Before You Say I Do

by Tina Martin

  “Kenton?” she said to take him out of his trance.

  “I told you. I want you to spend the night with me,” he said lowering his head to leave soft kisses around her mouth. “But don’t worry. I consider everything off limits except your sweet lips that I miss so much.”

  He kissed her again, sinking his tongue as deep as it could go, drawing strength and confidence from the moans that echoed from her throat. The way she gripped and held on needfully to him was a clue that she hadn’t experienced this level of passion with Evan. When he felt her wrap her legs around his legs, it was his cue to pump the brakes. He meant what he said. He didn’t want her to do something she couldn’t do. And he wasn’t about to make love to another man’s woman no matter how much he wanted to.

  He rolled off of her and opened his arms, inviting her into his clutches. He held her for a moment savoring the feeling of her being this close to him again. Of feeling her head rest on his chest again. He missed that feeling.

  “I haven’t been this close to anyone since you,” he confessed.

  She grinned. “You don’t really expect me to believe that do you?”

  “I do because it’s the truth.”

  “Kenton, every woman in Bryson City wants a Lennox. I’m sure you’re well aware of that fact, and now that Remington and Giovanni are taken, you’re a hot commodity.”

  “You’re forgetting about Drake. He’s a Lennox.”

  “Well, I guess we could count Drake,” she said, then strummed her fingers down the ridges of his abs.

  “Does Evan make you happy?”

  She shrugged. What an odd question to answer while she was playing with his six-pack. “We are happy in the relative sense of the word.”

  “You should be with someone who makes you unquestionably happy.”

  “And you should be with a woman who makes you happy. One who doesn’t make demands of you like I did.”

  He lightly stroked her back. The weird thing about that was, if she was to present him with an ultimatum today, right at this moment, his answer would be different than before. Though that was the case, he wouldn’t allow his resurfaced feelings to sway her from what ultimately needed to be her decision. “One thing I will admit is that I shouldn’t have let you walk away. You are an amazing woman, Lauren.”

  “Don’t talk that way.”

  “It’s the truth,” he said. “You are.” If only I’d realize that sooner.

  “Then, thank you. I appreciate you saying that.” She pressed her lip against his chest.

  “Oh, baby, don’t do that.”

  “Why not?” she asked, then kissed the area again.

  “I’m fighting like crazy to resist you,” Kenton told her.

  “Then you probably shouldn’t have asked me to come in here.”

  “But I want you close to me.”

  “And I want to kiss this spot.”

  Kenton closed his eyes when she lowered her lips to his chest yet again and when it became too much to handle, he took back the control, maneuvering in such a way that put him on top in an instant and went after her lips in a possessive way.

  “Mmm,” she moaned, accepting everything he had to offer as her hands strummed his back.

  And he worked his lips down to her neck, gently teasing her flesh with his teeth while she steadily moaned and held on.

  “Lauren,” he whispered next to her ear.

  “Yes?”

  “Tell me to stop.”

  “What?”

  “Tell me to stop. Tell me.”

  She knew what he was doing, but she didn’t want him to stop, so telling him to do so was a challenge all on its own. It was on the tip of her tongue to say it. It just wouldn’t fall off. And so he lowered his opened mouth to her neck again and wiggled his tongue around on her – a sensation that made her body jerk.

  “Kiss me,” she said desperately, and so he obliged, connecting their mouths, devouring her sumptuous lips. Automatically, his hand skipped under her pajama top, across her quivering stomach and then stopped. What was he doing? As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t. “Lauren, tell me to stop. Please. Tell me.

  She looked at him, dove right into the sea of desire in his eyes and whispered, “Stop, Kenton,” but she didn’t have any conviction in her voice. She wanted him to stay right where he was, but she knew that would be wrong but why did it feel so right? Like he was right and this was where she was supposed to be – beneath his steel body.

  Kenton took a single, long kiss from her lips. “It’s the right thing to do, even though I don’t want to, but I love you and I respect you and I don’t want to do anything to hurt you.” He returned to his position in bed and held her in his arms.

  Chapter 19

  It was mid-morning when Lauren woke up to an empty bed. She stretched and wondered where Kenton was. Somewhere in the house perhaps? After a quick trip to the bathroom, she took her cell phone and headed outside. She stepped out onto the porch with bare feet, looked around and basked in the crisp mountain breeze. She dialed her mother’s number and paced the wooden floorboards while the phone rang.

  “Lauren, where are you?” Paloma asked.

  “I can’t even get a good morning first?”

  “Not when you go missing for two days and ignore your mother’s phone calls. Where are you?”

  “Ma, I just had to get away for a while. I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  “Then what’s this I hear about you leaving your hotel Monday evening with Kenton?”

  “Jeez…can anything private happen in Bryson City?”

  “So, it’s true?”

  Lauren released an exasperated sigh. “Yes, Ma. It’s true. I left with Kenton because I wanted to. I needed to get away from there. From everything. From this silly engagement party and all. It’s not what I want. I’ve been saying that over and over again and no one is listening to me.”

  “I’m listening, Lauren. Look, I just don’t want you to make a mistake.”

  “It doesn’t matter if I make a mistake. They’re my mistakes to make. I’m not foolish. I haven’t slept with Kenton if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

  “No, sweetie. It’s—” Paloma hesitated.

  “What is it, Ma?”

  “Evan was here looking for you last night, and I didn’t know what to tell him.”

  He came back early! She hadn’t expected that. She couldn’t help but wonder why? Did something go wrong with the job? Or had he actually listened to her and came back to help with the party? Or to be with her?

  “I’ll talk to him,” she said right before listening to the call waiting beep on her phone.

  It was him.

  Evan.

  She didn’t consider answering it. They needed to talk in person, not over the phone. “Ma, I have to go.”

  “Okay. Bye.”

  “See you soon.” Just as she ended the call, she saw Kenton walking up the hilly driveway, shirtless, drenched in sweat.

  “Good morning,” he yelled up to her.

  “Good morning,” she told him, admiring the muscles. The sweat. The pure male sexiness of the man that used to be hers. A warm sensation came over her when she thought about how he held her in his arms last night. When he stepped on the porch, she asked, “When are we leaving?”

  “As soon as we’re dressed and ready. How did you sleep?”

  “Good,” she said, downplaying how she really felt. Being in his arms was like a dream. Felt like she was meant to be there. Needed to be there. There was a calmness over her. A feeling of being home. It was also a feeling that confused her because she wasn’t engaged to marry Kenton. She was engaged to Evan and being one-hundred percent real with herself, she didn’t feel this way in Evan’s arms. She should have, but that component was missing.

  “Was it good because you were in my arms or just plain good?”

  She smirked. “Good, and I’ll just leave it at that.”


  Kenton turned away and headed for the door.

  Lauren looked at him and saw a thin line of sweat run down the center of his lower back. She followed him inside. “Do you need a towel?”

  “Yes, but I’m perfectly able to get a towel on my own. Go get dressed. We’ll leave around…” He glanced at his watch. “Noon.”

  “Okay.”

  * * *

  They’d stopped by a fast food joint to grab a burger on the drive home. When they pulled off from the drive-thru window and was back on the road again, Lauren said, “I talked to my mother this morning.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “Yes. She was freaking out because she didn’t know where I was, but other than that, she’s fine.” Lauren ate a fry then took a sip of her drink. “She told me Evan came back last night looking for me.”

  “Really?” Kenton bit into his sandwich.

  “Yes. And, she said somebody saw us leave the hotel together. I’m sure there are all kind of rumors flying around town.”

  Kenton chuckled. “Yeah. I can read the headlines now: Lennox Moves in on Ex After Her Fiancé Leaves Town on Business.”

  Lauren laughed. “No. Men never get the blame for stuff like this. It’s somehow all my fault. Chandler Girl Cheats With Ex While Her Fiancé Struggles to Provide for Her.”

  Kenton grinned and glanced over at her. “Do you think that’s what he’s doing? Trying to provide a better life for you?”

  “That’s what he claims. But my life is just fine the way it is. I make a decent salary. My house is small but it’s cozy and I love the country.”

  “I know you do.”

  She glanced over at him. Smiled. “If it wasn’t for Lennox Enterprises would you have moved away from Bryson City?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “My family’s here. We may not have had our parents, but we’ve always had each other. I can’t imagine leaving them behind no matter how much they get on my nerves.”

  “That’s nice. I feel the same way about my family.” She glanced at her phone seeing Evan calling for the fifth time since they’ve been on the road.

  “Are you going to answer that?” Kenton asked almost like he was prompting her to do so.

  “I think I should,” she said then pressed the button to do so. “Hello?”

  “Where are you?” Evan blurted out. His voice had more bass in it than normal.

  “Evan, I’ll be back in about an hour. We can talk then.”

  “No, how about we talk now? Or are you with him?”

  Lauren sighed. “We’ll talk later. Bye, Evan.” She placed her phone inside of her purse and looked out the window.

  Kenton glanced over at her but didn’t say a word. He decided to leave her to her thoughts.

  A few minutes passed, then he said, “It’s funny how when I wanted his attention from him, I couldn’t get it. Now he’s calling me.”

  “He had to have been this way all along I imagine.”

  “You’re right. He was. I was just hoping it was a phase. No, I knew it wasn’t a phase. I was overlooking it because it was one of those items on the shortlist—something I thought I could deal with. Now, it’s bothering me. It’s like we get to this point in our relationship and suddenly we want different things. He wants to live in the city. I love the country. He wants to wait three years to have children. I want them now.”

  Kenton grimaced. The thought of her having children with another man sickened him to the point where he had to stop eating. Still focusing on the road, he used one hand to wrap up the remainder of his sandwich. “I think you’ll get some clarity when you arrive back home he told her.”

  “I hope so,” she said. What he didn’t know was, being with him the last couple of days gave her enough insight into what she needed to do, because she’d greatly enjoyed the time they spent together. If she was in love with Evan, she wouldn’t have gone away with Kenton, let alone enjoyed herself so much. Still, she and Kenton weren’t on the same page. They were headed in different directions. What was she supposed to do? End a relationship with a man who wanted her for a man who couldn’t commit to her?

  Chapter 20

  Kenton unlocked the door to his apartment, left his bag by the door and fell on the sofa. He was supposed to go to work, but after he dropped Lauren off at her hotel, he drove straight home. He wasn’t in the mood for work. He wondered if he should have tried harder to convince Lauren not to marry Evan. At the same time, he knew he couldn’t have a direct hand in breaking up her engagement.

  He felt like crap. What was he supposed to do now?

  He picked up his cell phone after it had rung a couple of times. When he saw his sister Jessalyn calling, he answered, “Hey, Jess.”

  “Hey, you. I went by the office this morning to look at the flyers.”

  “And what did you think?”

  “They look amazing.”

  “Good. I’m glad,” he said, evenly.

  “Um, Kenton, why do you sound so…so not like yourself?”

  “Because I’m not myself,” he said honestly.

  “Hmm…must have something to do with Lauren, huh?”

  “You don’t know the half, little girl. You just concentrate on Spencer.”

  “Come on, Kent. It’s okay to talk about your feelings.”

  “I’m good, Jess. Really.”

  “No, you’re not, now talk to me or I’m coming over there.”

  “Don’t make me call Spencer on you.”

  Jessalyn grinned. “Call Spencer. He knows how I am, especially with you knuckleheads. Now, what happened with Lauren? Did you convince her that you still love her?”

  “I made it a point not to convince her of anything. That’s not my job, Jess.”

  “So, you’re going to sit back and let the woman you love marry another man? Quite frankly, that sounds like something a loser would do and you’re not a loser.”

  “The bottom line is, I’m not going to interfere in Lauren’s life.”

  “Then how do you explain these last few days? Was that not interfering?”

  “I felt Lauren needed a break, and I wanted to give her that.”

  “Are you sure that’s all you gave her?”

  “Get your mind out of the gutter. Nothing happened.”

  Jessalyn sighed. “Look, I’m just going to put this out there whether you agree with it or not. The way we were raised – or lack thereof – has greatly affected us. All of us, not just you, Kenton. Why do you think I was so attracted to Spencer?”

  “Because your hormones were raging out of control?”

  She chuckled. “No, I’m not a teenager. I was attracted to Spencer because I craved the attention, the love and affection I didn’t have from our father. If he was alive, I’m sure he would have been one of those great fathers—you know, the kind of man who would be there through the heartaches—but he wasn’t there and we had to get by without him. That’s the past and you shouldn’t let your past be a hindrance from the wonderful future you could have. For the longest, you’ve been saying you don’t want marriage, but how often is it that you meet a woman like Lauren, who you obviously still have deep feelings for? Don’t wait until it’s too late to express those feelings. Just think about what I’m saying.”

  “I will.”

  “Wait. What?”

  “I said I’ll think about it.”

  “And you’re not just saying that to get me off the phone?”

  “No, now stop being a pain in my rear.”

  “I love you too, Kenton. Bye.”

  He smiled, then hung up the phone.

  Chapter 21

  “This is what you do while I’m busting my tail to land this job,” Evan was saying walking back and forth by the bed in the hotel room – the bed where Lauren was sitting. “You were supposed to be helping with the party setup but instead you’re off doing what exactly, Lauren? Having a last fling with your ex-boyfriend before we get married?”

  “No, I wasn�
�t having a fling! I was taking a break. And why are you talking like our marriage is imminent? We hadn’t even set a date yet.”

  “That’s because I wanted to surprise you with a date. Did you really think we were having a three-day engagement party?”

  “Yes. That’s what you said.”

  “Well, we were supposed to have the engagement party tomorrow, wedding on Saturday and reception on Sunday.”

  Lauren’s mouth fell open. “What?”

  “That’s all you have to say?”

  “Yes. I’m sort of in shock right now.”

  “You’re in shock?” Evan asked. “Shouldn’t I be the one who’s in shock? I can’t believe you’d do this to me…got the whole town talking.”

  Frowning, Lauren said, “Let me tell you what I can’t believe, Evan. I can’t believe you would take a job in another city without consulting me about it.”

  “I did it for us!”

  “No, you didn’t. You didn’t do it for us. I have a job. You did it because you wanted to do it! Because pursuing this job is more important to you than how I feel about it. And for you to think that I would just shut my mouth and go along with it—to leave my family and move somewhere I don’t want to be—proves that you don’t know me at all. And what makes you think I would be okay with a surprise wedding?” Lauren stood up from the bed and walked over to the windows, reflecting on how she had envisioned life with Evan would be. They would either live in Bryson City or a small town nearby. They would both maintain their individual careers. She would cook fancy dinners and take turns inviting their parents over to enjoy meals with them. They would start a family – one cute baby at a time. And they would be busy parents, but parents who would be there for their children. Parents who would invest time in raising their families and growing to love each other more and more everyday. But how could they when they were on separate paths?

  He was career-driven. Money-focused. She, on the other hand, was more geared toward family life and being content with life’s little pleasures. Working a normal nine-to-five job and being at home the rest of the time to take care of the house. That’s when it occurred to her – when the epiphany she needed to have years ago finally set off the light bulb in her brain – she didn’t need a man to have a family. She had her sister. Her parents. She didn’t need a man to take care of her house. She loved her little home and was already taking care of it. And she definitely didn’t need a man to be happy and content. She just needed to be...happy and content.