by Sophia Renny
“What if I don’t?”
“Trust me.”
She curled her hand around his neck and snuggled closer. “Where were we married?”
“The Little White Wedding Chapel.”
“That’s where Willa’s friend, Shirley, got married,” she remembered.
“That’s exactly what you said when the taxi drove by the place on the way back to the hotel. You yelled ‘stop the car!’ and we all went inside. You said you just wanted to see the place because Shirley had said some famous people got married there. Next thing I knew, you were asking one of the wedding coordinators what the process was to get married there.”
“I did?”
“You did. Twenty minutes later, we were in line at the Clark County Court House to get our marriage license.”
“On a Sunday?”
“They open at eight a.m. every day of the year. This is the wedding capital of the world.”
Her brow furrowed. “So this was all my idea?”
It didn’t make sense. She’d always imagined her wedding day as a grand affair with all of her friends and family present. Well, that had mostly been her mother’s dream, but Julia had wanted it, too. Hadn’t she? Oh, God, her mother was going to have a breakdown when she found out that she’d missed her only daughter’s—her only child’s—wedding.
“We can’t tell anyone about this,” she blurted. “No one can know what happened.”
He stiffened. “What do you mean?”
“My mother is going to freak. You should know that. Don’t you remember how devastated she was after Joe broke things off? She’s been planning my wedding since the day I was born.”
He was silent for a few moments. “Maybe that’s why you chose to go this route instead,” he suggested. “Maybe it was a form of rebellion.”
She shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense. I wouldn’t be that cruel to my mother. She has her faults, but she’s only wanted the best for me.” She reared her head back and gave him a pleading look. “We can’t tell anyone we’re married, Tony.” She steeled her voice. “In fact, we need to get an annulment right away. I just can’t believe that I was ready to marry you this quickly. I don’t know if I wanted to marry you at all!”
He bolted upright. His face was livid. “No way, Julia. No way in hell are we getting an annulment or a divorce. You married me fair and square, until death do us part. I’ve got the certificate to prove it. I’m not letting you go.”
“I was drunk! I wasn’t thinking clearly!”
His jaw clenched. “You were not drunk.” He grasped her chin and brought his face close, his eyes burning into hers. “In fact, you were thinking more clearly than you probably ever have in your life. You were following your heart.”
“I wouldn’t do that to my mother,” she insisted, her voice shrill.
“Let’s leave your mother out of this,” he seethed. “This is just between you and me and what we feel for each other. Do you love me?”
Her heart lodged in her throat. She nodded mutely.
He slid his hand down her neck and then wrapped his fingers around her nape. “Then why are you fighting this? Why can’t you just let us be?”
He swallowed her faint protest with his demanding mouth. He pushed her back against his bracing arm. His other hand tugged impatiently at the belt of her bathrobe and yanked it free. She felt cool air touching her skin as the robe draped open. She gasped against his mouth as his hand took possession of her breasts.
“This is mine,” he muttered against her lips. “Feel how you want me?” He rubbed the rough pad of his thumb across one nipple. “Your body doesn’t lie, Julia.”
“I can’t,” she protested feebly. “I needed more time—”
“Stop thinking,” he persisted. “Just feel.”
He buried his face against her arching neck, licking his fine sandpaper tongue over her thundering pulse as his hand slid down her belly and dipped between her legs.
She parted them without a second thought, lifted her hips into his touch. She felt a long finger push inside of her, his thumb stroking her clit.
She writhed and squirmed, her bottom rubbing against the hard ridge of his arousal.
He dragged his mouth to her ear, darted his tongue inside and took a swirling lick. She nearly flew off his lap. His brief, exultant laugh sent a blast of delicious heat into her ear. “See, Julia? See how you respond to me?”
That finger between her legs pushed deeper, curled inwards and gently scraped against a swollen place inside of her she hadn’t known existed. She clutched his head, rested her temple against his as she cried out in an attenuated wail. The sweet pressure inside of her built and built until the only way to relieve the tension was to convulse and scream.
He shuddered against her, the hand at the nape of her neck gripping hard. His finger continued to thrust inside of her in a rapid, relentless pursuit of the second climax that was quickly building up inside of her.
“Tony!” she cried, her voice ringing with amazement and ecstasy. She’d never known such pleasure. It was impossible to fight against it.
Tears sprang to her eyes as she came a second time, her body quivering from head to toe. She relaxed completely in his arms, surrendering to the most perfect bliss she’d ever known.
He kissed her forehead and then her closed eyes.
His finger lingered inside of her as her body clenched around it in tiny aftershocks. When she eventually stilled, he slowly removed his finger and trailed it up her torso, between her breasts, along the arch of her neck to her chin. He slipped that finger in her mouth. “Taste what I’ve done to you,” he commanded, his rich bourbon voice pouring over her.
She obediently coiled her tongue around his finger and tasted the essence of her pleasure.
His breath was coming in staccato gasps against her cheek when he eventually withdrew his finger and rubbed it slowly along her bottom lip. “See how good it can be between us, Julia?”
Her brain was groggy. She was complete mush in his arms. Her fingers played lazily with the corded tendons at the back of his neck. “Mmm.”
His husky laugh held both male pride and unsatisfied lust. Hearing it, she drowsily opened her eyes. Her heart squeezed at the stark longing written on his face. “What about you?” she asked sleepily. She slid her hand down his chest, grazed a penny-brown nipple with her finger.
He shuddered. His features grimaced as if he couldn’t believe what he was about to say. “You’re still hung over. You’re going to take some aspirin and then we’ll take a nap.” His gaze softened with his promise. “I want you wide awake when I take you. When I’ve come inside of you, there won’t be an ounce of doubt left in that head of yours about where you belong.”
Chapter Thirteen
“I still can’t believe you did this,” Hannah muttered with a sour expression, ignoring the flight attendant who was giving safety instructions in preparation for takeoff.
Julia had only just begun to breathe normally again. She’d sagged against her seatback with relief when the airplane door had finally been shut.
Tony had been sound asleep when she’d crept out of their bed two hours earlier. Before he’d drifted off, he’d told her that he hadn’t had any sleep since five a.m. the previous day; he’d been too busy chasing her.
She’d dozed in his arms for a while, still lethargic after experiencing the most mind-blowing orgasms of her life. When she had awoken to use the bathroom, Tony hadn’t stirred as she’d carefully extricated herself from beneath his heavy, limp arm.
As she’d stood in front of the bathroom mirror, studying her pale, wide-eyed reflection, all of her doubts and insecurities had churned inside of her again. Her brain had still been in a fog. She still didn’t remember the wedding. Then she’d made the impulsive decision to go to Hannah’s room and grill her friend for the details, hoping that would give her some peace of mind.
She’d found her suitcase next to the bedroom dresser and quietly rolled it into t
he bathroom. She’d quickly dressed in jeans and a lightweight sweater. She didn’t bother with makeup. As she’d packed her toiletries, it had dawned on her what she was really doing.
It wasn’t going to be a short visit to Hannah’s room. Julia wanted to leave this hotel and Las Vegas behind her as quickly as possible. As much as she loved Tony, she simply couldn’t believe that she would’ve done something that didn’t fit into her normal, good-girl behavior.
Maybe it had been a joke, a prank. But Tony would never do something like that to her. His fury when she’d insisted they get an annulment couldn’t have been faked. It had to be true. She just wished she could remember!
She couldn’t think straight when she was around him. That was the problem. He was just too damn sexy and aggressive. He just had to look at her with those piercing brown eyes of his and she practically swooned like a fan girl at a pop concert.
She wasn’t sure she liked being that way. She’d never considered herself weak. And she didn’t like feeling vulnerable. He had been too overpowering.
She needed to get away. She needed to clear her head and calm her emotions and make sure that she hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of her life. She couldn’t have Tony around, influencing her decisions.
As she’d tiptoed to the door, she’d heard a faint yip from inside the closet. The sound gave impetus to her motions as she’d quietly unlocked the door and slipped into the hallway.
She didn’t even remember how the dog had come into the picture!
She’d raced to Hannah’s room and shaken her awake. She’d ignored her friend’s entreaties and grumblings as she’d pleaded with Hannah to hurry up. Julia’s rising hysteria had finally convinced Hannah to go along with the escape. She’d insisted on taking a shower first though. Julia had frantically paced the floor, dreading that Tony would be banging on the door at any minute.
Afraid that they might bump into him in the lobby, Julia had Hannah check out of their room over the phone. Then they’d taken the elevator to the meeting rooms on the second floor and from there taken an escalator to the lobby level. They’d exited out a side door to the porte cochere. As their cab had pulled away from the hotel, Julia had looked back to make sure they weren’t being followed.
Hannah had been less than thrilled to learn that the only way Julia could arrange a fast exit from Las Vegas was to first take a flight to Los Angeles, then hop on a red-eye to Providence that wouldn’t get them home until nine-thirty the following morning.
“I hate red-eyes,” Hannah grumbled now for what felt like the hundredth time.
“At least you didn’t have to pay for it,” Julia shot back. “I’ve now maxed out my personal credit card.”
“Hey, this was your choice. We could’ve left tomorrow morning as planned. Why you couldn’t stay put and just enjoy a healthy round of hot sex with your hunky husband is beyond my comprehension.”
Julia made a shushing gesture with her hand. “Don’t talk so loud. I don’t want everyone on this plane knowing my business. And I’ve gone over this with you half a dozen times already. Why isn’t it sinking in?”
“Maybe because I’m still hung over?”
Julia sighed. “Then let’s talk after we’ve both had some coffee. And don’t fall asleep on me. I need you to tell me exactly what happened.”
“I can’t believe you don’t remember.”
“Well, I don’t, okay?” Julia could hear the anguish in her voice. “That’s why I will never drink champagne again.”
“Lightweight.” But Hannah’s tone was conciliatory. She gave Julia’s arm a gentle nudge. “Just let me close my eyes until they start serving beverages, okay? You woke me out of a dream of Sam licking melted Godiva chocolate off my belly. I want to try and get back into that dream again.”
Forty minutes later, after they’d each downed two cups of coffee, Hannah retrieved her smartphone from her purse and opened her photos. She swiped her finger across the screen. “Here you are at the courthouse. Isn’t that sweet the way you’re looking up at Tony? You look so excited.”
Julia studied the photo closely. She did look excited. And happy. She didn’t look drunk. She had a vague recollection of a clerk explaining the paperwork to her and Tony. She remembered sharing a secret laugh with him as the clerk snapped her gum with evident boredom.
“And here we are at the lingerie shop,” Hannah continued. “You asked me to take this picture so you could share it with Tony later.”
Julia cringed. “Gah! Why did you let me buy that?”
Hannah gave her a suffering look. “One, your bra and panties were all sweaty after a night of shaking it on the dance floor. And, two, you wanted to wear something with a lot of buttons for Tony to undo.”
A memory flashed in Julia’s head. “I did say that, didn’t I.”
“You remember?”
“Yes.” Her voice filled with relief and excitement. “I tried on a corset, too, with red ribbons. But I wasn’t feeling it.” She winced. “I can’t believe I chose a thong, though.”
Hannah smirked. “You said Tony liked to touch your ass.”
Julia gave her friend a worried frown. “Han, was I drunk?”
“No.” Hannah’s tone was adamant. “I was still feeling a buzz. You guys didn’t see me sneak a seven and seven when we were at that casino. But I would’ve gone along with this drunk or sober. You were so excited about the whole thing. When we first arrived at the chapel and were just looking around, it was like suddenly this light switched on inside of you. You looked at Tony and said, ‘You’re right, why wait?’ I loved how confident you were. I was so impressed.”
“And Tony didn’t try to convince me not to do it?”
“He did say, ‘Are you sure?’ And you said—”
“Absolutely. I said absolutely.”
“Yep. That’s what you said. Then you and Tony were kissing, and the wedding coordinators were giving instructions on where to get the license. It was just a whirlwind from that point.”
“Wait. Did he ask me to marry him? Or did I ask him?”
Hannah cocked her head to one side. “You know? I don’t remember either one of you asking. I think it was just a given.”
Julia frowned. “I don’t remember the dress. Let me see the dress.”
Hannah swiped to the next photo. It showed Julia standing in front of a three-way mirror. The dress was a strapless ivory satin column gown with an empire waist. There was some pretty floral lace detail on the bodice.
“Oh,” Julia said softly. “That’s lovely. I do remember wearing that! I remember trying on some ball gown and princess styles. But I didn’t like them.”
Hannah laughed. “You said you were not going to dress like a princess on your wedding day.”
“I did!” Julia laughed, too. She felt the lightness of relief as memories came rushing into her head. Only now did she understand just how agonized she’d been that she may have had a total blackout and would never remember anything about her wedding.
“What did you wear, Han?”
“Oh, I didn’t want to be in the wedding party, hon. I took the pictures, and I was your witness. I just wanted you two up there in front of the officiant. See?”
And there they were: Tony and Julia, facing each other, hands clasped, standing in front of a kind-faced, gray-haired man. She remembered walking towards Tony down the short aisle, remembered the glow in his eyes as she drew closer. She remembered looking up at him, heart in her eyes and telling him that she would take him as her wedded partner, to have and to hold…till death do us part.
She felt pinpricks of tears behind her eyes as she beamed at her friend. “Oh, Hannah. I did marry him.”
Hannah smiled. “It was a lovely ceremony. Only ten minutes long, but I cried. And you were crying. And Tony’s eyes were shimmery, too.”
Julia glanced at her naked ring finger. “We didn’t exchange rings?”
“You did! It was so cute. We stopped by a grocery store on the way back fr
om the courthouse, and Tony put two dollars in quarters in the bubble gum machine before he found a ring that you both liked. He said he’d replace it with a real one when you got back to Providence.”
Hannah smiled. “We laughed when he put it on my finger.”
“Here’s a picture of your hands.”
The ring was a plastic silver band with a big, gaudy diamond. Tony’s hand rested over hers. His own ring was plastic, too, with the jewel snapped off.
Julia laughed. “That’s so sweet. I wonder what happened to them?”
“They were kind of tight. He must have them.”
Julia brushed a hand across her damp eyes. “Oh, Han. I remember saying ‘I do’ and kissing him.”
“So… Why are you running away?”
“Maybe because this isn’t normal for me? This isn’t something I’d typically do.” She gave Hannah a beseeching look. “You know me. I like having everything in order. I like feeling in control. That’s one reason why I enjoy my job. I’m good at organizing things. I was good at organizing my life.”
“True.”
“My life was just about perfect, wasn’t it? But, since May, it hasn’t been. I’m afraid that I haven’t been thinking rationally.”
“It’s tough to think rationally when you’re in love.”
Julia heaved a sigh. “I asked him for time. But he didn’t give it to me.”
“I don’t know, Jules. I think you’ve grown too used to living in your comfort zone. I like that Tony is forcing you out of it. I love that he chased you all the way across the country. That is so hot.” Hannah squeezed Julia’s arm. “Why can’t you just let yourself go and take a leap of faith? I thought you had this morning. I was so proud of you. But now you’re letting all your little demons of self-doubt take control again.”
“You both expected too much from me too soon.” Julia shook her head. “I mean, I was just getting past the fact that he’s Joe’s younger brother. I needed more time to adjust. And Tony has been coming on so strong. I’m not used to that.”
Hannah’s tone was firm. “When you were trying on the wedding dresses, do you know what you said to me? You said one reason you loved him was because he made you feel stronger, more confident in yourself. What’s happened to that Julia since nine o’clock this morning?”