“Wait.”

His voice was like a hand on her waist; guilt mixed with embarrassment. He was about to scold her, like the inexperienced, immature child that she was. The thing that she’d said about Jermaine, she hadn’t meant it but had just made the jab instinctively.

“Annie,” Grayson said, and she turned.

He was one step away, with a look in his eyes that spooled her in at the same time that it made her wait. Wait for him to shut the balcony door, lock it. Pounce.

His lips slammed onto hers as his hands picked up where they left off. Seemed like every part of him was stroking every part of her. Like all of her was vibrating for what was coming next. This is really happening.

That tongue of his was really dancing with hers, exploring her mouth, while his hands were finger-painting strokes across her collarbone, dipping a pinky under the cup of the bra deeper down. It was in too deep, setting a trail of goosebumps on the upper swell of her breast.

Oh, he wasn’t... he was. As his hand strokes fell lower, his tongue strokes grew slower, as if he was tasting her.

This. All of this.

He was gentle, yet firm, as if sensing instinctively what she needed. Does he know that I’m afraid? She wondered for a while, before shoving her thoughts aside and letting sensation take over.

When his fingers brushed against her nipple, she trembled. When they closed around it, she gasped. Grayson kissed the sound right out of her lips.

Then, he pulled away, taking her lower lip with him. He dipped down and suctioned his lip onto her tingling nipple. And then, she felt it; pure explosions of spine-tingling sensation. Wet and warm and right, the sensations were fanning out like crop circles of pleasure across her breast and further.

Suckling the other nipple was just a reflection of the first, just more perfection incarnate.

His fingers made it to her lower thigh and squeezed it. More ripples of sensation went straight up to... there. His fingers played their way up, like her body was a song he knew all the right notes to. Rising, ever-rising strokes that extended further than her fingertips; they sent great fireworks of sensation right between her legs.

Whole feelings she’d forgotten were rising to the surface, while noises she never knew she could make were rolling from her lips.

After the incident, she’d only half-heartedly tried pleasuring herself half a dozen times or so. But this was the very definition of pleasure.

By the time he had reached her panties, she’d sunk into him fully, trembling over what was to come.

This is really happening.

“Annie,” his voice, in her ear, was urgent, and his finger paused. “We can only do this once, do you understand? I don’t do relationships, do you understand?”

All she understood, right then, was that she needed that finger on the other side of her panties.

Pulling away, he drew her dress back down.

She gaped at him dumbly. She was wet, and her need for him was like a heartbeat pulsing through her body.

Never had she felt more turned on, a craving deeper than hunger and closer to starvation.

“We can’t do this now,” Grayson’s voice was firm and tired. “I want you to have time to think about what I said.”

It took a few seconds for Annie to remember how to speak, to switch from pure physical desire back to normal life. It annoyed her, this comedown from such sensual heights.

“I meant what I said before,” Annie said, angrily. “About no-strings attached. Are you really so full of yourself that you think I won’t be able to handle it?”

Grayson looked at her, a shadow in his eyes. “Just think about it. I’m seeing you tomorrow, anyway.”

She made her way to the door and unlocked it. “Tomorrow then.”

Although even she wasn’t sure what that meant, she knew what she wanted it to mean.

Walking away, her wetness uncomfortably more noticeable with every additional step, she knew ‘want’ wasn’t even the word she’d use anymore. More like ‘need.’

—

ANNIE STUCK AROUND a bit after to chat with Kyla. She’d been busy talking to all the other guests during the rehearsal dinner. “Bridal duties, kill me now,” she’d said, with a weary smile, once Annie finally got her turn. After a few minutes, though, Annie left. Grayson was long gone too, thankfully.

To say that she needed time to process things was like saying that Egypt had a pyramid or two.

When she got home, it was past midnight. After all that had happened, Annie did not want to face the inquisition of questions her mom was sure to level at her. So, she opened the white oak front door in painstaking slowness, one micro-inch at a time. A bit more, then a bit more, then... bingo. She closed it behind her soundlessly.

Then, she tiptoed inside, sighed with relief, and groaned as Jiji raced up, barking at her jubilantly.

So much for sneaking in.

“Had a good time at the rehearsal dinner, honey?” It was her mom, ever the night owl, wearing a pale pink bathrobe, smiling.

“Yep,” Annie said. “There was delicious food, and even a dance floor.”

“Sounds like something,” her mom’s eyes lit up as she came over to squeeze Annie. “What about you? Did you break out the moves?”

“Actually, I did,” Annie smiled, feeling proud. Right now, too much had happened in too little time. She needed to go upstairs and be alone to figure out what she felt. But she knew she could feel proud about having braved the dance floor twice in this last week.

“Who did you dance with? Anyone I know?” her mom asked.

Annie crouched down to ruffle the fur on Jiji’s groomed head, “No.”

And no one you probably ever will.

“Well,” her mom drew her into a hug. “You make sure to bring Kyla our gift tomorrow and wish her all the best.”

“Will do, Mom.”

Annie sighed with relief. Her mom must’ve been tired or something, if she willingly left it at just that. Annie could remember times after school dances when her mom had thirty-minutes’ worth of questions for her.

Upstairs, Jiji followed her into her room. After closing the door, Annie flopped onto her bed with her dress still on. Yup, I do not give the slightest of shits.

Heart beating and mind racing, her gaze landed on Jiji. The dog’s white, fluffy head was tilted at Annie, giving her a silent ‘what’s going on’?

Annie could only smile ruefully. “Your guess is as good as mine,” she said.

—

THE NEXT MORNING WAS a flurry of last-minute haphazard activities.

First, waking up at 5 am to zoom over to Kyla’s to get ready. There, a team of sullen hairdressers and chatty makeup artists got her and the other bridesmaids ready. Although Annie thought the glossy pull-back and brown smoky eye was a bit too much, Kyla swore she looked stunning.

“I’m super worried about Lop,” Kyla admitted, as the little Pomeranian trotted up to them. “Mary-Kate thinks I’m committing wedding suicide by letting him deliver the rings.”

Annie rolled her eyes and refrained from mentioning that Mary-Kate, herself, was the epitome of wedding suicide. “What’s the worst that could happen? Lop takes off and, as the audience laughs, someone has to catch him?”

Kyla smiled, “You’re right. It would be funny, that’s all.”

They all had a quick breakfast of the Tim Hortons raisin bran muffins Kyla’s mom had ordered. “Why they’ll never make peach, I’ll never know,” Kyla commented with a sigh.

Then, finally, it was time. In the limo, all the girls were chatting nervously.

As the other girls checked their makeup and admired the limo’s interior, gem-encrusted cup holders included, Kyla turned to Annie.

“What if something completely insane happens?” she asked. “Like Grayson made Kyle shave his head?”

“Grayson wouldn’t...” Annie said, then trailed off, smiling ruefully at the realization that he totally would. “We could buy him a wig?”

Kyla smiled grimly, “It’s fine. I’ll just marry a bald man.”

They giggled, and, impulsively, Kyla flung her arms around Annie. “You really have been an angel through this. Getting all those wedding details sorted out while I was gone, and when I came back too. And then being such a gem as far as Grayson is concerned...”

“About that...” Annie trailed off.

She paused, biting her lip. This was Kyla. She told her best friend everything. But this was her wedding day. It was supposed to be about her.

Although it did feel wrong to not tell her about their hook-up, it also seemed dangerous. She hadn’t fully made up her mind about the next part yet – whether they’d do it and more, again. So she didn’t want to make any promises to her friend that she couldn’t keep.

She sighed. So much for a good night of sleep. All it had done was remind her that she really could use a few more of them.

Anyway, as the limo doors opened, the cameras flashed, and ‘too late’ had been two minutes ago.

As everyone fluttered inside to get ready, Annie retired to an abandoned room to get some quiet time. Kyla was busy calming down her excitable mother, while the other bridesmaids were attacking each other with hairspray.

She sat on a chair, swinging her legs, wondering what today would bring. Would she be a new person by the end of it?

“What do we have here?”

And, there he was, the big question mark of the day, all spruced up with a tux and slicked back hair – Grayson.

He regarded her with a pained expression, leaning in so his hot breath could kiss her cheek. “Are you trying to make this even harder for me?”

Her lips responded for her, meeting his. This kiss picked up exactly where they’d left off – hungry and unforgiving.

He pulled away. “You can still back down, you know.”

She looked up at him, her gaze unwavering, “And you can kiss me again, you know.”

He paused, his lips easing from hers once more, ripping away at the last minute.

“Goodbye, Annie,” he said, as he hurried out the door.

“Goodbye, Grayson.”

She smiled. Now he knew her answer to his question. And now, she did, too.