Enlighten (Thornhill Trilogy Book 2)

by J. J. Sorel

  I leaned in and kissed him. “You light up my world, Aidan. I still can’t believe this is happening. Every day feels like a dream.”

  “It’s the same for me, Princess. And look”—he paused to take a sip of wine—“have Tabitha here all the time, if you wish. Whatever makes you happy, darling. I want you to have everything.”

  After we’d eaten our delicious desserts, of which both Tabitha and I had second helpings, Aidan directed the waiters to fill everyone’s glasses with champagne.

  He returned to our table and stood up. “I’d like to make a toast.”

  All eyes were suddenly on our table. I brushed my face to make sure I didn’t have cream on it. Peering down my décolletage, I made sure that my cleavage was behaving properly in my red silk empire-line gown. My hair was up in a stacked bun, and the Cartier diamond chandelier earrings dangled heavily from my ears, brushing along my neck. It was hard to get used to this lavish display of wealth despite Tabitha telling me earlier, as she stroked them, that I was being ridiculous and that I better get used to it.

  “I’d like to thank you all for coming. It means everything to Clarissa and myself”—he glanced down at me and took my hand—“to have you all here celebrating such a beautiful and moving ceremony for a woman who, although my aunt, I have always considered a mother. Without her strength, discipline, and constancy, I would be half the man I am today. After my beautiful girlfriend, Clarissa, Greta is the most important woman in my life.” He glanced down at me. I felt a room full of eyes burning into my face. Blood coursed through me, landing on my blazing cheeks.

  Aidan continued, “Julian Moone has brought with him a charming, respectful, and learned presence into our lives. That this sensitive man and my aunt have fallen in love just makes it all so much sweeter. Therefore, on behalf of the Thornhills and the Moones, let’s toast to an enduring romantic union filled with magic.”

  The guests cried out “here, here” and sipped their champagne. After the noise had subsided, Aidan, who had remained standing, bent down and whispered, “Stand up for a moment, sweetheart.”

  My heart did a flip. I could barely stand on legs that were weak and wobbly. As always, reading me well, Aidan tightened his grip around my waist, and I was on solid ground again.

  “As I’m sure you all know. I have fallen in love with this beautiful girl.” Aidan paused as the room reacted with whispers. “Before she walked into my life, I was cynical about love. I didn’t believe in it. Then Clarissa happened. It was love at first sight.”

  He drew me closer again. Dizzy from the out-of-control pounding in my chest, I directed my attention at my feet. My lips curved into a tense smile while I squeezed out every inch of fortitude to fight off the deluge of tears banking up in my eyes.

  Aidan turned to face me. He took both my hands.

  I gazed up at him. His eyes darkened with intensity.

  It was apparent to me that this was difficult for Aidan, the private man. Exposing his overly protected heart in such a public way proved his undeniable love for me.

  I blinked back the tears, smiling and frowning all at the same time. I was not well rehearsed at this kind of public display of emotion.

  “Clarissa Moone, will be you be my wife?”

  From dead silence, the room came alive. I fell into Aidan’s deep, expectant gaze, and all of a sudden, we were alone.

  “Yes,” I said with a croaky throat, a lump obstructing a dignified response. Flooded by a tsunami of emotion, tears drenched my face. My nose desperately needed seeing to, and my gallant husband-to-be reached into his pocket and brought out a hanky. He then reached into his lapel pocket and produced a little red box.

  When he opened it, the room resonated in a choir of feminine “ahs,” echoing my own silent reaction. For, in front of me, positioned in a bed of red velvet, was a scintillating diamond ring. It was so large that the rock emulated the brilliance of the chandelier above.

  The enormity of the jewel drew a breathy “holy shit” from Tabitha.

  “It’s beautiful, Aidan,” I murmured as he placed it on my finger. It slid on with ease, fitting me perfectly. Just as Aidan fitted me perfectly.

  I hugged him. The warmth and comfort of his lips made my body unwind and forget that we had an audience.

  A backdrop of cheers and applause soon roused me out of my dreamy bubble.

  When we sat down, Tabitha hugged me, whispering, “Go, girl. Can I be the bridesmaid?”

  “You’ll be my maiden of honor.” We held each other tightly and made high-pitched, can’t-believe-this-is-happening noises in each other’s ear.

  Next my father was there. “Darling, I’m so happy for you.”

  The tears came again. “Oh Dad, I hope we haven’t taken away from your beautiful day.”

  “No. It’s only made it sweeter, darling girl.”

  He shook Aidan’s hand, who was being congratulated by Grant and his father’s partner, Sara, along with Greta and a whole bunch of people I didn’t even know.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  I looked at Tabitha. “Hey, do you want to go to the powder room with me? I think I must look a sight.”

  She wiped the mascara off my cheek. “Yep, you do have that ax murderer clown look about you.”

  “What? Well, can you at least wipe some of it so that the guests don’t see me like this?” How long had I looked like that? I wondered. Tabitha grabbed a tissue from her clutch purse and cleaned my face, while I cursed the purportedly waterproof mascara I’d worn.

  “That looks better,” she said, rising. “Let’s go. I need to fix my face as well.”

  As I looked at her face, I noticed she’d been crying. I grabbed her hand. “Oh, Tabs.”

  She smiled gently.

  Arm in arm, we snuck up to my powder room upstairs.

  I was a mess. “Shit, I look terrible.”

  She laughed. “No, you don’t. You look as if you’ve been fucked in a cupboard.”

  My face crumpled with bewilderment. “What? You’ve been drinking too much champagne.”

  “I have a bit. I better slow down. Evan’s all horny and keeps slipping his hand up my leg. He’s got this thing for dangerous public sex.”

  Tabitha was wearing a slinky green silk dress with a slit up her thigh. The neckline was low, and her breasts had to be stuck down. Or so I discovered after staring at her cleavage with disbelief that they weren’t popping out.

  “You look sexy, Tabitha. I’m not surprised. But please try to exercise some decorum. It’s my dad’s wedding.” I leaned into the mirror to apply some lipsticks.

  “I will. Let me have a look at that impressive rock again.”

  I held out my trembling hand.

  “You’re shaking, sweetie. I can’t say I blame you. Fuck, Clary, that is one huge diamond. You’ve been well and truly blinged.”

  I laughed.

  “When’s the wedding?” She applied some red lipstick and tousled her blonde hair for that just-had-sex look she seemed to favor.

  “I don’t know.”

  Tabitha enthused, “It will be great, Clary. I’ll plan it for you, if you like.”

  “I’m not worried about that,” I said, my voice thickened with sobs.

  “What then?”

  “I’m just… I don’t know. How is one meant to be a wife? What am I meant to do?”

  “Just what you’re doing seems pretty successful. Aidan’s crazy about you, Clary. He’s got stars in his eyes when he looks at you. And you look so beautiful in this little princess number.” She lifted the silky layer of my dress.

  “But I’m not doing that much.”

  “That’s why it works, Clary. Men aren’t as complicated as us girls. They don’t need much. Just keep the sex dirty and interesting, and listen to them with flickering eyelashes, and remember to go panty-free occasionally, especially in the supermarket. And all will be good.”

  I laughed raucously. “But it’s not only about sex, Tabi, surely.”

  Her lar
ge green eyes shone. “What else is there?”

  “Shit, Tabs, there’s heaps of other things.”

  “Like what?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Just hanging out, talking, laughing, sharing simple moments. I don’t know really. That’s the problem. I don’t know what it is to be a wife. It’s not as if we have a standard domestic arrangement here.”

  “Why not? I’m sure if you really want to cook Aidan’s meals, he wouldn’t balk.”

  I thought about this for a moment and wondered if I really wanted to spend my life in the kitchen. My mother wasn’t much of a cook. It was something my father did mainly. “I suppose you’re right. It will free me up to paint and draw. Aidan’s always encouraging me to do that.”

  “And babies, Clary. Babies. You’ll make a great mom and me a great godmother.”

  “You’ll also make a great mom, Tabitha.”

  She gave a mock scowl. “Mm… don’t know.” Changeable as always, her mood flipped. “Come on, let’s go down and have a dance. You’ll have to introduce me to Aidan’s father. He’s dishy.”

  I stopped walking. “Now listen, Tabi, don’t you go flirting with Grant.” I glared at her.

  “Now what makes you think I would do that?”

  “Because you have a thing for older men, that’s why. Don’t flirt with him. Okay? I like Sara.”

  “The hippy woman? Is that his partner?” Tabitha asked.

  “Yes. And she’s lovely, really lovely.”

  “Evan would kill me if I did anything like that.”

  “Mm… yes, well. I hope you’re speaking figuratively.”

  “What do you reckon?” Tabitha grabbed my arm. “Come on, let’s have some fun.”

  As it turned out, Grant was the first person we encountered when we returned.

  “Clarissa,” he said, kissing me on the cheek. “It’s a joy to have you in my family. I have never seen Aidan this happy.”

  “Thanks, Grant.”

  He glanced over at Tabitha. She returned a sweet, femme-fatale smile. It was so deeply entrenched in her DNA, that I was sure she didn’t even know she was doing it.

  “This is my best friend, Tabitha,” I said, flashing her a “behave” grimace. “This is Aidan’s father, Grant.”

  She put out her long, elegant hand. “Pleased to meet you. I must say, the family resemblance is striking.”

  His gaze lingered.

  Oh damn, he was attracted. What could I do? Sara was somewhere else, so as long as she didn’t notice this exchange between Tabitha and Grant, there was no harm. Evan was a different matter, I could see him having a joke with one of the guests. His face straightened. He’d obviously witnessed Tabitha and Grant’s longer-than-what-was-usual exchange of smiles.

  I interrupted them. “I look forward to hearing the band.”

  Grant pulled his gaze reluctantly, I noted, away from my beautiful friend. His blue eyes had an aroused glow about them. Now where had I seen that before? Like father, like son. But this was serious. I felt a twinge of resentment toward my father-in-law-to-be.

  “I better be off. I can see Sara giving me that “let’s start” look.” He returned his gaze to Tabitha. “Nice meeting you.”

  After he headed off, I whispered. “What the fuck was that?”

  Tabitha smiled. “He’s hot, Clary. Can’t I acknowledge a sexy guy every now and then?”

  “No, you can’t. Not in front of Evan.”

  “Speak of the devil,” said Tabitha. Evan, looking handsome in his black tuxedo, attached himself to Tabitha. He whispered something, and she smiled. I assumed it wasn’t an admonishment.

  I left them to it and headed to Aidan, who was talking to the Cohens alongside their dark-haired daughter. She was so beautiful that I experienced my own green-eyed monster. My gut tightened when I spied the way her big, dark eyes drank in my handsome husband-to-be.

  Claiming my man, I stood close as Aidan drew me to his waist and kissed me on the cheek. My heart sighed. As did a gentle throb between my legs, reminding me that this delicious man was mine to devour, to have, and to hold.

  Grant’s band soon had us all working up a sweat. My father and Greta switched between waltzing and jiving. We danced with gay abandonment as if no one was watching. It was a hoot. When I wasn’t rubbing myself against my gorgeous fiancée, Tabitha was spinning me around and pulling silly faces at me as she always did when we were young. I laughed nonstop. It was so much fun.

  In fact, it was the night of my life made even nicer when Aidan dragged me outside to our favorite tree and did the unimaginable. He ripped off my panties and popped them in his cream-colored jacket which had been driving me wild all night. He pinned me against the tree and ran his hand up my leg, lingering at my swollen opening.

  “You feel hot.” His burning lips crushed my mouth, his tongue deep and hungry. He buried his fingers deep inside of me. I could feel his heart beating hard. He undid his zipper.

  “This is going to be quick, Princess. I’ve been hard all day looking at you in that dress.” His hands squeezed my naked bottom.

  He lifted my knee, hooking it under his big arm. Without a moment to lose, he entered me. In one deliciously excruciating thrust, I burned, stretched, ached, and blissed out on his fullness.

  “My beautiful girl,” he rasped. “I can’t get enough of you.”

  I closed my eyes and saw stars as I clasped around his rampaging cock.

  It didn’t take long for a creamy release to rip through me.

  “That’s it, my darling,” he said, almost growling.

  I buried my head in his hard chest. I pushed my weight against the tree for balance, as my legs threatened to collapse.

  A loud sigh was followed by a husky “I love you.” His eruption filled me as I sucked him deeper through my own endless release.

  We held each other, waiting for our breathing to steady.

  Aidan reached into his pocket and brought out my panties. His lips curled into a tight smile. “Sorry, baby, the heat of moment. When I saw your tits bouncing up and down on the dance floor, I was so turned on I had to drag you out here.”

  I laughed. “It’s okay, really. I just need something to mop this up.” I lifted my dress, and there was a large dollop of semen running down my leg.

  He passed me my panties and a hanky to wipe up the slick.

  They did the job.

  “I don’t know what to do with these,” I said, dangling my sodden panties.

  Aidan laughed. “Here, I’ll put them in my pocket.”

  The thought of that made me wince. “Not in that gorgeous dinner jacket, you don’t. Let me toss them away,” I said.

  “And have someone find them?” Aidan looked horrified.

  I chuckled. “Oh, Aidan. It’s not as if they’ll know they’re mine. I’ll dispose of them tomorrow when nobody’s looking.”

  “No, it’s too intimate. Here, I don’t care.” He placed them in his pocket. “It’s kind of sexy. I can have them for breakfast.”

  I scrunched my face and laughed. “Gross… Aidan.”

  “There’s nothing gross about our love juices, Princess.”

  We walked off arm in arm. Aidan pinched my bottom. “I’m going to go crazy up there performing knowing your pretty pussy is naked.”

  “You’re insatiable, Aidan.”

  “Around you, I am.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Looking very much the consummate rock star, Aidan sang, “Let it roll, let it roll”—one of my favorite Doors’ tunes. His deep rasp suited that style of music splendidly. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t made a career out of performing. I was glad though. Because I don’t think my jealous nature could have tolerated all the groupies, of which, I was certain, there would have been plenty. All on heat, ready and willing. It was bad enough with all the society girls chasing him.

  Tabitha was all smiles as we swayed, stomped, and jumped to our lovers’ music making.

  “They’re so far out,” she gushed.
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  Aidan had his bow tie untied and his top buttons undone. And with that cream dinner jacket, my God, he was gaspingly hot.

  I needed a break from dancing. Tabitha had disappeared somewhere. I assumed she must have gone to the powder room, which was where I needed to go.

  When I passed my office, I heard giggling. Hovering about, I thought it odd that someone should be in there. Nevertheless, I continued. As I was about to open the door to the powder room, I heard what sounded like Tabitha’s laugh.

  The realization slapped me hard. It couldn’t be Evan in there with her because he was still on stage.

  I stepped toward the door and turned the knob very slowly, poking my eye through a slit.

  My legs stiffened. Grant had his head between Tabitha’s legs. Her head had fallen back, and her mouth was open wide, moaning.

  I snuck off quickly. Leaning against a wall, I needed time to compose myself. That was my future father-in-law with my best friend.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  After a few moments, I took a deep breath and descended the stairs with a tight ball in my tummy.

  Aidan’s band had just finished. I slid back invisibly among the raucous applause. I kept an eye out for Tabitha, fully aware that if Evan should find them, all hell would break loose. Of that, I was sure. I’d seen how Evan looked at Tabitha. There was an unmistakable air of ownership in his gaze. Having witnessed a volatile sheen in his eyes, I sensed that Evan could explode into violence at the flick of an eyelash.

  Relief flooded me when I saw Tabitha approaching me. She had a discernible flushed appearance, however. At least Grant wasn’t with her. Although I was glad about that, my veins had not thawed.

  Riddled with conflict, I was glad that Aidan had been held up by a bevy of excitable women. For once, I wasn’t jealous. I needed time to cool off. Aidan was too perceptive. He would have sensed something.

  Tabitha came to my side. “The band was so hot. Can you believe that’s our men?”

  I turned to face her, my eyes were dark and coated in anger.

  She flinched. We knew each other too well for ambiguities. “What’s wrong, Clary?”

  I grabbed her by the arm. “Come with me.”