B my Forever: Wedding Novella (Sticks & Hearts)

by Rhonda James

  “Hey, you bought me that cologne. I thought you loved the way it smells.” I can’t help smirking as she hops on one foot to step into a clean pair of boy shorts. Out of the many pairs of panties in her drawer, I think this style is my favorite. I love the way they cover the essentials while allowing a small amount of cheek to peek out. It also doesn’t hurt that Cassie has a great ass. “Besides, I think I prefer you going to class smelling like me. That way, other guys know you’re already spoken for.” I wiggle my brows in hopes she’ll laugh with me, but she scowls instead.

  “If you really believe that’s how it should work, then I seriously need to step up my game.” She reaches for a bottle of perfume and applies a few sprays to her naked breasts and throat before stalking back over and joining me on the bed. “You have women stalking you on a regular basis. For all I know, they’ll be waiting for you when you head to practice this afternoon.”

  She straddles my torso, and the next thing I know, she’s grabbing me by the hair and rubbing my face against her breasts. As if that isn’t enough, she takes it a step further by grinding her pelvis back and forth over my stomach.

  “Now maybe those bitches will realize you’re taken as well.”

  “Holy shit,” I exclaim, slightly stunned when she finally lets go of my head. She doesn’t move, and in this position, her perfect little nipple is level with my mouth. Unable to resist, I swirl the tip of my tongue around the closest one. “Does this mean you’ve changed your mind about going to class? We can just say ‘Fuck it all’ and jump right back in and start round three.”

  “God, Brantley.” She gives me a shove then shimmies down my legs and off the bed. “Is that all I am to you? A sex bunny?”

  “What? No. Of course not. I know you don’t really believe that. Right?” I rise and join her in getting dressed. When she marches into the bathroom without another word, I start after her but think better of it and sit on the edge of the bed to wait.

  Cassie’s been under a lot of stress lately with doubling up on classes to finish a year early. Throw in a wedding proposal and our best friend’s having a baby, and I guess you could say these last three weeks have been a little stressful on all of us.

  Pretty soon, the bathroom door opens and she’s standing there, blue jeans on, barefoot, shirt buttoned only halfway up. The anger has left her face and in its place she looks tired, maybe even a little sad. My first instinct is to go to her and wrap her in my arms, and once she’s there, nose buried in my chest, she whispers a quiet apology.

  “I’m sorry I said that to you. With everything going on, I guess I sort of snapped.” I don’t say anything. I simply hold her a little tighter, rocking her gently until we’re practically slow dancing, except there’s no music, only the sounds of breathing and our beating hearts. “Brantley, I know that I mean more to you than just sex.”

  “Hey.” I cradle her face in my hands and force her to look at me. “I’m sorry, too. I never should have said what I did in the first place. If you must know, I trust you implicitly.”

  “For the record, I trust you as well. I’m not sorry for wanting women to know you’re my man, but I am sorry about that whole perfume thing.” She scrunches up her button nose.

  “Babe, one thing you’ll never have to apologize for is shoving my face between your beautiful breasts. I can assure you I enjoyed every second of it.” I chuckle.

  Cassie peers up at me and smiles a mischievous smile. “Run away with me.”

  I automatically snort and give her a confused look. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m serious, B. Let’s just be like Scott and Skylar and skip all the wedding details and stress over dates and seating arrangements. I don’t need any of that stuff, anyhow. All I need is you.”

  “What? No way, Cass. You deserve the details. I want you to experience dress shopping with your mom and choosing your wedding cake. I want to stand on that altar and lose all ability to breathe the moment you walk in that room, because that’s what will happen when I take one look at you in your wedding gown, coming down the aisle to begin a life with me, smiling a smile meant only for me. Not a single day goes by when you don’t take my breath away, but on our wedding day, I know the moment we’ve said ‘I do’ will be the exact moment you breathe new life into me. As my wife,” I confess.

  “B, I want to experience that moment as well, but I don’t ne—”

  “Babe, every girl dreams of her wedding day, and your mom didn’t get to share in Scott’s big day. I don’t want to take that away from either of you all because I’m too impatient to give you everything you deserve. Please, let me give this to you.”

  “Okay,” she agrees with a sigh.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  B

  The weeks following our engagement pass by in a flurry of activity. Games. Classes. Recitals. I don’t know how we’re doing it, but somehow we’ve managed to make it work. We talk on the phone and text often, but the deeper into the season I get, the harder it is to find the kind of time we’d both grown accustomed to.

  The away games are the hardest on me. On both of us. We’ve spent the last eleven months living together. I hate looking over at an empty pillow next to me while sleeping in the hotels, and the sound of Rivers snoring does little to soothe me. Leaving Skylar behind has been an adjustment for him as well. Some of the out-of-town games keep us away for a week at a time, and every night I spend without Cassie lying next to me is harder than I’d ever imagined possible. A few of the married players on the team have assured me I’ll get used to it soon enough. Even last week, after witnessing a painful good-bye said outside the team bus, fellow defenseman, Connor Dempsey, clapped me on the shoulder and reminded me that I’ll get used to it, but this time he also added that while I may get used to it, it’ll never get easier. He said if it becomes easy to leave the one you love, you need to wake up and realize that something is amiss. Sounds like logical advice to me.

  Tonight, we have the night off and the guys are heading in one direction, while the girls are going in another. Cassie insists that all the extra classes and studying have caused her to miss out on girl time, so she called up Laney and a plan was set in motion.

  “Honey? The girls should be here any minute. Can you be sure to let them in?” Cassie yells from the bedroom upstairs just as the doorbell chimes. “That’s them!”

  “Got it!” I yell back just as I swing open the door and let them in.

  Laney and Skylar step inside, bringing the frigid air with them, and before I can close it, the guys enter the house they used to call home.

  “Hey, little momma,” I greet Laney as I pull her in for a hug. “You look amazing. How’s motherhood treating you?”

  “Ha! You wouldn’t be saying that if it weren’t for the three layers of concealer I’m wearing under these eyes.” She kisses me on the cheek before stepping further inside the house.

  My eyes go immediately to Davis’, and there are signs of sleep deprivation present. “That rough, huh?”

  “Dude, you have no idea. I don’t know why a baby wants to sleep all day then come alive at night. I swear to God she takes after her momma. The woman hardly slept a wink most nights before she got pregnant. Could barely keep her hands off me.” Davis shoots his fiancée a little wink, and she responds with a snort.

  “After what I’ve been through, it might be a cold day in hell before I let you come near me with that Anaconda again.” She points in the direction of his zipper.

  “Christmas! The doc said that by Christmas it was all systems go for bedroom action. I’ve marked it on the calendar and everything.” The panicked expression on Davis’ face is enough to make Rivers and me bust out laughing, while Davis continues to plead his case for why they need to resume having sex Christmas morning.

  “Dude, your fiancée just compared your manhood to the biggest fucking snake there is, which basically means she can’t live without it. I think it’s safe to say she’s counting down the days just as closely as you
are.” Rivers laughs, and his words must hit a nerve, because Davis visibly relaxes and lowers himself into the recliner while the girls head upstairs to find Cassie.

  I pull a jacket from the front closet and direct my attention to Scott as I’m zipping up. “Where’re we going?”

  “Davis wants to head out to Plymouth and check out the Blue Oyster.” He shrugs. “I’m down with that.”

  “Guess we’re going to the Blue Oyster. Just let me say good-bye to Cassie.” Taking the stairs two at a time, I find her in the bedroom closet dressed only in a bra and panties. Standing on either side of her are Skylar and Laney, and the three of them are sizing up the contents of our closet with great intensity.

  I sneak up behind them and rest my chin on Cassie’s shoulder. “Finding anything interesting?” All three jump and hurl an obscenity in my direction, making me laugh. Cassie settles in my arms when my lips come in contact with her bare skin. “I just came up to say good-bye. We’re heading over to the Blue Oyster Bar.”

  “Aww. I was hoping to say hello to the guys, but as you can see I’m having a little trouble deciding what to wear.”

  I do a quick scan of her clothes before pulling out one of my favorites, a sexy little black dress that shows off those great legs of hers. “This one.”

  She tips her head to the left and arches a brow. “You sure about that? This one shows an awful lot of leg.”

  “Definitely.” I drop my voice to a whisper and give her thigh a squeeze. “And later tonight, you can keep it on when these gorgeous thighs are locked around my head.”

  “Oh, my God, you are so bad, but I’m going to hold you to that. Be sure to give the guys my love, okay?” She presses her lips to mine, and what is intended to be a quick parting kiss turns into a mini make-out session to the point where I almost forget we have an audience.

  “Ahem,” Skylar clears her throat, and we break apart.

  “For fuck’s sake, Brantley. Do I have to turn the hose on you two? Off you go.” Laney shoves me out of the room as Cassie giggles and waves. “Don’t give me that look. Haven’t you ever heard the expression ‘delayed gratification makes for a better orgasm’?”

  “Can’t say that I have.” I smirk before taking one last glance over my shoulder to where Cassie is slipping into her dress.

  “Tell you what, loverboy, this is the first chance I’ve had to cut loose with my girlfriends since I learned I was pregnant. I plan on having more than a few cocktails, as will Cassie. We’re going to dance and enjoy ourselves, but I promise to have her home by midnight, and then you can have your way with her.” She winks and closes the door on my face.

  “Nice place,” I admit after swallowing the last of my second beer and reaching for another oyster.

  “Yeah, a couple guys at work have been raving about it, and I figured it was time we found a new place to hang. Don’t get me wrong, Skeep’s is great, but…” Davis’ words trail off and his expression changes, and I know right away he can’t bring himself to say the words.

  “Hey, I get it. We’ll always have great memories of hanging at Skeep’s, but our college days are behind us. Time to start acting like it. Besides, think of how that crowd would fuck with you for showing us pictures of your kid.”

  A look of confusion passes over his face, and he shakes his head. “But I haven’t shown you any pictures.”

  “That’s only because we haven’t demanded it yet.” Rivers points to his phone. “Show us the baby.”

  I quirk a brow and second Rivers. “You heard the man. Photos. Now.”

  His face lights up, and he immediately begins swiping through photo after photo of baby Hope and, like the devoted uncles we are, we ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ over every single one.

  Several beers and three platters of oysters later, and Davis is reaching for the menu, ready to order up the next platter for us to sample. “What do you think? We’ve tried the Blue Pointe, Wellfleet, and Kusshi. Do we want to order one more of those or try something new? The Humboldt sound pretty good.”

  “Fuck. I don’t know if I can stomach another slimy object,” Rivers groans. “Don’t they have any that are cooked? What’s that kind with the spinach on top? Rockefeller or something like that.”

  I take a look around the table and shake my head. “Does anyone else see the irony of what we’re doing here? I mean, we’re stuffing ourselves with a potent aphrodisiac.” I smile over the rim of my beer glass. “It’s no trouble for us, but I’m a little worried about you, Davis. Laney was pretty adamant that you wouldn’t see any action before Christmas. That’s five days away.”

  By now, Rivers is laughing his ass off, but Davis drops the menu and has taken up scowling.

  “This fucking blows,” Davis bitches, while Rivers is still cracking up. “Guys, this isn’t funny. I am seriously going to lose my shit if I have to go five more days without sex. This isn’t like being eighteen and going through a dry spell. This is so much worse. Near the end of her pregnancy, she wasn’t even interested in sex, and these last five weeks, I’ve had to sleep next to her half-naked body, and it takes every ounce of strength I possess to refrain from dry humping her.”

  At that, Rivers stops laughing and his mouth is left hanging open. “Dude, that sounds like fucking torture. I swear women get off on knowing they control the way our dicks respond. Skylar will do that shit to me when it’s her time of the month. She’ll come to bed looking all sexy and shit, but then when I go to touch her, she reminds me that area is closed for business and I’m all ‘Then you need to start wearing something ugly on those nights.’ Warn a guy, you know? I’m telling you, man, it’s a conspiracy. They’re desirable as fuck, probably more so during that time. Chicks know this and they know they’ve got us by the balls.”

  The look on his face while he’s saying this, combined with the way it’s delivered, has me laughing so hard I’m in tears. It takes a minute before I’m finally able to pull it together, but when I do, I ask, “Just because one area’s closed for business doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun in bed. There are other options, you know?”

  Rivers turns to me, scowling. “You referring to a blowjob? Yeah, she’ll do it if she thinks that will take the edge off, and I’m not above taking a pity BJ. It’s better than no action at all.”

  “Well, that was one thing, but the area I was referring to is located a little further south of the border.”

  The table goes deathly quiet, and even without looking I know that Davis is hiding a smirk behind his hand, while Rivers is trying to incinerate me with his death glare. Davis and I have had this conversation before but never with Rivers. I make it a point not to brag about my sexual escapades with his sister.

  “Are you telling me my baby sister is actually into that sort of thing? My Cassie?”

  Davis finally snorts, unable to hold back any longer. I know for a fact he and Laney have done some experimenting, because he had been the one I went to last summer after Cassie had agreed to give it a try.

  Don’t look at me like that. As much as it may pain you to hear this, guys become bragging assholes when it comes to gaining access to their partner’s ‘backdoor area’.

  “Dude, you really want to know the answer to that question? I mean, I’ll tell you if you think you can handle it…” A look of horror fills his face. “For the sake of clarification, I believe she’s my Cassie now.” He grunts at this correction. “I take it Skylar’s not into that sort of thing?”

  Rivers takes a long pull on his beer before speaking again. “We haven’t actually broached the subject, yet. Come on, you’ve seen how small her frame is. I’d probably do permanent damage if I even attempted something like that.”

  “Size doesn’t matter. Hell, Cassie is even smaller than Skylar, and she’s still able to walk upright,” I deadpan.

  “Christ Almighty. I need a drink. I am never going to be able to look at Cassie the same way again,” Rivers groans.

  “Cage, buddy, I think that statement says more about w
hat you’re lacking in the southern hemisphere than it does about Cassie’s petite stature.” Davis howls with laughter.

  I flip him the double bird. “Ha ha. Laugh it up now, but you’ll be the one lonely in bed tonight, and I’ll be the one having all the fun.”

  A collective groan is the only response I get.

  CHAPTER SIX

  CASSIE

  I’m sitting in the back of a Toyota Corolla, wedged between Laney and Skylar, jamming out to Charlie Puth as James, our awesome Uber driver, takes us to our second destination of the evening. Hell, we’re having so much fun he started singing along with us. We started out at the Melting Pot, where we had dinner and caught up on the gossip of each other’s lives. Even though we make a point of talking on the phone regularly, it’s much more intimate hearing the details in person.

  Davis’ parents are in town and at home watching Hope. They were so happy to spend one-on-one time with her, they encouraged Davis and Laney to stay out as late as they wanted, assuring them everything would be fine. Seeing as how this is her first time leaving her daughter, she spent the first thirty minutes at the restaurant texting to make sure everything was in fact fine. Of course, it was; they’re seasoned pros. But to ease Laney’s anxiety, they sent photo after photo of Elliott rocking Hope to sleep. After that, she put her phone away and decided we needed to hit the dance floor right away.

  We lose Laney on our way to a table, but it doesn’t take long to find her in the center of the dance floor, grinding to the latest Beyoncé song and showing off her amazing dance skills. She motions us over, and before long, the three of us have danced to three songs and are ready for a drink.

  A waitress comes over and places a bowl of party mix in the center of the table. “What can I get for you ladies?”

  “We’ll take a pitcher of margaritas and six tequila shots,” Laney informs her, and she goes off to place our order. “Damn, that felt great to be out there again. I haven’t moved like that in months. Not since we were up in Traverse at Jordan’s.” She fans herself with the drink menu.