Temporary Groom: Left At The Altar

by J. S. Scott

  Honestly, it felt strange for a guy to give a damn what I wanted. Stuart had gotten what was trendy, and he hadn’t consulted me much about anything since he’d been paying for our wedding. A fact he’d reminded me about every single time I made a suggestion. I’d finally just…given up on anything I wanted.

  Our reception consisted of one very large table of guests, but for me, it was perfect.

  I’d never wanted the large, formal, uptight wedding Stuart had planned. If I had been able to choose, it would have been just like this. Friends and family instead of worrying about what business people he had to impress.

  In my opinion, weddings were very personal, and should be about the couple instead of the people in attendance.

  “Thank you for getting my favorite,” I whispered beside Zeke’s ear as I leaned into him so nobody else could hear me.

  I’d gotten so close that I could smell him, which probably wasn’t a good thing. His masculine scent and the proximity of our bodies was a very heady thing. After the kiss he’d laid on me at the end of the wedding ceremony, my entire body had come to life. To be honest, I was still reeling over the embrace. For a few moments, I’d been so intoxicated by the feel of his soft lips on mine that I’d forgotten anybody was in the chapel except him.

  We’d eaten an incredible catered meal, and we were now back in our seats at the table, devouring a huge piece of wedding cake.

  “I have to admit that I debated between the M&M and blueberry cakes, but of course I was going to get one of them. It’s your wedding and you like both of them.”

  I practically melted into a pool under the table. Zeke acted like there was no other option except something I liked, which was a novel experience for me. Like it was important to please me. Funny how that seemed so romantic after my previous experience.

  “This is perfect,” I informed him as I pointed my fork at the nearly demolished cake on my plate.

  “Did I tell you how beautiful you look today?” he asked huskily.

  “You did,” I assured him. And he had…at least ten times since he’d seen me at the chapel. “Do you like the dress?”

  “Love it,” he replied enthusiastically.

  “You look hot in a tux,” I told him as I scooped the last piece of cake into my mouth.

  He turned to look at me. “You noticed,” he teased.

  I rolled my eyes. “You might be my friend, but I’m not blind.”

  “Do you want to tell me what happened before the ceremony? You looked terrified, and I was pretty sure you were ready to bolt. I didn’t realize you found marrying me that damn daunting.”

  I dropped my fork on my empty plate and then looked at the rest of the table. The guests were way too involved in the food to be listening. “It wasn’t like that. I guess I just realized how one-sided this deal is for you. I’ll get my inheritance at the price of your freedom, even if it’s only temporary.”

  “Do I look worried?” he asked lightly.

  “No. And that kind of scares the hell out of me,” I confessed. “You wouldn’t even do a pre-nuptial agreement. I appreciate the fact that you trust me, but you have a lot more to lose than I do. I’m actually gaining with this whole thing. You aren’t.”

  “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

  To my chagrin, the whole table was clinking their forks against their glasses, insisting that Zeke and I share an embrace.

  He put a finger under my chin and tipped my head up as he grumbled, “I’m not getting nothing, Lia. I’m getting you.”

  I shivered as his lips met mine in an even more intimate embrace than we’d shared at the altar. This one was a lazy, thorough exploration that made me breathless, and I couldn’t stop myself from kissing him back.

  He devoured, and I opened for him to get him closer, my body responding like a fireworks show on the Fourth of July. Zeke filled every one of my senses, and I lost myself in his insistent, sensual assault.

  Granted, it was a little strange to suddenly want to rip my best friend’s clothes from his body so I could intimately explore every powerful muscle and every inch of his bare skin. But somehow, it also felt as natural as breathing. And as important as oxygen.

  A longing I’d never experienced gripped me, and it refused to let go.

  “Zeke,” I whispered as though I was in a daze as he finally released my mouth.

  “Don’t be afraid, Lia. Just let it happen,” he said hoarsely.

  “But we’re friends. None of this is real,” I answered shakily, realizing I was having trouble separating reality from fantasy because of my reaction when I was close to Zeke.

  “Right now, we’re married. I think we’re a hell of a lot more than friends.”

  “Hey, get a room,” one of Zeke’s young cousins shouted from the other end of the table.

  He grinned. “I plan on it,” Zeke called back.

  The moment of intimacy was broken, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d said.

  Let it happen.

  Really, did I have any choice when Zeke kissed me like he just had? I was pretty much defenseless when he started a powerful sensual assault.

  “We should be able to make our escape pretty soon,” Zeke said.

  We’d decided that it was best if we lived at Zeke’s place, and most of my clothing had already been sent there.

  I nodded. “Back to your place.”

  “We aren’t going home. I packed some of your things, and they’re in the car. We have to leave from here to the airport. There’s a charter waiting.”

  I was dumbfounded. “Why are we going to the airport?”

  He shot me a brilliant grin. “We just got married. We’re going on our honeymoon.”

  I frowned. The last thing I wanted was a honeymoon. Stuart had arranged a trip to Dubai, and I had been planning on suffering through it. So I was more than happy to just hang out at Zeke’s place. “Where?”

  “Playa del Carmen,” he answered. “Maybe I should have asked you, but I thought you’d love to go someplace tropical and relaxing after the stress you’ve been through.”

  I’d never been to Playa, but I knew it was close to Cancun on the Yucatan Peninsula, and since it was gloomy and rainy in Seattle, it sounded like heaven.

  I sighed. “I’d love to go somewhere like that.”

  “We are going,” he replied.

  “But my shop—”

  “Will be just fine,” he interrupted. “You have a manager, and Ruby will check in every day. We can do as much or as little as you want there. Snorkel, boat rides in the underground caves, the pool, the fantastic beaches, zip-lining, exploring the Mayan ruins, and eating at all the best restaurants we can find.”

  I laughed. “You don’t exactly have to twist my arm to spend time in the Caribbean.”

  Luckily, I’d had to get a passport for my impending honeymoon with Stuart. But Zeke’s sounded like a hell of a lot more fun and relaxing.

  I’d never had a real vacation, and I’d always dreamed of getting to Mexico.

  “Good. Then we’re off just as soon as we can flee,” he said with a hint of mischief in his tone.

  I noticed that the music had started, but nobody had gotten out of their seat yet.

  “Nobody is dancing,” I told him.

  “They’re waiting for us,” he explained as he got to his feet. “Dance with me, Mrs. Conner?”

  Zeke held out his hand.

  My heart skittered as I looked up and saw him looking at me expectantly.

  I wasn’t entirely sure that our bodies being wrapped together was a very good idea. But I decided to throw caution to the wind.

  I took his hand and stood up.

  Just let it happen.

  He’d been so confident, so sure that letting go of everything and just enjoying the experience was the right thing to do.

  But I knew I wasn’t going to be doing that just because Zeke thought it was the right thing to do.

  As I followed him to the small dance floor, I knew I was making th
e decision because I wanted to.

  CHAPTER 7

  Lia

  The following day, I was basking in the sun and warmth of the gorgeous beach in Playa, wondering what I did to deserve such a fantastic honeymoon.

  Zeke had put us in a swanky resort suite with two bedrooms, and the luxurious resort had every available amenity.

  Since we’d gotten in late last night, we’d both retreated to our rooms, and then slept late this morning.

  God, I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been allowed to sleep until mid-morning. And if that had ever happened, I certainly hadn’t thrown on a swimsuit and headed to the beach when I’d woken up.

  I turned my head to look at Zeke, who was in the lounger next to mine, my eyes fixed on the simple platinum band I’d put on his finger the day before. It winked brightly in the sun, and my belly clenched. Hard.

  For some reason, I still couldn’t quite fathom Zeke as my husband, even if it was only going to last for a little while. Now that the craziness was over, I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it…or him.

  Maybe it was the fact that neither one of us was heavily clothed. Zeke was in a pair of board shorts, his perfectly formed body on full display.

  To put it simply, my new husband had the body of a god. My eyes roamed over every inch of his muscular chest, and I itched to touch the smooth skin that covered his six-pack abs.

  Tearing my eyes away, I reached for the fruity drink on the small table between us, trying to find some relief from the gnawing ache between my thighs.

  “It’s beautiful here,” I said after I’d guzzled a large portion of my drink.

  The beach was private, and only used by the resort. So it was far from crowded. Zeke and I had our own little portion of it, even if there were other guests around.

  “Are you thawed out yet?” he asked in a teasing voice.

  “Almost.” Seattle had been cool and rainy, so I pretty much felt like I was in paradise. “Thank you for this. I think I needed it.”

  “I think we both did,” he agreed. “Honestly, it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten away from Seattle.”

  Zeke worked so hard that I couldn’t remember the last time he’d escaped, either. Sadly, I also couldn’t recollect the last time he’d really laughed and had fun. We’d both been so caught up in our lives that I suddenly realized that in some respects, we’d drifted apart.

  Yeah, we saw each other a lot at the coffee shop because he stopped in often. But when had we quit going out together, having fun together?

  Thinking back, I guess it had all been different since Stuart and I had started dating.

  “I’ve missed you,” I said before I could censor my words.

  “I missed you, too, Lia. A lot,” he said in a graveled voice.

  “How did we start drifting apart?”

  “When you decided Stuart was the best thing that ever happened to you,” he drawled. “I knew he wasn’t, and I couldn’t stand to watch him try to change you. You were perfect just the way you were.”

  “Did I change?” I asked curiously, knowing full well that I had.

  “Yes. Stuart somehow managed to dim the bright light you always seemed to carry around inside you. And you were never meant to be subdued.” He shot me a smile, but his expressive eyes were covered with a pair of dark sunglasses.

  I leaned my head back against the lounge pillow and closed my eyes. “I’m not even sure how or when it happened,” I admitted. “Little by little, I just gave up disagreeing with him about everything from my clothing to my hair style. It was just easier. And he made me second-guess myself.”

  “Why?” Zeke asked. “At one time, you’d tell the entire world to go screw themselves if they didn’t like you.”

  I shrugged. “He knew how to manipulate my insecurities. I got to the point where I felt like being me wasn’t good enough.”

  “He was so fucking wrong,” Zeke growled. “You know that, right? Nobody should ever want you to change in order to get their love and acceptance.”

  “I know,” I replied. “But that’s easier to see when the relationship is over than when it’s happening. I guess I never really wanted to acknowledge that I was doing all the compromising.”

  In short, Stuart was an asshole. He’d criticized me every single day, and I let myself absorb every fault he pointed out until I was a different version of myself. A Lia I really hadn’t liked.

  He’d been in control.

  And I’d merely been an observer.

  I felt so damn lost that I wasn’t sure I was ever going to find myself again. Not that I actually missed him, but because I’d let him call the shots for so long and dictate who I was as a person.

  My eyes flew open as I felt Zeke put his hand over mine. “Everything will be okay, Lia.”

  For some reason, I desperately wanted to cry. “You tried to tell me, but I wasn’t listening.”

  “I didn’t try hard enough,” he said roughly. “Let’s go cool off. You ready to go for a swim?”

  I was beyond ready. “Do you want to go to the pool?”

  He stood and pulled me up gently beside him. “Hell, no. The sea temperature has to be over eighty-five degrees.”

  I glanced at the beautiful turquoise water before I lifted the cover-up I was wearing over my head, and tossed it in the chair. I’d only had one simple, black, one-piece swimming suit, so that was what I was wearing beneath it.

  My body filled with anticipation as I bolted toward the Caribbean, kicking up some of the gorgeous white sand as I called, “I’ll get there first.”

  Zeke didn’t catch up to me until I was in the water.

  It was warm, but the shock of hitting the ocean waters and Zeke wrapping his arms around me from behind made me squeal.

  “Cheater,” he accused.

  I was in waist-deep water as I turned around and laughed. “All I did was run. You’re just getting slow.”

  “You distracted me,” he said as he grinned down at me, his chest and face already wet from the initial splash we’d made when we’d plowed into the ocean waters. “A guy can’t possibly not be distracted when your beautiful ass is headed toward the water.”

  He hauled me against him, and I trembled as he wrapped his powerful arms around my waist.

  He felt so good. So warm. So damned…tempting.

  Time stopped as his liquid blue eyes pinned mine as though he was searching for something. My heart kicked against my chest wall.

  “Zeke,” I said breathlessly, not knowing what to say about the way he made me feel.

  He was so close that I could feel his warm breath against my lips.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful, Lia,” he rasped right before his mouth covered mine.

  My body caught fire, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, savoring every brush of my fingers against his bare skin.

  Carnal desire flooded my senses, and I couldn’t get enough of his marauding mouth, so I pushed back, meeting every stroke of his tongue.

  And it felt so perfect, so natural that I wasn’t afraid to let him in.

  The way that Zeke consumed me felt so right that I couldn’t imagine it being wrong.

  He was different, yet familiar at the same time. And I couldn’t get enough.

  Water was lapping lovingly against my body, but all I could really feel was Zeke.

  I clung to him like a second skin. And I didn’t want to ever let go. He touched me like I was the most necessary thing in the world to him.

  It was addictive.

  Seductive.

  And completely all-consuming.

  I was panting when he finally released my mouth, his lips trailing to the sensitive skin of my neck, leaving a trail of fire in his wake as he said, “I want you so damn much, Lia.”

  Incredibly, I wanted him, too. More than I could express in words, but I tried. “I don’t understand this. We’re supposed to be friends.”

  “Let it happen,” he said roughly against my neck. “Don’t second-gu
ess the way we feel together.”

  Since I’d never been a very sexual female, it was hard to just give in. I wasn’t sure why I felt like I had to figure it out when I knew Zeke was right. I could just let myself feel, because what I was experiencing was very, very real.

  My core clenched painfully as Zeke’s mouth brushed against my ear. My body was demanding satisfaction. And dammit, I wanted to climb up his muscular body until I got exactly what I needed.

  My instincts were so primal they were scary.

  I let my head fall to one side to give him access to explore. “This doesn’t happen to me. Ever.”

  He grasped my ass and pulled it flush with his body. “This happens to me all the time. Every damn time I see you,” he grunted.

  I nearly melted as I felt his hard erection press against my lower belly.

  “I never knew,” I answered in a rush.

  “Now you do,” he answered abruptly. “The question is…are you game for a new adventure, a different dimension of our relationship?”

  I knew he was asking me if I was okay with our friendship moving to a whole different level. “I’m scared,” I confessed. “I’m not used to feeling this out of control.”

  “You’ll have to get used to it, and trust me,” he said as he slowly backed away and started to tug me into the deeper water.

  I leaped onto his back and pushed his head underwater playfully. “I’ve always trusted you,” I told him as he surfaced.

  I squealed as he lifted my body and tossed me so far that I was sputtering when I came up.

  But he was there to lift me up and adjust my legs around his hips as he replied. “I want to make you come until you can’t remember your own name anymore.”

  I ground my sex against his washboard stomach as I melted, knowing that I wanted exactly the same thing.

  For this stolen period of time when we were alone in another part of the world, Zeke was my everything.

  Let it happen. I heard his voice in my head, even though he hadn’t spoken, and I laid my head on his shoulder.

  The way I felt at the moment, I was helpless to do anything else but let him in.

  CHAPTER 8

  Lia