My heart starts to race and I’ve no choice but to find Freddie. He’s the only one I’ve ever imagined spending my life with, the only one I thought could give me my happily ever after. It might be ten years later, but could he give me everything the eighteen-year-old inside me is still yearning for?
* * *
Everyone’s crowded around watching the newlyweds take to the dance floor for their first dance when hands land on my waist. My heart jumps, but the second his scent surrounds me it begins to race for a whole other reason.
“Dance with me?” When I look up, my parents and Tessa’s are joining them on the dance floor. A few other couples move to dance as Freddie slides his hand into mine and gently tugs. I go willingly, the pull to be close to him too much.
He brings me to a halt, pulls my arms, and I step into him. The heat of his body burns through our clothes and a slow throb starts up between my legs. This fucked up foreplay we’ve got going on is getting a little bit much to bear.
His hands slide around my waist and rest just above my ass. Far enough away that anyone looking wouldn’t be suspicious, but close enough I can feel his fingers twitching to explore more. I thread my arms around his neck and look up into his emerald eyes. They’re sparkling with delight like he can sense the shift in me.
He smiles, then leans forwards. His lips brush against the shell of my ear and I shudder in his arms. “Are you ready to give up fighting yet? Let me give you what you need, Bryony.” I sag against him, my body more than willing to accept what he’s offering. “That should be you in the white dress. It should be us starting the next chapter of our lives together. It’s time to put the past behind us. Tell me you don’t want it.”
“I…” I want to argue. My head tells me I should in an attempt to protect my heart. But I can’t. “It can’t work. You live miles away and I’m here,” I say, deciding to focus on the logistics and not what my body desires.
“Stop worrying about what comes next. All of that can be sorted. Just focus on what you want. On what you need.” I nod, but it’s not enough “What do you want, Bryony?”
“You,” I whisper. “Always you.”
The most incredible smile spreads across his lips as he stares down at me. His face lowers and I panic that he’s about to make a scene. My eyes widen and thankfully it’s enough to make him see sense. So, instead, he tightens his arms around me and I lay my head on his shoulder as we continue swaying back and forth in time with the music.
Bryony
“Can I cut in?” a familiar voice says over my shoulder. Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to prepare for what’s to come.
I saw Vaughan the moment she walked in the room for the evening reception. After our conversation the other night at the bar, I knew she’d have questions, and I guess dancing with Freddie like I was will only allow her to ask even more.
Freddie stills, his arms tightening around me, and I let out a contented sigh. He doesn’t want to share me. The knowledge has warmth spreading through me.
Lifting my head from his shoulder, I turn and look into Vaughan’s smug blue eyes. She doesn’t need to open her mouth to say the words, I knew I was right is written all over her face.
“It’s okay,” I whisper to Freddie and he reluctantly lets me go.
“So…he’s hot. Care to explain?”
Unfortunately, Freddie hears every word, and he’s laughing when he turns back to us, amusement shining in his eyes. He winks before heading towards the bar, and it has butterflies fluttering in my stomach.
Blowing out a slow breath, I turn back to Vaughan, whose eyebrows are raised as she waits.
“That’s Freddie. He’s Mac’s best man.”
“And…”
“And I’ve been in love with him since I was about sixteen. Okay?” I say in a rush, although I feel lighter having admitted it.
“I knew it. Let’s go and get a drink and you can tell me all about it.”
“Freddie, this is Vaughan. Vaughan, Freddie,” I say when we walk up to the bar and join Freddie with a few of his old school friends I recognize.
“It’s good to finally meet you,” Vaughan says, making Freddie’s eyes light up. I don’t point out that she’s only just found out about him because he looks too happy that I’ve spoken about him. “Please excuse us. We’ve got some gossip to catch up on.” With a glass of wine each, Vaughan drags me over to an empty table. Sitting down, she stares at me until I start talking.
“You were right. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“Yes and no. Mostly I wanted to see that smile on your face.”
My cheeks heat that my happiness is so obvious.
“So, I’m assuming Freddie is your brother’s best friend, seeing as he’s the best man. That is so hot. Please tell me Freddie was forbidden to touch you, yet you did it anyway.” Vaughan fans herself as she imagines what the situation could have been. “I always wanted an older brother so I could lust after his friends,” she muses.
“It isn’t all that much fun.”
“So, what happened? Does your brother know? Are you getting back together?” She throws each question at me before I’ve even had a chance to consider what the answer to the previous one might be.
Letting out a sigh, I tell her everything right from the very beginning.
“You’re going for it, right?” she asks once I’ve recapped the past ten years of my life into about ten minutes.
“I—”
“Don’t even think about saying no. You’ve already told me you’re in love with him, and in all the time we’ve been sitting here he hasn’t been able to take his eyes off you. Forget about all the other shit and just enjoy him. Fuck knows I would if I got the chance.”
“I can’t believe you’re encouraging me to do this, Ms. Forever Single.”
“I might be different if I could meet a guy who’d look at me like that.”
I glance over at the bar, and exactly as she described, Freddie is staring right at me. The guys he’s standing with are in the middle of a conversation, but he’s totally zoned out. My insides heat under his intense scrutiny and I shift on my seat.
Movement catches my eye and when I look back to Vaughan, I find her pulling her phone from her clutch. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she mutters, letting out a loud sigh.
“What’s wrong?” Turning her phone, my eyes land on a photograph of a slightly older couple on their wedding day. My brows draw together before realization hits me. “Shit, is that your mom?”
“Yes. Looks like I’ve got a new stepdad…again.”
“How many have you had?”
“This guy is probably…” She counts in her head for a few seconds and my chin drops. “Number seven or eight.”
“Seven or eight?” I repeat in utter shock. She’s mentioned before that her mom’s been married a couple of times, but I didn’t realize it was quite that many.
“Jesus. Weren’t you invited?” I ask, shocked that a mother would get married without her only child present.
“We don’t speak all that often. She usually just does her own thing.” She waves the phone. “And I do mine.”
“When was the last time you saw her?”
“Uh…it’s been over a year.”
My eyes widen but I don’t get to respond because Freddie appears over her shoulder.
“Can I have her back now?” His deep voice washes through me and my skin erupts in goosebumps.
“She’s all yours,” Vaughan says getting up and going to step away. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“That doesn’t leave much,” I call after her and watch as her shoulders shake with a laugh.
“Everything okay?” Freddie asks, sitting himself in the chair Vaughan just vacated. Reaching forward, he entwines our fingers.
“I think so,” I say, looking down at his hands and back up to his eyes. They’re dark, expressing exactly what he wants. My thighs squeeze together at the thought.
“So…I was wondering i
f you’ve finished working? Everyone’s enjoying themselves,” he says, glancing around the room. “Surely you can slip away now.”
Biting down on my bottom lip, I consider his words. “It’s my brother’s—your best friend’s—wedding. We can’t just leave.”
“Says who? Mac won’t notice. There’s like a hundred people in here to keep him entertained.”
“Two-hundred and twenty, actually,” I correct.
“Exactly. He won’t miss two.”
“I don’t know.” My sensible side tells me to stay put just in case I’m needed. But the spontaneous side of me who doesn’t pop her head up very often is screaming at me to drag him from the room and enjoy everything he’s offering.
“Fuck it.” Freddie pulls me so I’m standing, wraps his arm around my waist, and pushes me towards the exit. I’m too excited and shocked to do anything other than do as I’m told.
Just before we leave the room, Freddie slows and pulls a single burgundy rose from one of the arrangements. No words pass his lips but my stomach twists in anticipation.
Freddie
I look over my shoulder before we disappear through the door and Mac catches my eye. He briefly looks at Bryony, then moves his gaze back to me. A single nod tells me that he’s okay with this. Not that I’d stop right now even if he wasn’t.
Pushing her forward, I press the button for the elevator and wait for the doors to open. My fists clench with my need to touch her, but I need her in the privacy of her room first.
We’re inside before the doors are fully open. I’m just about to back her up against the wall when an elderly couple join us. The wicked smile that twitches on Bryony’s lips tells me she knows exactly what I was thinking.
“What’s the flower for?” she whispers.
Lifting the single rose, I allow the soft petals to tickle down her cheek and over her lips. Her chin drops and her eyes flutter closed. “I thought it might be fun,” I breathe in her ear, making her entire body shudder.
Her hand trembles as she tries to slide the key card into the lock. Wrapping my hand around hers, I guide it into the slot before pushing her inside the room.
There’s a thud as her purse drops to the floor the second I push her up against the door. The rose in my hand soon follows as I find what I’ve been waiting hours for. Her lips.
“Fuck,” I grunt, pressing myself against her soft curves, my hands running over every inch of her. But still, it’s not enough. “I need you, B. I need you right now.”
“Yes, yes,” she chants.
I intended on bringing her up here and taking my time, showing her everything she’s been missing for the last ten years. But now she's here, panting for more, and I can’t resist. Slow and sensuous can wait. Right now, we both need this release. It’s been a long time coming.
After shrugging off my jacket, I skim my hands up her thighs, lifting her dress up around her waist. I press my fingers against the damp lace covering her mound. She whimpers against my lips and I press a little harder.
My cock hardens to the point of pain. She must sense my discomfort because as I continue to tease her over her panties, she reaches out for my waistband. My pants and boxers are soon being pushed down over my hips, thankfully releasing my straining cock.
“Fuck, Bry,” I moan when she wraps her tiny hand around me. “I need you.”
“You’ve got me.”
Dragging my eyes open, I look down into her desire-filled chocolate gaze and any tiny bit of restraint I had snaps. My hands wrap around her thighs and I lift her. Without any instruction, she reaches down and pulls her panties to the side. In one swift movement, I fill her. We both cry out as I thrust as far in as she’ll allow me.
“Jesus, fuck.”
“Move,” she demands and I’m powerless to do anything but what she asks.
With my fingers bruising her thighs, I pull back and thrust up. Her head falls back against the door as she cries out. The rippling of her muscles has me racing towards release all too soon and I can’t draw this out. I need her hard and fast, right fucking now.
Dropping my head to her exposed neck, I suck on her sensitive skin. Her pulse thunders against my lips as her release gets within reaching distance.
“I need to feel you coming, Bry.”
“Oh, shit,” she moans as I lick up the length of her neck. I bite down on her earlobe and she explodes around me. Her pussy grips me so tight as her orgasm hits that I’ve no choice but to follow her.
“Bryony,” I growl in her ear as my balls draw up and I fill her full of everything I’ve got.
It’s long seconds before I pull back. Resting my forehead against hers, our eyes connect and our breaths mingle.
“Hey,” she says, her cheeks brightening.
“Hey.”
“That was—”
“Not what you deserved,” I interrupt. “Now, let me show you how it should be done.”
“Oh.” Her chin drops and a smile twitches at the corners of her lips. “That’s not it?”
“That’s only the beginning, baby.”
Bryony
The conviction in his words makes my stomach clench. Those few minutes were earth shattering and reminded me of everything we once were. But it wasn’t enough, and I’m so glad he thinks so, too.
Releasing my legs, he puts me back on my feet and stands back. “You’re so fucking beautiful.” His eyes run over every inch of me and my skin prickles with his attention. He bends down to collect the discarded rose before reaching for my hand and pulling me farther into my room. Stopping a few feet from the bed, he stares me straight in the eyes and demands for me to stay put.
Taking two steps back, he pulls his tie off and undoes his dress shirt before shrugging if off and allowing the fabric to drop to the floor. My eyes feast on the inches upon inches of tanned and toned skin in front of me. After toeing off his shoes and dropping his pants, he comes back to me.
He circles me and I feel like his prey. Lust shoots to my core and my panties get even wetter.
Pushing my hair over one shoulder, he drops his lips to my neck and trails kisses down to the top of the zip. Painfully slowly, he pulls it down. My body shivers as the fabric tickles over my skin where I’m hyperaware of everything he’s doing.
His breath catches when he pushes my dress from my shoulders and it pools at my feet, revealing my burgundy lingerie.
His fingers trail around my waist as he walks back around to my front. His cock’s already rock hard again and tenting his boxers, but his focus is solely on me. Reaching behind him, he grabs the rose.
“You’re going to remember tonight forever,” he promises.
I flinch when the soft petals of the rose touch my stomach. He runs it along the edge of my panties and a soft whimper falls from my lips. He trails it up my body, between my breasts, making my nipples pucker against the lace, begging to be released.
“It’s been ten years since I touched you. Can you imagine how many different ways I’ve imagined doing this?”
“I…I have a rough idea,” I admit, having had my own fantasies over the years.
“All of them end with you screaming my name and begging me for more. Do you think you can do that?”
“I think I already have.”
“Hmm, so you have.”
His fingers find the clasp on my bra and he peels it away from my body. The cool air makes my nipples harder still. He circles me once again, the rose tickling my skin and driving me to insanity. I want his hands, his mouth, his— My thoughts are cut off as the rose brushes my nipple. “Oh God.”
“You think I could make you come like this?”
“I don’t…maybe…I…fuck.”
“What about like this?” Leaning forward, his tongue teases the tip of my nipple. My entire body stiffens as pleasure builds within me. I’m pretty sure I’ve never felt like this before. I swear my body is on the verge of exploding with the pressure.
He gives the other the same treatment before go
ing back to the rose. “Freddie, please,” I moan as it passes my belly button and teases me over the lace.
“More?”
“So much more, please,” I beg.
Dropping the rose to the floor, he takes my breasts in his hands and sucks one nipple into his mouth.
“Yesss,” I hiss, his tongue circling and driving me crazy.
“I never could say no to you.”
He kisses, licks, and sucks over my breasts before dropping down my stomach. Heat floods my core in anticipation and my body trembles for the release he’s keeping from me.
“Do you taste as sweet as I remember, Bryony?”
I mumble something incoherent as he wraps his fingers around the sides of my panties and tugs. They fall down around my shoes and Freddie leans into me. His hands land on my thighs and encourage me to open for him, and I do in an instant.
“Oh fuck,” I cry when his tongue finds my clit. My knees threaten to buckle, but he must sense it because he lifts his hands and holds my ass. His tongue delves deeper and I cry out in pleasure.
“Even fucking sweeter,” he says, his wide smile splitting his face as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.
Kissing back up my body, his lips find mine. I groan when my own taste explodes on my tongue. “Fucking sweet, right?” he mumbles, but I’m too lost in his kiss to reply.
With our lips still connected, he turns us and gently lowers me to the bed before dropping his boxers. Climbing between my legs, he pulls back and looks down at me. The love pouring from his eyes has tears burning the back of my throat. How did I ever think I was going to be able to deny him?
I drop my eyes from his and run them down his chest, abs, and to his cock that he’s rubbing against my clit. Propping myself up on my elbows, I watch intently as he presses inside me. My eyes flutter closed as the sensation engulfs my body.
When I open them again, my back is on the mattress and Freddie is slowly thrusting inside me, his eyes locked on mine.
Something Borrowed (Wedding Season Series) Page 4