Destination Weddings: Books 1-3
Page 18
Someone rapped on the doorway behind her. Jasmine’s heart jumped. Her stomach sank. She slowly turned.
Kenzi came into the room. “I just want to be sure you’re okay.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“But you’re not now.”
Jasmine shrugged. “We only had a few days together. It’s in the past. Or will be soon enough.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Kenzi hugged her before leaving.
Jasmine knew she should be over Joey by now. They hadn’t been together long enough for it to be called a relationship. Hell, they didn’t even qualify as having been together.
She ached. Clear down into her bones. Why him? What made him so special that she’d been mourning all week?
His smile. His laugh. The way he’d run his fingers down her arm as they sat on the bed the night he’d run to the safety of his blanket and pillow on the floor.
And how she felt when she was with him. Drenched in the pouring rain, no makeup on, her hair hanging in strings, she felt beautiful in his eyes. She wasn’t self-conscious with him, even in her baggy sweats. She’d been as comfortable most of the time as if they’d been together forever.
That last night in their little flat, when he spoke close to her ear, his deep voice rough after another round of love-making, he’d sent shivers down her spine.
“Hey. You doing okay?”
Goosebumps spread over her arms. She was imagining she could hear him now.
“Jasmine?”
He was there in the flesh. She glanced over her shoulder, unable to face him directly. “Hi.”
“It’s beautiful out there.” Joey stopped beside her.
“Yeah.” Her body trembled with his nearness, with fear and anxiety of what he might say.
“Still not as beautiful as you are, though.”
What was his game? She couldn’t hope for the possibility he’d changed his mind about her. She couldn’t stand the pain of being rejected twice if she was wrong.
“Can I say I’m an ass?” he asked.
“You can say anything you want.” She totally agreed he was an ass.
“I’m sorry. I’m an ass.”
“We discussed that one.”
“I just wanted to make sure you knew.”
Jasmine drew in a deep breath and held it. She was so emotionally drained she was afraid she’d burst into tears at any second.
“I didn’t know how to handle what I was feeling.”
“What were you feeling?” she whispered.
He inched closer. “I don’t know. Well, I didn’t know, but I suspect it was love.”
“You suspect? When they hand out the award for most romantic, you’re not going to be very high on the list.”
“Give me a break, this is all new to me.”
She glanced at him. He was watching her. The look on his face showed how uncomfortable he was. She didn’t understand. “You write love songs. Okay, so they’re interspersed with partying songs, and ‘me and my buds’, but still, you’ve written some of the most heartrending lyrics I’ve heard.”
“Yeah, but they’re just words. I could write about being a dog but that doesn’t mean I’ve been one.”
Jasmine smiled. “That’s debatable.”
Joey pushed a lock of her hair behind her shoulder. “Okay, you’ve got me on that one.” He faced the window again. “I got scared. You messed with my plans.”
Biting her cheek, she asked, “Don’t you do anything you haven’t planned?” He’d said almost the same thing to her that night in their flat.
He chuckled, nodding his head. “Good one. We’re a lot alike. So rigid in our schedules, in making sure everything goes off like we want.”
“We survived Ireland.”
“Yeah, we did. And we found something special. At least, I did.”
The temptation was there to make him feel as bad as she had this past week. She couldn’t do it, though. Not only did she lack the mean gene, she was so full of hope she didn’t want to wait any longer to know the truth. “I did, too. Or thought I did. I was afraid the feelings were all one-sided.”
“No.” He grasped her hand and squeezed. “I found something better than a pot of gold. The best Christmas gift ever. That is, if you’ll have me.”
“Are you sure you can handle this? Not for a weekend, or a month. If I go into this, I’m fighting for as long as we can make it last.” Her chest was tight as she spoke.
“That’s the only way I do things.” He ducked his head. “Well, I only did that one time I told you about, because I knew the other women weren’t long time attractions. You were so different, and like I said, it scared the shit out of me. But when I walked into my house the other day and the only greeting I got was from the dogs, it hit me how much I wished you were there.”
“I know. My apartment never felt so empty. And not just because of all that space to I had to move around compared to the flat.”
“My whole life was empty. I had everything I’d ever dreamed of, and I had nothing since I pushed you away.”
Her throat tightened so much she couldn’t breathe.
Joey tugged her hand, pulling her into his arms. She found her comfortable spot against his hard body.
“I’m not pushing you away now.”
“So I noticed.” Her lips twitched, needing him to kiss her.
“I love you, Jasmine. I took a year to figure it out, but I love you.”
“I love you, too. Until that trip, I never would have believed it.”
“Thanks loads. I’m not that bad.”
“No. As I remember, you’re pretty good.” She smirked. “At some things.”
“Like what?” He lifted her chin and kissed her before she could answer.
His lips pressed hard against her, almost desperate in the way he captured her mouth. His tongue slipped into her mouth, thrusting and stroking, inflaming her body.
When he pulled back, he asked, “Do you think they’ll miss us?”
“They haven’t even noticed we’re not there.”
“Come home with me.”
Her heart fluttering, she stretched up to kiss him. “You live in Austin. That’s a bit longer than I want to wait for you to make love to me.”
“We’ll go to your place.”
“We’ll go to my place. I’ll get my purse and tell Kenzi.”
“Just grab your purse. Kenzi will figure it out.”
He took her hand and pulled her into the hallway. She picked up her purse from the chair in the living room.
“One more thing.” Joey jerked her hard against him. “Happy New Year.” He kissed her again.
Eventually, she was able to take another breath. “Best year ever, at least the first half hour or so.”
“Let’s go, and we can make it the entire first night.”
They walked to her car with their arms around each other’s backs, her head resting on his shoulder, as though they couldn’t be apart. She pulled out her keys and hesitated only a moment. Handing them to Joey, she said, “You can drive. See, I don’t always have to be the one in control.”
They drove in silence, the radio playing softly. Jasmine stared out the side window, lost in thoughts of the future. Mostly the future hours once they reached her place.
She remembered how often he’d scratched his arm on their trip. “Did that bite finally go away?”
“Huh?”
“On your arm. I haven’t noticed you scratching tonight.”
He glanced at the sleeve of his jacket. “Oh, I guess I must have been allergic to something in Ireland. It doesn’t itch anymore.”
For the life of her, she couldn’t think of anything to day to get conversation flowing.
“Do you trust me enough to tell me your dream now?”
She’d forgotten she’d mentioned her dream in the darkness that night. “It wasn’t a matter of trust, I don’t think. But my dream is silly in this millennium.”
>
“No dream is ever silly. Unless you wanted to be a unicorn. Or a mushroom.”
“What are you talking about?” As grateful as she was to possibly avoid revealing her secret, she often wondered where those tangents of his came from.
“I’m trying to tell you I can respect your dreams without laughing at them.”
She took a deep breath. They’d just gotten around to admitting their love for each other and now she was going to talk kids? This would be the shortest relationship on record. Yet not telling him would definitely get them off on the wrong foot. She forced herself to speak. “Jasmine-ette—and for a long time, grownup Jasmine—wanted nothing more than to be a mom. Now, don’t forget you’re driving my car so you can’t escape until I drive you back to Chaz and Kenzi’s, unless you call a cab.”
“Funny thing. That doesn’t scare me. On the other hand, the idea that it doesn’t scare me scares the shit out of me. But it’s not a deal breaker. Unless we’re talking the next year or so.”
Jasmine laughed, relief overflowing. “No. No way. Let’s take baby-steps. First I can be a good girlfriend. We’ll see what happens from there.”
“That sounds perfect. I don’t think either of us will survive long with no schedule to follow, but this will be a good test for us.”
“Let’s hope it’s the only way we’re tested. We’ve got enough potential landmines ahead of us. We don’t need to manufacture others.”
“I promise to focus on reality, and how much I love you.” Just saying the words I love you sent a current of warm, wonderful emotions through her.
“And I’ll be focused on loving you, which is my reality.”
She sighed. “See? I told you, you come up with some of the most romantic words I’ve ever heard.”
“Glad you like them, because you’ll be hearing a lot of them in the future. Maybe I’ll even write a song about you.”
A memory hit her, and she laughed loudly. “Oh my God, I’d forgotten about that. Way back when, after you guys had released your first CD, I used to listen at night and dream you’d written the words for me.”
“Me? Not Chaz? I only sing background, remember?”
“I know, but one of the songs you wrote left me nearly in tears the first time I heard it. ‘Longfield Road.’”
“Yeah, that one was mine. And all this time I thought you had a crush on Travis.”
“I did, after meeting you guys.” She quickly added, “Before I got to know you better. When all I had to judge you on was your lyrics, you were my dream guy.”
They stopped for a red light, and he turned toward her. “And now?”
“Now, I guess I’m living my dream. No, there’s no guessing about it. Best dream ever.”
Joey smiled, and she’d swear his eyes smoldered, even though she couldn’t see them in the darkness. She felt the heat deep within her heart. This was one dream she never wanted to wake up from.
~*~*~*~
I hope you enjoyed Jasmine and Joey’s story. If you’d like to know more about Chaz’s wedding that wasn’t, and how he and Kenzi got together, look for The Rock Star’s Wedding. I’ve included an excerpt here.
~*~*~*~
Other Books by Ari Thatcher
Destination Wedding Series
HIS WEDDING DATE: Ash needs a date to his ex-brother-in-law’s wedding and enlists his coworker for what turns into a weekend of passion.
THE ROCK STAR’S WEDDING: She runs into her old flame at a romantic tropical location. Too bad he’s there for his wedding.
CHRISTMAS WITH THE BEST MAN: Stuck in Ireland over the holidays, Jasmine finds her companion too tempting.
Devil’s Promenade Series
IMMORTAL TEMPTRESS: She’s fighting to save the soul of her lover.
RENEGADE WOLF: When her inner wolf refuses to be denied, she turns to the only man who can help her.
Second Chance at Love Series
LOVE ME NOW: Their first meeting almost destroyed her chance of success. Can he make that up to her the second time around?
LOVE ME FOREVER: When they parted ten years ago, his promised call never came. How can she trust him with her heart now?
Sexy Reads (Scorchingly Hot!)
HONEY, I’M HOME: The plan was perfect. Slinky black lace dress. Leg-slimming stilettos. Some toys to expand the boundaries of their normal routine. Her husband’s favorite meal. If only her husband hadn’t brought his boss home for dinner!
THEIRS: Trying out a BDSM club for the first time leads to some unexpected encounters with her sexy coworkers.
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling author Ari Thatcher is the naughty side of sweet romance author Aileen Fish. Ari has always loved sexy romance where love takes the leading role. Reviews have called her work “captivating” and “compelling”, and her characters “intelligent, intriguing and realistic.”
Stay up to date through her website http://arithatcher.com, Facebook and Twitter @arithatcher.
Table of Contents
Title
Copyright
His Wedding Date
Wedding Date One
Wedding Date Two
Wedding Date Three
Wedding Date Four
Wedding Date Five
Wedding Date Six
Wedding Date Seven
Wedding Date Epilogue
The Rock Star’s Wedding
Acknowledgements
Rock Star One
Rock Star Two
Rock Star Three
Rock Star Four
Rock Star Five
Rock Star Six
Rock Star Seven
Rock Star Epilogue
Christmas with the Best Man
Best Man Prologue
Best Man One
Best Man Two
Best Man Three
Best Man Four
Best Man Five
Best Man Six
Best Man Seven
Best Man Eight
Booklist
About the Author