What the hell is going on with him?
“Of course I would, if that’s what you want,” she whispered into his hair.
Finally, he pulled back and rested his forehead on hers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”
“You haven’t,” she reassured him. “I’m worried about you, though. It’s unlike you to risk a scandal to be true to yourself. I may have rubbed off on you a bit too much.” Jack laughed and held her tighter as they heard a loud knock on the door. Sharon’s worried voice called out to them.
“Charlotte, is everything okay? Everyone is here, and we’re ready to start.”
“We’re fine, Mum,” Charlotte shouted in return. “Everyone will just have to wait. We booked the church for the whole day, so just sit tight.” She heard her mother muttering as she moved away from the door, and Charlotte gave a little giggle. “Fair warning: she’ll be pissed with you for days after this.”
“I’ll make it up to her, somehow. I’m more worried about you being pissed at me, though. Can you forgive me for freaking out?”
“There’s nothing to forgive. I’m sure you would have talked me off the ledge, if it had been me getting cold feet. Now, we have a wedding to attend, so you need to get out there.”
He didn’t move away, though, and instead caressed her chin. She watched his eyes on her lips and wondered what he was thinking. She soon had her answer. “Today will be our first kiss as husband and wife,” he murmured.
She tried not to read anything into those words and took shelter in her normal humour. “Perhaps we should have practiced?”
“I’m prepared to practice now,” he said quietly as his mouth moved ever so slightly toward hers. He was close enough to kiss her, when there was another loud knock on the door.
He squeezed her hand and took a step away as a voice called out, “Charlotte? Jack? Open the door, please.” Ed’s voice held a note of authority, telling them they shouldn’t argue with him, as Jack moved to let him in. Charlotte’s dad stood there, looking startled, as Jack grinned at him. “That shit-eating grin better not be because you’ve changed your mind.”
“Not a chance, sir. I’m just going out to take my place.” He turned to Charlotte, “Thanks for the talk. You look beautiful. I’ll see you in a minute.”
Ed turned back to Charlotte with a look of surprise on his face. “What was that all about?”
“It was nothing, Dad. Jack was just worried I might not be one hundred percent sure I want to be his wife. I told him I definitely am sure and we’re good.”
“Why would he suddenly worry about that? Surely you’ve already had these conversations?”
“It was just a mild moment of pre-wedding jitters. We’re fine, Dad, really.” Suddenly, she was reassuring all the men in her life; it was exhausting, especially when this wedding was only concocted to get her and Jack further in their careers. She was getting a little sick of pretending to be in love. Maybe she should have let him bloody cancel—or kiss her. “Are you ready?”
“I am. It’s not about me though, Charlotte. Are you ready? We’re all here for you.”
“Thanks, Dad. Yes, I’m ready. Let’s get this over with.” She pulled up her long skirt and headed toward the door, but he gently touched her arm.
“Getting it over with doesn’t seem like the right wording for the happiest day of your life. Are you certain you’re okay? I’ll go out there and tell everyone to go home, if that’s what you want.”
She giggled. “That’s exactly what I just said to Jack. I’m happy, Dad, I promise. I just want it to be done, so I can relax afterward. I want this day to go smoothly; it’s been a lot of planning.”
“Alright, then. Let’s go get married.” He opened the door for her and ushered his daughter to their starting point. Nikki was there in her bridesmaid dress, looking panicked, but Charlotte gave her a confident smile and she took up her place on the aisle. One of the ushers signalled to the priest that they were ready, and the first strains of the haunting music Jack had chosen drifted through the church to where Charlotte was dragging in deep, ragged breaths.
As they took their first step toward where Nikki had disappeared down the aisle, Ed leaned in and whispered to her, “Smile, honey. You look like you’re about to run screaming from the church.” She pasted a smile on her face and willed her racing heart to slow before she did something she knew she’d regret.
What. The. Actual. Fuck?
***
Jack looked like his usual, relaxed self when she finally caught sight of him. He smiled at her—the special smile that she loved—and she felt all her cares slip away. This was going to all work out. Her father delivered her to the end of the aisle and passed her hand to Jack. He kissed her on the cheek and shot Jack one last steely glare before taking his place beside her mother. As Jack tucked Charlotte’s hand under his elbow, she heard Reid give a low whistle and make a comment she couldn’t hear. Jack elbowed him and he became silent as they took their places in front of the priest.
The ceremony was short, just like they’d planned. Jack promised to love and cherish her, and as he said the words, he looked deep into her eyes and squeezed her hand. She could almost believe that he meant it.
In return, she promised to love him in sickness and in health and to definitely not obey him. That got a laugh out of the assembled guests and had Reid clapping Jack on the back. They exchanged matching rings after Reid pretended, for a moment, that he’d lost them, and then they turned to the priest for the final blessings of their union.
Jack held Charlotte’s hand the whole time, and as the time drew near for their first married kiss, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. At one point, she looked down for a few moments and could see her veil moving with each beat of her heart. She was so nervous about kissing him in front of all of their family and friends. What if someone thought they didn’t look like they were in love? What if someone guessed? Especially after the delay to get started, it was conceivable that they didn’t look like a genuine couple. Her panic rose and she missed the priest asking them to face each other. Jack gave her a little tug and caught her eye with concern reflecting in his own. He raised an eyebrow to ask if she was okay and she gave a tiny nod as she faced him.
“You may now kiss the bride.” The fateful words fell from the priest’s lips, and Charlotte looked up at Jack to see what he would do. She gasped when she saw his face. He was smiling that smile at her, and his eyes crinkled as he gazed into hers. He held her cheek and pulled her closer with his other hand on her waist. She dared not breathe as his lips descended softly onto hers and finally made contact.
She’d dreamed of kissing Jack Fawkner like this ever since she’d been old enough to daydream about boys. He’d been her dream-man of choice, and she’d spent hours imagining what it might be like to feel his lips on hers. Now, all these years later, here she was. This kiss wasn’t like any of the kisses they’d shared before. Those had been in moments of excitement and completely unexpected.
This kiss was premeditated and in front of everyone they held dear. This kiss shot straight to her heart as his tongue gently ran over her lips and teased her. She opened her lips and let him explore, while she kept her eyes closed, and his hand tightened around her waist. This was the kiss you expected in a fairytale.
A cough from Reid reminded them where they were, and she pulled away in time to catch Jack with his eyes still closed. They flew open, and he gave her a self-conscious grin, like she’d caught him out. He gathered her up in his arms and spun her around, and the crowd cheered and clapped.
They were officially Mr. and Mrs. Jack Fawkner.
***
Jack didn’t leave her side all through the reception. They’d booked out a restaurant, so they didn’t have to worry about any catering. The restaurant manager was running the show, so Jack and Charlotte were free to relax and mingle with their guests. Several times, his mother tried to pull him away to talk to an industry heavyweight she’d brou
ght as her date, but Jack put her off each time, staying with Charlotte.
They did their duty, though, and eventually chatted with the man for several minutes. Charlotte watched Jack’s manner change after they left his mother and her friend. “Are you okay, husband?” she whispered into his ear as they took a spin around the dance floor.”
“I’m fine. My mother whispered that she’s thinking of leaving my dad for that man.”
“What? She told you that at your wedding?”
“I told you she wasn’t quite normal.”
“Yeah, but I thought you had normal childhood gripes about your parents.” She smiled at him and he held her a little tighter. As the song ended they turned for their table.
Reid, however, materialised over Jack’s shoulder and claimed Charlotte’s hand for the next dance. She could tell Jack didn’t want to let her go, but Reid insisted. “Come on, dude. You’ve married her now; she’s safe from my charms. Just one dance.” Jack pursed his lips and headed to the table where the rest of the band was getting rowdy. Charlotte smiled to herself as she remembered there’d be no chance of a Cindy-show tonight, since she hadn’t been invited. “Smiling because you finally get to dance in my arms, Charlotte?”
“Hardly, Reid. It’s not like it’s hard to get a spot in the queue: you have surprisingly low standards.”
“Is that right?” he tipped her unexpectedly and she had to hold his arms tightly to avoid toppling onto the floor. He lifted her again with a grin as she glared at him. “I’ll have you know that women beg for these charms. If you ever decide Jack isn’t enough for you, remember that I’m happy to share.”
“Gross. There’ll be no sharing.”
“We’ll see, my darling.” They danced past a couple of other guests and Charlotte smiled at her dad dancing with her mum. She ignored the hardness growing against her thigh as Reid pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, “I’ve wanted you since that first day at Jack’s house, Charlotte. I’ll never forget how you looked in that itty-bitty white bikini. If you change your mind, he’d never need to know.”
As his words sunk in, she pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. “What the fuck is wrong with you? That is never going to happen. I’d fuck Cindy before I’d fuck you, Reid.”
“It wouldn’t be worth your time. Trust me, I’ve been there already. I’d satisfy you a whole lot more than she could.”
Charlotte pushed him away and screwed up her face as he laughed. “You are so foul. Get away from me.” She stalked back to Jack and sat down at the table. He’d watched the performance on the dance floor and took her cold hand in his warm one.
“That bad, huh?”
“Yes, that bad. Please note that was a perfect example of how you deal with situations where someone is offering to fuck your brains out. You tell them to get the fuck away, and then you leave.” She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms, looking around the room to make sure that everyone else was enjoying themselves.
A bit of the fun had seeped out of the day as soon as Reid had made his offer.
***
When they arrived at the hotel, Charlotte was surprised that the press greeted them as they got out of the car. They’d largely been left alone since Paris, and she’d forgotten their marriage would be big news. They posed for photos a lot longer than Jack wanted, and then moved into the hotel to locate their room. He held her hand comfortably as they made the hike to the hotel reception, which was as far from the hotel entrance as possible.
Still in her wedding dress, she heard a few clicks of cameras as the public realised that Jack Fawkner was walking right past them with his new bride. She smiled to herself as he squeezed her hand. He held her hand so often that she sometimes wondered if it was for the press or just for him.
When they’d found their room, Jack wedged the door open with his foot. He put the key in his mouth and urged her into his arms.
“What are you doing?” She took the key out of his mouth, so he could answer.
“I’m carrying my bride across the threshold. What else?”
“I think that’s for real brides,” she laughed at him standing there with his arms stretched out.
“You are my real bride—we’re legally married. Come on, humour me.”
She smirked at him and finally let him pick her up and carry her through the door. Charlotte hooked her arm around his neck and he pulled his foot away from the door, letting it click shut behind him. In front of them was a panorama of the entire Vegas Strip, and the lights stretched as far as they could see. He walked to the window and gently put her down as they stood together and admired the view.
“Wow, it’s beautiful. The lights go on and on.”
“Yes, and we walked that entire area on your first night here.”
She smiled out the window, remembering. “We did.” Charlotte turned back to him, “I’m so tired; I’m going to sleep for at least twelve hours.”
“I’m going to join you. My face is sore from all the smiling.”
“Mine too,” she laughed as he rubbed his jaw. “Have our bags come up, yet? I don’t have anything to change into.”
“We can sleep naked, wife. That’s what lots of newly-married couples do.”
She looked at him, handsome in his wedding suit, and moved all her weight onto one foot. He took it as a sign of uncertainty and quickly broke the tension, “It was a joke, Char, just a joke. Go have a shower and put the hotel robe on; I’ll find out where our bags are, and then you can change.” He picked up the phone and punched in the number for reception as she watched his back. Finally she moved toward the bedroom and flicked the light on in the bathroom. She pushed the door shut behind her and stared at her reflection in the brightly-lit mirror.
She hadn’t been uncertain. She’d been seriously considering sleeping naked with him.
***
Charlotte fell into bed a little while later. Jack was talking to someone on his mobile and it was a few minutes before he came in from the other room. He threw his clothes over a chair as he took them off and got into bed beside her. They both flicked off their lights and lay there, side-by-side in the dark.
Charlotte felt awkward. This was her wedding night and she wasn’t tearing off her groom’s clothes. She didn’t even know if she should cuddle up to him like they had been ever since that morning in Paris. He’d left his shirt off tonight for the first time ever, and her palm itched to run over his chest.
Jack made the decision easy when he rolled over to face her. He moved his arm under her pillow and she adjusted her head so she was lying on it. Gripping her waist, he moved closer until they were pressed against each other. He then kissed her hair and against her. Once he was snoring, she slipped her arm around his waist and pulled herself even closer.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
They had to skip their original planned honeymoon, since Rough Desire’s tour started two days after their wedding. Jack had promised to take her to the Caribbean, and she dismissed his concerns that it would have to be delayed until after the tour.
“It’s fine, Jack. I have two shoots while you’re on tour, anyway—I couldn’t have spared the time. We’ll go once the tour is done.”
“I wanted to go, though. We had such a nice time in Paris, and I was hoping for more relaxed, normal couple stuff.”
She laughed, “How normal you are is totally up to you. Go out when you want, Jack. Walk around in public. The sky won’t fall down if you’re recognised.”
“You make it sound easy, but I feel awkward when I do it on my own. I still need more practice.” He took her hand as she packed her bag for LA for the fourth time in three weeks. “We need to spend time together. We are a newly-married couple.”
“Well, consider yourself lucky that this isn’t a real relationship. Imagine how pissed you’d be that we were always apart if you actually loved me.” She zipped up her bag and missed the look that passed over his face as she swung toward the door. He grabbed her bag and carried it for h
er, but he compressed his lips when he saw the Uber driver at the gate.
“Where is Mr. Phillips?”
“No idea. Call him and ask, if you two want to have a catch up. I’m not driving with him until he agrees to speak to me.”
“Why do you care about that so much?”
“Stay inside, you’re not wearing shoes and the ground is scorching.” She sighed and took her bag from his hand. “It’s important to me, because it’s part of the normal people thing. People who work for you are people, Jack, not servants. Mr. Phillips has a life outside this job—maybe a wife and kids who he loves and even laughs with when he’s not here, driving you around. I want to know about those things for my staff. I want to buy them birthday presents and know their kids’ names. That’s just how I am.” She took a step away from the door. “I don’t want to mess up whatever you have going here, so I just prefer not to call him. I’ll see you Tuesday in Denver.”
Without warning, Jack stepped forward onto the hot ground. He grabbed her and kissed her on the cheek as he brushed the hair out of her eyes. She looked at him with a question in her own, but the moment was lost as his face changed. He let out a shriek as he hopped back to the house with his toes burning.
She laughed and headed to the waiting car, “Told you,” she called. “It kills me to be right all the time, you know.”
***
The shoot went well, and Charlotte had been scheduled for four days of filming. Her part was minor, but important, and she’d loved the script the moment she read it. The director had taken an immediate shine to her and requested some script changes to extend her part. Jack called just as she walked into her hotel room.
“Hey, you.”
“Hiya. How are you doing? How’s the tour?”
“The tour’s going well. We sold out in three cities and had to put on more shows. Freddy is having a cow.”
Contracted For Love: Famous Love Series Page 14