Cooper

“Well, Mrs. Kingsley, I have to admit, you throw a damn good party,” I said, leaning over to whisper in my wife’s ear.

Corinne turned to me and smiled, planting a slow and grateful kiss on my lips. “I still can’t believe your brothers paid for all this,” she said, looking with wonder around the ornately decorated ballroom.

From the moment I told Gavin and Quinn that Corinne and I were getting married, they demanded that I let them pay for it. They hated the idea of Mauve and Corinne digging into their savings, and wanted to make sure that Corinne got the wedding of her dreams. They could be real dicks sometimes, but every once in a while, my brothers showed me how to be the kind of men we’d all hoped to become after growing up without a father.

And the memory of Quinn and Mauve moving together on the dance floor—that was priceless.

Our ceremony had been short but meaningful. Corinne and I hated the kind of weddings that dragged on and on, so we made sure that ours packed just the right amount of punch in a short amount of time. And I’d be the first to admit that I couldn’t stop the tears from falling when I saw Corinne walking down the aisle toward me.

She took my fucking breath away.

I’d known that Corinne was gorgeous from the first moment I met her, but seeing her in that lacy white dress, custom tailored to perfectly hug her jaw-dropping curves . . . it took everything in me not to pause the wedding then and there to find somewhere for us to be alone.

And, honestly, watching Corinne talk to all our family and friends, seeing how she fit in so perfectly with my brothers . . . I had a hard time suppressing that idea at the reception too.

That’s why I was so relieved when they began serving dinner, and Corinne and I had a moment to just sit and be together for a while.

“Is it everything you hoped it would be?” Corinne asked, leaning closer to me and placing her hand on my thigh. Even with all the people surrounding us, I couldn’t help but notice the subtle twitch in my cock at her touch.

I leaned toward her and smiled, placing my hand over hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. “It’s amazing, dove. But you know I would have been happy with a courthouse wedding, as long as it meant that you would be mine—and I would be yours—forever.”

Her face softened and she drew my mouth to hers, pulling me into a slow, passionate kiss. When we parted, she raised a mischievous eyebrow. “You have no idea what’s in store for you later,” she said, her voice low and seductive.

“I think I have some idea,” I replied, raising an eyebrow in response.

But before we could discuss our wedding-night plans any further, Gavin and Emma came up to congratulate us, and I could tell from the half-empty glasses in their hands and the slight sheen on both their faces that they’d been enjoying the open bar. They weren’t wasted, by any means, but I was glad they were both having fun.

“So, tell me, brother,” Gavin said, clapping his hand on my shoulder, a playful grin spreading across his face. “How did you trick this woman into marrying you? It’s obvious she’s way out of your league.” He turned and winked at Corinne, and she smiled appreciatively before launching into an excited conversation with Emma about floral designs and the flavor of the cake.

A year and a half ago, it would have been strange to see these two women talking together, so obviously comfortable and friendly with each other. But now that Corinne was my whole world, and my heartbreak over Emma no more than a very distant memory, watching their friendship grow made me incredibly happy. In fact, I felt the same way about Corinne and Emma becoming close as I did about Corinne bonding with my brothers. Emma was family now, and I loved the way she drew Corinne into our family too.

“I don’t deserve her,” I said, loud enough that Corinne could hear me, “but I’ll spend every day of the rest of our lives trying to make it so I do.”

Corinne turned to smile at me before placing another kiss on my lips. Gavin put his arm around Emma and kissed her cheek as well. He looked from Emma to Corinne before turning to me, his eyes serious.

“Mom would be proud,” Gavin said, his voice dropping.

I nodded, and our wives exchanged sad smiles. Corinne took my hand in hers.

“To Mom,” I said, raising my glass in the air. “And to your parents, Corinne. I know they would be proud of the woman you’ve become.”

Corinne, Gavin, and Emma all raised their glasses with me, and we appreciated the bittersweet moment together. Corinne used her napkin to dab at the corner of her eyes, and I squeezed her hand in mine to comfort her. We had both lost so much in our pasts, which made it all the sweeter that we’d found each other.

Shortly after our toast, Gavin and Emma returned to their seats at the wedding-party table, between Quinn and Aaron. It warmed my heart to see Emma interact so kindly with Aaron, and I could tell from Corinne’s tender gaze that she appreciated the way Aaron had been welcomed into the family as well.

While it would have been nice to be sitting in the midst of our closest family and friends, I was glad Corinne and I decided to sit at a separate table by ourselves for the reception. The day was already so jam-packed with greetings, well wishes, and conversations with people we hadn’t seen in years, it was nice to have a space for just the two of us.

As we finished eating our dinner, old friends and family members continued dropping by our table, offering their congratulations and giving us advice about how to make it last. Soon enough, we were cutting the cake and sharing our first dance out on the dance floor. The reception flew by in a blur of laughter and kisses. I’d always been a bit of a romantic at heart, and my wedding day surpassed even my wildest dreams.

As the night wound down and our guests began to trickle out of the ballroom, I grew more and more excited for everyone to leave. Corinne thought that I’d booked us the honeymoon suite at the nicest hotel in Boston. I told her I had something special planned, and she knew that I loved to spoil her. What she didn’t know, however?

I had a different destination in mind. One we needed to board a plane later to get to.

In the year and a half that we’d known each other, Corinne still hadn’t traveled outside the country. While I let her make almost all the decisions about our wedding, I reserved the honeymoon planning for myself. Our relationship had started with me opening Corinne up to new experiences and new pleasure. I couldn’t wait to expand her horizons even further.

My favorite part? She had no idea what was coming.

After hugging our families good-bye, Corinne and I climbed into the back of a limo and settled back into our seats. She nestled into my side, my perfect little dove, and I placed a firm and loving kiss on her head.

She peered up at me, her eyes full of love. “Today was magical. I feel so blessed. I love you, Coop.”

“I love you more, little dove.” This time, I drew her mouth up to meet mine. We shared a deep kiss, and as her tongue slid against mine, I let out a soft groan.

“You are exquisite,” I said, pulling back. “But we need to stop or I’m not going to be fit to be seen in public.”

Her gaze lowered to my lap and she gave me a knowing grin. “That thing is hard to hide.”

“That thing?” I smirked, teasing her. As much as she’d opened up sexually, she still rarely called body parts by their proper word. “It’s a cock, baby. And it’s all for you.”

She patted my thigh. “Later, big boy. He’ll live until then, won’t he?”

“Barely,” I murmured. I’d been waiting all day to have her.

“So, when will you tell me which hotel we’re going to?” she asked, tracing the outline of my palm with her fingers.

I smiled. “We’re not going to a hotel tonight, dove.”

Corinne looked at me, her eyes wide, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Where are we going then? And what about our bags? I thought you dropped them off this morning.”

“I did drop our bags off,” I murmured, raising my eyebrows in amusement. “Just not where you were expecting.”

“Cooper Kingsley, you are killing me.” Corinne huffed, pulling her hand away from mine. “You know I hate surprises.”

I chuckled. “Well, Mrs. Kingsley, you promised you’d let me surprise you. And trust me, you’re going to like this one.”

Just as I finished speaking, we pulled into the parking lot of the hangar, and I climbed out of the limo, helping Corinne out behind me. The moment she stepped out of the car, Corinne gasped, taking in the sight of the luxury private jet for the first time.

“Cooper,” she whispered, her eyes welling with tears. “This must have cost you a fortune! I know that Forbidden Desires does well, but this . . . this is a whole other level of expensive,” she said, her eyes glazing over a bit at the thought of the money.

“One of our clients offered his plane,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “Our bags are already on board. I thought we could use a real getaway. We’ll spend the week on the beach in the Bahamas.”

Corinne didn’t say anything, just continued looking up at me with wide, searching eyes.

“If that’s okay with you, Mrs. Kingsley.” My lips twitched into a smile.

Corinne gasped and quickly threw her arms around me, pulling me in for a passionate kiss. She was laughing, and her eyes were filled with tears. “No one’s ever done anything like this for me before.”

In that moment, with her looking so soft and vulnerable, I couldn’t help myself. Cupping her cheek, I leaned in and took her bottom lip between my teeth, nipping her gently.

Her breath caught as her tongue swept out and touched mine without hesitation.

I’d kissed her before so many times, but it had never been like this. The guarded carefulness of her touch had faded, replaced with a full-on openness that hadn’t been there before.

I breathed her in, knowing that she was really and truly mine. Her tongue stroked mine again and I pulled her deeper still, tugging her closer until our chests were pressed together . . . until I could feel her heartbeat against my own.

This.

This was what true love and acceptance felt like.

I’d waited so long to find it, to feel it, and I still never could have imagined how whole and peaceful it made me feel.

“I love you, little dove,” I whispered.

With tears in her eyes, Corinne blinked at me solemnly. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I promise to make you the happiest man in the world, sweet husband.”

I gathered her close. “You already have.”