Pure Lust: The Complete Series Box Set

by Parker, M. S.

  Today was dedicated to the little terrariums I was giving away as wedding favors. They were easy, unique and they were pretty enough people might even keep them after the wedding. I’d already made a couple of test ones, just to see how I wanted mine to look and that was the plan for Kendra and me today.

  Unloading the bags, I started to explain what we were doing. I showed her the glass bulbs, the stones and watched as Kendra’s smile grew. She’d always loved doing creative stuff like this. If I’d had my choice, I would’ve made favors for all of my guests...well, if I’d only been having one wedding the way I wanted and the time to do what I wanted.

  Once I had everything set up, we settled down to our grown-up version of arts and crafts. She broke out the wine and cheese a half hour in and by the time we were done hours later, we’d gone through two bottles of wine and my head was spinning, but it was a good kind of spinning for once.

  “They look…” Kendra hiccupped. “They look like little fairy houses.”

  “Yeah.” Laying on my back, I studied the last and final terrarium. “Ain’t they sweet?”

  Kendra giggled. “Your southern side is showing, girl. Ain’t they sweet?” She mimicked.

  “Oh, shut up.” I threw a pillow at her and missed by a mile. It made us both laugh and when the sound of it had faded from the air, I murmured, “I’ve missed this.”

  “So have I.” Kendra stretched out next to me, studying her terrarium. “You wanna crash here tonight?”

  Rolling my head on the floor, I studied her face. Just the thought of it had something inside me relaxing and I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah I do. We can order pizza. Stay up late and be stupid.”

  “We’re already a third of the way there,” she said cheerily.

  Snorting, I put the terrarium down and then rolled over, staying on my hands and knees a few seconds to make sure my head wasn’t going to roll off. “Need to get that pizza,” I announced. I also needed to make sure I had plenty of water and some aspirin nearby. The last thing I needed tomorrow morning was to be hungover.

  ***

  The dregs of a pizza littered the coffee table. A dozen bottles of nail polish added a little bit of color. Kendra and I had given each other manicures and we were wrapping up the pedicures.

  I had a pale, frosty pink on my fingernails and the same color graced my toes as well. Kendra had gone with a metallic golden sheen that would complement the dress she was wearing on Saturday.

  “I love the gel stuff,” she said, studying her hand. “It’s amazing.”

  I nodded in agreement. I was going to cancel my appointment for tomorrow. As much as I loved getting a manicure and pedicure, Kendra and I did them pretty well ourselves and that would free up more time to spend with my family. The frosty pink on my nails was topped with a sparkly overcoat. It was soft, sweet and subtle. I loved it.

  The color also matched the lingerie I’d selected to wear under my new wedding dress. It was a lovely cocktail dress, a soft ivory that glowed against my skin and made the most of my curves. I wasn’t going to be as dolled up as I would be in October for the formal event Edward still wanted, but I’d still look amazing. Best of all, I’d look like me.

  “Think we’d have time to give your sisters a mani and pedi with these colors?” Kendra asked, waggling her nails at me. “We could all match.”

  I pursed my lips. “I don’t know. We’ll have to see. I know Suzanne already got one, but whoever says no to a manicure?”

  “Not me.”

  Kendra and all three of my sisters were bridesmaids. I’d considered having Kendra be my maid of honor, but I’d been Suzanne’s since Catherine had been pregnant with Cameron, so it had only seemed right to ask her to be mine. Well, technically my matron of honor since she was married.

  “It kinda sucks you two can’t take a real honeymoon yet,” Kendra said, tossing the nail polish down and leaning back against the couch.

  “It’s not a big deal. We’re taking three weeks in October.” I shrugged as I used a tissue with alcohol to shine up my nails. Kendra took the alcohol from me and did the same with hers. They looked better than professional, in my opinion. “We’re going to the lodge for four days. He proposed there.”

  “Oh!” Kendra looked at me, her face shining. “That’s so romantic.”

  I wished I had her excitement. I couldn’t find even a tenth of it, although I sure as hell faked it. “I know, right?” Would it be totally awful if the thing I was looking forward to the most about the trip was being away from his family and sleeping? For long, uninterrupted hours.

  As we started to clean up from the pizza, we made small talk, then decided on a movie. It almost felt like the way things had been before I’d met Edward. The easy banter between Kendra and I that had been missing for so long seemed to be back and it did so much to ease the tension inside me, but as the night wound to a close, I could feel it returning. Not between me and Kendra, but just in general.

  Kendra fell asleep before I did, curled up in a scoop chair. Since I didn’t want to wake her up by pulling the bed out, I just settled down on the couch itself, using a blanket and a throw pillow.

  Soon, I thought, it would be Friday.

  Then Saturday.

  And I’d be married.

  My gut gave a crazy little heave at the thought of it and I closed my eyes. Married. I would be married. Gabriella Bouvier. I thought of signing my name that way, thought of holidays spent with his family. Thought of holidays spent with my family and I sighed. How often would he end up working? Would I be one of those women who always had to make excuses for why her husband wasn’t at family functions? And what about kids? Would I be raising them or would the Bouviers insist on a nanny?

  Why was I just now thinking of any of this?

  Maybe now wasn’t the time…

  But it was almost Friday. And then it would be Saturday…

  My mind kept turning in circles while noise and light from the city filtered in through the curtains. Eventually, it lulled me to sleep.

  Chapter 13

  It was almost noon.

  The luggage pick-up at JFK was insane. I don’t know if that was normal, but I assume it was. I’d driven to New York and I hadn’t flown anywhere since I’d arrived.

  Paul was outside with Jennifer, Amber and my parents, while Jackson, Cody and I waited for Catherine and her boys. Once they were here, we could go. Duncan and Suzanne had come in with their families two hours ago and Paul had already gotten them set up at the hotel Edward was paying for. Since he’d already reserved a block of rooms for all of our out of town guests, my family didn’t argue too much about paying for them.

  I was so ready to go.

  The crowds were insane, a rush of chaos and noise coming from everywhere. Despite the crush, it didn’t take anything to recognize the familiar tumble of curls as Catherine came around the corner. I couldn’t see the boys through the horde of bodies, but I knew they were there.

  She didn’t see me though. Jackson and Cody, however, towered above everyone else. At six-four, Cody was bigger, but Jackson was close. Catherine headed straight for them, a determined look on her face. When she passed by, I couldn’t resist and I grabbed her arm.

  I just barely managed to dodge the elbow she threw my way and then I was being nearly tackled by my nephews.

  Catherine glared at me, but there wasn’t any malice in her dark eyes. That was good. I’d been afraid she’d be holding on to some jealousy about my marriage. I knew it bothered her sometimes that neither of the boys’ fathers had even considered proposing.

  “I guess it’s true.” She shoved her dark curls out of her face. “New York City is full of people who want to mug you or corrupt you.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully and gave me a once over. “You don’t look like you’ve been suitably corrupted. Want me to come back and check on you in a few years?”

  “Oh, I’m totally corrupted, but I blame you for that.” We waited a beat and then flung ourselves at each other for a hug. I
felt a rush of relief that at least my family was going to be drama-free. “I’m so happy you’re here!” I broke away after only a few seconds. “Come on. We got to move. We’ve got things to do, places to go.”

  “You’re in such a hurry,” she said, sighing as I caught her arm and dragged her over to the conveyor belt.

  Luggage had already started coming around and by some twist of luck, hers was one of the first to come around. Jackson took it while she spoke briefly to Cody, shaking his hand and asking about Edward. Cameron and Ritchie kept interrupting, clambering for Cody’s attention. He’d made quite the impression on all my nieces and nephews when he’d gone down to Tennessee with me.

  “He’s finishing up last minute business things,” I said in a lull.

  “Running the fashion world takes up a lot of time.” Cody nodded soberly, his eyes glinting with humor.

  “He should try running a house with two boys.” Catherine grinned at him as she slung the strap of her purse higher up her shoulder. “So. What’s first?”

  We didn’t have much time for sightseeing, but there were two places that pretty much defined New York City for me and those were the two places on my list.

  Times Square and Central Park.

  The madness of the square was just so very New York, even as it dripped with touristy stuff. After that, I’d show them the serenity of the park, the spots I thought of as mine. We’d save anything else for the next time they came to visit. By then, I’d feel comfortable enough to pay for anything they needed to make the trip. Maybe we could even have Christmas up here.

  But for now, we didn’t have that much time. Two stops were about all we could do. After that, well, there wouldn’t be time for much else. We had the rehearsal dinner tonight and my bachelorette party.

  Catherine’s eyes couldn’t have gotten any wider when we came out of the terminal and she saw the limo waiting there, and our parents in front of it, watching for us.

  The long, gleaming black car belonged to the Bouvier family, but they only used it on occasion. Generally, a town car was a lot easier for getting around in the city, but Paul had thought my family would enjoy it and I’d agreed. The other one was picking up the rest of the family.

  I was glad I had too. As Paul came walking toward us, I grinned at him. He tipped his hat at me before going to take the luggage. Catherine tried to insist she could get it and I laughed.

  “He won’t stop arguing until you let him. He’ll stonewall you and make you feel bad in the process.”

  Paul gave her a polite smile. Catherine blew out a breath and turned her carry-on over while Jackson put the suitcase down. He’d already had the run-in with Paul. As Paul dealt with the luggage, I hooked my arm through my sister’s and dragged her closer to the car.

  “Gabby, I knew the guy you were marrying had money, but darlin’ this is something else.”

  We slid into the car after she took a moment to hug my parents. Jennifer was inside with the boys, playing with the remote for the TV and when she looked at Catherine, she grinned. “Awesome, huh?”

  “Mind-blowing.”

  “I can’t believe you’re going to be…shit, Gabby. You’ll be like a millionaire too.” Catherine glanced at our mother, but she was too busy staring at everything to reprimand my sister for the language.

  I tried not to squirm and let them see my discomfort. The money had never mattered to me. I still couldn’t think of any of it as my money. Sighing, I said, “I won’t be a millionaire, Cat. It’s not my money.”

  She looked like she wanted to argue, but my mother touched her hand. “What matters is that Gabriella has found somebody who makes her happy. Right, Catherine?”

  “Right.” Catherine started pushing buttons on the sound system and we jerked as one button left our eardrums ringing. The noise assaulted us while I fumbled with how to turn it off. Cody knocked my hands aside and dealt with it easily.

  “Hands off,” I said to Catherine. “I want to be able to hear what’s going on.”

  “Spoilsport.” She made a face at me. Then she grinned. “So, I hear tell you’ve got some sort of fancy interview coming up?”

  I shot my sister, Jennifer, a dark look. I’d told her in a moment of excited weakness and, as usual, she’d been unable to keep the secret. I waited for the jealous outburst about how I was getting everything and she’d worked so hard and was left with so little. Instead, she hugged me.

  “That’s so awesome,” Catherine said, pride in her voice. “And just think of the look that will be on some faces when I go back home and talk about how you’re doing here in the big, bad city.”

  We all laughed and I felt myself relaxing more than I had in quite a while. The conversation drifted from there and we got to talking about friends back home, who had gotten married, who was pregnant, who was getting divorced. Amber lit up when she discussed some of the ideas she had and she shyly asked my opinion on a few things. I found myself growing to like Jackson’s fiancé even more than I had before.

  As we continued through the concrete canyons of the city, I let myself get lost in the familiar rhythm of my family. Soon, we’d have to head to the hotel and then worry about the rehearsal, the dinner...but for now, I could relax.

  ***

  The rehearsal dinner was being held at the country club, of course. No Bouvier would ever consider something as simple as a restaurant or catering, not even for something as simple as this.

  We’d already done the wedding rehearsal and I’d tripped over every other word. I was only slightly mollified by the fact that Edward had seemed to trip over every third word. Still, the look Claire had given me had made me feel like I’d been the only one to mess up. Mom had hugged me afterward and promised that the nerves were normal. Tomorrow, she’d said, would be different.

  Tomorrow. I didn’t want to think about tomorrow, not when I was still swimming in the shark tank.

  The queen shark, aka my monster-in-law-to-be, approached me for the first time. She’d pretended to be busy at the rehearsal so she hadn’t had time to meet anyone. Her husband, Albert, had been polite, if a little distant.

  Now, I could see that it was time for her to make sure everyone knew their place. Claire’s eyes ran over my mother’s dress. Mom had gone shopping before she came up, she’d told me earlier. She’d laughingly told me that she had spent more money on those two dresses than she normally spent on clothes in a year—or three years.

  She’d also looked guiltily pleased with herself, so I tried not to feel bad about the expense. The dresses were lovely. She’d shown them to me at the hotel and I suspected Dad would love seeing her in them.

  She’d bought them from the Dillard’s at the mall back home, the only place for anyone in that area to go for something nicer than the typical fare. Although Dillard’s was really out of the price range for my family, I knew the nice department store was like the bottom of the barrel for the Bouviers.

  Recognizing the glint in Claire’s gaze, I protectively stepped in front of my mother and gave Edward a warning look. I had warned him what would happen if Claire said anything to hurt my family over the weekend, and it wouldn’t be pretty.

  Edward caught the hint and stepped to my side. “By the way, Mrs. Baine, I hadn’t the chance yet to tell you how lovely you look,” he said with his usual charming smile. “That color is very flattering on you. I can easily see where Gabriella gets her beauty from.”

  My mother blushed but laughed the compliments away. “I can see why she’s so taken with you, Edward. You’re quite the charmer.”

  Then she cocked her head as though she heard something. “I think Jennifer is calling me. If you’ll excuse me.” She nodded at us and walked away, shoulders back and head held high.

  Something told me that she’d read the tension between Claire and me just fine. My mother, being the class act that she was, had removed herself from the field before the battle could start. A surge of love went through me.

  Claire arched an eyebrow at me. �
��It’s a pity you didn’t inherit her grace.”

  “It’s a pity your mother never taught you any,” I retorted.

  “Mom, Gabriella.” That was all Edward said, but the tone made it clear what he wanted.

  I made a point of turning my back on Claire as I hooked my hands through Edward’s elbow and rose on my toes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you. You made her day,” I told him. “Dad thinks she’s beautiful, but he doesn’t always think to tell her so.”

  He didn’t look at his mother either. “I’ll be sure to tell you often, Gabriella. Have I told you today?”

  I found myself smiling, but before I could respond, Claire spoke up, her voice cold. “You two should mingle and greet your guests.”

  She turned on her heel and stormed away.

  Edward gave me a look and I let go of his arm. “Go after her. As long as she doesn’t go after my family, I’ll be good.”

  Edward nodded. As he went off to play peacemaker, I turned to play hostess. At least I knew most of the people here. October would be a different story.

  ***

  Catherine and I stood near a window, sipping champagne as we waited for the meal to be served. We’d already had shrimp cocktail and tiny little mushroom tarts and other tasty little things that left my belly pleasantly full. Estelle had done well picking the menu for tonight and we hadn’t even eaten dinner yet. At least I wouldn’t be drinking on an empty stomach when we went out for my bachelorette party later.

  “He certainly seems to be watching you a lot,” Catherine said, her voice low.

  Instinctively, I looked over at the table where Flynn was sitting. I knew the moment I did that I’d made a mistake. I should have looked toward Edward and made a comment about how I stared at him too.

  But no.

  I had to look at the man I shouldn’t be staring at.