by Iris Abbott
That was all the encouragement Jackson needed. It seemed like he’d been waiting forever to hear her say those words. “I love you too Mandy. Ever since you walked back into my life, my body has been in hyperdrive. The chemistry between us is incredible. Not everyone is lucky enough to experience what we have. I knew it had to be explored and I’m glad we’re finally on the same page.”
He took both her hands in his and gave them an encouraging squeeze. “The physical attraction isn’t everything though. My feelings for you have continued to grow and expand. The more I learn about you, the more I realize there is more to you than just a pretty face and a sexy body.” He brushed his lips across hers. It was a light touch meant to tempt and tease and he smiled when she wiggled against him.
He pulled back. He still had more to say. “I love your spirit and feistiness, especially when you stand up for something you believe in.” He kissed her again, a little longer this time. “I love how you came home to look after your mother when she needed you most.” Another kiss, this one was placed against the hammering pulse in her neck. “I love how you tried to keep Tyler Ranch up and running instead of giving in to the bank.” He lightly tugged on the sheet covering her delectable body. The next kiss whispered across her cleavage. “I love your tender heart and the soft spot you have for every animal lucky enough to cross your path.” He paused long enough to pull down the V-neck of her shirt. Then he drew one turgid nipple inside the moist cavern of his mouth.
Mandy moaned and arched closer pushing her nipple deeper inside his mouth. He let it go with a moist plop. “I respect the work ethic and caring hand you bring to the practice.” This time no kiss. He looked straight into the violet depths of her eyes until he felt like he was looking deep enough to see her soul. “In short, I couldn’t imagine any part of my life without you in it. And I love you so much it hurts.”
Jackson had barely finished his declaration of love before Mandy flung herself into his arms. “I’m so glad we were given a second chance to realize what we could have together,” she confided in him before covering his face with tiny kisses.
Jackson thought the kisses were as sweet as she was, but after waiting so long to finally claim her, he wanted more. He wanted to consummate the relationship, an act to solidify their future together. He was more than ready to finally join their bodies together. He wanted to cross the finish line to pleasure with Mandy at his side.
Mandy watched in fascination as Jackson got rid of his clothes and then made quick work of the oversized T-shirt she was wearing. Her nipples instantly hardened, and she knew it was from more than the chill in the air. She leaned into Jackson and shivered when the pebbled tips of her breasts brushed against his hair-roughened chest. The abrasiveness was a delicious contrast to the smooth softness of Mandy’s own delicate, feminine skin.
She trembled from the sensations. She felt Jackson pull her closer. She relaxed, and they fell back into a tangled heap of entwined arms and legs. Jackson’s weight surrounded her and pushed her down into the soft mattress. Lips pressed to lips and hands caressed naked flesh. Her body arched toward him in an attempt to get even closer.
Her body quivered in need. Her hips gyrated, and she pressed her aching mound against the ridge of Jackson’s erection.
“Slow down,” Jackson urged. “We’ve got the rest of the night and early morning.”
Mandy buried her head against his shoulder and laughed. “Are you sure about that? We don’t have the best track record when it comes to being interrupted during lovemaking.” She nipped the side of his neck and then soothed it with her tongue.
“Mm, I like that,” he said right before he returned the favor.
The sharp love bite made Mandy’s feminine muscles clench. “I like it too,” she told him. She lightly traced a path from his neck down to a pebbled nipple with her tongue. All talking stopped as their thoughts shifted from conversation to pleasure.
Jackson shifted and moved away from Mandy’s seeking tongue. He slid down her body, placing hot open-mouthed kisses as he went. He placed a kiss on her inner thigh, and Mandy’s legs slid open a little more. He lightly blew on the flesh guarding the entrance to her feminine core. Then he slipped a finger between her nether lips and slowly pulled them apart. Mandy jumped from the anticipation of what was to come.
Jackson sat on his knees and put his arms under her knees effectively spreading her legs wider. Then he flicked his tongue across the sensitive flesh of her core.
Mandy felt his tongue make contact and jerked her hips. Jackson lifted her hips off the bed and pulled her closer. Mandy was being bombarded with wave after wave of exquisite sensations. Her fingers, even her toes clenched the cool sheet under her. She felt Jackson explore deeper inside her body and a tortured moan slipped from her mouth. His response was to flick his tongue faster and deeper.
Mandy blindly reached for Jackson. “I need you, I need you now,” she pleaded.
Jackson kissed the inside of one thigh, and gently let her legs sink onto the mattress. He slid up her body and rolled to the side. He fumbled with the nightstand drawer yanking it open so hard some of the contents spilled onto the floor. Finally, he found what he was looking for. He showed the foil packet to Mandy and bestowed her with a triumphant smile.
Mandy watched him quickly rip open the small square package and sheath his erection in the condom. Then she opened her arms and beckoned him to her. His weight pressed into the soft mattress. One leg and then another moved between her legs spreading her wider. She felt the tip of his erection nudge her burning center. So close, he was so close, but close wasn’t enough for Mandy. She didn’t want any space between them at all.
She wrapped her legs around his lower back and crossed her ankles to keep them there. Then she arched her back and bucked her hips the same time Jackson thrust inside her. The hard length of his erection glided through her tight tissue caressing nerves as it went. Her breath hitched, and she let out a stifled cry. “Feel’s good,” she managed to get out.
Jackson rocked forward in a steady rhythm sliding his erection in and out. He smiled against her skin. “It took us enough tries to finally get here, and it does feel good,” he agreed. His mouth skimmed across her smooth skin. He found a pebbled nipple and sucked it into his mouth. He lightly nipped at it with his teeth.
Mandy no longer had control of her body. Her hips bucked and arched. Her back bowed. Her fingernails racked down Jackson’s back before tangling in his overlong hair. Her body was doing everything it could to get Jackson closer and deeper. She could feel Jackson increasing his thrusts to match her demands. She moaned her approval. Nothing in her life had ever felt this good!
Every muscle in her body was pulled tight. Jackson ground his pelvic bone into the erect bundle of nerves guarding her nether lips. The friction and pressure on what might be the most sensitive spot on her body were enough. Her vaginal muscles began to spasm. They clutched and unclutched, the erection now moving even faster inside her. Soon it seemed every muscle in her body was shaking. Jackson stiffened above her and yelled her name before freezing with his erection pressed deep inside her.
Mandy’s arms and legs left Jackson and fell to the mattress. She felt boneless, and she doubted she could move even if she had to.
Jackson kissed her on the side of the neck and then slowly slid out of her body. “I’ll be right back he promised.
Mandy did manage to gather enough energy to roll to her side. She watched Jackson disappear into the bathroom. She heard the water in the sink running. A couple of minutes later Jackson walked toward her with a glass of water and a washcloth. He handed her the water, and she greedily drank it. She felt the soft warmth between her legs and glanced down to see Jackson carefully swipe the cloth over her thighs and then her feminine area.
Jackson tossed the rag toward his hamper and turned all his attention to Mandy. He’d been hoping for this outcome for a couple of days. He was prepared. He reached into the nightstand and pulled out the small square
jeweler’s box.
Mandy was well aware that their mutual desire still hadn’t been sated. Even though she was bone tired, she half-expected to see another condom in Jackson’s hand. The small black box he held instead caused her heartbeat to speed up and her breath to stop. She watched as Jackson quickly got off the bed and then lowered himself onto one knee. She scrambled to the edge of the bed as he reached for her hand.
He took her trembling fingers in his own and then raised her hand to his lips. He placed his lips on her wrist and kissed the spot right above her excited heartbeat. “Mandy, you have truly come to mean everything to me. I want you to be a part of my life forever. Please do me the honor of becoming my wife.”
Mandy was speechless. She’d never allowed herself to dream about this, not even all those years ago when she dared to follow Jackson around town with adoring puppy dog eyes. Jackson continued to look at her, and she realized he was waiting for an answer. She snapped out of her daydream and once again flung herself into his arms. “Yes, yes, yes,” she managed to get out between kisses.
Jackson let out a lighthearted laugh at her enthusiasm. It was more than he’d hoped for, and more than any man could have dreamed of. “We should start making wedding plans very soon then because I can’t wait to hold you in my arms every night and I don’t want to have to put up with angry glares from our very old-fashioned mothers.”
“I agree,” Mandy answered. “A small ceremony here on your ranch…”
“Our ranch,” Jackson interpreted her to say.
“All right,” she smiled up at him. “Our ranch it is then. A small ceremony with just family, friends, and neighbors would be easy to arrange and everything I could want. I’ll ask Emma to help me with the details. She did such a great job with her own considering it started out as Lynn’s wedding. I remember her saying she and Landon had to make several last-minute changes in the days leading up to the ceremony. She’ll be an invaluable source of help and information. Besides I loved that gorgeous bouquet with the sunflower surrounded by tiny lavender and yellow roses.”
Jackson’s mouth slid up into a grin. “It’s only fitting that your bouquet matches that one. After all, you caught it the night you walked back into my life. Now that’s enough talk about flowers. I have other things on my mind.”
“I’ve wanted this for so long, even the past few weeks when I was trying to fight how I felt about you I still wanted you. Now I’m afraid to blink. I’m afraid if I do I’ll wake up, and this will all have been a dream.”
“It’s real, darling. Let me show you how real,” he offered before lowering his body on top of hers and showering every inch of her body with kisses, caresses, and love.
EPILOGUE
Mandy clutched the bouquet of lavender and golden roses surrounding the stately and proud sunflower. It was an exact replica of the bouquet she’d caught at Emma and Landon’s wedding just two short months ago. She’d loved it so much when she first saw it that she couldn’t imagine any other flower arrangement for her own wedding. She closed her eyes and threw the bouquet over her shoulder with a blessing that it made the woman who caught it as happy as she was now with Jackson.
She heard several cheers and a few groans. She quickly turned to see where the bouquet had landed. She was just in time to see the bouquet veer wide left as if it had a mind of its own. It went straight into the lap of Sara Beth Warren, who inspected the bouquet in her lap with furrowed brows that indicated she was deep in thought and maybe more than a little confused.
Mandy couldn’t suppress the smile that leaped to her mouth. Sara Beth probably had the same look of confusion on her face that Mandy had been sporting not that long ago when Emma’s bouquet had ended up in her lap. She hoped it brought her friend much luck and love. The kind of love she’d been lucky enough to have a second chance at Mandy thought.
Mandy was very fond of Sara Beth. Their friendship had taken up where it left off six years ago. They were best friends once again. There was one thing troubling Mandy though. She knew Sara Beth had been preoccupied the past couple of weeks. Something was definitely bothering her. Mandy hadn’t pushed Sara Beth because she knew her friend would confide in her when she was ready. Mandy just hoped it would be soon because she hated to see someone around her so miserable when she was walking on clouds.
She looked around and found Kyle Manning, the local attorney watching Sara Beth with an intense look of longing on his face. Something was certainly going on there. Mandy hadn’t even been aware that they knew each other. Maybe there was something to this bridal bouquet superstition after all she decided. By the look of things, if Kyle had his way, he and Sara Beth would definitely be getting to know each other in no time flat. Mandy had a good feeling about those two. Anything could happen. Mandy told herself with a smile. After all, look at Landon and Emma, look at her and Jackson.
Mandy glanced at the floral bouquet one more time. Could something as simple as a flower arrangement bring love and luck? Mandy didn’t know, but it had sure worked for her! She felt the loving arms of her husband wrap around her waist and hold her tight. There was just something about sunflowers that made the soul sing. Whatever it was, it had sure brought magic to Emma and Landon James and now her and Jackson too. Maybe Sara Beth and Kyle were next. She certainly hoped that was true. If anyone deserved happiness, it was her friend Sara Beth. Mandy had recently learned that Sara Beth had endured a tragic loss followed by much heartache two years ago.
****
“Here’s to second chances, and finding the love of your life,” Carson, the best man, toasted the bride and groom later on that night. Mandy’s violet eyes were trained on the whiskey colored irises of her husband. She sent him a saucy grin. “Second chance bride and groom, I like the sound of that,” she whispered as they entwined their arms and offered each other a sip of champagne.
“Not nearly as much as I do, that I can promise you, my love,” Jackson replied. And he meant every word. He sat down his champagne flute and was glad to see hers quickly follow his onto the table. Jackson swept Mandy into his arms and rushed toward the door and the rest of their life together. He had every intention of making the best of the second chance they had been given, and there was no time to waste. After all, they’d already wasted six years, and that was more than enough waste for one lifetime.
Thank you, and I hope you had as much fun reading SECOND CHANCE BRIDE AND GROOM as I had writing it! I’m off on my next adventure writing the third installment of this series. Please join me in February for Sara Beth and Kyle’s story EXPECTANT BRIDE AND GROOM. Please visit my website irisabbott.com or my Facebook page Iris Abbott (author) for more information on upcoming releases! I enjoy feedback from my readers. Please let me know what you’re thinking. I can be reached at [email protected]. Happy reading!
Table of Contents
WARNING:
IRIS ABBOTT
Books by Iris Abbott
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
EPILOGUE
Thank you