by Ali Parker
“It will all be over before you know it,” Kim said. “It’s really important that couples have little moments of quiet on their wedding day to check in with each other. Share some kisses. Talk about how crazy it all is. Trust me. You’ll be glad you did it.”
“Consider it done.”
By the time we finished going through everything in detail, it was a quarter to eleven and we’d drank our way almost through our entire bottle of wine. Naturally, I ordered us another bottle. Kim protested fiercely but eventually caved, and when the second bottle arrived, we took it outside onto the grounds and sat in the comfortably cool evening Hawaiian air on one of the sofas in the garden.
Kim leaned back against the cushions and rested her head in her hand. “How did Chessie spend this evening?”
“With her nanny. She and Jennifer have been having a hell of a good time here. But when I go back to the room, I’ll be spending some quality time with her too.” I took a sip of wine. “I know it’s late, and some people might say that’s irresponsible, but this is our last night just the two of us. Everything will be different as of tomorrow and I don’t want her to feel like she’s any less special after Verity and I are married.”
“That’s very sweet,” Kim said. “I’m sure it’s a memory she will cherish for the rest of her life.”
I nodded. “I hope so too.”
Kim’s brow furrowed and she set her wine down on the table by her elbow. “Is everything okay, Rick?”
I shrugged. “I’m a little worried about Chessie and this whole thing. We’re so used to our life the way it is and things being just the two of us. Sure, Verity practically lives with us already, but she does spend a lot of evenings out of the house. After we’re married, that’s going to change. The father-daughter time will be greatly reduced.”
“Are you worried about your daughter, or are you worried about what this is going to cost you?”
I smiled. “Maybe it’s a bit of both.”
Kim smiled knowingly, reached out, and put her hand on mine in a reassuring touch. “Don’t worry, Rick. Chessie is a smart kid. She’ll be able to handle Verity.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
Kim blinked. “Hm?”
“What do you mean, ‘handle Verity’?”
“Um.” Kim’s cheeks turned a bright shade of pink and she pulled her hand away from mine. She tucked herself up into the corner of the sofa and picked up her wine to take a big mouthful. She swallowed hard. “Nothing. Sorry. That came out wrong.”
I didn’t think it did. It sounded like something that came out exactly how she’d intended and now she was backpedaling.
“No, really,” I said. “What did you mean?”
Kim studied me and licked her lips. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Indulge me.”
Kim was quiet for a moment. Then she sighed and hung her head. “Fine. It’s just… I’m not Verity’s number-one fan. But that doesn’t matter and it’s not my place to say such a thing because I’m not marrying her. And I don’t really know her. Who am I to know what she’s really like? I’m not the one who’s in love with her. I just know her as a bride and…” Kim trailed off and shook her head. “I’m going to stop talking before I make an even bigger ass out of myself.”
“It’s all right.”
“It really isn’t,” she said. “That was terribly unprofessional of me, Rick. I’m sorry. Can we just pretend I never opened my big fat mouth?”
I lifted my wine glass. “To never having opened your big fat mouth.”
Her smile was radiant. “Thank you.”
When we sipped our wine, she eyed me over the rim of her glass. I could tell she was still a little embarrassed and wished she hadn’t said anything, so I put a hand on her knee. She looked down at my hand.
“Truly, Kim, forget about it. I know Verity is a complicated woman. She has a tendency to rub a lot of people the wrong way.”
Kim was still staring at my hand on her leg. “Mhm. Right. The wrong way.”
I gave her knee a squeeze. “She has more good qualities than bad.”
Her eyes swept up to meet mine. Her lips were slightly parted, her cheeks still rosy, and her breath seemed to flutter in her chest.
I pulled my hand away.
What was I doing? Why did I keep crossing these lines? It was the night before my wedding and I was putting my hand on another woman. A beautiful, intelligent, fierce, bold, take-no-prisoners woman. A woman I could easily have seen myself with had I not already been engaged.
A woman who was looking at me like she might have been thinking the same thing.
“I should get back up to the room to see Chessie,” I said.
Kim nodded. “Yes. You should.”
Chapter 16
Kimberly
The moon’s reflection on the ocean was bright, a stark contrast to the dark waters that climbed up the sandy beach and engulfed my ankles. Rain pattered against my bare shoulders and back and my hair was wet and plastered to my skin. It smelled like salt water and plumerias and my body hummed with energy that rivaled that of the tide.
I didn’t hear him coming across the sand.
I didn’t know he was there until he put his hand on the small of my back and stepped in close to me. The heat of his body against my back was a pleasant greeting and I leaned into him. He took my hips and pulled them against his.
“What are you doing out here?” he murmured, his lips close to my ear, his breath hot against my cheek. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“For me?”
The stubble on his jaw whispered against my cheek as he lowered his head to trail his lips down the side of my neck. The waves rushed up the shore again and beckoned us deeper into the ocean. I took several steps and he followed, his hands moving up to my waist and then over my ribs until he could cup my breasts in his hands and press his teeth hard against my shoulder.
I whimpered as my body responded in kind. Heat grew between my legs and an aching emptiness consumed me. I needed to be filled.
Now.
I reached behind my back for his cock. He was naked and rock hard and easy to find. I stroked him gently as he kissed my neck and shoulders and massaged my breasts.
“You’re so sexy,” he growled.
I released him and pressed my ass against his cock. “Do you want me?”
His hand snaked up the side of my neck so he could grab a fistful of my hair and crane my neck back, forcing me to look up at him.
Rick.
“I want you, kitten,” he purred. “And I will have you.”
My nipples were hard. The tide tugged at my knees and threatened to steal my balance but Rick held me up and in place by my hair as his other hand wandered between my thighs. I closed my eyes when he grazed my clit ever so gently. He moved his finger back and stroked my wetness as he slid inside me effortlessly. I was so wet there was no resistance.
A moan escaped my lips and Rick silenced me with a passionate kiss. I moaned into his mouth as he fucked me with his finger. I wiggled my hips, daring him to give me more.
“We don’t have time,” he whispered.
“Why?”
I needed him. I needed him more than I had ever needed anything before.
“There are things to do,” he said.
Somewhere on the horizon, perhaps where the moon reflected off the water, music started to play. It was a familiar song, but I couldn’t place it, and it grew louder and louder as Rick fucked me harder and gave me another finger. I trembled in his arms and his grip in my hair tightened. His mouth crashed against mine as the roar of the waves grew louder and the music shook in my ears. He said something to me but I couldn’t hear him.
“Please,” I pleaded. “Don’t stop.”
My eyes snapped open.
My alarm played an obnoxious wake-up ring tone and I rolled over in my white hotel linens and silenced it with an irritated groan. My dream came back to me in fragmented pieces and I rubbed at my ey
es before realizing I’d had the closest thing to a wet dream I’d ever experienced.
The inside of my thighs were messy with my own juices and my whole body tingled with desire.
“Great,” I said. “Just what I need. To be horny for Rick on his fucking wedding day.”
I tore the blankets off, stomped heavily on my heels to the bathroom, and had a cool shower.
It didn’t help ease my lady loins. They were still tingling with a desperation of the like I hadn’t felt since my first crush in senior year of high school. I didn’t even think I could still feel this way, like my whole body was on pins and needles and the only thing that would calm the storm was Rick’s touch.
“Bad girl.” I scowled as I massaged the fancy hotel hair conditioner into my scalp. It smelled like mint and lemons.
I needed to fix this. I needed to appease the tingle.
So I took care of business down there, courtesy of the shower head. Sometimes, a girl had to do what a girl had to do, and there was no way I’d be able to keep my head on straight if I didn’t bang one out of my system before the ceremony.
It helped. Immensely.
After my one-on-one session with myself in the shower, I was able to get ready and sip coffee from my in-room brewer. I put on the dress I’d bought specifically for the wedding: a light gray tight little number with a modest hemline and a high neckline and no sleeves. It would look great under a business jacket, but it also looked dressy and professional, the perfect combination for a wedding planner about to coordinate and take the lead of one of the most anticipated weddings of the year.
After popping my allergy medication, swiping on a nude glossy lip, some bold eyeliner, and mascara, and stepping into my white pointed-toe pumps, I marched out of my room with my chin held high and made for the ballroom where setup was well underway.
I oversaw all the arrangements and decor and handed out headsets to the staff I needed to be in touch with all day long. I made sure floral arrangements were just right, as per Verity’s request, despite how sniffly they made me. My allergy medication helped some but it wasn’t a perfect cure.
Magazine journalists began to arrive shortly after noon and I had to step away to be interviewed. I kept my answers short and to the point.
“No, I’ve never done a wedding of this scale before.”
“Yes, Rick and Verity have been incredible clients from the very start. I’ve loved every minute of the process.”
“No, I don’t think the decor is too much. It’s exactly what the bride wanted. Therefore, it’s spot on.”
“Yes, I will absolutely have a drink at the bar when the day is done.”
I had my picture taken before I abandoned the press to get back to work. The cooks needed me to oversee the dishes and make sure the arrangements were aesthetically pleasing. The hotel staff needed me to double check on the linens, napkins, table runners, tablecloths, seat covers, and sashes. The list was never ending.
I made sure the cake had been delivered and gave directions on who would bring it out and when. I coordinated with the extra photographers who had arrived to take pictures of the venue before guests arrived so the bride and groom could see the majesty of their efforts—and Rick’s money—in all its glory before it was overrun with their two hundred guests.
By two o’clock in the afternoon, two hours before the ceremony was set to begin, I found a chair in a cool hallway, plopped myself down into it, slid my feet out of my pumps, and massaged my temples.
The pain and the stress were worth it.
Soon, I would be working with clients of this caliber back to back all year round. I’d have my own firm, my own assistants. I’d be well on my way and I’d be able to spoil Vanessa and Rhys’s little one to no end.
The thought made my feet hurt a little less.
I glanced at my watch and let out a weary sigh.
I had to go check on the bride and make sure she was on track timing wise. She had a big bridal party, twelve girls to be exact, and with a group of that size, there were almost always delays. Someone didn’t like their hair while someone else didn’t like their makeup. Someone gained a few pounds and another lost a few and now their dresses don’t fit quite right. Someone’s shoes are pinching their toes. Someone is missing an earring.
The list went on and on and it was my job to pull everything together and make sure nobody forgot who this day was about: Rick, Verity, and sweet little Chessie, who I prayed like hell didn’t get left out of this damn thing.
With a clenched jaw and pride for my career swelling in my chest, I forced myself up out of my chair and made my way through the hotel and up to Rick and Verity’s bridal suite where she was getting ready with her girls. He would be down at the other end of the hall with the boys. I stepped off the elevator with my eyes glued to my watch and didn’t even see Rick until I walked right smack into his chest and let out a little surprised yelp.
He steadied me with his hands on my upper arms. “Slow down there, Kim. Better watch where you’re going. You’ll walk right off a balcony in this place.”
I swept my hair out of my eyes and laughed as I looked up at him. “Yeah, I know right? I’m such a…” I trailed off. Wow. He looked incredible. His dark hair was slicked back and his facial hair was trimmed to a short, classic stubble that lined his jaw perfectly. His black suit fit him like a glove and I had to resist the urge to reach out and tighten his tie up a little bit.
“Such a what?”
I swallowed. “I was going to say klutz. You look really good, Rick. Verity is a lucky woman.”
He gave me a dashing smile that had the little voice in my brain screaming about how he’d touched me in my dream. “Thank you,” he said.
A little girl with curly hair popped her head out from behind Rick’s legs.
I beamed at her. “Hi, Chessie. I’m so glad I got to see you before the ceremony. I’ve been told your dress is to die for. Can I see it?”
She emerged from behind her father and beamed up at me as she twirled in a circle, showing off her sparkly blush-colored dress and matching hair flower.
“Oh my goodness,” I gushed. “You’re going to have the prettiest dress there.”
Chessie clasped her hands in front of herself and rocked shyly back and forth. “I think your dress is pretty.”
“Why thank you,” I said, glancing up at Rick.
He didn’t see me look at him. He was too busy looking at my dress. Or me in the dress.
Eep.
Why did that make me feel good? He was getting married in T-minus two hours.
I gave my head a mental shake and dropped into a crouch. “I’m glad I ran into you, Chessie. I have a little something special for you.”
Chessie looked up at her father, who nodded for her to go ahead. She stepped toward me as I plunged a hand in my pocket and pulled it out, holding my fist out and encouraging her to hold out her hand. She did, palm up, and I dropped a small gold ring with a light blue glittery stone in it into her palm.
Chessie gazed at it and looked up at me.
I nodded at the ring in her hand. “This is yours, Chessie. It’s to symbolize the unity of today and the bonds of your family. I thought you should have one of your own.”
Chessie pulled the ring in tight to her chest. “I love it. Thank you, Kim.”
“You’re welcome,” I said. “I thought of you as soon as I saw it.”
Chessie looked at her father, told him she absolutely had to show the ring to Jennifer, and bolted off down the hallway, leaving me alone with her father. I straightened up from my crouched position and smoothed out my dress.
“Well,” I said, “I’d better go check in on your bride. I’ll see you when you’re officially a husband.”
“You won’t be at the ceremony?”
“I will, but you won’t see me. A good wedding planner blends in.” I winked, turned on my heel, and tried to keep my chin up as I walked away from the man I knew I had deep feelings for.
; And who I was about to lose—officially.
Not that I ever had him in the first place.
Chapter 17
Rick
“Daddy?”
I looked down at my little girl.
She wore a big grin as she reached for my hand and wrapped her fingers around my pinky, squeezing tightly.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
Was I ready? I gazed ahead.
Right in front of us at the toe of my shoes was the beginning of a white runner that ran the length of the gardens to the arch at the opposite end, where the officiant waited patiently for me and Chessie. Behind him was a brilliant Hawaiian sky. The blue cloudless sky met the ocean on the horizon in the distance and a gentle breeze tugged lazily at the pale pink flower petals of all the floral arrangements lining the aisles and the archway.
Kim had outdone herself.
The ceremony site was absolutely breathtaking. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Verity would love it as soon as she laid eyes on it. All her stress, worry, fussing, frustration, and anticipation would be worth it.
Hopefully.
“I’m ready,” I said to my daughter. “Are you?”
She nodded. “Yep.”
The music started and I knew Kim was conducting things from some secret place she couldn’t be seen. I stepped forward and Chessie walked with me. She smiled and giggled at family and friends in the crowd who waved at her. The swell of the music from the harp coursed through me.
This was it.
A year in the making.
And here I was, about to see my bride come down the aisle.
I hoped Verity felt steady and sure. I hoped she was as excited as I was. I hoped her mind wasn’t clouded with thoughts that didn’t matter.
Like how beautiful our wedding planner looked in her skin-tight gray dress and—
I took a deep breath.
Something is wrong with you.
We reached the end of the aisle and stepped up onto the platform. Chessie moved to stand slightly beside and behind me, and we both turned to face the aisle as the music picked up and rolled into a chorus of “Here Comes the Bride.”