Going to the Chapel

by Adriana Locke

  My head fell into the dip of her shoulder as her body slowly curled into me. This should’ve been the point where I drew away. But I didn’t. I wanted to stay right there, buried deeply inside of her, caught in the shimmering intimacy.

  Harlow finally lifted her head. Her eyes met mine. We were quiet for several beats. I wanted to know what she was thinking, and that was dangerous.

  The following morning, I woke in the darkness. I felt Harlow’s body, warm and soft, against my side. One of her legs was hooked over mine with her head tucked into my shoulder. Last night had barely taken the edge off my need. Just now, my cock swelled at the feel of her. In my sleep, I’d wrapped an arm around her, my palm cupping her lush bottom.

  None of this rattled me. No, what rattled me was the clench of my heart when I tucked her against me just before she fell asleep last night. I wasn’t a foolish man. Control wasn’t an issue for me. Usually.

  I’d thought I could have a taste of her and walk away. I needed to get out of this bed before I gave in again and let the intimacy hiding within the desire stitch us tighter and tighter together.

  A few hours later, when the sun was finally coming up, my email pinged on my laptop where I’d been working at the kitchen counter. I shouldn’t have been relieved when I saw the email. But I was. I’d just been handed an excuse to leave. Nothing like an urgent business meeting to get me back on track.

  Harlow came out of the bedroom as I was draining the last of my coffee. My entire body tightened at the sight of her. Her dark hair fell in a tousle and her cheeks were flushed from sleep. She wore a T-shirt and socks again, making my heart clench.

  “No need to worry about ground rules,” I said as I set my empty coffee mug in the sink.

  “Oh?”

  “Business emergency, so the place is all yours.”

  She was quiet, her eyes searching my face. For a flash, my heart kicked abruptly against my ribs. I thought I saw disappointment in her gaze, and it nearly crushed me.

  Precisely why I had to get the hell out of there.

  For more on the hotshot firefighters from the Into The Fire Series, the latest release in the series is Burn So Good, available on Amazon. If you’d like to meet the characters from the Last Frontier Lodge, start with Take Me Home, which is available at all retailers. Owen & Ivy’s story is Hold Me Close in the Last Frontier Lodge Series. This wedding takes places after their story. If you love steamy, small town romance, you’ll love my stories.

  xoxo

  J.H. Croix

  About the Author

  USA Today Bestselling Author J. H. Croix lives in a small town in the historical farmlands of Maine with her husband and two spoiled dogs. Croix writes steamy contemporary romance with sassy independent women and rugged alpha men who aren't afraid to show some emotion. Her love for quirky small-towns and the characters that inhabit them shines through in her writing. Take a walk on the wild side of romance with her bestselling novels!

  Places you can find me:

  jhcroix@jhcroix.com

  http://jhcroixauthor.com

  The Wedding Kiss

  By Maya Hughes

  Also By

  Kings of Rittenhouse - Free for a limited time!

  Shameless King - Enemies with Benefits

  Mr. Control - Single Dad

  Mr. Ruin - Revenge

  Mr. Wicked - Second Chance

  Blinded - Second Chance, Secret Baby

  Mixed - Friends to Lovers

  Served - Enemies to Lovers

  Rocked - Rockstar

  1

  Olivia

  I showed up to the room ready for my bridesmaid makeover with my dress on a hanger. Thankfully, I was only a few doors away, so I’d hightailed it down the hallway in my robe, hoping no one would see me. My slippers sank into the plush carpet before I slipped into the bridal suite.

  The place was deserted. They weren’t screwing around when they told me to hurry up. I found an empty spot and gingerly laid my dress across the bed. There was some commotion from a few floors below. I could hear the raised voices.

  Crossing the room, I shielded my eyes from the late afternoon sun and stared out the window at the wedding planners shooing papparazzi across the pristinely manicured lawn away from the entrance to the hotel. Craning my neck and standing on my tip toes, I peered down as the three people with ear pieces like secret service agents in designer outfits. They waved their hands like lunatics trying to ward them off.

  Who’d have thought anyone would care about a hockey player getting married, but I guess an Olympics Gold Medalist and Stanley Cup winner were probably a little different than your run of the mill hockey player. A sharp knock on the door, drew my attention from the show down below.

  The room was awash in wedding stuff. Makeup palettes, stockings, shoes, curling irons and massive cans of hairspray covered every surface. I stood partially behind the door and opened it. My pulse sped up as I smiled at the huffing, sweaty man I’d been looking forward to seeing all day. Ford.

  I opened the door a little wider, letting him get a good look at me. His wide-eyed stare made it hard to hold back my smile. This robe was awfully short, and I’d never been more grateful. My legs were bare of nothing but thigh highs that peeked out from under the hem.

  I’d probably have dropped the robe entirely at the door had I known he was on the other side. But he’d have probably had a heart attack. His cupid’s bow was the perfect mix of shapely defined lips and softness I’d love to taste. I’d had a kiss or two before, but nothing like a kiss from Ford. He thought I hadn’t heard the jokes my brother and the other guys made about Ford’s renowned bedroom prowess behind closed doors. He was dead wrong. I’d heard every word, and it kept me up late at night sometimes wondering what it would be like to have him touch me that way.

  His long lashes framed his bright green eyes. My eyes dipped despite myself. His broad shoulders tapered down to his well-defined chest. My completely obvious appreciative glances at his body snapped him out of his trance.

  “Olive Oil, what the hell are you doing here?”

  I gritted my teeth. The nickname only he still called me. Even Colm had abandoned it when I was fourteen and everyone was completely sure there were no growth spurts in my future. I’d stalled height-wise at just over five foot two, but Ford seemed determined to put me in that little kid box for as long as possible, even though I was eighteen now. Almost nineteen in just a few weeks.

  “I got here late. They sent me a ‘hurry up and get here’ text, but everyone was already gone by the time I got here. They’ll be back soon. Did you want to come in?” I stepped out of the doorway and held the door open.

  A quick shake of his head sent his damp, dark hair falling over his forehead in the perfect Superman curl. I peered up at him and couldn’t wait to walk down the aisle on his arm. The wedding planning gods had smiled upon me and not matched me up with my brother in the bridal party. Well maybe not the planning gods, more me begging Makenna not to make me do it.

  “No, I just need to drop this off.” He held out a medium-sized velvet box with a cream folded card on top.

  “What is it?” I took it from his hand. Our fingers brushed, and that small zap shot through me.

  He snatched his hand back like my touch burned him and cleared his throat. A small pang hit me dead center in my chest as he took a step away. “Declan had it made for Mak. Said she still needed her something blue.”

  “Can I look?” I glanced from the box back to him. He chewed on his bottom lip, and I imagined myself standing on my tip toes to taste it.

  He shrugged. “I don’t see why not. It’s not like we won’t all see it soon.”

  I opened the box and let out a gasp. Inside was a beautiful set of diamond and sapphire drop earrings. The low light from the room still caught the gems and it refracted off my robe.

  “They’re beautiful.” I ran my fingers along the velvety pillow under them. “She’s going to freak out when she sees these.” I peer
ed up at him. Mak absolutely hated it when Declan spent money like this, especially on her.

  “Why do you think he had me drop them off right now? Check out the note.” His lazy smile gave me butterflies in my stomach.

  To my soon to be darling wife-

  I gift you these earrings as your something blue, and they are filled with my love and adoration for you. These are a symbol of the beautiful new life we are starting together.

  Did I lay it on thick enough for you to wear the damn things and not fight me on this one, Books? I saw them and wanted to see you walking down the aisle with them on. Wear them for me, please. You can chew me out later tonight. In fact, I’m looking forward to it! ;)

  ~Your Sex God

  I laughed at the last line. “He sure knows how to hit all the right marks with this one.” I waved the box in front of me.

  “Those two have always known how to push each other’s buttons.” He chuckled. It was deep and throaty and sent a shiver down my spine.

  “Did they seriously not like each other before?” I still couldn’t believe it. I’d been twelve when the whole group graduated from high school, and then it was off to boarding school for me up to Boston while Colm and Ford were at college and then got drafted into the NHL.

  “Like oil and vinegar. You’d have to ask Heath how it happened in college. He was there during senior year to see it all unfold. I just know one day we came down that time to visit when we all met at the bar, and we had to pick our jaws up off the floor when we saw who he was there with. We all thought it was a bet or a dare or something.” The corners of his mouth were turned up, and he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall by the door.

  “I thought there was some weirdness going on that night.” After an initial stilted few minutes of conversation, everyone ordered a few drinks and the fun had begun. Well for them, anyway. Colm watched me like a hawk, and I hadn’t been able to get single drink.

  I’d come back to Philly for college last summer, and Mak was in med school. That was how I’d ended up a bridesmaid. She’d gone out of her way to meet me for lunch and stuff on campus. It was sweet that she took the time to make sure I settled in okay. It also meant Colm hadn’t had to fly back every chance he got to check on me. She’d been a great friend to go to for help when I needed it. Medical school was brutal, but she’d sat down with me to help me with my freshman bio class problem set when I’d moaned about it one afternoon.

  “They really are beautiful.” I closed the box and ran my hand along the note on top. What must it be like to have someone know you so well? Love you so much?

  “I almost broke out into a sprint across the hotel to get those here. I was afraid someone might mug me in the hallway.”

  A sharp laugh burst from my lips, and I stared back at Ford wide-eyed. I couldn’t think of anyone in their right mind who’d ever think of attacking Ford. He was like a walking ad for “Don’t Mess with Me,” which made his shyness all the more adorable. His muscles strained under his T-shirt. Biceps and pecs front and center. I resisted the urge to squeeze them. I’d settle for a few surreptitious gropes while we walked down the aisle.

  “Now that it’s in safe hands, I’ll head back. We’re taking groomsman pictures soon.” The grimace on his face couldn’t have made how he felt about that more clear.

  “Ready for your close up?” I mimed a camera, taking a shot of him.

  He shook his head and backed away. But I didn’t want him to leave just yet. “Wait!” I yelled way too loud, grabbing onto his forearm, and he stopped in his tracks. My cheeks were probably fire-engine red, and I kind of wanted the floor to open up and swallow me. I dropped my hand and stared directly at his chest, which wasn’t exactly making things easier. The hard lines of his muscles made my knees weak.

  “Yeah?” He quirked an eyebrow at me. Oh, right, I was supposed to be saying something.

  “I’ve missed our Wednesday dinners.” It was a tradition Colm started when he began college and I was at boarding school. Wednesdays were the one day of the week they tended not to have games. So, he’d come to my school and pick me up, more often than not with Ford and we’d all have dinner together.

  He squeezed the back of his neck. “It’s been a while, huh? Well, you went away to college, so there’s that.”

  “Even before I went away. My last year at Havenbrook you almost never made it.”

  “Things kept coming up.” He shrugged and stared down the hall like he’d rather be anywhere, but there with me. It was a punch in the gut.

  “Anything to the rumors that you might be traded to Philly?” The hopeful edge to my voice made me cringe.

  His eyes snapped to mine. “We’ll see. No idea. I should get going. I’ll see you in a couple hours.” He turned and stalked down the hallway. I watched him go.

  Big family type events were always hard for me, but I got to do it on Ford’s arm. It would make today a hell of a lot easier. The distraction of the man I’d had a crush on since as long as I could remember with his arm around mine.

  I bit my bottom lip. Would he ever see me as anything other than Colm’s little sister?

  2

  Ford

  I think my jaw hit the floor the second Liv opened the hotel room door. Fucking thigh highs! Was she trying to kill me? Or maybe just get me killed? She opened it in that short robe and anyone could have been in the hallway.

  Clenching my fists, I went for a walk in the garden at the back of the hotel. The light fabric of the robe hadn’t done anything to hide the shape of her legs and her curves. Since when did she get curves? Oh I know, a couple of summers ago. That was when her crush on me became something more, something I couldn’t just ignore, but I was not going to go for a high school senior. My skin crawled with that idea.

  It seemed the time and distance I’d put between us hadn’t done anything to stop the pull I felt to her. She wasn’t even nineteen yet. I squeezed my eyes shut and paced for a bit. In a few more hours, I’d be walking down the aisle with Liv on my arm.

  We’d be expected to dance as part of the wedding party. My hands itched to wrap around her waist and guide her across the dance floor. Let my hand drift down to the small of her back as she smiled up at me and I dipped my head—And those were exactly the kinds of thoughts I shouldn’t have been having about her. There shouldn’t be any touching or longing or a driving need to be within five feet of her.

  I stared up into the sky. If only she’d stayed the kid sister we’d all let tag along growing up, but she hadn’t. She wasn’t Olive Oil anymore. I called her that to try to push back what was right in front of my face. To stop myself from thinking about her like I knew I shouldn’t.

  “Dude, what the hell are you doing out here smelling the roses for? We need to get into our suits and get these pictures taken.” Colm came up behind me and practically jumped on my shoulders. “You can’t leave me alone up there with those wedding people. I’m getting a little worried. They are about five seconds from putting rollers in Heath’s hair.”

  I followed Colm up to the hotel suite trying not to think about how I’d been thinking of his kid sister a little while ago. Only she wasn’t a kid anymore, and that was the whole problem.

  “Ford!” Declan said as I walked in the door. A flash went off as the wedding photographer circled him and the rest of the guys.

  “You’re always off disappearing, man.” Heath fiddled with his cufflinks and ran his fingers through his long blond hair. The stylists hovered around him, trying to get their hands on his hair.

  “What did she say about the earrings?” Declan messed with his tie in the mirror, flipping it over and over in an unending loop that never resulted in an actual knot. Colm walked over to him and with a few flicks of his wrists a perfect knot sat in the middle of Declan’s collar.

  The photographer was having a field day with this stuff. If I wasn’t partially blinded by the end of the night I’d be shocked. Of course Colm would know how to tie a bow tie without needi
ng to go through an hour of videos tutorials.

  He was used to the high-end life. So was Liv.

  “Well...” Declan turned to me now that he was finished fighting with his tie.

  I snapped out of my daze. “Sorry, she wasn’t there. I gave them to Liv. She liked the note though, nice touch.”

  “We’ll see if Mak actually wears them.” He grimaced.

  Colm worked his way down the line of guys tying our ties. We slipped on our shoes, ready to head out into the garden for some more groomsman pics. A sharp knock on the door out in the front room of the suite and a shout from the hallway had all our heads turning to the doorway.

  “She’s coming in. We tried to talk her out of it, but she was adamant. Close your eyes, Declan!”

  “Mak?!” Declan shouted before Heath jumped on him, slapping his hands over his eyes as the door to the suite flew open. A flurry of white and bright blue came tumbling into the room. Mak’s strawberry blonde hair was done up in an intricate hairdo, and her veil trailed down her back. She held the back of her dress up. It wasn’t one of those big poofy things. It was simple and classic, just like Mak.

  Surrounding her, the bridesmaids rushed forward in their blue dresses flowed around them as they tried to get in front of Mak. But we all knew, there was no stopping her when she put her mind to something. Back in high school, there’d been no doubts that she’d always come out on top, which was why she was voted “Most Likely to Succeed.”