been friends for years,” I remind her softly, but Mom just shrugs a shoulder.

  “I’m not getting any younger,” she says. “Would it kill you to marry this girl and make me happy?”

  Joy spits out her champagne, and I just hide my face in my hand.

  My mom doesn’t have an issue with saying what’s on her mind.

  I never had a problem with that until today.

  I glance over at Levi, who’s laughing and eating his prime rib, happy to be out of the line of fire.

  “Are you dating anyone?” I ask him.

  “Nope.” His grin is smug.

  “Let’s work on that and get them off my back.”

  “No way, this is way too much fun.”

  ~Joy~

  “I forgot to tell you,” I say the next morning as we’re cozied up in Jace’s bed, drinking coffee and enjoying a lazy start to the day, “Meredith Williams invited you, me, and Levi to her house this afternoon for a BBQ. I said yes. It sounds fun.”

  “Okay,” Jace says, reading an article on his iPad.

  “Whatcha reading?”

  “An article on bloodless open-heart surgery in infants,” he replies as calmly as if he’d said, “I’m taking a quiz on my personality type based on my favorite color.”

  “What are you reading?”

  “I’m looking at Amelia’s Instagram,” I inform him. “She already put up a couple of photos from yesterday. Did you know she has like two million followers on here?”

  “Yeah,” he says and takes a sip of his coffee. “It’s pretty cool.”

  “Her feed is beautiful,” I say and smile at a photo of her and Wyatt as the pastor said, “you may now kiss the bride.”

  “I have to admit, I’m surprised your brother got married again. I’m happy for him.”

  “Mm-hmm,” Jace says, still reading his article.

  “I mean, his ex was a grade-A bitch from Hell. I never did like her. And after everything that happened with catching her fucking that guy, and the way she acted all through the divorce, I wouldn’t blame Wyatt if he swore off marriage forever.”

  “He did,” Jace reminds me, “until he met Lia.”

  “Exactly.” I sip from my mug and set my phone aside. “I like her. She seems sweet.”

  I glance over and find that Jace is still reading his article, and I’m beginning to feel ignored.

  So I lie back on the bed and pull the covers down to my waist, exposing my naked breasts. My nipples pucker from the cool air.

  I raise my arms over my head, thrusting my chest into the air a few more inches and sigh dramatically.

  “What should we do before we go to the BBQ?” I ask, hoping he looks down at me and does me.

  “Whatever you want,” he says, his eyes still glued to his iPad.

  I want you to fuck me seven ways to Sunday.

  But rather than say that, I decide to be a little more . . . subtle. I drag one hand down my face, my neck, over my breast and belly, diving under the covers and finding my already hard clit.

  I close my eyes and imagine that it’s Jace’s fingers tickling the nub, sending zings over my skin. I sigh, dip my fingertips into my wet pussy, then return to my clit, making slow, smooth movements back and forth. My hips move as if I were riding him.

  Suddenly, Jace latches his lips around my nipple, and I open my eyes, smiling at him.

  “Well, you are paying attention.”

  “I never stop paying attention to you,” he says before kissing his way over to the other breast and sucking it hard into his mouth, then pulling up with a loud pop. “I heard every word you said. And I’ll never complain about this kind of a show coming from you. It’s fucking hot as hell. Do it every day if you want.”

  “It’s your turn now,” I say, pulling my hand away, but he shakes his head.

  “No, I like watching you pleasure yourself.” He tugs my nipple through his teeth, making me gasp, then goes back to kissing and sucking the underside of my breast, which is, coincidentally, more sensitive than the nipple itself. “I fucking love your nipples.”

  “They’re too small.”

  “Not from this view,” he says and rubs his nose back and forth over it. “Keep touching your clit. I want you to make yourself come.”

  My cheeks flush, and I’m suddenly shy. This was a bad idea. I just wanted to catch Jace’s attention and let him take it from there.

  The plan backfired on me.

  He peels the covers off me and holds my thighs open as he watches my fingers move over the most sensitive part of myself.

  “You’re too nervous,” he says and leans in to kiss my thigh, right next to my pussy. “Close your eyes and imagine that it’s me. Just do what you’d want me to do.”

  That’s easy. That’s what I was doing to begin with. So, I follow his instructions and close my eyes. Now that I’m not watching him watch me, it’s easier. My muscles loosen, and my thighs fall apart effortlessly.

  “Gorgeous,” he whispers before planting a wet kiss on my belly. “Put a finger inside.”

  I comply, but it’s not enough. It’s not Jace, so I add another finger and sigh, biting my lip.

  “You like that?”

  I nod, but he bites my side, hard. It makes my pussy squeeze around my fingers. “Words, Joy.”

  “I like it.” My voice is breathy and needy. I’m chasing a killer orgasm.

  “What do you need?”

  “You.”

  I feel him smile against my skin, and it ticks my arousal up a notch, approaching unbearable.

  “Jace.”

  “Yes, sweetheart.”

  “Please fuck me.”

  “Well, since you asked nicely.” He flips me over, pulls my hips back and I hear him fumble with the condom. He pushes inside me, making me immediately explode with an orgasm. “Fucking hell.” He grips onto my hair at the nape of my neck. He doesn’t pull hard, but he has a firm hold, and it’s maybe the best sex I’ve ever had in my life.

  Although, I think that every time Jace and I have sex.

  He clenches onto my hip with his free hand, and I bury my face in the pillows as he fucks me ruthlessly.

 
He groans and slows, pushing all the way to the root, and loses himself in me.

  “Is that what you were after?” he asks in my ear, panting.

  “Oh, yeah.” I swallow hard, trying to catch my breath. “Yeah, that’s the stuff.”

  He chuckles as he pulls out and collapses to the side of me. “So glad you approve.”

  “So glad you don’t suck in bed,” I reply and then laugh at his look of surprise. “What? I mean, it would not be good if you were a horrible lover.”

  “Are you saying you’re just with me because of the way I bone you?”

  “No.” I shove my hair out of my face and laugh again. “Also, I love how romantic we are when we talk about having sex together.”

  “I can’t believe you’re just with me for the humping,” he says, making me laugh harder. “Here I thought it was my sparkling wit and sense of humor.”

  “I’m all about bumping uglies,” I say, still giggling. He cracks up, his abs clenching with the action, and I reach out to trace them with my fingertips. “These help, too.”

  “My stomach?”

  “Your abs. They’re hot. Let’s keep them.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “It didn’t occur to me that Will Montgomery would be here,” I whisper to Jace as we carry our drinks out the back door to the gorgeous outdoor living space. Meredith, and her husband Mark have a beautiful home. It’s something out of a Magnolia Home magazine.

  I wouldn’t be surprised if Joanna Gaines decorated it herself.

  “The Williams family is very close to the Montgomerys,” Jace says as he sits in a love seat and motions for me to join him.

  “I know, I guess I just didn’t consider it.”

  “Do you want to leave?”

  I stare at him, blinking slowly. “No. No, I don’t.”

  He smirks and sips his beer just as Levi joins us. Kids run around the yard and to the playhouse that’s a replica of the main dwelling.

  “This is a great house,” I say, sipping my margarita. “Mer said Mark built it.”

  “He’s a contractor,” Levi says with a nod. “He and Isaac Montgomery run Montgomery Construction.”

  “Cool. There’s a lot of people in this family.”

  “You’re not kidding,” Meg, Will’s wife says as she joins us. “It intimidated the hell out of me when I was first with Will. But they’re nice, and they only bite if you ask nicely.”