Stealing the Bride
Page 32
Court arches an eyebrow. “Let’s put it to a vote.”
“Don’t be so mean to us,” Yuna says in a cheery voice. “I love being single and not missing anybody.”
She and Edgar high-five each other. The two women who always tag along after Yuna look pained. Huh. Maybe they’re tasked to keep her away from men she has no plans to marry. Or maybe they’re worried she might take Edgar out for a week-long test ride.
I turn to Ivy. “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good.” She puts a hand on her still relatively flat belly. “It’s fun to be out and about.” She gives Tony a teasing look. “He’s been keeping me home, worried I’m ‘overdoing it.’”
“If he could, he’d carry her everywhere,” Yuna adds.
Are Tony’s cheeks turning red? It’s sort of cute because he seems very…intense and focused normally. “If I don’t take care of my wife, who will?” he says. Awww.
“I agree one hundred percent,” Joe says, putting an arm around Curie and pulling her closer.
Tony nods. Mr. Vindicated. “Exactly.”
Court takes my hand. “Wanna go dance?”
“Yup.”
“Me too!” Yuna stands, then tugs at Edgar. “Come on.”
“Me?”
“I can’t dance alone.”
His face scrunches. He’s definitely going to say no. Poor Yuna…
But he rises to his feet with a long, heaving sigh. “All right, fine. Let’s go.”
“He’s really accommodating,” I say to Court.
“He lost a game of Go Fish to Yuna before coming here. They bet that the loser would have to do whatever the winner wanted tonight…within reason.”
We reach the dance floor. I sway for a bit to the pounding beat, then let my body do what it wants to the rhythm. Court is close to me, his large, hard frame moving with the music and me.
Just a small brush against my arm…then my chest…then he’s standing behind me, his hands on my hips. Blood runs hotter and faster in my veins, lust throbbing through me.
One song becomes two. Then three. His breath fans my ear. I shiver, every square inch of my skin prickling and responding to his nearness.
And I’m already wet.
I link my hands behind his neck, pulling our bodies even closer. My eyes on his, I kiss him, just a small, quick flick of my tongue. The need inside me kicks up a notch.
“Let’s get out of here,” he says.
“Yeah?” I smile.
“Need someplace more private, don’t you agree?”
His erection presses against my belly, and my knees are growing weaker. “Yes.”
He links his fingers with mine, then tugs. I follow him, laughing breathlessly like a teenager about to do something unspeakably naughty.
As we go past Yuna and Edgar, who are still dancing, Yuna gives me a huge wink. My cheeks flame, but I don’t care that much. It isn’t like she doesn’t know we’re an item.
Court leads me past familiar city blocks until we reach the Aylster Hotel. I grin hugely. “Again?”
“Of course. It’s our lucky place.”
“Totally.” Where we had our first time. And where we reaffirmed our love for each other at the auction.
He doesn’t stop by the front desk, though. He whisks me straight to the waiting elevator. He hits the close button repeatedly until the double doors close with nobody but us inside.
“You already have a room?” I ask.
“Mm-hmm. The same suite we had last time.”
Damn. That’s perfect. “Confident, aren’t you?”
The grin that never fails to make my heart swell with love pops onto his face. “I thought I might get lucky tonight.”
“Only tonight?” I arch an eyebrow. “I think you got lucky last night, and the night before, and…”
Laughing, he cradles my face between his large, warm palms and kisses me hard. I open up, feel his tongue glide against mine and taste a hint of tequila and him. Yum.
White heat unfurls, making my nipples bead and my clit ache. I rub myself shamelessly against him.
The elevator stops, and the doors open. We rush out into the hall. This time, Court finds the right suite on the first try.
As soon as we’re inside, he pushes me against the wall. His mouth crashes over mine, and I devour him with all the unrestrained hunger growing within me.
This is our get-lucky place. And we are definitely getting lucky tonight.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Pascal
I roll over, feeling the soft, luxurious cotton sheets against my skin. I lost count of the number of times we screwed, but I’m slightly sore—in all the right places. Maybe we can do it again. It’s only… I open one eye to check the time on the bedside clock. Ten. On Sunday. Definitely more sex. Then a shower. Then eat. Or maybe a shower, then more sex, then eat…
I shift toward Court, then stop when I see his side of his bed is empty. I still and listen for any sound from the bathroom. Nope, nothing. I touch the pillow. It’s cool against my hand.
Huh. Where did he go?
I start to sit up, then stop when I see something on the indent of the pillow. A fifty-dollar bill…folded into a heart.
I pick it up with a smile. How adorable.
“Pretty good, huh?” Court says, coming in from the living room. He’s already freshly showered, a towel wrapped around his tight waist.
I eye-fuck him. Because a body that lean, strong and gorgeous deserves it.
“Oh. So you’re too busy admiring this”—he sweeps his hand over his six-pack—“to give some love to my origami heart?”
I tilt my chin up primly. “Not my fault. You’re the one flashing me.” Then, since I don’t want to make him feel like I’m ignoring his effort, I run my index finger along the edge of the heart. “Did you fold this yourself?”
“Yup.” He grins, taking his spot on the bed. He shoves the pillow behind him and leans against it. “I thought it symbolized our love for each other. Fifty bucks and your heart.”
I flush, absurdly touched by his sentimentality. “We don’t need a physical token. I’ll show you my love every day.”
“And I’ll show you mine…but maybe you can keep this safe for me.” He puts a hand over my heart.
“Okay.” I hold the fifty-dollar heart with more care, then realize something’s off. I can feel something round and hard inside.
“Open it,” he whispers.
My pulse racing, I open it, taking care not to rip the note. Inside is a platinum ring with a huge diamond in the center, set between sapphires on either side. I place a trembling hand over my lips. “Oh my God. Court.”
He gazes at me with love shining in his beautiful gaze. “Pascal Snyder, you’re the center of my universe, the keeper of my heart. I love you. Will you marry me?”
Tears prickle my eyes, and my pulse pounds like it’s ready to gallop away. I start to say yes until I realize something. He didn’t ask me in English. He asked me in…Klingon?
Oh. My. God. He speaks Klingon?! Shit. My mouth parts. He understood what I was saying all this time? What the hell did I say? Anything bad? Panic gums up the gears in my head, and I can’t think. Finally I say, “tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh’a’?” You speak Klingon?
“Actually,” he says, “I speak English and Klingon. I’m a man of many talents.”
“But you speak Klingon! All this time!”
He nods. “Since I was about twelve.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I groan.
“Don’t worry, you didn’t say anything that bad. Besides, I think it’s awesome you speak it. We can communicate in secret whenever we want.”
Well, yes, if you want to look at the positive side…
“Hey. You haven’t answered my question.” He looks at me with blue eyes bright with love. “Will you marry me?”
I kiss him. “HIja’. A thousand times HIja’. But it’s going to be a long engagement. I’m going to plan a ceremony we’ll never forget.”
�
�Whatever you want,” he says.
But I already have what I want—Court Blackwood, speaker of Klingon, center of my universe and keeper of my heart.
——
Thanks for reading Stealing the Bride! I hope you enjoyed it.
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Titles by Nadia Lee
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——
The Sins Trilogy
Book 1: Sins
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Book 2: Secrets
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Book 3: Mercy
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The Billionaire’s Claim Duet
Book 1: Obsession
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Book 2: Redemption
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——
Sweet Darlings Inc. Series
Book 1: That Man Next Door
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Book 2: That Sexy Stranger
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Book 3: That Wild Player
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——
Billionaires’ Brides of Convenience Series
Book 1: A Hollywood Deal
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Book 2: A Hollywood Bride
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Book 3: An Improper Deal
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Book 4: An Improper Bride
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Book 5: An Improper Ever After
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Book 6: An Unlikely Deal
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Book 7: An Unlikely Bride
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Book 8: A Final Deal
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——
The Pryce Family Series
Book 1: The Billionaire’s Counterfeit Girlfriend
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Book 2: The Billionaire’s Inconvenient Obsession
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Book 3: The Billionaire’s Secret Wife
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Book 4: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Fiancée
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Book 5: The Billionaire’s Forbidden Desire
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Book 6: The Billionaire’s Holiday Bride
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——
Seduced by the Billionaire Series
Book 1: The Billionaire’s Revenge
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Book 2: The Billionaire’s Pursuit
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Book 3: The Billionaire’s Baby
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Book 3.5: The Millionaire’s Crush
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Book 4: The Billionaire’s Secret
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Book 5: The Billionaire’s Scandal
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——
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About Nadia Lee
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nadia Lee writes sexy, emotional contemporary romance. Born with a love for excellent food, travel and adventure, she has lived in four different countries, kissed stingrays, been bitten by a shark, ridden an elephant and petted tigers.
Currently, she shares a condo overlooking a small river and sakura trees in Japan with her husband and son. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading books by her favorite authors or planning another trip.
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Stealing the Bride
Copyright © 2019 by Hyun J Kyung
Kindle Edition
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without the prior written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.
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