CHAPTER 6
Lia
“This is amazing,” I said with a moan right after I’d swallowed the first bite of the wedding cake we’d just finished cutting.
Zeke had taken care of the cake, too, and I’d nearly started to bawl when I saw that it was a blueberry lemon cake. I loved blueberry. I was a Michigan girl, after all. But I was touched that he’d remembered, and ordered a cake he knew I’d love.
Honestly, it felt strange for a guy to give a damn what I wanted. Stuart had gotten what was trendy, and he hadn’t consulted me much about anything since he’d been paying for our wedding. A fact he’d reminded me about every single time I made a suggestion. I’d finally just…given up on anything I wanted.
Our reception consisted of one very large table of guests, but for me, it was perfect.
I’d never wanted the large, formal, uptight wedding Stuart had planned. If I had been able to choose, it would have been just like this. Friends and family instead of worrying about what business people he had to impress.
In my opinion, weddings were very personal, and should be about the couple instead of the people in attendance.
“Thank you for getting my favorite,” I whispered beside Zeke’s ear as I leaned into him so nobody else could hear me.
I’d gotten so close that I could smell him, which probably wasn’t a good thing. His masculine scent and the proximity of our bodies was a very heady thing. After the kiss he’d laid on me at the end of the wedding ceremony, my entire body had come to life. To be honest, I was still reeling over the embrace. For a few moments, I’d been so intoxicated by the feel of his soft lips on mine that I’d forgotten anybody was in the chapel except him.
We’d eaten an incredible catered meal, and we were now back in our seats at the table, devouring a huge piece of wedding cake.
“I have to admit that I debated between the M&M and blueberry cakes, but of course I was going to get one of them. It’s your wedding and you like both of them.”
I practically melted into a pool under the table. Zeke acted like there was no other option except something I liked, which was a novel experience for me. Like it was important to please me. Funny how that seemed so romantic after my previous experience.
“This is perfect,” I informed him as I pointed my fork at the nearly demolished cake on my plate.
“Did I tell you how beautiful you look today?” he asked huskily.
“You did,” I assured him. And he had…at least ten times since he’d seen me at the chapel. “Do you like the dress?”
“Love it,” he replied enthusiastically.
“You look hot in a tux,” I told him as I scooped the last piece of cake into my mouth.
He turned to look at me. “You noticed,” he teased.
I rolled my eyes. “You might be my friend, but I’m not blind.”
“Do you want to tell me what happened before the ceremony? You looked terrified, and I was pretty sure you were ready to bolt. I didn’t realize you found marrying me that damn daunting.”
I dropped my fork on my empty plate and then looked at the rest of the table. The guests were way too involved in the food to be listening. “It wasn’t like that. I guess I just realized how one-sided this deal is for you. I’ll get my inheritance at the price of your freedom, even if it’s only temporary.”
“Do I look worried?” he asked lightly.
“No. And that kind of scares the hell out of me,” I confessed. “You wouldn’t even do a pre-nuptial agreement. I appreciate the fact that you trust me, but you have a lot more to lose than I do. I’m actually gaining with this whole thing. You aren’t.”
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”
To my chagrin, the whole table was clinking their forks against their glasses, insisting that Zeke and I share an embrace.
He put a finger under my chin and tipped my head up as he grumbled, “I’m not getting nothing, Lia. I’m getting you.”
I shivered as his lips met mine in an even more intimate embrace than we’d shared at the altar. This one was a lazy, thorough exploration that made me breathless, and I couldn’t stop myself from kissing him back.
He devoured, and I opened for him to get him closer, my body responding like a fireworks show on the Fourth of July. Zeke filled every one of my senses, and I lost myself in his insistent, sensual assault.
Granted, it was a little strange to suddenly want to rip my best friend’s clothes from his body so I could intimately explore every powerful muscle and every inch of his bare skin. But somehow, it also felt as natural as breathing. And as important as oxygen.
A longing I’d never experienced gripped me, and it refused to let go.
“Zeke,” I whispered as though I was in a daze as he finally released my mouth.
“Don’t be afraid, Lia. Just let it happen,” he said hoarsely.
“But we’re friends. None of this is real,” I answered shakily, realizing I was having trouble separating reality from fantasy because of my reaction when I was close to Zeke.
“Right now, we’re married. I think we’re a hell of a lot more than friends.”
“Hey, get a room,” one of Zeke’s young cousins shouted from the other end of the table.
He grinned. “I plan on it,” Zeke called back.
The moment of intimacy was broken, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d said.
Let it happen.
Really, did I have any choice when Zeke kissed me like he just had? I was pretty much defenseless when he started a powerful sensual assault.
“We should be able to make our escape pretty soon,” Zeke said.
We’d decided that it was best if we lived at Zeke’s place, and most of my clothing had already been sent there.
I nodded. “Back to your place.”
“We aren’t going home. I packed some of your things, and they’re in the car. We have to leave from here to the airport. There’s a charter waiting.”
I was dumbfounded. “Why are we going to the airport?”
He shot me a brilliant grin. “We just got married. We’re going on our honeymoon.”
I frowned. The last thing I wanted was a honeymoon. Stuart had arranged a trip to Dubai, and I had been planning on suffering through it. So I was more than happy to just hang out at Zeke’s place. “Where?”
“Playa del Carmen,” he answered. “Maybe I should have asked you, but I thought you’d love to go someplace tropical and relaxing after the stress you’ve been through.”
I’d never been to Playa, but I knew it was close to Cancun on the Yucatan Peninsula, and since it was gloomy and rainy in Seattle, it sounded like heaven.
I sighed. “I’d love to go somewhere like that.”
“We are going,” he replied.
“But my shop—”
“Will be just fine,” he interrupted. “You have a manager, and Ruby will check in every day. We can do as much or as little as you want there. Snorkel, boat rides in the underground caves, the pool, the fantastic beaches, zip-lining, exploring the Mayan ruins, and eating at all the best restaurants we can find.”
I laughed. “You don’t exactly have to twist my arm to spend time in the Caribbean.”
Luckily, I’d had to get a passport for my impending honeymoon with Stuart. But Zeke’s sounded like a hell of a lot more fun and relaxing.
I’d never had a real vacation, and I’d always dreamed of getting to Mexico.
“Good. Then we’re off just as soon as we can flee,” he said with a hint of mischief in his tone.
I noticed that the music had started, but nobody had gotten out of their seat yet.
“Nobody is dancing,” I told him.
“They’re waiting for us,” he explained as he got to his feet. “Dance with me, Mrs. Conner?”
Zeke held out his hand.
My heart skittered as I looked up and saw him looking at me expectantly.
I wasn’t entirely sure that our bodies being wrapped together was a very good idea. But I decided to throw caution to the wind.
I took his hand and stood up.
Just let it happen.
He’d been so confident, so sure that letting go of everything and just enjoying the experience was the right thing to do.
But I knew I wasn’t going to be doing that just because Zeke thought it was the right thing to do.
As I followed him to the small dance floor, I knew I was making the decision because I wanted to.