Play Me (Jaded Ivory Book 5)

by Rebecca Brooke

  An Elvis wedding in Vegas?

  Hell no. Megan deserved the wedding of her dreams. One we wouldn’t be able to pull off in sixty days.

  “That would be a no, but you’re right. I want to give you the wedding of your dreams.”

  She slid her hands up to cup my face. “Then we’ll get married when I get back.”

  I shook my head. “No. I want to do it before you leave. If something…” The words caught in my throat. They felt wrong and I didn’t want to think about the possibility of something like that happening, except that was the reality of the place she was heading to. I’d heard the stories of her time overseas. “If something happens to you, I want to be the first to know.”

  She caresses her thumb over my cheek. “Nothing is going to happen to me. I work in a hospital. And you know my parents would let you know about anything.”

  “But we’re going to be on tour. I don’t want to risk messages getting lost. If I’m your husband, the army will have to do everything in their power to find me.”

  “The whole country will know where you are. It won’t be hard for anyone to find you.”

  The feeling of unease that settled in my gut wouldn’t let go. I needed her to understand. “It won’t, but it would make me feel better about you being an ocean away from me. Please.” I didn’t care if I was begging. “I already lost you once. I don’t want it to happen again. We can get married in secret. No one has to know except the army and when you come back, we’ll throw any kind of wedding you want.”

  Seconds passed, then minutes as she stood there. Her focus far away as she weighed the possibilities I suggested. The longer we stood there the more the butterflies assaulted my stomach, worried she would tell me no. After what seemed like hours, her serious stare locked with mine.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  The corners of her mouth turned up in the most blinding smile. “Okay.”

  Holding her tight to me, I lifted her off her feet and spun around the room. Laughter bubbled from her lips.

  When I set her back down, she was breathless.

  “I didn’t think anything could make me happy after that phone call today.”

  “I aim to please.” I smirked and braced myself for the next part. “Does this also mean I can call the movers in the morning?”

  Her brows drew together. “Movers?”

  “Yes, movers. If we’re going to be husband and wife, it probably means we should live in the same place.”

  Her eyes darted around the room. “Wouldn’t that give away the fact we got married?”

  “No. Moving in together is the next step in a relationship and you know it. So, what are you afraid of?”

  She wrung her hands together in front of her. “It’s…it’s just that your place…”

  “My place is what?”

  “Your place is so big.”

  “You’re scared ’cause my place is bigger?” That didn’t make any sense.

  “And you own it. I can’t afford anything like that.”

  “This is not about who can afford what. This is about wanting my wife to live with me. I would have no problem living here if you really wanted to. The only reason I suggested my place was the extra security to keep the press away.”

  “I never thought about it like that.” Pink tinted her cheeks.

  “Once we have our big wedding, the press will be watching you too. At least at my place they have to go through the doorman to get to you.”

  At least until we buy our own house, I added silently in my head.

  “You can call the movers, but that also means I get to debachelor your place.”

  “It’s not a bachelor pad,” I argued. “Allana lived there for a while.”

  “Oh, it’s a bachelor pad. But don’t worry.” She leaned up on her toes and pressed a kiss to my lips. “I’ll take care of you.”

  “I don’t doubt that.” I connected our lips again, sweeping my tongue over her lower lip, parting them to dip my tongue inside, gliding it along hers. Cupping her cheeks, I tilted her face to gain better access to her mouth.

  Panting, I lifted my head and stared into the eyes of the woman who would be by my side forever. My heart thundered in my chest and I felt like I could do anything.

  She blew out a rush of air, bringing her hand up to her chest. “I can’t believe we are going to get married. We have a little time to figure out the where and the when.”

  “How about next weekend?”

  “Next weekend? We—”

  I placed my finger over her lips, stopping her argument. “Yes, we can. I’ll make all the arrangements, but I want to have some time as husband and wife before we’re separated for months.”

  Sliding my hand into the hair at her nape, I brought my mouth down on hers, stealing any protest she was about to make. The kiss started off as a sweet attempt to sway her my way and quickly turned into something more heated. She pressed tighter against me and my dick hardened in a tingling rush. Bending down without breaking the connection of our lips, I swept her into my arms and carried her back into her bedroom. Our connection was broken as I let her slide down my body to the floor.

  “Next weekend,” she whispered as I tugged my shirt over my head.

  “Next weekend,” I agreed, popping the button of my pants and dropping them to the floor along with my boxer briefs.

  Megan let her own clothes fall to the floor, then pushed me down on the bed. “Mrs. Hadden, I think I really like the sound of that.”

  I scooted back until I could rest against the headboard and watch her. “Me too.”

  She crawled across the bed until she could swing a leg over and straddle my lap. Her already wet core rubbed against my rock-hard shaft and a growl left the back of my throat.

  No matter how many times we were together, I found I could never have enough. My need for her only grew. I cupped the back of her ass, running her body along my shaft, taking my pleasure knowing she got hers too. Her head fell back.

  “I want more.”

  “Your wish is my command.” I bent my head and ran my tongue along the outside of her nipple without touching. She sank her fingers into my hair, holding my mouth at her breast.

  “More,” she said again.

  This time, I sucked the tiny bud in my mouth and was rewarded with the trust of her hips forward. Each pass ran my shaft through her core and across her clit. I knew it by the sound she made in the back of her throat every time it happened.

  She panted out each and every breath. Heat radiated off her body and the speed of her hips increased. I gripped them in my hands tightly, knowing I wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.

  “I need more.” It was my turn to beg.

  Fires banked in her eyes and she moved up onto her knees where I could direct my cock inside. A soft moan slipped past her lips as I entered her inch by inch, stopping to pull back every so often only to push back in. Each move pushed my desire to the next level. I could see it was having the same impact on Megan. She pushed back, taking me all the way inside. My balls drew up and I had to tighten my grip to keep her from moving.

  “Give me a second,” I panted. “Otherwise this is all gonna be over before we get started.”

  Eyes locked on mine, she held still until I loosened my hold, then she really began to move. I slid my hands around to grip her ass, rocking her faster on my shaft. She let me take over and leaned forward, taking my mouth. The taste of cherry lingered on her lips as my tongue tangled with hers.

  She broke the kiss and stared into my eyes. “My fiancé.”

  Her words had me pulling her against me harder, the pace of our bodies pushing us both further and further, until she cried out, taking me with her. My dick slipped out of her, but she stayed there in my lap. While our breathing slowed, I ran my fingers lightly up and down her back.

  “I love the sound of that.”

  She sat up to look at me. “Love the sound of what? Our breathing?”

  “
No. My fiancé.”

  She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “I think I like my husband even better.”

  “You know, I have to agree. Husband and wife sounds very appealing.”

  And it really did. I wanted the title at twenty years old and next weekend I’d get my wish.

  32

  Megan

  My hands shook as I pinned the last piece of hair out of my face. I was getting married today and the only person who knew was Reagan. Jackson had asked him to stand in as our witness to help keep the secret. If either of our parents figured out what we’d done, there would be hell to pay.

  A knock sounded on the bathroom door. “Ready?” Jackson’s voice was steady through the wood.

  I reached for the knob and pulled it open, putting a smile on my face. “I’m ready.”

  He cupped my jaw and pressed a brief kiss to my lips. “No, you’re nervous.”

  “We’re getting married today.”

  The brightest smile formed on his lips. “Yes, we are. But first I have something for you.”

  For a moment, the curiosity pushed down the butterflies assaulting my stomach. Jackson took my hand and led me out into his—no, I mean our living room.

  He stopped in the center of the room and turned to face me. Before I could ask, he went down on one knee, pulling a small box from his pocket, a sheepish grin lifting the corner of his lips.

  “We’ve done so many things backward, but this is one memory I wanted to have in order. I should’ve done this the night I asked you to marry me. But neither of us could have anticipated the call you got that night.” Jackson opened the box to reveal a platinum ring with an oval diamond in the center surrounded by smaller stones.

  “Megan Randall, will you marry me?”

  My heart leapt into my throat. Even knowing where we were heading today, the sight of Jackson down on one knee made my throat burn as tears sprang to my eyes.

  If you had asked me a year ago if this day would ever come, I would have told you no. Now my left hand shook as I raised it to Jackson.

  “Yes.”

  Jackson stood and slipped the ring onto my finger, the diamond sparkling in the light from the windows along the living room. Jackson took my hand, yanking me into his arms, kissing me passionately until my body burned to head back to our bedroom.

  He lifted his head and placed his forehead against mine. “Thank you for saying yes.”

  “I already said yes.”

  He lifted his head and smirked at me. “Doesn’t mean you could’ve changed your mind.”

  “You had to know I wouldn’t.”

  One of his brows winged up. “You looked awfully nervous in the mirror a few minutes ago.”

  “Yeah, well, the thought of our parents finding out ran through my head.”

  A shiver raced through him. “God, don’t say that. They’d kill us.”

  “Yes, they would.”

  Jackson stepped back and held out a hand to me. “Ready?”

  I slipped my fingers into the hand of the man I’d spend the rest of my life with and smiled. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Jackson led us out the door, to the elevator at the end of the hall. The ride down was quiet. Enough that I was sure the thumping of my heart could be heard echoing off the walls. Jackson rubbed the pad of his thumb over my hand, keeping my calm.

  Reagan waited for us at the top of the courthouse steps. Dressed in a charcoal gray suit. His dark green eyes watching us as we climbed the stairs to meet him. When we reached him, Jackson held out a hand. “Thank you for doing this.”

  “My pleasure. Are you sure you want to do it alone?”

  Jackson and I nodded at the same time. “We don’t want our parents to get upset.”

  “Or the press to find out and follow us around for the next fifty some days,” Jackson added. “We don’t want them to give away anything about her deployment.”

  Reagan nodded. “You’ve got a point. Today, I’m your lawyer and your secret is safe with me.”

  Jackson sighed. “I know this can’t be easy to keep from Sawyer.”

  Reagan scoffed. “Oh, you mean like he kept Cole proposing a secret from me.” He shook his head and chuckled. “Big secret that was.”

  Wasn’t that the truth. Their engagement had been broadcasted all over the Internet for everyone to see.

  “True.” Jackson laughed along with him.

  “Even so, Sawyer understands there are some things I can’t tell even him. This is one of those times.” He gestured toward the building. “I called in a favor with a friend who used to clerk for the judge. We’re going to use the side entrance to his office where she’ll be waiting for us.”

  “Perfect.”

  I’d wondered how they were going to keep this a secret from everyone. The hat and sunglasses didn’t do much to hide Jackson’s identity, but only if you looked closely.

  We followed Reagan into the courthouse, taking a path toward the elevators, my hand still held tightly in his. The door closed. Reagan pressed the button for the third floor. My pulse quickened. In less than thirty minutes, the man beside me would be my husband, exactly like we’d planned.

  The elevator doors opened and we stepped out into a long hall. A light cream on the top and wood paneling on the bottom. Reagan continued walking until we reached the next to last door on the right-hand side.

  He knocked twice and stood back. A few moments later the door opened.

  “Reagan, it’s good to see you.”

  “Hey, Chloe.” He reached forward and pulled her into a hug. “Thanks for making this happen.”

  She smiled. “Anything for my two favorite boys.” She stepped back and shut the door behind us. “How’s Sawyer?”

  “He’s great.” Reagan pressed a finger to his lips. “But he has no idea that we’re here today.”

  Chloe’s eyes darted to us. “Ooh. Even a secret from the band. Kinda romantic.”

  Jackson lifted my hand to his lips. “I try.”

  “Judge Wilson’s clerk got everything set up for us, exactly the way you asked. And they’re waiting in the judge’s chambers for us.”

  “Thank you, Chloe. I can’t tell you how much this means to us.”

  She batted her eyelashes at Jackson and a bit of the green-eyed monster tried to take over until I remembered Reagan’s warning about his friend. She was a shameless flirt when she wanted something, but never really meant anything by it.

  “Some backstage passes for your next concert would be amazing.”

  Reagan rolled his eyes and wrapped his hand around her bicep. “Come on, shameless flirt. You know you always get backstage passes when you call me.”

  “True. It’s just fun to get you all riled up, Reagan.” She smirked up at him and I couldn’t stop myself from giggling.

  “See, even Megan appreciates my humor.” Chloe winked at me. “Come on, let’s get you guys married.”

  Chloe led the way toward the door at the far end of the room. She knocked once then pushed it open.

  Jackson bent his head close to my ear. “Ready?”

  “Yes.” The butterflies from earlier had burst into full-blown excitement. We were getting married.

  “Judge Wilson, this is my friend Reagan, and this is the happy couple, Jackson and Megan.”

  Judge Wilson reached out a hand to Reagan first. “Pleasure to meet you. Chloe says you both worked together at Braddock & Minetti for a few years.”

  “Yes, ma’am. At least until my relationship choices became a problem for them.”

  She shook her head. “Old bigots will never learn, will they?” She turned to face us. “Jackson, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Everyone in my house is a big fan of your music.”

  Jackson inclined his head. “Thank you so much. If you’d like to take home autographs for them, I’d be happy to sign. It’s the least I can do for you helping us out.”

  She smiled. “Thank you. I know they would love it.” Her gaze moved to me. �
�And, Megan, thank you for your service. It’s my honor to preside over your wedding.”

  “It’s the least I can do. The army gave me my life back.” I smiled up at Jackson, knowing that phrase included him now.

  Judge Wilson clasped her hands together. “Well, if you’re ready to begin, let’s get started.”

  Chloe walked over and handed her a small book.

  Jackson moved us to stand directly in front of the judge.

  “Megan Randall and Jackson Hadden, you’ve come here today to seek the bonds of holy matrimony. Mr. Setton and Ms. Lewis said you’ve written your own vows.”

  “We have.” Jackson took my other hand, turning me to face him.

  “Megan, would you like to go first?” Judge Wilson asked.

  One corner of Jackson’s mouth kicked up. The sight made me weak in the knees.

  “Okay.” I sucked in a breath, gazing into sky blue eyes that haunted me every night that I was away from him. “Jackson, you are my life, my love, my world. I’ve wanted to marry you from the moment you mentioned it, sitting on your dorm room bed. There was a time I thought everything was lost for us. That our time had been stolen by one mistake, but here we are.” Jackson swallowed hard, but I kept going, knowing if I didn’t get my words out, my emotions would win. The back of my throat already burned. “It only took eight years more than I expected, but I wouldn’t have changed anything for the world. Our time apart molded us into the people we were today. To the man you are today. The love I had for you seven years ago pales in comparison to the love I have for you now. I don’t think I truly understood what true love was until you showed me the way. And even though I have to leave you for a while, I want to spend every day of the rest of my life being your wife.”

  Jackson’s image shimmered before me. He let go of my hand to raise his and brush a thumb across my cheek. His own eyes shined in the light as he took my hand again.

  “Jackson?” Judge Wilson’s voice reminded me we weren’t alone.

  33

  Jackson

  As I looked at the woman to ever hold my heart in her hands, I knew she was right—I wouldn’t change a thing. I cleared my throat, watching another tear slip down her cheek. “Megan, I’d say I’m not sure how I survived the years without you, except that would be a lie. I was a shell of myself. A man who made judgments I shouldn’t have. A man with a temper I never had before. Only now can I recognize you took a piece of me when you left. The sun is brighter, the trees more beautiful, and life is happier with you in it. Even knowing that, you’re right. I wouldn’t change a thing. Every decision we made may have separated us for a while, but brought us back together, stronger than we were before. I love you and know that having you by my side for the rest of my life will be the only life I want to live.”