CHAPTER THIRTEEN
NIKKI
†
MIA MUST HAVE BEEN so tired of hearing about Jake but, for the first time since being a kid with a dumb crush, I was able to talk about him. He wasn’t a secret anymore, at least not in the way he had been.
Now, I could discuss him with my best friend, which was more than I’d been able to do before. I still couldn’t tell Mom just yet, and I definitely didn’t want to say anything to Brandon, but Jake didn’t leave my thoughts for a single second of the day.
I wanted to go and spend the night in his hotel room again, but we had too much to worry about with the wedding.
I woke up on Saturday morning with butterflies in my stomach, and it wasn’t just because my big brother was having a fairytale wedding on a white-sanded beach with waves lapping at the shore.
The dress I’d chosen to wear was cream and came down to my ankles. I wanted to kick myself now for choosing it. It was so old-fashioned and didn’t make me feel sexy at all. I wanted something else.
Something that would make Jake want to come over to me and tear it from my body. I’d never realized how amazing it felt to be sexual. Desirable. I’d had a taste, and now I wanted more.
Mia came to the rescue, once again; this time with a powder-blue strapless number that I was worried I wouldn’t fit into but, once she zipped up the back and I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I knew it was the one.
It was short, again, cutting across my thighs just above my knees. It made my tan look great. As Mia styled my hair for me, she perched her chin on my shoulder and looked at the two of us in the mirror.
“I hope you know this is what I was supposed to wear to the wedding,” she smiled.
“What! Mia, no. Why did you have me wear it then?” I asked, not too happy that she did that. “You didn’t say anything.”
“Nik, please. I’m not complaining. I just wanted to make sure you know exactly just how good a friend I am, that’s all,” she said. “Besides, it suits you far better. You look far more beautiful and sexy in it than I would’ve, and I want Jake to drool when he sees you today.”
I smiled and looked back at myself in the mirror. I wanted her to be right about Jake.
†
The rest of the day went south quickly. We ran around like headless chickens trying to find Clea’s special order flowers after the florist didn’t arrive at two thirty and wasn’t picking up her cell phone either. The resort manager tried to assist, but Clea insisted on us driving into town to find the florist.
We had no luck. That was until Mia spotted another florist, which quoted an exorbitant fee for the rush order, but Clea’s father seemed only too happy to pay. I couldn’t believe the cash he’d thrown at the wedding, but I think he had experience with his daughter not getting her own way. I couldn’t imagine it would be pleasant.
So, while she had to settle for sunflowers instead of the yellow tulips she’d dreamed of, we could sort out the last few details of the day.
One of the bridesmaids was hung over from the night before and threw up over another bridesmaid but, thankfully, it was nothing that a large sunflower couldn’t cover. The very angry vomit receptacle, Carla, would just have to wait until the photographs were done before she could change into something else. I offered her my cream dress, my first choice for the wedding. She looked at it, wrinkled her nose, and politely said she’d find something else. I couldn’t really blame her.
Finally, at five-thirty, we gathered on the patch of neat lawn that overlooked the beach.
Brandon looked so handsome and while I couldn’t quite get used to the beard, he’d clipped it really neatly, suiting him much better. I could see his hands shaking slightly as he read over the vows he’d written, but Chester was shaking even more, checking and re-checking that he had the rings.
Mom looked amazing in a light dove-gray dress and hat, and she dabbed at her eyes before she’d even taken her seat. I didn’t want to hear the words “I just wish your father was here” and, thankfully, she didn’t say it, although I know she knew we were all thinking it.
I peeked over my shoulder once or twice, and then I saw Jake walk down the aisle. He looked incredible. His new white shirt gleamed in the low evening light and clung to his beautiful body, stretching taut over his broad chest. His smart black trousers showed his tight ass, and I couldn’t help but lick my lips at just the mere thought of him… naked.
He winked at me and found a seat two rows behind us, and my breath caught in my throat. Mom looked at me, and then looked over her shoulder at Jake, waving at him. Then she looked back at me quizzically, and her eyes narrowed.
I didn’t have to say anymore. I think she knew at that moment. But we didn’t have time to go into it because the minister appeared with a lei of plumerias around his neck, and a man next to him began to strum on a ukulele.
I bit my lip. I was dying to whisper something to Mom about how we’d stepped into the most clichéd Hawaiian wedding in the world, but I stopped myself. The minister beamed and lifted his hands, bringing us all to our feet.
The ukulele player started to strum, and I was sure I knew the song from somewhere. Then, when I realized what it was, I had to drop my head and place a hand over my mouth to stop myself from snorting with laughter. I glanced at Mia, and she was laughing, too, shoving her elbow into my ribs. Mom threw us the evil eye.
“It’s the Kings of Leon,” I whispered to her. “Clea’s walking down the aisle to Sex on Fire.”
Even Mom had to smile at that, but she made us compose ourselves just in time to see Clea turn the corner and begin to walk down the aisle on her father’s arm.
She looked absolutely stunning, there was no denying it. She wore a slim-fitting white fishtail gown, a long train sliding over the grass as she walked toward Brandon. I looked at my big brother and, when I saw the grin on his face and the tears in his eyes, I found I started to well up, too.
Mom was already making her way through a second pack of tissues and, by the time we sat down, her mascara was coursing down her face.
The ceremony was beautiful, and as Brandon and Clea said their personal vows to each other I couldn’t help but think about what my own wedding day would look like, and who’d be standing opposite me, listening to every word as I told him that I’d love him for the rest of my life, until death did us part.
I knew I shouldn’t have been thinking about it, but I couldn’t help imagine what it would be like if Jake was the one I said those words to. It was ridiculous, of course, but just thinking it made my stomach flutter.
†
The most tedious part of any wedding has to be the photographs.
As part of the wedding party, we featured in one or two, but it wasn’t long before Mom and I were no longer needed as the photographer, a grumpy woman who didn’t like to be kept waiting, announced she was taking Brandon and Clea for a walk on the beach to get their official shots.
I watched them walk away, my brother and his new wife, hand in hand, and I was truly happy for them. They seemed to make each other happy and, in the end, that was all that really mattered.
“I could kill for a cocktail,” Mia moaned. “It’s sweltering.”
“They have canapés and cocktails inside,” I said. “We need to be thinking about going in shortly anyway. The mosquitoes are going to eat us alive.”
It was a good excuse for me to slowly walk away from the wedding gathering and back toward the hotel. Inside the reception room, there was already soft music playing, and a waiter with a tray offered me a glass of champagne. I took it gratefully and wondered where there might be a bathroom for me to go and freshen up.
Then I caught sight of Jake standing at the bar, a cool beer in his hand. I couldn’t resist walking over to him.
He grinned as he saw me, his gaze slowly burning over my body. He looked up and gave me a nod of approval that made me shiver. He leaned in to kiss me on the cheek. “You look fucking delicious in that dress,” he whispered in my ear.
I could feel the heat creeping up my neck, quickly reaching my cheeks. I wanted to kick myself for being so obvious around him. Instead, I tried to act cool, thanking him and asked what he thought of the wedding.
“It was nice,” he said. “I’m happy for Brandon. Only…”
“Only what?”
“Only I wasn’t thinking about the wedding. I spent most of my time thinking about you, in that little number you’re wearing.”
My mouth curled into a smile and before I knew what was happening, he took my hand and led me out of the reception room. He seemed to know where he was going and I wasn’t about to do anything but follow him.
He opened a door and we slipped into an empty office. He turned the key in the lock, grinned at me, and slowly walked over to where I was standing.
“Did you have this planned?” I asked, laughing as he reached me.
“Saw a guy come out of there just now,” he grinned. “And then, when you showed up, let’s just say the timing couldn’t have been better.”
His hands were on my ass, and my arms were around his neck. We didn’t waste any time. There was no denying how much we wanted each other, and the heat had been building since we’d seen each other before the ceremony.
He was strong and lifted me up against the wall. His hands moved up my thighs, pushing my dress up until my panties were exposed. He pulled them down, and as he moved against me, I could feel how hard he already was.
Within seconds, he released himself of his pants, and then he was inside me, taking my breath away. He felt so good, and I cried out into his mouth as he fucked me hard against the wall, holding me up by my ass with his huge hands. His tongue was in my mouth as his hips moved back and forth.
I don’t know how I managed to stay so quiet that we didn’t get caught, because all I wanted to do was cry out his name over and over as he moved in and out of me.
We were desperate for each other, urgently kissing, devouring each other’s mouths. He filled me so completely that I became lightheaded. My core throbbed with pleasure as his cock grazed against my clit with every thrust, and within just a few moments, I felt my orgasm building.
The short stubble of his beard grazed my face as his tongue danced around my mouth. I pulled away slightly and pressed my eyes shut. As I came, I cried out softly before biting his shoulder.
Within seconds, he followed, pumping his seed into me. He made me see stars, and he stayed inside me for several moments, breathing heavily, kissing my neck. Finally, he came out of me and zipped up his pants.
I grabbed a Kleenex from a box on the desk and cleaned myself before tossing it in the trash. “I can’t imagine too many people have done that kind of thing in here,” I giggled, now a little shy as I pulled my dress back down.
He kissed me again, and this time it was slow, and long, and went on for an age.
“I want to dance with you tonight,” he breathed as he lifted his head.
“We’ll do more than just dance,” I promised. “I’m spending the night at your place.”
He grinned, and he slipped out of the room, joining the party as I went to the bathroom.
Then I had to find Mia and my mom and pretend that everything was completely normal and that I hadn’t just had steamy mind-blowing sex in the office down the hall.