All the Wrong Reasons: When something so wrong can feel so right! (Destiny's Games Book 1)

by Jerilee Kaye

  The VIP treatment gave Adrienne a bit of a headache. She wasn’t used to this. And she felt like Abigail would make a good principal at “How To Be A Bitch Academy.” It’s amazing how she didn’t even have to open her mouth but things would just go the way she wanted them to be.

  “Well, I like her,” Yuan said beside her. “Besides, you’re running out of time. A woman who runs military rule is exactly what you need to get everything up and running in two days.”

  Abigail took her to an aisle of dresses. They were all beautiful, flawlessly tailored with sparkling crystals and rich laces.

  Adrienne picked out a simple gown that went all the way down to the ankles.

  What could you wear in a wedding with six people, right?

  “Ah-ah!” Abigail said, shaking her head. “That looks more like a cocktail dress to me, sweetheart.” She took out a ball gown that had folded layers over the skirt.

  “Seriously?” Adrienne asked. “For a four-guest wedding?” The dress looked too grand for such a simple occasion.

  Abigail raised a brow at her. “Seriously,” she stated simply. Then Abi let out a sigh. “Adrienne…Justin is Mason’s go-to guy. My husband owes him a lot. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s reading people. Your fiancé feels guilty about not being able to give you a wedding that’s fit for an heiress like you are. He knows that you deserve a fairy-tale wedding. But as it is…you’ve eloped and can’t bring the whole United States of America to Italy. So apart from the lack of guests at the wedding, don’t you think you should do everything else as grand as it would have been?” Abigail said, finally giving Adrienne a piece of her mind. “That would erase Justin’s guilt and make him really happy!”

  Adrienne blinked back at her. Then she realized Abigail she was right. Justin would want to give her a grand wedding. And he could afford it. But his desire to have an intimate, solemn and romantic ceremony prevailed. And honestly…she preferred it this way, too. But Abi made a great point. Nothing should stop them from making this wedding majestic. Their love story was a fairy-tale anyway.

  She took the dress from Abi. “You should have said that earlier!”

  When Adrienne finally came out of the dressing room, her friends gazed at her in awe. She turned to the mirror and almost gasped at herself.

  The silk gown hugged her body to perfection. The bodice with a sweetheart neckline, was fully embroidered and lined with crystals. The flowing side draped skirt was made of folds of rich silk. Each fold ended with floral crystals and embroidery. Additionally, the dress included a detachable crystal-adorned chapel-length train that could be used during the ceremony and removed at her convenience during the reception.

  “Wow!” Jill cried. “That is the dress, if you ask me.”

  Adrienne had to agree. She wanted to check out the other dresses, but she was sure this was it. She fell in love with it. She actually imagined herself getting married in it.

  “See?” Abi began. “This is perfect-ion!” Her voice was full of approval.

  “How could you get it right the first time?” Adrienne breathed.

  “Talent, my dear.” Abi giggled. “Come, you have to choose your shoes.”

  Adrienne looked at herself in the mirror one last time and smiled. The dress she wore looked fantastic. It was doubtlessly expensive, but she didn’t care. Its beauty glowed…exactly how she felt inside. And she couldn’t wait for Justin to see her in it.

  Abi and Jill also chose their own gowns. Then they all chose their shoes and other accessories. In the evening, they returned to the hotel to meet Justin and Mason. Adrienne felt exhausted by the time they had dinner. It was a long day. Brides usually have at least three months to plan the wedding of their dreams. She had three days.

  The whole group gathered at the poolside to have some beer. For Abi, it was the time to remind everybody of their roles for the next two days. By ten in the evening, Adrienne yawned. Justin gave her a squeeze, then he turned to the group.

  “Guys, we would have to go now,” he told them. “I think my bride-to-be can hardly keep her eyes open.”

  “No, I’m okay,” Adrienne said.

  Justin shook his head and stood up from his chair. Adrienne stood up after him. To her surprise, Justin scooped her up on her feet and carried her bridal style as they bid goodnight to the group.

  “This is embarrassing!” she said to him. “Put me down.”

  Justin laughed. “I would have to carry you the same way after the wedding. I should practice not to drop you.”

  “I’ll be wearing a big gown, I’m sure you’ll have difficulty nevertheless,” Adrienne warned him.

  Justin looked at her for a moment and his eyes sparkled. “Really? How big?”

  Adrienne smiled proudly at him. “Cinderella gown big!”

  Justin smiled back at her. “Oh, I can’t wait to see you in it.” He walked inside the elevator. Adrienne pressed their floor number. She turned back to Justin. He smiled at her mischievously. “And of course, I can most definitely not wait to see you… out of it.”

  Adrienne laughed. “Justin, will you stop that? You have less than forty-eight hours to go.”

  They reached their floor and Justin walked towards Adrienne’s bedroom. Adrienne swiped her access card and the door opened. Justin kicked the door closed behind him and put Adrienne down on the bed.

  “Forty-eight hours is torture, honey,” he whispered to her. He leaned forward and touched his lips with hers.

  She kissed him back. Then Justin deepened the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.

  “Justin…” she moaned.

  “Adrienne…” he whispered coarsely. He nuzzled her neck and she almost squirmed in his arms.

  He pushed her towards the bed. She landed on her back and he landed on top of her. His hands and lips claimed her and she felt completely and insanely lost. She could feel him between her thighs. Desire was evident in every part of his body. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled her to him.

  It had been too long since she held him like this and she forgot that this one man could undo her in ways she never thought possible. His touch electrified her and his kisses made her forget anything…everything.

  She felt desire completely overtake her. She pushed his jacket off him. She felt Justin’s hands underneath her shirt, touching her… skin to skin, feeling the pounding of her heart inside her rib cage.

  “Oh God!” she moaned as she felt the urgency overtake her. She felt him suck at her neck and she let out a moan of pleasure. “Justin… please!” She moaned although she wasn’t aware that she spoke at all.

  His lips returned to hers and he kissed her savagely, biting at her lips, invading her mouth with his tongue. Then he kissed her more gently… and he suddenly stopped moving.

  She gently opened her eyes to stare back at him in confusion. He looked at her with a smile of triumph on his devilishly handsome face.

  Finally, she remembered the rule she made. They cannot make love until they’re married.

  “Now, don’t you wish you didn’t make those damn rules at all?” he asked with a slight smirk on his face.

  She playfully hit him in the shoulder.

  “I told you…you’d be begging for it, too,” he teased her.

  “I didn’t beg for it,” she protested.

  He narrowed her eyes at her. “Oh, right! You just said… what was it you said? ‘Justin… please’?” He shook his head. “Sounds like begging to me, honey.”

  She laughed and pinched his shoulder.

  He leaned forward and kissed her lips gently. “You can break the rules, Adrienne,” he said. “If you ask me nicely again… I just might have mercy.” He continued taunting her.

  She punched his shoulder again. “That’s it! Get off me and get out of my room, you conceited prick!” she said in between giggles.

  Justin laughed and kissed her gently on the lips. “Really? You’re not going to change your mind about this?”
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br />   Adrienne gave him a push. She shook her head. “Nope. Let’s torture ourselves some more.”

  Justin lied on his back and gathered Adrienne in his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder.

  “You better have plenty of energy drinks prepared on our wedding night,” he said, chuckling.

  She stared up at him. “A lot of people say that newly-married couples usually don’t have sex on their wedding night. You know…because they’d be too exhausted they would just sleep. Do you think that would happen to us?”

  “Are you kidding me?” Justin asked. “I can barely keep my hands off you now. Do you really think I would let the wedding night pass? Besides…there’s only one wedding night. We could sleep any other night but that night deserves a celebration. Why did you think I opted for a very small wedding? You could put your energy to better use than smiling all night and entertaining a lot of people you barely even know.”

  Adrienne laughed. “You’re probably right. Where are we getting married anyway?”

  “If you can torture me about not being able to make love to you before the wedding day, then I can torture you about not knowing where exactly we’re getting married.”

  Adrienne stared up at him. “You think you’re very clever, huh?”

  He laughed. “I don’t think I am. I know I am.”

  “Come on, Justin!” she insisted. “Where?”

  He pulled her to him. “No. I want it to be a surprise. Patience, okay?”

  She sighed in frustration. She couldn’t understand, but she suddenly felt really angry about it. She felt like she didn’t have a say in anything about their wedding when in normal weddings the most involvement grooms have is to just actually show up on the wedding day. But on hers, she was the one tagging along and being pushed over. Everything came as a surprise…or a shock. She didn’t understand why, but normally she wouldn’t make a big deal out of these things. She might actually feel it’s sweet how Justin got so involved with their wedding preparations. But right now, she couldn’t help feeling…angry.

  She pulled away from Justin and turned her back on him. She stood up from the bed to head for the bathroom. She suddenly felt queasy. She ran to the bathroom, hoping she would make it to the sink. It only took a second for Justin to run after her. Adrienne threw up almost everything she ate that evening. When she finished, she washed the sink. Then she washed her face and gargled mouthwash.

  Justin leaned on the sink beside her, carefully studying her. She caught his eye in the mirror in front of her. She still felt nauseated, her pulse was hammering visibly at the base of her neck.

  He narrowed his eyes at her and couldn’t help the grin that was slowly forming on his face.

  “Justin…” she began. “Why are you smiling?”

  Tears welled up in Justin’s eyes and he pulled her to him in a tight hug. Then he said, “I’m just…very happy, honey. I think my insurance just came through.”

  38. Vznešený

  Czech for Sublime

  Adrienne didn’t want to feel emotional, but feeling Justin’s tight embrace on her, and seeing the tears in his eyes also made her want to cry.

  At first, she thought it could be something that she ate. It could be fatigue catching up with her. It could even be Abi. But looking at Justin’s teary eyes and hearing him say that his insurance just came through… Adrienne remembered that amidst all the chaos that happened to her in the last few weeks, she forgot that she didn’t have her period at all. And that night when Justin first told her that he loved her…he made love to her without protection…without reservation. And the following nights after that, they were both caught up in his problem with his parents, and the thought that their days together were numbered, they just didn’t bother much on using protection.

  Adrienne pulled away from him. “Justin…” she whispered. “Did you…plan this?” An accusation hung in her voice.

  For the first time, she saw Justin actually unsure of himself. Like he suddenly got scared of her.

  “Not really plan…like ‘hatching-an-evil-plan’ kind of plan,” he said, uncertainty was all over his voice.

  She raised a brow at him. “So what kind of plan is this plan?”

  He took a deep breath. “More like… ‘counting-on-it’ kind of plan.” He tried to smile at her, as if hoping she would find him cute, she wouldn’t actually get mad.

  She groaned. “Justin!” She pushed him away from her. But he held on to her, refusing to let her go.

  “Hit me. Slap me. Punch me.” he said. “Do you think I care right now?” He still smiled this huge, stupid grin. “Nothing can wipe this smile off my face, honey. Nor take away the joy that I feel right now!”

  “Really?” she asked in a challenging tone. “What if I say that the wedding is off?”

  His face immediately turned sober. “Except for that.” He shook his head. “Don’t say that. Please…don’t say that.”

  She pushed him away and walked into the bedroom. He was on her heels right away.

  “Adrienne…honey…”

  She sat on the bed, refusing to look at him. She didn’t know whether to be mad or happy. Sure, she would really feel ecstatic if it were true.

  She’s twenty-five years old. She may be too young to be a mother. She may be too young to be a wife. But she never grew up with a mother who nurtured her or gave her love. The only way she could truly replace those memories… is if she created new ones… good ones. If she nurtured her own child and gave it the love she never had.

  She wasn’t sure whether she was really pregnant. She might not be.

  The thought that she might not be… actually made her sad. That’s when she realized that she wanted to be.

  Then she looked at Justin, who was kneeling in front of her, looking at her pleadingly. Suddenly, she had this sudden desire to slap him on the face… just for the thought that he could have planned this all along without telling her.

  She groaned. That’s like three different emotions in a space of one minute.

  I am so pregnant!

  And she realized, she was happy.

  “Insurance?” she asked him. “This baby is just an insurance to you?”

  He groaned. “No! No! No!”

  “But you said it is!”

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “At the time…I was so desperate to stay with you. I sought all sorts of reasons to marry you. Reasons that not only you would accept…but also my parents. I wanted this, Adrienne. I wanted this more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life. I wanted a family with you. And back then, when I thought my parents might take this dream away from me, I just…wanted to…fast forward time…I would give anything and everything just to be…where we are now. Pregnant and getting married.” His eyes were pleading now.

  “What about me?” She asked him. “What if I wasn’t ready?”

  He looked down and kissed both of her hands. When he looked up at her, his eyes were full of emotions. “I fell in love with you because you have a big heart, Adrienne. You give yourself completely to the ones that you love, and I am so lucky you fell in love with me. When you first told me you love me…I knew that if heaven wills that we get pregnant…you will give your heart and soul into starting a family with me.

  “The last nights we were together, we both weren’t trying to be safe. We knew you could get pregnant. I knew that you wanted this as much as I did. I knew that you would be ready. And even if you weren’t… I was. I was always ready. And I will take care of you.” He reached forward and touched her abdomen gently. “Both of you. Just…leave it all to me.”

  Adrienne couldn’t help the tears that ran down her cheeks. She stared at Justin’s teary eyes and smiled. “I love you, too,” she said. “I wanna kill you for planning this without me. But I still love you!”

  Justin laughed. He sat on the bed and pulled her so she could sit on his lap. “Okay…then you can punish me for the rest of our lives,” he said. “The wedding is still on, right? What
you said back there…you were only kidding, right?”

  “I meant it,” she replied, a mischievous smile pasted on her face. His eyes widened. “But now…it’s on again.” Then she shrugged. “Too bad. We had this rule of no sleeping with each other because we were actually getting married. If we weren’t, then…we could…make love, right? But now…the wedding is on again. So the no-sex-before-marriage rule is also back on. I’m sorry you missed your five-minute window.” She batted her eyelashes, curved her lips downward and tried to look sorry for him.

  Justin looked shocked, as if he didn’t know what hit him. Then he groaned. “You are so unfair! Come on! Let’s call it off again. Sixty minutes and then I’ll propose to you again!”

  Adrienne laughed. “Sorry, chief. That ship has sailed. It’s bad luck to break the engagement twice.”

  “Third time’s a charm, remember?” he argued.

  She shook her head. “It’s now or never. And besides… I’m the one who could be carrying your baby in my tummy. So, I’ll be making the rules.”

  Justin narrowed his eyes at her. “I’ve been letting you make the rules since the first night we met, honey,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist.

  Adrienne blinked back at him. “That’s not true!”

  “Is too,” he said, hugging her to him again. “And it’s okay. I like it. For once…there’s one person in this world who has complete power over me.”

  Adrienne laughed. “Now there could be…two.”

  Justin sighed, contentment and happiness were evident in his voice. “Yes. Now there are two of you.”

  “Justin…” Adrienne whispered. “We aren’t sure yet. Let’s check tomorrow, okay?”

  “I would do it now if it wasn’t too late,” Justin stated.

  Justin insisted on sleeping in Adrienne’s room that night. “I don’t care about the rules, honey. I will not attempt to make love to you until the wedding night. But I will stay here with you. If only to make sure your needs are taken care of. And that you’ll be safe. And tomorrow, first thing in the morning, I’ll get some of those kits we could use to test.”