Jaded By Desire (Lust, Desire, and Love Trilogy Book 2)

by Cox, Desiree A.

  “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have turned.”

  “No, I should have been looking. I was trying to get back to our table and wasn’t even paying attention. Let me buy you another drink.”

  “That’s okay, really. I didn’t need it anyway.”

  “No, I insist.”

  “Fine, if you insist, I’d like a glass of Moscato, please.”

  “Done, I’ll be right back.” She bent down, picked up the glass, and walked to the bar.

  “What the hell, man?” Jackie said. Her mouth was scrunched in a scowl, and her eyes were shooting daggers.

  “Don’t worry about it; she’s getting me another drink.”

  “No, it’s a sign. You didn’t do your shot with us. That’s fucked up. You know that’s bad luck.”

  “Oh, shut up, don’t say that.”

  “Seriously; you were supposed to drink that with us and you’d have had good luck going into the marriage.”

  “Well, we can toast again when she brings my fresh drink.”

  “We can, but there are no do-overs.”

  I was feeling a bit taken aback by Jackie’s explanation of my impending bad fortune, knowing she already didn’t like Jeff, and that she was now talking this bad luck bullshit. The woman returned with my wine. I asked her if she had ever heard of the old wives’ tale that Jackie had told me about, and she said she had, and had friends who experienced the bad luck -- they were divorced now. With a fifty percent divorce rate, it didn’t surprise me. Don’t blame it on some ridiculous superstition; maybe they just weren’t meant to be together.

  The woman suggested we all do another round of shots and make sure I drink my drink this time. Jackie summoned the waitress nearby, asking for another round for us all, except me, at my insistence. When she returned, in an effort to stave off any negativity, I hoped that one sip of this wine wouldn’t hurt my little seed. There was no way I was going to chug that entire glass. I held my lips to the glass and made it seem as though I was downing my wine after the round of toasting and clinking took place. Our new friend hugged me and darted off to rejoin her party.

  We sat in the VIP seating, and had the best seats in the house. There wasn’t a bad location in the club. If I had to classify it into three sections, I’d say good, better, and best. We had a great time. I was able to forgo getting on stage, instead letting Georgia take my place. One lap dance was enough for me, and by the way it looked, Georgia loved being up there in my place. We had so much fun, we never did make it to Sunova Beach.

  When the night was over, our driver took us back to Georgia’s house, where everyone, except Candace and I, stayed. It had been a long night, and I was looking forward to crawling into my own bed and getting some sleep.

  When I got home, I noticed Jeff had not made it back yet. He had his bachelor party that night as well, and I didn’t expect to see him until we woke up in the morning. A quick flash of insecurity meandered through my mind while I was getting some ice water. What if he doesn’t show up until the morning? What if he’s out living it up with someone else or up to his eyeballs in strippers throwing themselves at him? What if he changes his mind about marrying me? I brushed all of those silly thoughts aside, dismissing them as last-minute jitters, and proceeded up the stairs. I stripped naked and crawled under the sheet.

  I was awakened when I felt Jeff’s weight behind me and felt him snuggle his chest up close against my back. His arm draped around my waist, and I felt his glorious, naked skin against mine. I didn’t smell any liquor scent. He hadn’t been drinking.

  It wasn’t long before and I was roused out of my sleep unexpectedly. Groggy and half asleep, Jeff had slid his hand down to my crotch and was rubbing me. My response to him, even waking out of my sleep, was immediate and full of desire. He turned my face until my mouth was met by his crushing mine. My body turned until I was lying flat on my back. The sex was hard and intense. There was no foreplay, just instant, hot, hard, nocturnal sex. It was amazing. When we both found our release, he pulled me flush against him, and we laid there together and drifted into dreamland.

  Chapter 5

  The alarm went off at nine in the morning and startled me, but not near as much as waking up alone in the bed. When I had reached over to Jeff’s side, I felt the cool sheets. He had been up for a while. I was hoping I could have awakened nestled in his strong, muscular arms.

  I dragged myself from beneath the sheets and headed in for my shower. We had a long day today. Jeff had an appointment to get his hair cut, and I had to make sure all payments had been made. Then we both needed to start packing for our honeymoon. And we had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner later in the afternoon. Running through the to-do list in my mind told me something wasn’t going to get done.

  As I exited the shower, I smelled food being cooked. No way, I thought. He’s cooking breakfast? I quickly slipped on my clothes and ran down the steps into the kitchen. I made it just in time to see Jeff plating up food for two.

  “Good morning, beautiful. I was going to surprise you.”

  “You already have. You surprised me first by being out of the bed before me, and, second, by cooking.” Our meal wasn’t elaborate, but it was special because he had made it for us. We had scrambled egg whites, toast, and microwaveable sausage. It was the thought that counted, and I was starving.

  “I had to get up and get moving. My appointment is at ten thirty so I have …” he looked at the clock on the stove, “about a half an hour to eat and get out of this house.”

  “This looks delicious, thank you.” I loved him so much. As imperfect as he was, he was perfect for me. I leaned in and gave him a kiss after he sat down at the breakfast bar, then took a seat next to him. “We only have one more week, Mr. Carrington, then we’ll be married.”

  “I know. Are you feeling like running away? Maybe being my run-a-way bride?” He nudged my arm with his elbow as he scooped some egg whites onto his fork.

  “Not a chance in hell. I’m not going anywhere.” I leaned in towards him and bumped his shoulder with mine.

  “Good, saves me from having to gather my posse to come hunt you down.” We both laughed. We sat and ate our breakfast, then he kissed my forehead before running upstairs to finish getting ready.

  By the time he came back downstairs, I was finishing cleaning up the dishes. “I’ll see you later, babe. I’m going to get Connor and Sandy. I probably won’t be back for a couple hours.”

  “That’s fine, just remember, we need to be at the Rusty Pelican no later than four this afternoon for rehearsal, then dinner afterward.”

  “I won’t forget.”

  “If you want to just meet me there, let me know.”

  “I’ll call and keep you posted. See you later.” He leaned in and kissed me, pulling me into him tight. He took my breath away.

  He released me, grabbed his keys off the counter, and headed for the front door.

  “I love you,” I called behind him.

  “Back at you,” he replied. He pulled the door tight behind him.

  I went in to the conservatory and pulled all of the wedding invoices out of the desk and began sifting through them to find the ones that weren’t already marked as paid. I couldn’t help but think that having an office would be really nice right about now. Jeff had left me a credit card to make sure everything was paid for, so I called and paid the five remaining bills.

  I went upstairs to pull together my dress I planned to wear at the reception after the garter was tossed, and some comfortable shoes so I’d be able to shed the four-inch heels I was going to wear with my wedding gown. I didn’t have any of my wedding things here at the house; all of that was stored at Georgia’s. I was making sure nosy Jeff didn’t get a peek of my gown before I walked down the aisle on our wedding day. While I was in the closet, I pulled out my suitcase, tossed it on the bed, and opened it, then began tossing in things I knew I wanted to take to Hawaii.

  We were going to be there for ten days, ten whole days. I was so excite
d to be away from work and away from everything for that long of time. The hardest part of being away was going to be missing my little munchkin, Abby.

  My attention was drawn to the airline tickets on top of the dresser. We would be spending three nights on the Big Island, three nights in Kauai, and three nights in Maui. I grabbed the tickets off the top of the dresser and zipped them in the outside zipper pocket of the carry-on bag I was planning to bring to make sure we didn’t forget them.

  I sat on the edge of the bed, then fell backwards onto it. I couldn’t believe how my life had changed in such a short period of time. Less than a year ago, I was single, living in a small house, living paycheck to paycheck, and struggling to make ends meet. Today, I was living in a huge house with no more money concerns, getting married to a wonderful man, the love of my life, and he was the father of my unborn child.

  I couldn’t wait to share the news about the baby with everyone after we got back from our honeymoon. I envisioned my mom being happy with the news, instead of being upset that we had kept it a secret from her.

  A lot had changed with Sky over the past few weeks, too. I still loved him, and I knew I always would, but I was no longer holding onto the life we once had. I loved him dearly as the father of Abby, but I wasn’t in love with him anymore. I was able to move on. And, what was even better, he had moved on, too. He and Hope -- yes, fucking gorgeous Hope – reconciled, and Sky admitted to me he thought he was falling in love with her. I was so happy for him, for them. All I ever wanted was for him to be happy. I had gotten over my jealousy of her. I actually liked her a lot. She was a wonderful person and loved Abby almost as much as we did. She was moving in with Sky in two months. I couldn’t ask for anyone better to be a part of all of our lives.

  I held my hand up and stared at the ring on my finger. I was living a dream life.

  I laid there with my eyes closed, basking in my happiness, when I was startled back to reality by my phone ringing. I glanced at it before answering.

  “Hey, Jeff.”

  “Hey, baby. You don’t mind if I meet you at the Rusty Pelican, do you?”

  “Not at all; I was expecting it.”

  “Cool, we are going to hit the mall real quick. Connor needs to stop in the Tux shop.”

  “No problem, just please, tell him not to make you late. If you’re late, I’ll be upset. I don’t want to start this rehearsal late.”

  “Wouldn’t think of upsetting you; we’ll be there. I’ll see you later.”

  “Bye.”

  I rifled through my drawer and pulled out all of my new lingerie I was gifted at the bachelorette party and packed them in the suitcase, then pulled a nice silk pajama set out to lay over them all so Jeff wouldn’t see them. That pajama set was his least favorite thing to see me in. I laughed to myself.

  I found a couple of swimsuits and tossed them in the bag. I looked up and saw it was almost two thirty; time was flying by. I zipped my bags up and pushed them back against the wall. I’d have to keep working on the packing during the week.

  I stood in the closet, flipping through my clothes to find something nice to change into. I found a flower-print, mini-sundress to slip on and my white jewel-top sandals. After getting changed, I went downstairs, made sure the back door was locked, grabbed my purse and keys, and headed to the Rusty Pelican. I sent a text to Jeff before I left the driveway, letting him know I was on my way.

  By the time I pulled into the parking lot and found a parking spot, I saw Jeff and his mad shopping crew pull in. I stood on the sidewalk at the edge of the lot and waited for them. Connor jumped out of the car and ran over to me, wrapped me in his arms, and swung me around.

  “You’re going to make me sick, Connor.”

  “I’m so happy for you both, Nikki. I knew it when we first met you, that you were the right one for this big lug.”

  “I can honestly say, I didn’t think I was, but I’m so happy you slipped me his card.” He set my feet back on the ground just as Sandy and Jeff walked up.

  “Hey, you got a hug for me, Nikki?” Sandy asked.

  “Of course, sweetie.” We embraced, and then he released me.

  “You look more beautiful every time I see you.”

  “Thank you.” I could feel the heat flush through my face.

  “All right, stop mauling my woman,” Jeff joked. He wrapped his arms around me, pulled me in tight, and planted one hell of a kiss on me. He held my head to him by my hair. Damn, I loved when he did that.

  “Jeez, get a room already,” Connor said.

  We all laughed, then made our way up the ramp to the entrance. We were a little early, but when we stepped inside, we saw Georgia and Candace were sitting there, waiting.

  We all exchanged pleasantries, and I introduced everyone. Georgia’s eyes sparkled during the introduction to Connor. Hunter, one of Jeff’s good friends and occasional work-out partner, and Jorge walked up, with Mandy close behind them. Hunter was breathtaking, as always. I had to be extra careful not to stare at him in front of Jeff, but I let him sweep me up in a hug. I did another round of introductions, finishing just before my mom and Jim arrived with our little flower girl. Abby had a big smile on her face and a small basket on her arm. When they walked in, I let Jeff introduce everyone. I looked at my watch. “It’s four o’clock on the dot; Jackie should be here …” I looked up and saw her walking up the ramp to the door. “Now.”

  We introduced her to everyone she hadn’t met before, and then the hostess took us all back to the Grand ballroom. Jeff stayed in front waiting for the officiant to arrive. It was only a couple of minutes before they both joined us in the ballroom. The wedding planner for the Rusty Pelican was there as well and helped walk us through the plans for the wedding day. After an hour and a half of practicing the ceremony and going over the reception details through the first dance, the hostess came back to let us know our table was ready whenever we were.

  We decided to be very informal with seating for dinner. We didn’t think we needed to tell adults where they should sit. We had a seat for everyone, and they would certainly all figure something out. Mom and Jim sat down near Jeff and me. Abby sat on my lap. The waitress tried to get her to sit in a booster seat, but she didn’t want anything to do with it. She bounced between my lap, Jeff, Jim, and Mom. Our orders were taken, and the waitress disappeared. She returned a few minutes later with our drinks.

  I noticed Georgia had sat down next to Connor, which didn’t surprise me. I actually had expected that. Jackie was sitting next to Sandy and across from Hunter. It was good to see everyone talking and getting along.

  We gave everyone two entrée choices: Herb-seared salmon or Filet Mignon. I didn’t have either, I chose the Lobster and Mango salad. I thought it was a good choice and it didn’t have a lot of fat or calories.

  Before our food arrived, Connor and Jackie ordered champagne for everyone so they could offer up a pre-wedding toast. I knew not to drink mine; instead I pretended by putting the glass to my lips and making it look as if I were drinking. I received a bump to my leg under the table and a stern look from Jeff right after the toast, after he lowered his glass. Was he coming to grips with reality? I glanced at him over my shoulder and gave his leg a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Shortly after the toast, our servers brought out our food.

  “Darling, you’re barely eating anything. Are you feeling well?” Mom asked after watching me pick around in the salad.

  “Yes, I feel fine, just not terribly hungry.” The truth was, I was starving, but was scared to death I was going to gain weight and not fit in that beautiful dress.

  “Make sure you eat, dear; you don’t want to get sick, not now.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she gets plenty of rest and eats,” Jeff said. Mom smiled at him with her thanks-for-your-comment-but-I-wasn’t-talking-to-you glance she had perfected over the years as she patted my hand.

  We had a great meal. We wrapped up our dinner by eight fifteen, and I was completely exhausted. Mom and J
im left early. I thanked them for coming and for everything they had done. They helped me out so much with Abby, and especially over the past weekend. The officiant left right behind them.

  We all finished and exited the restaurant just after nine. Abby had fallen asleep on my shoulder shortly after Mom and Jim left, so I carried her out. I hated that I had to drive myself home. All I wanted to do was go home and lie down.

  Jeff and I thanked everyone for coming out and for being part of our wedding party. We gave them all their gifts that night to make sure we didn’t forget on our wedding day.

  “Babe, you and Abby ride home with me. We can come get your car tomorrow.”

  He didn’t have to tell me twice.

  Chapter 6

  The days between the rehearsal dinner and wedding went by so quickly. I was supposed to have been off all week, but instead was asked to work on Monday and Tuesday because Robert had a family emergency. But when he returned on Wednesday, the work week ended for me.

  Jeff was home all week. As large as his house was, we seemed to be in each other’s way quite a bit. We spent the rest of the week finishing packing. We also had to make sure we had our things to take to the hotel and to have on our wedding day.

  I had to pack Abby’s things, too. Sky only had a few changes of clothes at his house for her. I made sure any last minute loose ends were tied up. I called in the final head count to the planner at the Rusty Pelican so she could make sure the kitchen had that information and answered a couple questions for her.

  On Friday morning, I dropped Abby off at day care and took her bag over to Mom’s before going to my hair appointment. Sky was going to pick Abby up and go by Mom’s to get her things.

  I wasn’t completely sure what I was thinking when I scheduled an appointment at eight thirty in the morning. I was so tired, I fell asleep in the chair while getting my hair blow-dried. They woke me when it was my turn to move to the styling chair. My hairstyle for the wedding was going to be elegant and simple. I wanted loose curls that were swept over to one side and pulled up off my shoulders, but into a soft-looped ponytail, or something like that. I had decided against any type of head piece; instead, I had a decorative hair comb with faux pearls on it. Simple. Jeff wanted to have real pearls sewn on it for me, which was incredibly generous of him, but I was afraid I might lose it and told him no.