Endless Love: Novella (Elite Heirs of Manhattan #6)

10. Miles

10

MILES

“ I can’t believe how beautiful it all is.” My bride gaped at the decorations under the tent where we would soon eat dinner. The tent beside it was designated for dancing, and both were as crammed with flowers and flickering lanterns as the rest of the grounds. “It’s magical.”

Valentina bounced Isabel on her hip, pointing out the flowers, admiring how the candlelight made the crystal on every table sparkle. “Isn’t it pretty, sweetie?”

“I have to admit.” Evan gave a nod of approval. “I’m sorry I was such a pain in the ass when it came to making decisions about this stuff. I thought it didn’t really matter much either way. Now I see I was wrong.”

“Hold on, everybody.” Valentina staggered slightly, fanning herself. “Stop the presses. Evan Anderson admitted he was wrong about something.”

“This is what I get for being sincere.” He shrugged at me. “I’m glad you’re here to witness this. I did try.”

We had spent the better part of cocktail hour having photos taken, and soon, guests would start wandering in here. I was glad to have a few minutes to ourselves, so I could watch Aria’s joy play out across her face, to see the candlelight reflected in her eyes. Time was ticking, however.

“I have to go up and get changed into my reception dress,” she announced.

That was news to me. “Reception dress?” Now that I took a closer look at Valentina, it occurred to me she had already changed into a simpler but no less stunning version of the dress she’d worn during the ceremony. “Since when?”

“Since there was no way I was going to be able to sit down and eat a bite in this.” Aria ran her hands down her sides, laughing. “Those seamstresses took their job seriously. I don’t even know if I could take a sip of water.”

“Hurry up and get changed,” Valentina urged. “We have to make our big entrance together.”

“Why do I feel like we are only accessories in all of this?” I asked Evan, who was still laughing as Aria pulled me from inside the tent. We were like a couple of delinquents sneaking out of school, rushing up to the house before anyone could catch us and demand a few minutes of our time.

“I can’t believe the ceremony is over,” she admitted as soon as we were in the kitchen, ducking our way past rushing servers running around with trays. It was a relief to make it to the hall, which was considerably less hectic.

“It passed by in a blink, didn’t it?” I asked on our way to the foyer.

“It doesn’t seem fair for something that took all this planning to pass so quickly.” She picked up her train and started up the stairs. “I want to stop time. I want to hold onto this as long as I can.”

I understood what she meant. I wished I could capture her this way, to freeze her in place in this moment of joy. “All you can do is enjoy it,” I reasoned as we reached our room, where I locked the door behind us just in case anyone decided to come looking.

A much simpler white dress hung on the back of the closet door. Aria took it from the hanger and draped it over the back of an armchair while carefully removing her veil and setting it down. She then turned her back on me. “Help me with this? There’s, like, a hundred buttons.”

“My first task as a husband. I’m honored.” We laughed as I began my way down the seemingly endless row of satin-covered buttons. “Holy hell. How long did it take to get this buttoned up?”

“It felt like an eternity.”

I touched my lips to her back, noticing the way she shivered. “You have never been so radiant,” I whispered, slowly easing the dress away from her body, kissing the skin I exposed until the heavy lace-covered satin puddled around her ankles, and she was in nothing but a white strapless bra and a thong. Hunger announced itself deep in my core and started to unfurl, spreading to my dick and thickening it at once.

She turned slowly, took my face between her hands, and planted a slow, lingering kiss against my mouth. “You know what I just realized?” she whispered, trailing her fingers down my cheek. “Our marriage isn’t official yet.”

And this was why we were meant for each other since I was thinking along similar lines. “That’s a good point,” I murmured, pretending to be a lot more solemn than I felt while my dick hardened.

“I mean, reciting vows is one thing.” As she spoke, she slid my jacket from my shoulders, then neatly laid it across the foot of the bed, turning back to me. This time, she worked on my belt. “And signing a marriage license is all fine and good, but until you consummate the marriage, it’s all for nothing. It’s kind of dumb, but it is true.”

“It would be a shame if lightning struck me down, and we couldn’t make this official,” I pointed out, watching her fight back a grin.

“Wouldn’t it?” The button slipped free, then she unzipped my fly, backing me up against the bed and sitting me down, my slacks and boxer briefs around my knees. “We really should do something about that.”

My arms slid around her so I could unhook her bra, and her gorgeous tits tumbled free. I wasted no time taking them in my hands, caressing them until her eyelids fluttered. “What did you have in mind?” I asked, taking one of them into my mouth, sucking her nipple so it hardened, watching her succumb to pleasure.

“I have a few ideas,” she whispered, moaning when I used my tongue to flick the tip of her tight nipple. “Why don’t you lie down, and I’ll show you?” She nudged me back, and I obliged, propped on my elbows so I could watch as she lowered her thong.

I would never get tired of this. Watching light play over her smooth, firm body as she straddled me. The thrill of her touch when she took me in her hand and guided me inside her incredibly tight pussy. Her soft, open-mouth gasp when I first stretched her and the sigh that followed as she lowered herself to my base.

“Congratulations,” she said, grinning down at me. “We’re officially married.”

“Are you sure about that?” I took her hips in my hands. “Because I’m fairly sure we both need to finish for it to be official.”

She dropped onto her palms, one on either side of me, her grin widening. “I guess we shouldn’t leave anything to chance,” she whispered as her hips began to move.

“By all means.” I loved nothing more than watching her like this—claiming her pleasure and using me to get her there. Her soft grunts left me almost frantic to consume all of her.

My wife.

Finally, my wife.

She leaned down, breathing hard, and I caught her juicy bottom lip between my teeth, giving a playful nip. “Careful,” she warned between gasps while my hands slid down her smooth back. “Don’t mark the bride on her big day.”

“Can’t have that, can we?” Instead, I settled for digging my fingers into her firm ass until she whined, grinding on my cock. “I’ll just have to mark you where nobody else can see.”

Her eyes closed as a deep sigh parted her lips. My God, there wasn’t anything more stunning in the world than her like this, lost in a passion that built with every sensual stroke, every grind of her hips.

My senses were overloaded. Yet it was profound gratitude that ruled over every other thought. I’d never been so grateful for her—a woman who knew me, all of me, yet was determined to love me anyway with her enormous heart and her luscious body.

A body that now moved faster while we kissed, panting into each other’s mouths, working together toward the end. “Come with me,” she urged when a moan stirred, the sort that left my balls aching and ready for release. Then the tightening of her pussy, the increased friction, pushed me toward the edge of a cliff I’d fallen over with her many times.

“Yes, love,” I whispered, holding her hips and jerking her onto me to meet my thrusts as I drove into her. “Jesus, you’re squeezing me so fucking tight… I’m not going to be able to hold back much longer. Come for me, now, ” I gritted out, my breath catching.

“Oh, yes… yes, Miles… I’m…” She ended with a gasp, her head snapping back in the instant before her pussy began to milk my shaft. The pleasure of letting go was nothing to the pleasure of watching bliss turn her already precious, perfect face into something no artist could capture.

Ethereal, exquisite.

And mine. Always.

“I guess it’s time for me to make my speech.” Colton stood, microphone in hand, while the staff cleared our dinner plates. “First off, I would like to speak for my parents when I thank all of you for joining us here at our family estate. It’s been a privilege holding an event like this, but especially for people who mean as much to us as these four.”

He looked at Valentina, then at Aria, and his smile softened. “I’m so glad we grew up the way we did, as close as we did. It’s even better that we’re still close all these years later. I hope we never lose that since you two are part of the fabric of my life. Evan…” he continued, “… you’ve been a brother to me. I can’t imagine anyone making Valentina as happy as you do, and I know for a fact that you need her to keep you in line, but there’s nobody better for that job.”

Knowing laughter rang out in the tent.

“Miles…” he concluded when the laughter died down, “… you have been a welcome addition to our group and our family. You fit in seamlessly, and I’m sure that couldn’t have been easy with all the history between us. I know Aria was worth the effort.”

I smiled at my wife, covering her hand with mine. She had been more than worth the effort, which didn’t feel like effort at all. I was a lucky man in so many ways.

“Please, everyone.” Colton lifted his champagne flute, signaling for the guests to do the same. I noticed Evelyn dabbing her eyes with a napkin, and for the second time today, it looked like Magnus was fighting back tears as he gazed at his daughters. “To the happy couples. May the rest of their lives be filled with as much love and joy as they feel today.”

The twins got up to hug their cousin once his toast was finished while the emcee for the evening announced dancing was about to kick off in the adjoining tent. “Come on!” Aria rushed over to me, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out of my chair. “You owe me at least one dance.”

“Already with the demands when we’ve barely been married four hours.” I kissed her hand, then let her go. “I’ll be there in a minute. Go ahead, shake your ass. I’ll meet you there.”

“Don’t keep me waiting,” she warned, heading off with Sienna and Ivy.

Lucian trailed behind them, but I flagged him down before I could lose sight of him, pulling him aside to murmur, “I wanted to thank you for keeping everything under wraps for me. Ivy was right. I should’ve told Aria from the beginning. Now she knows, and we’re ready to face whatever comes next.”

“We’re right here, ready to help you,” he assured me. “But for tonight, try to forget about it. Don’t let this guy ruin a once-in-a-lifetime night.”

“You’re right. He doesn’t deserve the power.” I must have been convincing since he settled for shaking my hand without offering more advice. “Now you’d better snag Ivy before some lazy, arrogant playboy tries to pick her up.”

His head snapped back. “She would never fall for a guy like that,” he scoffed, and we laughed as he followed the crowd into the next tent. I wasn’t in a hurry, and not because I wanted to hang around while the servers set up the dessert stations.

Spencer was at the bar, ordering a drink while eyeing a pair of cute blondes. “I thought you were flying out tomorrow afternoon,” I said when I reached him, nodding toward the girls who pretended not to notice his attention.

“Yes, not for another… eighteen hours,” he confirmed, checking his watch. “I can get a hell of a lot done in eighteen hours.”

“We aren’t flying out to Maui till Wednesday,” I reminded him. “Keep me posted on everything when you get home and meet with the team.”

He drew a deep breath, taking a sip of his drink. “I didn’t know whether to bring this up tonight or later, but I was talking with Connor and Barrett during cocktail hour.” He turned his head slowly to one side, then the other, casually checking for any eavesdroppers before continuing. “Barrett received a call from the fire chief. They’re calling it arson.”

My heart sank like lead. “Based on what evidence?”

“Traces of accelerant detected on several surfaces.” Our eyes met as he added, “The same accelerant used in two suspicious fires in the Bay area within the past year.”

I didn’t want to believe it, but this was how Damian Fields operated. He would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, and at the end of the day, the lengths he was willing to go to make a smear campaign look like child’s play. “Let me guess. Damian’s competitors?”

He nodded slowly. “I have to admit, I’ve wondered since Wednesday night if he was behind it. Knowing about the other fires, knowing how he loves sending a message, it all makes sense. I didn’t want to say anything until we had proof.”

“One hell of a message,” I growled out, observing the party while seeing none of it. Instead, I saw the burning timber and the smoke that rose from it. I heard the heartbroken sobs of Aria and her sister, and the memory twisted my guts. “He wants to burn us both down no matter if it means hurting the people around us.”

“Especially if it means that,” Spencer corrected. “Message received.”

“What’s next?” I asked. “You know him better than I do. What do we do now?”

His slow, knowing smile hinted at a man much more ruthless than the image he presented to his family. “Now, we get to decide the sort of message we want to send back.”

I was slightly shaken by the time the sounds of music and laughter drew me to the adjoining tent, where strings of lights twinkled beneath the canvas overhead, and dozens of people crammed onto the floor. The brides danced in the center of the large group, holding each other’s hands and belting out the lyrics to a pop song.

Tonight was about them. About us. I wasn’t about to let Damian Fields destroy another moment. We would handle him when the time came.

“Excuse me,” I called out after almost fighting my way through the crowd once the song ended. “I’m going to steal her from you,” I told Valentina, who blew me a kiss, launching into another dance when the next song began.

“Isn’t it great?” Aria’s flushed face shone, her baby blues sparkling. “I love you so much!”

“I love you,” I told her, then laughed when she shimmied to an even faster, pounding tune. I’d never seen her glow so radiantly or be so carefree.

Holding out her hands, she called out, “Dance with me!”

There was only one thing for a groom to do in a situation like that. Nobody would ever call me a dancer, but for my bride’s happiness, I would do my level best… tonight and always.