Forever a Bridesmaid (Always a Bridesmaid Book 1)

by Courtney Hunt

  “But I had somewhere else in mind, sugar.” She raised her cornflower blue eyes to meet his, an adorable blush staining her cheeks. Matthew placed his finger on the center of the bow, trailing the fingers of his other hand over her cheek, before tilting her face up to his.

  “I’m tying bows here. I don’t have time…” Matthew tilted his head towards hers, intent on capturing her mouth, but she stepped back. “I gotta fix these favors. You go help Millie.”

  Matthew sighed and headed over to help Millie arrange a pile of presents. As he helped, which mostly consisted of shifting heavy, wrapped boxes around, he watched Erin efficiently fix the favors, a tiny furrow over her nose as she concentrated on her task. When the towering pile of presents was arranged to Millie’s satisfaction, Matthew snagged a bottle of water and headed over to Erin. He handed her the water.

  “Where should I put my fingers now?”

  “Only a few more to go. Stop distracting me.” Erin paused in her restoration of the favors and sipped the water he’d brought her. As she’d worked, a few tendrils fell from her tight twist to curl along her neck. He wanted to place his lips just there, just a little taste. He looked away quickly, before he gave in to temptation. Alex and Ashley walked in, smiling and laughing together. Matthew crossed his arms over his chest, watching them. “How are things going with your family?”

  “I still think he’s making a huge mistake. I wish I could protect him from it.” Matthew raked his hand through his hair as guests trickled in, greeted by Shelby and Charlotte, Ashley and Alex looking awkward at their side.

  “It’s good that you’re on board—”

  “I’m not. I figure if it looks like I’m supporting the wedding, then I’ll be able to figure out how to talk him out of it.”

  Erin’s mouth dropped open as she stared at him. “You are the most stubborn creature I’ve ever met. Matthew…”

  She looked so adorably outraged he couldn’t resist any longer. He leaned down and captured her mouth in a brief kiss. She shook her head when he pulled away. “You can’t kiss me when you want to win an argument.”

  “Still trying that trick?”

  Anna. Matthew faced his ex-wife, now standing next to them. She smiled at him, though it didn’t reach her brown eyes. Her dark brown hair was shorter than the last time he’d seen her, the day before she’d packed her stuff and headed home to her mother, but otherwise, she looked just the same.

  He’d dreaded seeing Anna, knowing she’d attend at least some of the wedding functions. Now, face-to-face for the first time, Matthew felt…

  Nothing. Not anger, not regret, not the love he’d once felt for her. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected to feel but it wasn’t this curious sort of polite interest, like seeing a past acquaintance after a long time apart. Then again, maybe that was exactly accurate, exactly what he should feel towards the stranger he’d married and who’d left him behind without a second glance.

  They stood, facing each other awkwardly, before Anna stepped forward to hug him hello. She wrapped her arms around him, enveloping him in a cloud of her expensive perfume, her bony shoulders as fragile as a bird’s wings under his hand. He embraced her as briefly as he dared, before stepping back, bumping his hip on the favors table. Erin watched them curiously, the glue gun still in her hand and the favors forgotten.

  “Erin, this is Anna…” Matthew trailed off.

  “Westbrook. I’m Matthew’s ex-wife.” Anna smiled at Erin and extended her hand. Erin bobbled the glue gun, wincing when the hot tip of it brushed her fingertips. She set it down and shook Anna’s hand, with what he thought of as her professional smile in place. “So nice to meet you.”

  Erin nodded and busied herself with the favors, not looking at him or at Anna. Anna said. “I’m so glad to see you, Matthew. We’ll have to have lunch and catch up while you’re in town.”

  “I’ll have to see what Erin and I have planned for the rest of the week.”

  Anna’s smile wavered a bit as she glanced between him and Erin. Erin kept her face blank, methodically tying bows, and not meeting his eyes. “Your mama didn’t mention you were seeing anyone…”

  “I’ve moved past the days when mama arranged my playdates,” Matthew said, his voice flat. Anna’s eyes narrowed on Erin, though Erin never looked up. “If you’ll excuse us, we need to finish up these favors.”

  Anna crossed the room to take a seat at one of the banquet tables, carefully not looking over at them. Matthew headed over to the drink station to wrap some ice in a napkin. As he tied a knot in his makeshift ice pack, Alex appeared at his side.

  “Hey. mama sent me over. She saw you chatting with Anna.” Alex smiled at him. “Sorry I didn’t make it in time to rescue you. Awkward, huh?”

  “Yes, look what you have to look forward to,” Matthew said. “You can still avoid my fate.”

  “Think I’ll be okay.” Alex clapped a hand on his shoulder, his smile tight. “I’m not planning on getting divorced.”

  “I wasn’t either,” Matthew shot back.

  Alex returned to the front of the room to Ashley’s side to participate in some shower game. Matthew returned to Erin. She’d finished the favors and repacked her supplies into her tote bag. He wrapped the hand she’d burned on the glue gun around his makeshift ice pack. “How’s the craft injury?”

  “I’m fine.” She squeezed the ice pack. “But thank you.”

  “I’m going to head out on the balcony. Want to come?”

  “Bridesmaids, up front!” Ashley called. “Pictures!”

  “I can’t right now. I’m working…” Erin looked at him, sympathy in her blue eyes. “I’ll see you after, okay?”

  She headed to the front of the room, dropping the makeshift ice pack on a waiter’s tray as she did. He considered leaving but instead, headed out onto the balcony, needing to be alone with his spinning thoughts. While they’d been inside, the storm that threatened all afternoon had broken, leaving tiny puddles on the flagstone balcony. After the storm, the fresh, clean breeze kissed his face as he found a dry bench under an overhang. He sat, staring at the river as it passed, and struggling to make sense of his life.

  With one eye on the French doors lining the far wall, Erin participated in the shower. She smiled for pictures, played a silly guessing game about how many children Alex and Ashley would have, and ate two plates of fantastic spicy barbeque complete with all the fixin’s. Finally, when Ashley and Alex were still opening their pile of presents, she grabbed two flutes of champagne, piled a plate with food, and ducked onto the balcony. Full dark had fallen and she squinted to make out Matthew, tucked onto a bench, staring out at the river. She skirted the puddles on the flagstones and stopped in front of him.

  “Do you need the champagne or the food more?” He grinned up at her and patted the seat next to him, shifting down to make room for her. He put the full plate on the end table next to him and took one of the flutes, knocking it back. She sat next to him, his thigh warm against hers, and sipped her own champagne, enjoying the way the bubbles burst on her tongue, like swallowing stars. From inside, happy party chatter continued but outside, with the moon reflecting in the river and the chilly night sky strewn with stars, the setting should be romantic, if only her partner weren’t so obviously heartsick. “Always miserable to see an ex, huh?”

  Matthew shrugged. “It wasn’t so bad. I didn’t feel anything at all toward her.”

  Erin slipped her hand into his, surprised how chilled his skin was. Shielded from the wind, the balcony was warm, only slightly cooler than the overheated ballroom she’d left. She rubbed his hand, warming him. He squeezed her fingers, as she sipped more champagne.

  She set her empty flute down with a click before cradling his handsome face in her hands, his evening stubble prickly against her palms. She tilted his face up, forcing him to look at her.

  She pressed a sweet kiss to his mouth, more for comfort than passion. Their mouths fused and became one, tangling together. He wrapped his arms ar
ound her waist, his broad palms stroking up her back. They broke apart, staring at each other.

  Erin should go back inside, participate in the rest of the shower, and be there for the bride. Instead, she stood, twining her fingers with Matthew, and tugging him to his feet. They slipped quietly into the ballroom and then out the back door. In minutes, they’d taken a cab back to the B&B and stood inside his basement suite, facing each other. With the curtains drawn, the only light in the room came from the fairy lights twined in the garden trees, casting the room in silver and in shadow.

  Erin stepped out of her heels before striding over to stand in front of Matthew. Carefully, she unbuttoned his dress shirt, pressing kisses down his chest as she parted the placket, inhaling the intoxicating scents of lime, soap, and Matthew. She tugged his shirt out of his pants, trailing her fingers through the light hair on his firm stomach, over his muscled chest, and chiseled shoulders. She cupped the back of his neck before standing on tiptoe to press her lips to his, making her head whirl more than the sips of champagne she’d indulged in back at the party. She broke away, unfastening his cuffs, pressing tiny kisses on the fluttering pulse point at his wrists before sliding the shirt off his broad shoulders.

  Matthew reached for the hem of her skirt, sliding the silky fabric up her thighs, to find her bare beneath, slick and ready for his touch. He moaned, a shaky exhale, cupping her bottom and grinding her against him, hard and ready for her. She unfastened his belt, making quick work of the buttons at his waist, and slipping her hand into his pants. She stroked him, once and then again, squeezing gently through the thin cotton of his briefs, the heat of him searing her hand. She pushed him down on the bed, dropping to her knees in front of him. She looked up at him, his eyes dark and hot, and his lush mouth open. Slowly, high on champagne and him, she drew his underwear down, revealing his generous length. Erin licked her lips, leaning forward to taste him.

  “Take your hair down for me, sugar,” Matthew rasped. She pulled her hair free, shaking it over her shoulders, and he moaned, high and breathy. Slowly, she pushed his knees apart, the ends of her hair dragging over his bare thighs, before leaning forward and running her tongue from root to tip, tracing the prominent vein on his shaft. He gripped her shoulders, tangling his fingers in her hair, as she stretched her mouth over him, sucking the plump head between her lips, loving the intoxicating taste of him. Matthew gasped her name, dropping his head back, clutching handfuls of the bedspread as he gave himself over to her. She wrapped her fingers around his thick girth, stroking and sucking him, her mouth chasing her hand up and down his shaft. After a few short moments, he stilled her and she pulled off with a pop, loud in the quiet room.

  He pulled her up onto the bed, kissing her as they twined together. Erin tugged up her skirt, pressing against him, already ready and aching for him. Matthew sat up, his breathing ragged as he fumbled in the nightstand for protection. As soon as he’d covered himself, Erin shoved his shoulders onto the bed and straddled him, seating herself on him, loving the feel of him inside her, stretching her. She rocked her hips, rolling them to find just the right rhythm to take him apart. He offered her his hands for balance. Their hands twined tightly together, she rode him. Her eyes locked on his flushed face as she loved him, trying to memorize every second of them together, her and Matthew joined so intimately.

  “You first, sugar,” Matthew groaned, rocking his hips up into her. “So close, Erin.”

  She leaned down, capturing his lips, tangling them together. He wrapped his arms around her, clutching her hips, as he thrust up into her, deeper than before. Erin cried out as she clenched around him, the spasms of her release made even more intense with him inside her. He slammed deep again and came with a hoarse shout. She collapsed on his chest, both breathing hard, their hearts pounding in unison. He cradled her close, kissing her temple. Slowly, she unwound herself from him to roll onto her back on the bed, still seeing stars as the final pulses of her release faded.

  “You’re wearing too many clothes.” He smiled at her. “You want a T-shirt to wear to bed?”

  “I can go upstairs to my room.”

  “Sugar, you must be crazy if you think I’m letting you sleep anywhere but next to me.” Matthew tugged off her dress before lying next to her and cuddling her close, drawing the blanket over both of them. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, wrapping an arm around her waist, as she snuggled against him, resting her head on his shoulder, until finally, entwined together, they both fell asleep.

  Chapter Twenty

  “It’s just more efficient, sugar,” Matthew argued as he tugged Erin into the bathroom to shower with him the next morning.

  “Conserves water too, right?” Erin shivered as she stood, naked, on the bathmat, gooseflesh blossoming over her pale skin. Matthew pulled her close to warm her while the shower water heated up, stroking his hands down her back and sides before cupping her bottom to pull her against him. She snuggled close, tilting her head to trail kisses along his jaw before breaking away to step into the bathtub, as clouds of steam hazed through the bathroom.

  He followed, lathering his hands and soaping her back. He shifted her into the spray, as she tilted her head back to wet her hair, the water running down her lush body in rivulets. Incredibly, after loving each other last night and twice more this morning, his cock stirred against his leg. He felt like a teenager again, perpetually eager for her. Matthew soaped her full breasts, stroking the rosy peaks to hard points, as she rinsed her hair. He followed the trails of fragrant bubbles down her body with his fingers and then his mouth, sipping the water from her skin.

  She whispered his name, cradling his head against her. He knelt in front of her, leaning forward to taste her again, when she shrieked and jumped out of the spray. The now ice cold-water hit him full in the face, soaking his hair, knocking him backwards in the tub. He dodged the icy spray, turning off the faucets before stumbling out after Erin, shivering from his soaking.

  Giggling, Erin wrapped him in one of Millie’s plush oversized bath towels, wrapping him in her arms to warm him as he’d done for her earlier. He flipped his hair out of his eyes, laughing too. Erin’s eyes sparkled as her hair dripped down her back. He’d miss her, back in Chicago. Miss her smile, her laugh, her kiss…He’d just miss her.

  He swallowed. They’d agreed. Only in Savannah.

  “Well, that cooled me down,” Erin said, rubbing a fresh towel over her hair. “How about we get some breakfast?”

  He showed Erin the back route to her room through the hotel, so she could dress. After both of them were presentable, they walked outside, hand in hand, to an unseasonably warm and sunny December morning.

  “Tonight’s just the rehearsal, right?” Matthew asked. “Have you ever been to Tybee? I can show you all the places we used to slink off to make out in when I was a teenager.”

  “How romantic.”

  “It can be.” Matthew wanted to kiss her under the stars, snuggle with her on a beach blanket… He leaned over to kiss her just as a blue sports car careened up to the curb. Must be a new visitor for Millie. A tall, blonde man hopped out and waved cheerfully.

  “Hey, sis! Thought I’d come surprise you.”

  “Dylan?” Erin said, her jaw dropping open.

  Her brother? Matthew looked more closely. The man whipped off his sunglasses before striding over to embrace Erin. His eyes were more turquoise than Erin’s sapphire blue but the familial resemblance was obvious in the shape of their faces, their high cheekbones, and full lips.

  Erin dropped Matthew’s hand to hug Dylan. He missed the warmth of her hand but stretched out his hand to greet Dylan.

  “You must be Matthew?” His arm still around Erin, Dylan stuck out his hand, with a sunny smile, and shook Matthew’s outstretched one. “Delighted to meet you. Looks like you’ve been on a whirlwind tour of Savannah. I’m starving. Let’s go get brunch.”

  “I’m working. I don’t have time…” Erin started.

  “Bug, I drove all the way
from Atlanta down here just to see you.”

  “Why are you here? Did Lauren put you up to this?” Dylan shook his head. “I’m working. I don’t have time for brunch.”

  “From all the photos, I thought you were on vacation,” Dylan said. “I need to talk to you, Bug.”

  “What about? What’s wrong?”

  Dylan shook his head. “Let’s grab lunch first, okay?”

  Matthew and Dylan climbed into Dylan’s car, Erin trailing along reluctantly. They drove to City Market and found street parking. In moments, they were seated at an outdoor table and sipping mimosas, Erin watching Dylan with narrowed eyes, suspicion in the set of her jaw.

  “Matthew, you’re an architect, huh? Tell me more.” Dylan sipped his cocktail, before Erin snatched it from his hand. “Bug, I’m twenty-one now. And I’ve been drinking for at least six years so…think I can handle one mimosa.” He plucked the flute from her hand as she sighed, tapping her fingers on the table.

  Matthew smiled inwardly. They were so alike. No wonder he’d fallen in love with her. The realization blindsided him, leaving him stunned and shaken, his eyes going wide behind his sunglasses. He loved Erin. He’d known her less than four days and already he could imagine a future with her. In fact, he couldn’t imagine his future without her. He was closer to her than he’d ever been to anyone, intimate in a way that went beyond their incredible sexual chemistry.

  In an instant, his entire future reshaped itself, Erin at the center of his world. They’d agreed to keep their affair just to their time in Savannah and now, he’d never give her up. He swallowed hard, fighting to suck air into his constricted lungs, as she looked strangely at him. He realized he’d gone suddenly quiet and swallowed hard again.

  “So, one more semester to go at Georgia Tech,” Matthew said to Dylan, to avoid blurting out his realization to Erin right there at the table in front of her brother. “You must be excited to graduate.”