The Wedding Wrecker

18. Emma

18

EMMA

T he bonfire crackled, sending sparks dancing up into the darkening sky. Someone—Theo, I think—had produced several bottles of expensive wine, and the usually uptight Wellingtons had gradually relaxed as the evening wore on.

I was warm despite the cold, thanks to the fire, the wine, and James' body heat beside me. He'd pulled me between his legs on the log we shared, wrapping us both in a blanket. For authenticity, he'd said.

I decided this was the kind of moment you were lucky to have a few of in your entire life. Pristine snow blanketed everything in sight. Beautiful horses and bright red sleighs glistened in the setting sunlight just a ways off from our fire. And I was surrounded by easy conversation, laughter, and practically wrapped in the most gorgeous man I could have ever imagined.

Yeah… tonight, I decided I wouldn’t worry about what was fake and what was real. I just wanted to drink this all in and make a memory of it. I’d mostly been tuning out the conversations of the Wellingtons, who had been talking about boring things like investments and money.

Dick’s voice caught my attention. “This stuff,” he said, tilting the bottle of wine in his hand and nodding appreciatively. “Remember when we had the entire basement stocked full of it?”

Mr. Wellington chuckled. He was lounging on a log with his long legs spread out in front of him, a bottle of wine in his hand as well. “I do.”

“That’s where I got it,” Theo said, leaning forward so the firelight caught his handsome features. “You sent me a bunch of it several years ago and I couldn’t drink my way through it. I figured you guys could help me tonight.”

“Ahh!” Dick said. “From our own stash! I really did miss this stuff.”

James, who had been mostly quiet as he wrapped himself around me, finally spoke. There was a note of purpose in his voice and question I didn’t miss. “Did something happen to the vineyard that produces it?”

“Hm?” Dick said, still frowning at the label on the wine. “Nope. Shit is just so damn expensive we haven’t?—”

Richard cut in. “Seen the need. There are comparable vintages at more reasonable prices.” He paused, eyes sweeping across the gathered group. “Even when one has the means, spending in excess is tacky.”

Dick looked slightly mollified, but raised his bottle with a slosh. “To tackiness!” He tipped it and drained a long few gulps.

James tensed behind me, but I was too focused on his hand resting on my hip to really process the exchange. I’d bee fantasizing about him slipping his fingers farther inward until they glided over my sensitive?—

"Time to head back," one of the sleigh drivers called. "It'll be too dark for the horses soon."

"I want to show you something when we get back to the resort," James whispered in my ear as everyone started packing up. "Are you in?"

I shouldn't be. It was late, and despite having planned as much as I possibly could before we arrived, I still had real work to do tomorrow. But the wine and his proximity had me nodding anyway. “Okay,” I said. “Should I be scared?”

“Terrified,” he said, lips curving upward.

I found myself dozing off in a comfortable, light sleep that came and went as we drifted through the snow on the sleighs back toward the resort. Sometimes, I watched the stars overhead. Mostly, I nuzzled into James and told myself I was only playing the part of the love-sick girl in a new relationship.

“Thank you for this,” Lily said as we all got off the sleighs back at the resort and stretched out our cold muscles. “Tonight was magical. I’m going to remember it forever.”

Marcus put his arm around my sister and smiled. “You really know how to plan some perfect activities, Emma. Good work here.”

Mr. Wellington even came up to me and gave me a small, almost grudging nod. “Good work tonight, Emma. That was nice.”

Charity stumbled out of the sleigh and had to lean on Theo’s big frame to steady herself. Either she was too drunk to glare at me like earlier, or she may have enjoyed herself too.

I was feeling the warm glow of a job well done as everybody trickled inside and headed toward their rooms or the lobby bar to get another drink.

James took my hand, jerking his head toward a hallway I hadn’t explored yet. “Ready?”

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." He pulled me around through an “employees only” door, then down a dimly lit hallway. "Found this earlier while exploring."

“The ‘employees only’ part didn’t tell you not to explore this part?”

“Like I said before, when I want something, it’s hard to stop me.”

I rolled my eyes. “What did you want, exactly?”

“Answers. What’s behind the door? Why could only employees see it?”

I couldn’t help grinning. “So you’re going to show me… what? A supply closet?”

We reached a set of glass doors. Through them, I could see the gleam of water.

"The indoor pool?" I whispered. "It's closed at this hour."

James gave the door a push, and it swung open. “Not from the employees only side!”

“You’re going to get us in trouble. Come on, let's go back.” But my protests were only half-hearted. Maybe it was the slight buzz from the wine and the already amazing day, but I found myself greedy for more memories. And it had been ages since I swam…

James tugged my hand, pulling me into the room as the doors swung shut behind us.

The pool area was dark except for underwater lights that cast rippling patterns across the walls. Steam rose from the heated water, and through the clear, hanging plastic panels that separated the indoor and outdoor sections, I could see snow falling.

"We really shouldn't," I said, but I was already kicking off my boots. Even with James keeping me warm and the blankets, I’d spent all day outside in the cold. The idea of warm water seeping into my bones sounded too amazing to pass up.

"Probably not." James pulled off his sweater and undershirt, and I lost my train of thought. "Coming?"

I stripped down to my bra and underwear, grateful I'd worn the matching black set. When I looked up, James was watching me with heat in his eyes.

"See something you like?" I meant it to sound teasing, but my voice came out breathier than intended.

"Several somethings." He backed toward the pool, eyes never leaving mine. "Race you to the deep end?"

I felt my breath catch at his choice of words. In a way, wasn’t that exactly what we were doing tonight? We were like two people who knew we couldn’t swim, and yet we kept rushing toward the deep end, as if we didn’t know exactly what would happen when we reached our destination.

“Come on!” he called after he’d jumped in and pushed the hair out of his face. “Not that I’m complaining about the view, but you’re going to catch a cold out there. The water is heated, so get your perfect ass in here!”

The water was heated, making me sigh as I slipped in.

We swam lazy laps, occasionally splashing each other and drifting closer with each pass.

"Want to see the best part?" James asked, nodding toward the plastic dividers leading outside. I swam after him, watching the way his back muscles caught scraps of white moonlight as he effortlessly glided through the water.

We ducked our heads under the water and emerged outside. One moment, we’d been in the somewhat ordinary indoor pool area. The next?

I looked up and saw stars mingling with thick, lazy flakes of falling snow.

And I was stripped down to my underwear in a pool.

In the snow.

I smiled as the craziness of it washed over me.

Steam rose around us, catching the falling snow in small, upward drafts that made it swirl before landing and melting on the warm water. The mountains loomed dark against the star-filled sky. And best of all, there was that ever-present silence that seemed to come so easily with the snow and the cold. The peacefulness felt so thick I could almost imagine curling up and laying on it like a soft blanket.

"It's beautiful," I breathed.

Something cold hit my shoulder. I turned to find James grinning, another snowball in hand.

"You didn't."

"What are you going to do about it, beautiful?"

I launched myself at him, trying to dunk him under. Instead, I only managed to climb halfway up him and smash my soaking boobs in his face. James, like the mature adult he was, decided to motorboat me until I fell off him, laughing even as I sank halfway under the water.

He scooped me up like I weighed nothing, then held me at arm’s length, eyes sparkling with joy. “To be fair, you were asking for that.”

I smiled, still breathing hard from my failed attack attempt.

"You're shivering," he said, noticing the red mark where the snow had hit. His hand came up to rub warmth back into my shoulder. “Sorry.”

Even though the pool was heated, it was a little colder out here with the open air on my exposed flesh. The water itself wasn’t holding the heat quite as well, either.

"James..."

His other hand settled on my waist, pulling me closer. "You do things to me, Em.”

Em. He didn’t care that I asked him to stop giving me nicknames and pet names. And I liked that he kept doing it. I liked that he kept ignoring my claims that none of this was real, and that he knew I craved his touch, even when I denied it to his face.

He made it easy to do the wrong thing—to keep pushing toward that deep end where I knew we’d both drown. But God , the journey was a hell of a ride, and right now? Right now I wasn’t sure I cared where we ended up.

I just wanted to be right here.

In his arms.

Feeling his warmth against my skin.

Knowing his mind was full of me and mine was full of him.

So I wrapped my legs around his waist, threaded my fingers behind his neck, and I pressed my cold lips to his.

He was warm and perfect, and his tongue was even warmer still.

This kiss was different from our others. Slower, deeper, like we had all the time in the world. His hands slid down to grip my ass, greedily slipping beneath my soaked panties to take me bare in his hand.

His palm immediately squeezed, as if he couldn’t help himself once his hand was on me. A small moan slipped from my mouth as I rocked myself against him, seeking the shape of his erection—only this time I wasn’t asleep. I was fully awake, and somehow, the real James was even better than the version I’d been riding in my dream that first morning.

"We should set some ground rules," I managed between kisses.

"More rules?" He nipped at my throat. “If you insist. But we haven’t done too great sticking to the ones from your PowerPoint. Honestly, I forgot all of them except 1 and 3.”

"New rule. No... penetration." The last word came out as a gasp as he found a sensitive spot. "Just to keep things simple. Sex is complicated. But… just fooling around won’t hurt anybody. Right?”

He pulled back slightly, eyes dark. "Simple?"

"Yes. No complications. Just... fun."

"Fun," he repeated, then smiled wickedly. "I can do fun."

His hand slid between my legs, and I forgot how to breathe.

"Is this okay?" he asked, fingers teasing over my underwear.

"Yes," I gasped. "It’s perfect."

He pushed the fabric aside, and I moaned as his fingers found exactly the right spot. I hugged myself to his body, chin resting between his neck and shoulder as I took in the scene around us.

The steam rising from the water. The piles of snow around the edge of the pool. The flakes still drifting down from the dark sky, occasionally tickling me with a pinprick of cold, which only made the warmth of the water feel that much better.

And his hand.

His fingers had slid inside me. I lowered my mouth over his skin, nipping at him as I tried not to cry out already.

"You're so responsive," he growled, circling my clit with his thumb. "So sensitive. I bet I could make you come just like this."

"James..."

"Say it again." He slipped one finger inside me, then another. "Say my name."

I did, over and over, as he worked me higher. His thumb pressed perfectly against my clit while his fingers curled inside me.

It wasn’t long before it felt like my insides shattered apart in a beautiful explosion of white. I didn’t even realize I was gasping and moaning until a few seconds had passed, and then my cheeks went red with embarrassment.

But he continued to hold me as I came down, pressing soft kisses to my neck.

"That was..."

"Fun?" he suggested.

Life-changing. Perfect. Everything I’d ever dreamed of. The sort of thing that could make me fall for a guy.

"Yeah." I laughed shakily. "Fun."

“Do you… want a turn?” I asked, biting my lip as I reached down to grip him through his underwear.

“No,” he said. “If you start touching me right now, I’m going to end up breaking our newest rule.” His voice dipped an octave as he brought his mouth closer to my ear. “I’m so close to losing control around you, Emma. I’m always so goddamn close.”

“And… what would happen if you lost control?” I asked, fingertips still gliding up and down the length of his erection. “Maybe you should tell me… so I know what to watch out for.”

“I would start like this,” he said, hooking one arm under my knee and lifting my leg as he backed me toward the wall of the pool.

I gasped as the snow piled along the edge of the pool touched my back, but I didn’t care because he moved closer, gripping himself and pressing it against me through our underwear. “And then I’d touch you like this.” He cupped my face, leaning closer. “And I would slide inside you, memorizing every single sensation. The way your walls would grip me. The warmth of your pussy. The heat of your moans against my neck. The feeling of your nipples hardening beneath your bra and pressing into my chest. And I would fuck you until you’d never be able to think about sex again without wanting me. Only me.”

“James,” I gasped, breath hitching as I felt myself hooking one leg around him and trying to pull him into me.

“I’d make you come so hard for me you’d be ruined,” he continued, planting a soft kiss on my earlobe, and then my neck. “I’d fill you so deep you would worry you’re about to burst, and then you’d come so hard everybody in the entire resort would hear us. And you’d be too far gone to care. You’d only beg me for more. You’d?—”

“Hey!” a voice called. “How did you get in there? You can’t be out here!”

James pulled back, eyes lit with mischief. “I think we’re going to have to abandon our clothes and make a run for it.”

“What?” I asked.

James vaulted out of the pool, then reached a dripping hand toward me. “Come on, unless you want to explain to the Wellingtons why you’re being held in resort jail for the rest of their wedding week.”

“Resort jail?” I gasped. “Is that a thing?”

“Want to find out?”

I didn’t.

I gave one longing look toward the indoor section of the pool where my clothes were waiting, then let James help me from the pool. We carefully chose our footing to avoid the largest clumps of snow and patches of ice while somebody from inside the building worked a key in a door to get outside. A flashlight swept across us as James held both hands together to boost me over the fence.

“Really?” I asked, looking at his hand. “You want me to jump the fence?”

“It’s the only way. And I’m planning to enjoy the view of your ass on your way up.”

I wrinkled my nose at him, planted my foot on his hand, and let him easily lift me so I could grip the top of the freezing gate and shift my weight to the other side. A moment later, James pulled himself up and launched his muscular body over the fence like he was weightless.

“This way,” he said, taking my hand and laughing as we ran barefoot through patches of grass and tried our best to dodge more snow.

We rounded a corner of the resort, found a side door, and had to wait an excruciating minute until somebody passed and James could knock on the glass to get their attention.

The startled old woman clutched her scarf and slowly approached the door.

“Can you let us in?” James said, shouting so she could hear us through the glass.

The lady opened the door, then looked us up and down. “What on Earth?”

“You’re the best! Thanks!” James said, pulling me again as we ran up the stairs in our soaked, and partially frozen underwear.

By the time we reached our room, we were both shivering violently, but still laughing.

“I can’t believe you made me do that,” I said between clattering teeth.

“I think that lady was wondering how I could still be hard when I’m this cold.”

“She what?” I asked, eyes falling down to his underwear. I laughed, putting a hand over my mouth when I saw that sure enough, he was fully erect. “James!”

He paused at the door to our room. “Like I said. I’m this close to losing it around you, Em. Also, this might be a bad time to mention my room key is with my clothes. One of us is going to have to go to the front desk…”

“No…” I breathed.

He came close, planting a cold kiss on my lips and smiling. “You look way too fucking sexy to go walking around like this. You’re going to hide over there by the ice machine. If anybody comes in, just make machine noises so they don’t suspect anything.”

I laughed. “Machine noises? Like this?” I tried to make a grinding sound through my chattering teeth.

“Perfect. Now, wish me luck. I’ll be back.”

To his credit, James was only gone for two or three minutes before he came jogging back with a key in his hands. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were dancing with amusement. “That was interesting.”

“I’m not even going to ask,” I said.

“Did you have to convince anybody you were a machine while I was gone?”

“No,” I said, shivering badly.

He pulled me into a hug, opened our door, and guided me to the bathroom where we both unhooked robes and wrapped ourselves tightly.

Once the robe was over me, I discreetly slid off my soaking underwear, which flopped wetly to the ground. James followed suit, dropping his boxers before we both fell into bed like popsicles.. James tugged the sheets and comforter up over me and then slid into bed behind me. “Lose the robe. It’ll be warmer if we go skin-to-skin.”

“Is that real science?” I asked. “Or just a ploy to feel my ass.”

“Why can’t it be both?” he asked.

I smiled as I shivered my way out out of the robe, then sighed with relief when I felt his warmth against me. And something else.

“Still?” I asked.

“It’s your fault,” James said.

My shivers slowly died down as James held me in bed.

“It’s pretty gross that we got in here without showering after using a public pool,” I said.

“Super gross.”

“But I don’t want to move.”

“Then don’t. I’m not going anywhere.”

Once again, I found myself looking deeper into his words than I probably should have.

I’m not going anywhere.

Except he would.

Eventually, this magical week would end. My sister would get married, or the man I was slowly taking things too far with would sabotage their wedding, ruining Lily’s marriage and dealing the final blow to my career in one, swift, act.

We were racing toward the deep end, and I needed to find a way to pull back.

But God. Why did it all have to feel so damn good?

“Hey, Em?” he asked, voice soft. “Sorry if I got too intense back there. Before we got interrupted.”

My memory instantly flashed back to that moment and the things he’d said.

Warmth pooled between my legs all over again. “It’s okay,” I said quietly. “I… kind of liked it.”

I smiled to myself when I felt him getting hard against my ass.

“Look who’s back,” I teased.

“You’re bad for me,” he said, kissing the back of my shoulder. “So damn bad.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. We’re just having fun. We’re just having fun. We’re just having fun.

Despite my valiant efforts, the words still rang hollow in my mind.