I cocked a quizzical brow. “That sounds like something you couldn’t possibly know.”
Xavier, though obviously struggling under the weight of the wine, appeared unruffled as he spoke. “I’ve seen it a million times. He’s a goner.”
“Oh yeah? Seen it a million times with your sage bartender wisdom?”
He snorted. “I’ve seen it a million times just from being a human and interacting with other humans. Being a bartender doesn’t make you a shrink.” He adjusted the box one more time and nodded at me before going to walk away. “I was wise as hell before I ever touched a tap.”
I watched Xavier go, disappearing into the kitchen, wondering if there was any truth in what he said. There couldn’t be. Xavier was a nice guy and a great listener, but I doubted he could pick up on anything more from Levi than I had.
I shook off these thoughts and refocused on the task at hand. The wedding. Val’s wedding. I needed my head in the game since I wasn’t off the clock yet. I still had my speech to make, and I still had to make sure everything went smoothly for the rest of the evening, though I had all the faith in the world in the hotel staff and the people I’d brought in.
I took a breath and walked down to the reception entrance, slipping around the doorframe and scanning the room for signs of Levi. Nothing. Now that he wasn’t here, I started to wonder what he wanted to talk to me about. Realizing this wasn’t a productive use of my brain power, I went to the DJ and double checked that he had everything he needed for the bride and groom’s entrance.
Afterward, I finally grabbed a glass of wine from the bar and loitered near the head table. One minute before the scheduled entrance, Levi appeared at the other side of the table with a glass of whiskey. He didn’t look at me. Was he mad at me now? Had he been about to say something sweet and I screwed everything up?
Gah! This wasn’t the time or the place for me to stress about this!
Thirty seconds.
I took a sip of my wine that turned into more of a chug. I glanced at Levi. Still nothing.
No. Stop looking.
Ten seconds.
I had just enough time to...what? I didn’t have any time at all. This was Val’s wedding.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the DJ announced.
And my time was up.
I kept stealing glances at Levi throughout dinner. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop wondering what he’d been about to say to me. Xavier had officially ruined me. I’d had a great line of defense before he came along with his stupid observations, and now all the hard work that I’d put into being calm and not thinking about Levi had gone down the drain.
I decided to try my best to worry about it later. I had all night to get through, and I could at least put it off until after Val and Garrick’s first dance.
“Ladies and gentlemen, can I get everyone’s attention to the dance floor.”
Speaking of which.
I followed the flow of the crowd, which formed a circle around where Val and Garrick stood holding each other on the lacquered floor. There were hundreds of guests here, but they only had eyes for each other as the music began to play.
I’d never seen either of them smile with so much unfiltered joy and my eyes stung. If I made it through the night without bawling my eyes out, I would be extremely surprised.
Something caught my eye near the DJ booth and I looked over. Levi stood next to the speakers, leaning over to say something into the DJ’s ear. What was he up to? If he wanted to surprise Val and Garrick with something he should have run it past me. The DJ nodded and gave a thumbs up, and Levi stepped down from the platform.
I had half a mind to march up to him right now and demand to know what his game was, but while I was gathering the nerve the crowd swallowed him up. He disappeared.
I decided not to leave the dance floor until I figured out what he’d done.
A couple songs went by without incident. Val and Garrick were still swaying in the middle of the floor, but other couples had joined them and filled in the empty space. I felt like a total weirdo just skulking at the edge of the dance floor, and was about to go back to my seat, when the song ended and the DJ took the mike.
“Alright folks,” he said in a deep, gravelly voice. “This one goes out to Frankie.”
The room filled with cheers and hoots. A preening sense of satisfaction momentarily overrode my confusion, but it soon returned when the sound of a crooning saxophone spilled through the speakers.
I shot a glance over to the stage, wondering if I’d find a saxophone player up there and if I was dreaming. A second later I realized what was happening. The DJ was playing “Careless Whisper”.
What the hell?
“Frankie.”
I spun to face Levi, who stood behind me.
Woah, deja vu much?
“Levi,” I said, blinking. “Hey.”
He extended a hand toward me. “Would you like to dance?”
“Uh, sure.” I said, taking it uncertainly as I tried to figure out what was going on.
Levi led me to the middle of the dance floor, which cleared around us. A few people swayed near the edges of the floor but kept their distance.
Levi took my hand and slid an arm around my waist, pulling me close.
He leaned down to speak in my ear. “I didn’t know how else to get your attention. I need to talk to you.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize.”
He chuckled. “Liar.”
Levi spun me, and when he pulled me back I met his gaze and chewed on my lip.
“What did you want to talk to me about?”
Levi swallowed, and his features flickered with something I’d never seen on him before—nervousness.
“I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry. For everything. I’ve said and done a lot of things that have hurt you. I’ve been pushing people away for so long that I’ve gotten too good at it, and sometimes it seems like it’s my natural state.”
All this for an apology? I didn’t understand it but I certainly wasn’t going to turn it down.
“Apology accepted.”
Levi shook his head. “I’m not finished.” He spun me, just as the song reached the crescendo of the chorus. My chest tightened and pulse raced, eager to hear what else he had to say. Once I was back in his arms, I stared deep into his eyes and waited.
Levi’s lip ticked at the corner. “I love your blog.”
Huh. Not what I was expecting.
He continued. “I love that you have every reason to scowl at love and marriage but you don’t. You don’t scowl at anything, besides me from time to time. You chose to celebrate the same things I let beat me down, and when we first met I couldn’t believe that such a thing was possible and so I didn’t believe in you.”
He let go of my hand and brushed his thumb over my cheek. My heart stopped.
“Frankie, I believe in you now. You’re more real to me than anything I’ve ever known and I want to be with you.” Levi held my gaze, dark eyes swallowing me whole. “I love you.”
The words tumbled from my lips as naturally as breath. “I love you too.”
Levi’s face relaxed into a smile and pressed his lips to mine. They were as sweet as cotton candy.
Chapter 34
Levi
Frankie went in for a second hug and Val laughed, giving her friend an extra squeeze before she released her.
“I can’t believe I won’t see you for three whole weeks,” Frankie moaned. “You’re sure you don’t want to have your honeymoon in Portland? I hear it’s nice and rainy this time of year.”
Val tapped her index finger on her chin. “Hmm. Tempting. I think we’ll stick with Tahiti.”
“Text me when you get to the airport in the morning.”
“Our flight’s at seven,” Val replied. “You’ll probably still be asleep.”
Frankie shook her head. “Don’t care. Text me.”
“Okay, Mom, geez.” Val rolled her eyes playfully. “I’m going to brin
g you back the tackiest t-shirt you’ve ever seen.”
“You better send me an inappropriate postcard too. Something with nudity.”
Garrick, who’d been hanging by Val’s side and watching the exchange, came to stand beside me while the girls discussed souvenirs. He clapped me on the back.
“You finally made the leap with Frankie,” he said. “Cheesy song choice, but I can respect the gesture.”
“I refuse to hear style criticisms from a man who packed primarily Hawaiian shirts for his honeymoon.”
Garrick laughed. “You won’t let me wear them to the office. What else am I supposed to do?”
“For the last time, just because they have a collar does not make them business casual.”
“Ah, I’m going to miss you,” Garrick said. “But it’s good to know you won’t be lonely while I’m gone. Frankie’s a great girl.”
Ahead of us, Frankie and Val were enjoying their fourth hug and a smile tugged onto my lips.
“She is, isn’t she?”
Val and Frankie separated and the teary-eyed bride came over to grab her husband’s hand. “Ready?”
Garrick pecked her on the lips. “I’ve been ready for this since the first day we met.”
“I wouldn’t speak so soon,” Val said, wrinkling her nose. “I ate my weight in pasta salad at dinner and I’m not sure you’re going to be able to carry me over the threshold.”
Garrick brushed his fingers over her lips tenderly. “I’ll roll you in.”
“I love you,” Val said.
“I love you too.”
I stepped around them as they started making out and took Frankie into my arms. Her cheeks were pink from a night of dancing and drinking, but her eyes were clear and bright. She rose on her tip toes and kissed my jaw.
“Gross, get a room,” Garrick called.
“Are you still here?” I retorted. “Get out of here. It’s your wedding night.”
He and Val laughed and we all made our final goodbyes. Frankie and Val went in for hug number five. I went for a firm handshake with Garrick, but he pulled me in for a hug instead. They waved to us again at the elevator, and then they were gone.
The lobby was empty besides us, with everyone still partying in the reception hall. After a long night of revelry, the quiet was nice.
“You know,” Frankie said, “I just thought of something.”
I brushed an errant strand of hair out of her eyes. “What’s that?”
“Neither of us have roommates anymore. What if the power goes out tonight? It could be hazardous.”
I blocked my brow and nodded studiously. “You’re right. The best option would be for us to cohabit.”
“And maybe we should go check the room now? To make sure we’ve got a flashlight?” She batted her lashes. “You know, just to be safe.”
My cock zapped to life. I slid my hands around her waist and rested them low on her back, fingers curving around the top of her luscious ass.
“I like the way you think.”
Frankie grinned and we started toward the elevator.
“Let’s go to my room,” I said. “It’s closer.”
She shot me a quizzical look. “Only by a few feet.”
The elevator doors slid open and I guided her inside, lips at the shell of her ear as I pressed the floor number. “Sweetheart, I don’t even know if I can wait the length of this elevator ride to tear your clothes off.”
She shivered.
The doors closed and I slammed Frankie into the wall, hiking up her dress and wrapping one silky leg around my hips as my mouth claimed hers in a hard kiss. Frankie moaned in surprise. I ground my bulge into her and she moaned again for another reason entirely.
We grappled with each other the whole elevator ride—hands roaming, searching, gripping. By the time the doors opened, we were both panting feverishly.
I grabbed Frankie’s hand and ran for the room, laughing. That was just one of the many things I loved about Frankie. No matter what we were doing, I always had fun with her.
I unlocked the door and flung it open, pulling Frankie into the darkened room and heading straight for the bed.
“I’ve missed this,” she said.
“I’ve missed you.” I grabbed her by the hips and hoisted her onto the bed. She bounced once and shrieked in surprise.
“This dress would be a lot easier to take off standing up,” she said.
I chuckled, pulling at my tie and unbuttoning my shirt. “I don’t care. I like seeing you spread out on my bed. It reminds me of the night I tied you up and ate your pussy while you were completely helpless.”
Frankie chewed her lip hungrily and pushed herself up on her elbows. “I think about that all the time.”
“Yeah?” I stripped my shirt off and started working on my pants. “Does it make you wet?”
“Come over here and find out.”
A growl ripped from my throat. My pants and boxers fell to the floor and I covered Frankie with my body, reveling in the sensation of my naked skin against the silky fabric of her dress.
I captured her mouth and kissed her hard and deep, showing her exactly how much I wanted her. She sighed against my mouth and moaned when I nipped her bottom lip. My cock throbbed insistently.
“Turn over,” I instructed.
Frankie didn’t hesitate a beat. She flipped onto her stomach, pulling her hair to the side to allow me access to her throat.
“Good girl,” I murmured.
I kissed the back of her neck, sucking on the sensitive skin there, and started pulling on the zipper of her dress, revealing her back inch by inch. My fingertips traced the path of the zipper. I reached the bottom and parted the material, kissing over her shoulder blades and down to the base of her spine. Gooseflesh rose in my wake and Frankie shivered.
I pulled the bottom of her dress up to her hips, exposing her juicy ass, enclosed in a pair of black lace panties that drove me to the edge of reason. I slid a hand between her legs and cupped her pussy, applying pressure above her clit. She was hot and wet even through the lace. Fuck, this girl would be my undoing.
Frankie moaned and lifted her ass to give me better access.
“I can’t decide whether to get you off with my hand first, while you’re all disheveled and at my mercy, or to get these clothes off and fuck you until you cum on my cock.”
“Please fuck me,” Frankie said in a breathy voice. She looked over her shoulder at me, lips parted and eyes wild with want. “Please.”
Any self-control I’d had snapped.
I reached up and practically tore the dress down Frankie’s body.
Blood pounded in my ears, though it felt more like fire in my veins. Seeing her soft curves on display was almost more than I could take. I unsnapped her bra and pulled down her panties before finally rolling her over and burying my face in her ample breasts.
I kissed and sucked with wild abandon, one hand reaching for the bedside table. Once I found what I was looking for, I sat back on my heels and rolled the condom down my turgid cock while Frankie looked up at me with smoldering eyes.
I kissed her again. My body quaked from how much I wanted her. Needed her. I probed my cock into her folds and plunged in to the hilt.
Frankie dug her fingernails into my back, scratching down my spine and making my scalp tingle. I gave her everything I had. No mercy. No holding back. She thrust up against me and our bodies slapped together with wild abandon.
My body swirled with pleasure. It burned under my skin and hijacked my brain, leaving me with only a few thoughts.
Harder.
Faster.
Heaven.
Her hands on my ass. My teeth in her neck.
“I’m so close,” Frankie panted.
My only answer was a growl and a thrust so hard the bed rattled against the headboard. I moved to my knees and slung her legs over my shoulders, needing to see her come apart.
Frankie’s breasts jiggled with the force of my thrusts. She gripped the
bedsheets as I plunged even deeper inside of her than before, grunting with effort.
“Oh god,” she moaned. “Yes! Levi! Oh god, Levi!”
A spike of white hot lust surged straight down to my balls. Sweat prickled on my brow but I wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. Not when we were both so close to cumming and the world seemed like it would end if I did.
Frankie screwed her eyes shut and the first spasms of her orgasm held my dick in a vice. My eyes rolled back in my head and I broke, shuddering as I spurted over and over again. Frankie milked me to perfection. The room spun and blackness crept in from the edges. For a moment, I heard nothing but the sound of my own ragged breathing and my heart hammering.
I came back down, pulling out of Frankie with quivering legs and collapsing to the side. She rolled over to me, grinning, cheeks flushed.
“I never want to not do that,” she said, nuzzling under my chin.
“Me neither.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and stroked her back. My voice came out barely a whisper. “Maybe the next wedding you should start planning is your own.”
Frankie emerged slowly, almost lazily, and met my gaze with a smile. “If I don’t kill you before we get to that part.”
I kissed her cheek. “Sweetheart, you kill me every single day.”
Epilogue
Frankie
1 year later...
“Ow!” I complained. “Careful with the zipper!”
Val smacked me. “I’ll be careful with the zipper when you stop fidgeting.”
“I can’t help it. I’m nervous.”
She came to stand in front of me, offering a reassuring smile. “You’ve got nothing to be nervous about. It’s going to be a piece of cake.”
I sighed. “I know. I’ve only done this a million times.” After a pause, I added, “Though not this part, I guess.”
Val chuckled. “I should hope not.”
I touched her arm. “Thank you for being here. It means the world to me.”
“Nowhere else I’d rather be,” she replied. “Even if I am working for free.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, shut up.”
We both laughed, and I walked over to the mirror to admire the fit of my gown. I’d opted for a slim-fitting mermaid that accentuated my curves, giving me an ass J-Lo could only dream of. My hair was braided loosely over one shoulder, with pearls and diamonds woven into it. Val came to stand beside me, looking gorgeous as ever in her sea-green maid of honor gown, and the two of us leaned against each other. When the door flew open, we both jumped.
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