Jada and Jackson were led out of the car and to the building, where they were pointed in the direction of their separate dressing rooms. Inside Jada’s room her dress was hanging up on the bathroom door, the bouquet of irises set in a glass of water on a small table, and the shoes she’d picked out placed under the dress. In that moment, staring around the ugly gray room inside the ugly gray building, Jada’s anger turned to sadness. She’d dreamed of this day, her wedding day, and this was it?

Wasn’t a bride supposed to be thrilled? Wasn’t the site of the ceremony supposed to fill her with joy? Wasn’t she supposed to like the guy she was marrying? Sure, he’d had that one moment, but apparently that had been a fluke. This Jackson who was with her today was a tool and a half.

Jada solemnly reminded herself of her father’s situation as she set her bag down on a chair. She couldn’t lose him, and at the end of this day, she’d be given the chance to save his life, to do something with hers, and she’d never have to talk to old Jack-ass again. Her lawyer could handle the eventual divorce, and with that thought in mind, Jada began to get changed.

She pulled out the tiny underwear she needed and stripped out of her travel clothes. The air was cool, the silk of her wedding dress even cooler. Jada shivered in place, and gooseflesh rippled across her tan skin. She rubbed her hands on her arms and then stared at her left hand. She had no engagement ring, and there would never be one. She wondered if there’d even be a wedding band. Probably not, she thought, since this isn’t really happening.

Once the dress was in place, Jada slipped on her shoes and walked to the bathroom to arrange her hair. The room was dingy and the mirror was cloudy with age. She could barely see herself in the yellowing glass. Jada tried to wipe it off with a dry towel; it helped a bit, but there was no changing the reality of the mirror.

With her workstation limited, Jada did the best she could with her hair. She’d decided on half up, half down, as her curls wouldn’t be tamed thanks to the humidity in the air. Having applied simple makeup, she took the bouquet from the glass of water. The stems dripped in her hand, and she dabbed at the ends with the small towel from the bathroom.

Satisfied that the flowers wouldn’t keep dripping, Jada patted down her dress, performed a few quick adjustments to her hair and face, and then looked herself over. If it weren’t for the look on her face, she’d have looked amazing. The dress was perfect, fitted to her exact measurements, and the simple hairstyle and makeup complimented the sleek shape of the gown. Her tan skin contrasted with the ivory fabric, and the unruly curls around her face lent an air of sweetness. Too bad she was miserable.

The building was quiet, and as Jada stepped out into the hall, a man in a simple suit directed her where to go. She followed him, her long ivory gown gliding behind her, her heels clicking loudly on the stone floor. They finally reached one of the main rooms, where Jackson stood waiting next to a judge at the head of the space.

He had changed as well, and even through her fury, Jada couldn’t help but be impressed. He was indeed wearing a tuxedo, and the man cleaned up nicely. The tux was simple, a match to her style of gown, and the white tie against his white shirt looked clean and precise. Sunlight shone in through a window to the right and it lit up his face, making his blue eyes shine. It was just like her sketch.

Jada walked with slow, deliberate steps toward Jackson and the officiant. When she reached them, there was no crowd to sit down to mark her arrival. She and Jackson turned and focused on what she assumed was a judge. His words were direct and plain as he read from his book in a monotone. He had no idea who they were, and yet he was marrying them.

Jada tried to focus on the officiant’s words. He stated that he was there to conduct a marriage for which the license would be signed after their vows. Jada hadn’t even thought about vows. As a young girl, she’d written vows as she believed they should be. She’d been about thirteen, and they were mostly about how the man would always be there for her and always encourage her to go after her dreams—repeats of the words her father so often spoke to her. She’d even kept them. Jada had planned on reading them when she got married.

The judge didn’t know that. Jackson didn’t know that.

She’d never be able to come up with something to say, but it didn’t matter since the judge spoke generic vows that they were each to repeat line for line. Jackson went first and went quickly.

As her turn came, Jada looked down at the bundle of irises in her hands. They were lovely, so purple and fresh. The smell was strong too, wafting up to her nose and filling her senses with images of spring and sunny meadows. The repeated words left her mouth without much thought.

“In sickness and in health.”

Her dress somehow managed to shine in the fluorescent light of the administrative building. The silk shimmered like it had been spun by the hands of fairies who dreamed of dressing a woman on her most important day.

“For richer or poorer.”

She looked at the faces of the men in front of her; neither one was smiling. The judge read from his book and waited for a response. Jackson just stared at her.

“For better or worse.”

The judge reached the end of his words and looked up at her as he made his final inquiry. Did she take this man to be her lawfully wedded husband?

“I do.” Jada’s voice was small.

“Then by the power vested in me by the Qaresman government and this court of law, I pronounce you husband and wife.”

They didn’t kiss. Instead, they turned to a table where an official paper sat waiting and signed the marriage license. The driver and a secretary acted as their witnesses, their own signatures needed underneath hers and Jackson’s to make it official. The room was quiet, and Jada could hear the thud of her heart in her ears, so loud it was giving her a headache.

Her family was nowhere to be found, the sweet faces of her mother and father painfully absent. There was no applause, no joyful hollering. She didn’t hear the traditional “iii-eee!” of her aunt. Rice or petals weren’t being thrown as they exited a church smiling and laughing as the silly traditions rained over them. Jada wasn’t giddy, and her husband wasn’t so overjoyed that he kept kissing her.

The room was just quiet, the scratching of the pen the loudest sound.

Jada’s eyes began to burn, a prickling at the corners. In moments, she’d be crying, and they wouldn’t be tears of happiness. It was done; her part was over. The ceremony was over. Jada had worn this dress and looked so pretty for a ceremony that had lasted less than ten minutes.

She looked over at Jackson and couldn’t stand it. His face was unreadable. He was just staring. A door was open behind him, and she saw the beach nearby, the waves lapping slowly against the shore. Jada looked down at herself, and the first of the tears finally broke through her composure and fell on the petals of the irises she’d chosen with such care.

Letting her bouquet fall to the ground, Jada ran out of the building, toward the blue water.

As she approached the beach, she kicked off her shoes and ran to the wet sand at the ocean’s border. The sand was hot from the sun, but the wet particles were cool and left obvious footprints. She ran down the edge of the water until she couldn’t breathe. The sound of the waves beating on the shore echoed in ears, and her hands squeezed down on the fabric of her dress, which she’d gathered up in order to sprint.

Exertion making her tired, she stopped and slowly stumbled over to the warm, dry sand farther inland. Even with everything that had happened, she couldn’t bring herself to ruin the dress by dragging the train through wet sand. It would be safer on dry land.

The area was quiet, being the middle of a work day, and no one was around to see Jada break down. She had tried so hard to hold it in, but the tears and the frustration were too strong, and they shot out of her like a bullet from a gun. A bench sat near the far side of the beach, close to a parking area, and Jada walked over to it. She sat down, and the stone was warm.

The landscape became a blur as she cried tears she’d held in for so long. Her father was dying. She had married a man for money—to save her father’s life, sure, but it was still so wrong. Her wedding day had been a mockery of what it was meant to be, and here she was crying, wearing thousands of dollars’ worth of material on a public beach’s bench. The raking sobs pulled all the energy out of her, and after a few moments, she was left with a heartache and headache, plus a stuffy nose.

As she stared down at her hands resting on her knees, Jada heard a sound down the beach.

She looked up to see that Jackson, her husband, was running over to her. His tux jacket was gone, as were his shoes, and he looked angry. Of course he did. After all, she’d just made a fool out of him by running out of a government building. He was probably furious with her. Well, he could shove it.

“What do you want? Couldn’t you just leave me alone?!” Jada was surprised she had the energy left to be angry.

Jackson was a few feet from her when he froze at her words. He looked stunned for a moment, but his pride got the best of him and he walked closer so he could chew her out properly.

“Jada”—here it comes—“what’s wrong?” Jackson knelt down in the sand in front of her. That was going to ruin his suit.

Then she realized he’d asked her what was wrong.

“Are you serious?” Jada shot up off the bench.

“Would you stop yelling at me? I just wanted to know if you’re okay.”

“Of course I’m not okay! I just married a guy for money, and there wasn’t even a ceremony! Not that I expected more from you.” Jada started pacing back and forth, then. “You know, I can’t believe I thought this was going to work. You’re so obsessed with this stupid deal, and you don’t care who gets hurt in the process. I should never have agreed to this. You don’t care about me, and why should you? We don’t even know each other. But then you got all sweet with that orphan crap, which you probably just made up, and I totally bought it. How pathetic is that?! I just want—”

“What?! What do you want?!”

“You know what I want. I want my dad to be okay. Some fucking disease is eating away his kidneys, and I want him to be all right. I want for him to get his transplant and for me to actually have a way to pay for it. That’s why I did this! I want to leave that stupid company of yours and never come back! I want to paint and sketch and use my talents for something besides selling a fucking product!

“I want a life that’s my own, where I don’t have to be told what to do by another dude with a god complex! I want a life, a real fucking life, with someone who loves me because I’m loud and brash and real, and because they just do! I want to marry a man who knows that I’ve had vows written since I was thirteen! I want to marry to a man who knows that I hate horror movies and clowns and fancy haircuts. Who knows that I love stubble and sleeping on Sundays and shopping at thrift stores! A man who doesn’t think that money is everything!”

Drained of any strength she’d had left, Jada’s knees buckled and she hit the sand with a thud. Tears had begun to pour from her eyes again, and she breathed like she’d just run a marathon. But she was apparently not finished.

“I want to understand why I started sketching again when I saw your face. Why I did such a good job on it and brought it home to place on my nightstand. I want to understand what the fuck my heart was thinking the other night. We were just talking, and you actually sounded like a person, and then there was dancing and I got all confused. But you shut me out and pulled back so hard I still have whiplash. I was actually starting to think I liked you, like a lot, and you did that dumb lunch thing like you’d actually listened to me. And I started to feel, well, things. Things I’ve never felt before. I know it’s ridiculous, but there it is. And you just flipped this switch and were the old you again. I want the money to pay for my dad’s surgery, but I’m starting to really feel like this wasn’t worth it. We got to that awful building and the ceremony was just as awful as I’d thought it would be, and I just couldn’t take it.”

She looked up at him, tears making her eyes glisten.

“I just don’t get it. If it was always just an administrative procedure to you, why did you arrange all those little meet-ups? Why am I wearing this dress? Why were there flowers?”

Jackson was quite for a long while but didn’t break eye contact with her. After what seemed like weeks, Jackson knelt down. He slowly lifted a hand to Jada’s face, taking his time to make sure it was okay. To be honest, she couldn’t have fought him if she’d wanted to. His rough thumb rubbed under each of her eyes, wiping up the mess her tears had caused.

“I’m sorry.”

Jada looked up at him, shocked by the words.

“I really am,” he said. “I’m sorry to have put you through so much. I had no idea about the problems with your father, and you’re right. I was just focused on the deal. It meant more to me than anything at the time. But when I saw you”—he searched for words—“I was just floored. You are so beautiful, and what’s more, you took none of my shit; you don’t take shit from anyone. It was remarkable. No one ever talks to me the way you do; no one ever challenges me like you do. I was so used to just going along the way you’re supposed to when you’re well off, but you wouldn’t have it, Jada. You never let Jacques open the door for you; you said to give him the night off. You were upset when you heard the cakes were going to be thrown out, so I couldn’t bring myself to allow that to happen. You got me to give everyone at work free lunch, and I even turned down clients who were less than ethical because I didn’t want you to think poorly of me if I did business with them.

“Since I’ve met you, all I want to do is make you happy, to show you that I’m not obsessed with money—and that’s why I told you about the orphanage. I just couldn’t hide it from you. You make me open up like no one I know. And I…I set up those appointments and fittings because I wanted to spend time with you. I wanted to get to know you, but I’m not very good at that. I’ve never cared like this before. I taught you this…”

Jackson scooped Jada up in his arms, and with a simple pull and the right arm position, they fell into the dance they had practiced for so long.

Jada couldn’t think, let alone speak, and she just let herself be held in Jackson’s firm embrace. He led her over the sand, both of them barefoot, walking the steps of their dance to no music except the soft waves and the pounding of their hearts. The waltz played out like they were in some sort of movie, and the sun began to set beyond the water, coloring them in shades of orange and red.

Jada’s pulse was fast, and Jackson’s grip on her waist tightened. He was all restrained muscles and coiled tension as they circled the beach in their coordinated steps. Jada looked up into his eyes, and the yellow of the sun made them teal. This man wasn’t the CEO who was interested solely in a deal. This was the face she’d drawn, so composed but for the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. It was the boy who’d so wanted to feel like he belonged suddenly realizing that had nothing to do with money and everything to do with the person he held in his arms, dancing a simple waltz set to the sounds of gently crashing waves upon a foreign shore.

The end of the dance was approaching, and Jada felt Jackson slow as he had in the office all those nights ago. Their steps became so deliberate, and the concentrated effort on both their parts was palpable. He guided her closer to his chest as he positioned her for the long dip that signaled the end of their routine. She allowed herself to be led in, hoping so much for a soft landing to fall upon. For it was clear now more than ever: she was falling, and falling hard, for this complicated man who had changed so much in such a short time.

Jackson’s arms guided her back, leaning her across his hold in a beautiful, long dip that held them both in the quiet grasp of the dying sun. The light warmed her skin, as did the handsome face that wouldn’t look away from her, and Jada let a small smile break across her face. Slowly, he lifted her back up, and as he did, she met his chest completely, pressed against him like she might disappear at any moment. Cinderella running home at midnight.

A tiny part of Jada waited for Jackson to pull away and become the cold statue of before. But as their dance came to a close, Jackson took his hand from her waist, then the other from her hand, and took her face between them. He didn’t pull away.

“I taught you this because I wanted to feel you close to me. I wanted to move with you as partners, as equals.” He brushed a stray curl from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “But I didn’t want to break my promise to you. I said this would be simply business, and when…when I felt like it wasn’t, I knew I was moments from breaking that promise. But I can’t hold back anymore.

“I do love that you’re loud and brash and real. I do love that you tried so hard to get me to understand the struggles around me, and I’m working on it. I remember everything you’ve told me, and I’ll keep working to learn more about you every day. And I can’t let this all end and watch you walk away. I can’t not touch you, be with you, for real. I want this too much.”

Jada’s brain was useless and her heart too hopeful.

“Jackson.”

He smiled. “Please, call me Edmund.”

With that, he leaned down and let his warm lips touch hers. The lighting strike that ran through her was a shockwave in a store of glass. Everything was shattered in an instant. Nothing would ever be the same. Not now, not after Jada had felt the perfect grace that was this beautiful man kissing her.

Her arms flew around his shoulders, and he pulled her tighter against him. The setting sun around them had been one of the most splendid things she’d ever experienced, but it was left in the dust by the feel of Edmund’s warm lips caressing her to life. For it was clear to her now that until this moment, she’d never lived, never taken a full breath of life, and she’d never go back to the existence she’d known. She’d never be without this man ever again.

The sun dipped below the horizon, and with the shadows came a chill to the air that made the two of them pause. For a long while they simply looked at each other, but Edmund knew he had to break the silence or Jada would likely freeze to death in her slip of a dress.

“Let’s get you to the plane. You’re so cold.” He put a strong arm around her as he started to walk them down the beach and toward the still waiting limo.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to go back.” She looked at him, still shocked by all that had happened.

“I know what you mean. But we’ll have the plane ride to talk and figure things out.”

“Okay.”

They walked together in silence. As they approached the car, Jada now wearing the jacket Edmund had left on a post near the beach, the driver stepped out of the limo and ushered them inside.

The limo ride was again quiet but for an entirely different reason. Jada and Edmund sat cuddled up to each other, letting the warmth of the car and probably some other things build up inside them. In the privacy of the limo, a few more kisses took place, and the pull between them intensified. The passion they felt for each other was beginning to make Jada’s heart pound in her head again, and it was near impossible to just sit next to him.

As the limo pulled up to the private jet, they were forced to pull their lips from one another’s. No easy task. Their things had been gathered up and put in their luggage somehow. Again, their passports were scanned before they boarded, but this time Edmund joined Jada at the rear of the jet.

The pilot chimed on and welcomed them. He hoped they’d had a successful visit and told them that for the night flight home, the interior cabins lights would be turned off, allowing them to sleep. As Jada leaned back her chair and watched the interior of the cabin go to nearly black, she had a feeling not much sleep was going to go on. As if on cue, Edmund leaned his chair back fully, creating a sort of bed from the two chairs.

He turned to her in the dark and pulled her face to his. Their lips met once again, and the pace quickly increased as Jackson’s hands worked his coat from her shoulders. The cabin of the plane was not nearly as cold as it had been outside, and Edmund took the jacket from her and tossed it to the chairs across from them. Their kisses soon turned frenzied, and Edmund was reaching for Jada’s hips in no time, pulling her into him.

Breaking lip contact for a moment, Jackson spoke. “I can’t hold back anymore. I’ve been thinking about you, about this, for too long.”

As images of her dream resurfaced in her mind, Jada too was overthrown by desire.

“Yes.”

As the word left Jada’s mouth, Edmund pulled her in for more kisses. He lifted himself up, a knee on the cushion of each chair, and pulled Jada to lie beneath him. The center where the chairs met wasn’t as cushioned as the other areas, but it seemed a small price to pay to have Edmund all over her, tasting her in the dark. His lips moved from her lips and dropped lower. She let out a little gasp as he pushed away the fabric that was holding the dress on her shoulder.

His warm lips found the delicate skin beneath her collarbone and began to kiss their way toward her breasts. The passion between them made Jada’s heart thunder and her excitement pulse. She’d never dreamed of being this close to such a beautiful man, let alone while on a plane. As Edmund continued his exploration, Jada stopped being able to think clearly. His mouth and tongue were talented explorers, and Jada quietly moaned her enjoyment.

Edmund responded in kind as Jada pulled his head close and raked her nails gently down his back. When he broke contact, Jada was shocked by the cool air that was suddenly thrust upon her. The top half of her dress was down around her waist, and Edmund stared down at her in the low, low light, admiring the view.

Moving automatically, Jada reached up and started to unbutton Edmund’s shirt. With the fabric opened and his tie thrown aside, she slid his sleeves down his shoulders and revealed the extremely muscular torso underneath. It was quite the sight to see, even in the near darkness. Starved for kisses, Edmund dove back down to her and let his mouth passionately massage hers.

His chest was warm against her, and the air around them began to heat up. Within moments they were naked in the plane’s reclining seats, and Jada was struck with a brief flash of panic.

“Are you all right? We can stop.” Edmund’s whispered words soothed her and reminded her that the man she was with wasn’t the arrogant CEO of earlier.

“I’m fine. Come here.” She pulled him down and let the frenzy of kisses resume and drive their joint passion back up to wild levels.

As Edmund leaned into and met her hips with his own, Jada arched in a sensual wave. The words “pure ecstasy” fell short of describing the amazing feelings he was able to give her. She was drunk on the liquor of this new dance. No experience she’d ever had was like this. He fit into her perfectly, and the pull between them encompassed not only their physical bodies but their minds and souls as well. As amazing as the dream had been, it was nothing compared to this.

They were dancing waves on the shore that met and broke and met again, their forms coming together in an ancient ritual of give and take. With each bounding wave, Jada felt herself split apart and come back together again, and the dark of the plane only seemed to heighten the sensations. Together they held on and rode out the cresting swells of passion, gripping each other tightly as one another’s only anchor in this amazing storm of flesh and blood and soul.

When Jada didn’t think she could take any more, they both seemed to feel the building pressure inside themselves reach a peak. Edmund slowed his movements only to be fiercer and more determined with them. The great welling up inside her made Jada’s mind expand with sensation and lust. At the top of the roller coaster, they opened their eyes to look at each other. There was a joy and vulnerability and something so much more in Edmund’s eyes. Jada took his face in her hands and kissed him gently.

A single move more from him sent them both over the edge. Jada exploded with the energy of a thousand champagne bottles popping at once. The lightning of their first kiss returned a million-fold, and they rode out the furious tsunami while holding each other impossibly tight. As the giant surge receded, Edmund collapsed to his side on one of the seats.

He smiled over at her, holding his arm out to welcome her in. Jada snuggled up to him, the warmth of his skin a fire against her own steaming flesh.

And then she slept better than she ever had before.