Escorting the Groom (The Escort Collection Book 4)

by Leigh James

We were in a special outdoor section of The Warner—a beautiful, ethereal garden filled with twinkling white lights and flowers. Blake had chosen well. Even though we were in Vegas, the setting was classical, almost magic.

  I felt excited, which annoyed me.

  But all thought, rational and otherwise, ceased when the wedding march started and I saw Blake. She was standing at the top of the aisle, holding onto Jake for dear life. She looked magnificent in her wedding dress. I couldn't breathe, let alone think. Her long white gown fit her graceful figure like a glove. I could see every curve of her beautiful body, but the dress was so much more than just that. She was absolutely stunning in it. Her long blond hair was loose around her shoulders, and I saw my mother's bracelet sparkling on her wrist. When our eyes locked and she smiled at me, my heart stopped.

  I briefly noticed my sister, who was looking at me with her brow furrowed, as if she couldn't piece something together. But I couldn't concentrate on anyone but Blake. She seemed to glide toward me, that same happy smile on her face as she looked at each of her bridesmaids. Jake was beaming the whole way down the aisle. I knew what he was thinking: that he was delivering the goods. I pushed my annoyance with him to the side. I was about to get married to the most beautiful woman in the world.

  And I was a hell of a lot more excited than I should have been.

  Blake finally reached me and handed her bouquet to Nikki, who was her maid of honor. Then she turned and grabbed my hands, holding on tight.

  "Hi," I said stupidly.

  "Hi." Blake’s smile was infectious. "Thank you for the gifts. They mean a lot."

  "I know you're superstitious. And I wanted you to have my mother's bracelet."

  "I'm touched. Truly," she said softly, squeezing my hands.

  The justice of the peace came out, and everyone went quiet.

  "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Blake Maxwell and Lucas Ford—"

  Nikki suddenly turned and ran for the bushes behind the altar. She threw up noisily onto one of them. Everyone in the audience groaned.

  "Amateur," Jake called, laughing.

  She served him with a quick, fierce glare, wiped her mouth, looked at Blake apologetically, then grabbed the bouquets she'd dropped on the ground. "Well, go on," she said to the officiant.

  He smiled at her with good humor, his eyes sparkling. "It's Vegas," he said to the crowd, shrugging. There were chuckles as Nikki took a brief, red-faced bow. "Now, let's try this again."

  Blake and I each listened to the officiant and repeated our vows solemnly, our hands remaining clasped. I didn't take my eyes off of her once. She smiled the whole time, giving me strength and courage to recite the words in front of all of our guests. Then, finally, it was over.

  "I now pronounce you husband and wife," the officiant said, beaming. "You may now kiss the bride."

  I wrapped my arms around Blake, careful of her dress, and pulled her to me. I put my lips against hers gently, but then she threw her arms around my neck and deepened the kiss. The crowd whooped and hollered as our kiss lingered. Blake's hands twined through the hair at the base of my neck. My whole body was on fire for her. I finally pulled back, embarrassed, but she had that same smile on her face. She laced her fingers through mine, and we turned to face our guests together, triumphantly, as husband and wife.

  "Robert. So glad you could make it." I clapped my ex-brother-in-law on the back. He stood there stiffly. I pulled back and noticed that he had dark circles underneath his eyes. "How've you been?"

  "Busy." He nodded. "Exhausted." He was an emergency room physician at Boston Medical, one of the biggest inner-city hospitals. "Congratulations, by the way. I never thought I'd see the day."

  "Me either. But Blake's special."

  "I'll say. She's even gotten Serena to behave somewhat." We watched as my new wife and his ex briefly chatted about something. Serena actually laughed. Robert turned back to me. "Why did you invite me to your wedding?"

  I leveled him with a stare. "Why did you come?"

  He turned back toward my sister. "I think you know why."

  I clapped him on the shoulder. "Go have a drink with her. You know she's nicer when she's wasted."

  Robert scrubbed a hand across his face. "Not always." But he headed toward my sister nonetheless. Blake looked up at me then and smiled, making my heart seize. My stupid fucking heart couldn't seem to get this straight. It was a pity that I couldn't fire both it and my cock. They were both giving me a hell of a time.

  Wine? Please? Blake mouthed, and I nodded, heading to the bar.

  "Not only are you an amateur, you're a libertarian," Jake was telling Nikki. "And I can't believe you didn't vote for me. Frankly, I'm disappointed in you."

  Nikki was nursing a ginger ale. "No one's more disappointed than I am," I heard her say. "About the puking. Not about the voting. I'm not sorry about that one bit."

  "You should be ashamed about both." Jake's voice was stubborn.

  "I'll still drink you under the table—I'm ready to prove that right now," Nikki said. "Hair of the dog. Let's get some shots going, Senator. I believe you're all talk—all you Democrats are."

  "Bring it on," Jake said. He nodded at the bartender. "Start lining up the tequila shots. I have a Libertarian I need to school."

  Nikki tossed her hair. "We'll see."

  "We all saw you and that bush," Jake taunted.

  "Do you have to keep bringing that up?"

  I chuckled as I watched them, then I signaled to the bartender for two glasses of wine. Blake and I had both been taking it easy on the alcohol, but we were still sharing toasts with our guests. Surprisingly, the wedding reception was fun. Being in Vegas had put everyone in a celebratory mood. But now that we'd been drinking for several hours straight, things were starting to get out of hand. Helena and one of my cousins were dirty dancing. It was starting to look like a public sex act. My father and Elizabeth were on the dance floor, glued to each other, whispering and looking as if they might need a contraceptive device. Serena and Robert were now in a secluded corner, having what looked like a heated argument.

  Rupert, the administrator of my family trust, approached the bar with a stagger. He'd been my mother's trust attorney and a valued confidant for years before she died. Of course, that wasn't the reason I'd asked him to join us.

  "Lucas, my boy! Congratulations." He grasped my hand lightly and shook it. "You two make a fine couple. I know your mother would be proud."

  "Thank you, Rupert. I invited you to honor her memory."

  Rupert looked at me skeptically. "Let's be honest. You wanted to nip Serena's impending fraud campaign in the bud." He was slightly unsteady on his feet, looking as though he'd had a few.

  I smiled at him. "I wanted to get out in front of it. Yes."

  He slapped me on the arm. "You don't need to worry." He eyed Blake appreciatively across the room. "Everything looks good to me. Your mother would be happy to see you settled."

  I clinked my glass against his. "Cheers to that." He staggered back to the bar, and I headed toward Blake. "I think we should get going soon. This is starting to get messy, and you know how I feel about messy."

  Blake rolled her eyes good-naturedly. She hadn't stopped smiling all night. "Oh yeah. I know all about that."

  I leaned closer so I could whisper in her ear. "I think we should have a brief round of PDA if that's okay with you. The trust administrator's here." Rupert seemed perfectly satisfied with the marriage, but I wanted to be sure. And also, I wanted…

  I ran my hands down her arms. Blake's skin felt hot to my touch as she gazed up at me, her lips parted. My cock jumped to attention, and I leaned down, grazing my lips against hers. I put my hand on her back and felt her arch. You need to consummate the marriage. Jake's voice rang in my head.

  I crushed my lips against hers, and she pressed against me, her tongue meeting and tangling with mine. I pulled back slightly, and she let out a low moan. I dug my fingers into her hair and kissed
her again until I heard a loud wolf whistle and applause all around us. We pulled apart, embarrassed, and found that we were surrounded by our guests, who were whooping and hollering. I saw Shirley wiping her eyes, my cousin Shane with his face buried in Helena's chest, and Serena with her arms crossed, glaring at me.

  "I think we should go. But there's someone we need to speak to first." I grabbed her hand and maneuvered her over to where James and Audrey were slow dancing with their arms wrapped around each other. "I hate to interrupt, cousin—"

  James straightened up and released his wife immediately. "But you're narcissistic, and you always come first." James grinned at me and shook my hand. "Congratulations, Lucas. Blake. That was a lovely ceremony, aside from the vomiting."

  "Oh, honey, stop." Audrey stepped forward and kissed Blake on both cheeks. "It's a pleasure to meet you! Congratulations on your marriage." She turned to me, her brown eyes gleaming. "It's nice to see you looking so settled, Lucas."

  "I'm full of surprises," I said. "It was nice of you guys to come. Where are the kids?"

  James pulled Audrey back to him and wrapped his arms possessively around her. The way they touched made me want to reach out and grab Blake, which I did.

  "With their nanny," James said. "We're flying out first thing in the morning. So we're going to make the most of tonight, right, babe?" He nuzzled Audrey's neck.

  Audrey swatted him, but her eyes were sparkling. "Right, babe." She turned her attention back to us. "We really are thrilled for you two. Blake, if you ever want to talk about anything, call me. I'd love to get to know you better."

  "Thank you," Blake said, clearly touched. But Audrey had already turned back to her husband, who wrapped his arms firmly around his wife.

  James looked up at me one last time. "Call me," he commanded. "And come out to California to meet my kids, dammit."

  "How many do you have, again?" I asked. James looked as though he was going to come after me, but I started laughing. "Just kidding. Blake and I will come out."

  "Good," James said. "Now please leave us alone. This is date night."

  "I think we need to be alone, too." I grabbed Blake's hand and pulled her toward the elevator, making sure no one was watching us make our exit. I wanted to escape the crowd and be alone with her, and I didn't want any more cheering.

  "Yes, sir." Blake beamed. "Or should I just start calling you husband?" She drank some more wine, and I could tell that she was a little tipsy.

  "How about I call you Mrs. Ford, and you can call me Mr. Ford?"

  "It's impersonal. Therefore, I like it." Blake drained her glass as the elevator doors closed.

  I pressed against her. "I'm curious to find out what else you like."

  She tossed her hair and looked up at me, a challenge in her eyes. "Is that so?"

  "It is if I say so." I pressed my lips to hers.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Blake

  Maybe it was the wine, but when he kissed me, something inside me loosened a little. And then I felt as if I were going to burst.

  I opened my mouth for his, relishing the feel of his tongue as it tentatively explored my mouth. He was more languorous now that we were away from the crowd, taking his time, making my body light up as if I were being consumed by a fever. When our tongues connected, a jolt of electricity went through my body, all the way down to the ache in between my legs. "I want you," I said against his mouth. I stopped myself abruptly and pulled back. "I'm sorry. I know we talked about this—"

  Lucas kept his hands on me. "Stop, Mrs. Ford. I'm the one who kissed you, remember? I want to do this. Besides… we have to."

  I pulled further away from him. "What do you mean, we have to?"

  He adjusted his tux, his face turning serious. "Jake used to be a lawyer. I told him the truth about us. I hope you don't mind, but he guessed that there was something funny going on, anyway."

  "I don't mind. Jake seems like a good guy. But what were you saying—about him being a lawyer?" My head, which had been fuzzy with lust and champagne, was clearing fast.

  Lucas shrugged, looking sheepish. "He told me that our marriage wouldn't be considered legally valid if we didn't consummate it."

  "So are you only kissing me because you have to?"

  "Yes." He looked at the ceiling then looked at the floor, the color in his cheeks rising. "No." Lucas seemed abashed, but this was music to my ears. We were really going to do this, and it was for business reasons. No strings. No ties. No crushes. But I got to be with him. And I wanted that… even if I could barely stand to admit it to myself.

  "Well then, I understand." I kept my voice even and professional. "And if you're asking me if that's acceptable, well… I accept. Let's consummate this thing."

  A cloud passed over Lucas's handsome features but disappeared quickly. He smiled at me. "I've never thought of 'consummate' as a sexy word, but when you put it that way? I like it. I like it a lot, Mrs. Ford."

  Excitement rushed through me as I trailed my fingers down his tuxedo. I felt as if I were about to open the shiny Christmas present I'd been hoping for all year. His piercing green eyes became hooded. He ran his fingers through my hair, twisting it and greedily pulling me closer.

  The elevator stopped at our floor, and the door opened. He reached for my hands. "Come on, Blakey." I tilted my head at him, questioningly. "That's still my favorite nickname for you. Even over Mrs. Ford," he explained. And then, ever thoughtful, he picked me up and carried me over the threshold of our honeymoon suite.

  He kept his eyes locked with mine as he carefully carried me down the stairs and through the suite. Lucas placed me gently on my feet just inside the enormous bedroom. I looked up at him and threw my arms around his neck, thrilling at the feel of him, loving that his gorgeous face was so close to mine. I drank in all the details—his dark curls, his dimple, his green eyes.

  "Tell me that you want to do this." He ran his hands down my back.

  "I want to do this," I said eagerly. "I want to do this now." I leaned up and kissed him, hard. He crushed his lips to mine, and our tongues found each other again. He pressed the small of my back and moved me against him so I could feel his rock-hard erection pressing into my belly.

  "I'd love to rip that dress off of you, but I don't think I can bear to. It's so beautiful." Lucas looked down at me, his eyes shining. "I don't know if I told you how stunning you are tonight. My heart literally stopped when I first saw you coming down the aisle."

  "Thank you." My voice came out husky, and for some reason, I felt the pinpricks of tears.

  He turned me around and gently unzipped the dress, letting it fall to the floor. Then he carefully hung it up before turning back to me. He grinned and motioned to the garter. "I forgot about that." He rubbed his thumb along it. "We might have to leave it on for now."

  He kissed me again. Then I took off his jacket, unknotted his bow tie, unbuttoned his shirt, and undid his pants. I ran my hands down his gorgeous, chiseled chest reverently. I wanted to enjoy this moment. I wanted to memorize and save it for later, for when I was alone again.

  I trailed my kisses lower, tracing his pectoral muscles with my tongue, and he moaned. I shivered with pure female satisfaction. He wanted me. He reached down and undid my bra—the lucky penny fell out and pinged against the floor, making me laugh throatily. "No pockets," I mumbled as his lips closed over mine again. He gently took my breasts in his hands, rubbing my nipples in circles with his thumbs. I leaned into him, moaning with ecstasy and relief. This feels so right. I've been waiting for this.

  Lucas ran his hands over my body and pulled me against him. His erection, enormous and thick, pressed against my belly. His tongue searched my mouth, and I gave myself to him, surrendering to the urgency of his touch.

  He laid me down on the bed, his glorious, naked body above me. Lucas pushed the hair off my face and just watched me for a moment, trailing a finger over my features as though he were memorizing them. Then he leaned in and kissed me again, deep and pro
bing. I spread my legs a little, offering myself to him, yearning for him. He slid a finger inside of me slowly, testing me, and I moaned, bucking against him, wanting more. I grabbed his muscled ass and pulled him closer, running the head of his cock over my sex, getting it slick and wet, arching my back in an attempt to join our bodies.

  "Please," I whispered.

  "Like I could wait." Lucas entered me then, his hard length filling me all at once, and I cried out. He buried himself in me, and my body stretched to accommodate his. He moved slowly at first, making sure I was comfortable with how big he was. I moaned, loving how he filled me. I ran my hands greedily down his muscled back. I'd been wanting to touch him more than I'd admitted to myself.

  He thrust again, groaning, and my pussy quaked around him. I grabbed his ass and pushed him deeper into me, wanting to feel all of him, wanting him to overtake me. His body listened to mine. His long, deep strokes pushed me to the edge almost immediately.

  He leaned up, and I drank in the sight of his taut, muscled body, the cords standing out on his neck. He didn't take his eyes off of me. I felt like he was trying to devour me with his body, and I was all for it. I was on the edge, my vision blurring around the edges as his thrusts got deeper and more urgent. I felt my orgasm circling me, large and powerful. "Come in me," I pleaded. "I want to feel you."

  "Oh fuck. Blake." And then he did come, hard, filling me as my body clenched around him, and I cried out. He cursed as his body shuddered on top of me. After we stilled, Lucas rolled to the side and pulled me into his arms, cradling me against his chest.

  His breathing became rhythmic and shallow as he held me. As I started to drift off, I realized two things: I'd never orgasmed with a client before. Not ever. And I'd certainly never fallen asleep in one's arms.

  LUCAS

  I woke up with Blake in my arms. It was the strangest feeling. I was wearing a wedding band, and I had my arms wrapped around a beautiful woman, who happened to be my wife.

  We'd consummated the marriage. Thank God I'd had a proper excuse, because now that we'd done it, I could finally admit to myself how much I'd wanted to. Since I'd met her, Blake had been all I could think about. When I'd seen her in her wedding dress last night, heading toward me, there was only one thing I'd wanted: her.