Devotion - Chapter 15
Saturday
As the day slowly turned to night, the reception grew even more magical. I could even just make out the stars in the sky, which was a New York City miracle.
"Let's welcome the happy couple to the floor for their first dance," the D.J. said.
James stood up and put his hand out for me.
Hands Down by Dashboard Confessional started when we stepped onto the dance floor.
I knew it was an unconventional wedding song, but this was our song.
We shared our first dance to this song the first time I visited New York with James.
Someone had been playing it on their guitar in Central Park.
And we had danced under the stars just like this.
James spun me around and then pulled me in close. We swayed slowly despite the fast beat of the song. I stared up into his dark brown eyes. I had never seen him look more handsome, or more perfect than in this moment.
"My heart is yours to fill," James said with a smile, quoting the lyrics. He grabbed my hand and twirled me around again.
I laughed as he pulled me back into his strong arms. I loved the feeling of his hands on my hips. We went to functions that had dancing all the time. James was an exceptional dancer. And somehow he made me seem okay at it too. I was elevated just from being near him.
"The words are hushed, let's not get busted," he whispered.
That was one of my favorite lyrics. It made it seem like the song was made for us. Sneaking around with him when he was my professor had been fun. But I loved now even more. I clasped my hands behind his neck, savoring the feeling of his skin beneath my palms.
"Hands down, this is the best day I can ever remember," I said, quoting the lyrics back to him.
"Baby, you have no idea." His hands tightened on my hips and he lifted me up in the air.
I laughed again as he slowly turned in a circle. I heard a few cheers from our guests and a splattering of applause.
James slowly slid me back down his torso. Before my feet had even touched the ground, he kissed me. Full and deep as he held me tightly in his arms.
I felt a little dizzy when he pulled away.
"Find me after your dance with your father."
"Where are you going?"
"I'll be setting up something romantic." He kissed my cheek and slowly released my hand. I watched him wander through the crowd of people and disappear into the restaurant.
***
"Jen?" I said when I walked down one of the hallways of the restaurant I hadn't tried yet.
"Oh, hey, Penny," Jen said and looked over my shoulder. She ran her fingers through her bangs and adjusted the strap on her dress.
"Oh my God."
"What?" She awkwardly cleared her throat.
"You just had sex."
"I did not," she said and then immediately laughed.
"I dared you to ask Ian on a date. Not to have sex with him!"
She laughed. "Fine you caught me. You were right about Ian."
I smiled. "You two didn't waste any time."
"We're both adults and we've both liked each other for years. What's the point in waiting when you know it's right?"
"There is no point."
"Exactly. Besides, we're at a wedding. Of course we were going to sleep together. I mean, have you seen him? He's mouthwatering."
I laughed.
"Hello, ladies," Ian said.
"Hi, Ian." I smiled at the fact that Jen had probably asked him to give her a head start so it wouldn't look like they had just slept together.
"I'm going to leave you two alone." I stepped around them and walked down the hall.
Love was certainly in the air tonight. And I couldn't judge them at all.
I was about to do the same thing with James.
"James?" I whispered as I opened the door to the room that he and his groomsmen had been in earlier today.
I had already tried the small room that I had finished getting ready in, but it had been dark and empty.
That wasn't the case here. Dozens of candles were lit in the small room.
It reminded me of when James had proposed. The only thing missing was him.
"James?" I whispered again and slowly turned around. He definitely wasn't here. There weren't even any places he could be hiding. I couldn't explain it, but it felt like something was wrong. James had to have been the one that had set this up. So, where was he?
My pulse quickened. What if something had happened to him?
What if Isabella had shown up and...what?
Hurt him? I just had this awful feeling that something terrible had happened.
I tried to take a deep breath, but it just made my heart race even more.
I had passed Porter on the way into the building.
He would help me find James. I quickly opened up the door and ran straight into Porter.
He grabbed my arms to steady me. "Are you alright, Mrs. Hunter?"
It was the first time someone had actually addressed me that way. But I was too upset to savor how great it sounded. I shook my head. "Where is James?"
"Isn't he in there with you?"
Shit. "No. Porter, something is wrong. Is it possible that Isabella is here? I just have this awful feeling..."
"No," he said with a frown. "Briggs is doing a border patrol and we have extra security posted everywhere.
No one is getting onto the premises that wasn't on the guest list. Mr. Hunter must have just slipped past me.
Give me a second." Porter touched something on his watch.
"Who has eyes on Albatross?" He placed his finger on his earpiece.
I swallowed hard. Normally I'd find something like that codename hilarious, but my stomach was twisting into knots.
Porter nodded and let go of his earpiece. "He's at the bar getting champagne, ma'am."
"Getting champagne?" Oh, thank God.
"I'm sorry," Porter said. "He told me to keep my eyes on you. I shouldn't have..."
"No, it's fine. I was just overreacting." I wasn't sure why I was so on edge. Everything was fine. I took a deep breath.
"I promise we have everything under control," Porter said. "He just slipped away from me."
"Thank you, Porter. I know you do. I'm sorry that I bothered you."
Porter smiled. "It wasn't a bother. And here he is now."
I turned my head to see James coming down the hall. He was holding two glasses and a bottle of champagne.
I didn't want him to know how worried I had been. This moment wasn't going to be tainted by a stupid fear. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and opened up the door for him.
James walked into the room and placed the glasses and champagne bottle down on the table. I heard the pop of the cork. But I didn't want champagne. I wanted him.
I grabbed his arm so that he'd face me. Nothing mattered right now except for us. We had both been waiting for this moment for so long. "You're my husband."
The smile that spread across his face was contagious. "And you're my wife."
I grabbed his tie and pulled him toward me. "There's still one more thing we need to do before it's official."
"And what is that? I just thought we'd have a private toast and take a few moments to talk."
"Seriously?"
He laughed. "Fuck no." He grabbed my waist and pulled me against him. "If it was up to me, I'd be making love to my new wife for the rest of the night." He leaned down and kissed me softly.
I wanted to make love to him too. But I was amped up from worrying. I grabbed a fistful of his hair and deepened the kiss. I was on edge and I knew that the only thing that would calm me down was him deep inside of me. I reached down and unhinged his belt.
He groaned into my mouth as he pushed my back against the wall.
I made short work of his zipper and ran my fingers to the waistline of his pants.
He grabbed my hands and lifted them above my head. "Not so fast, baby." He pressed the backs of my hands against the wall.
"You have your whole life to torture me." I squirmed under his grip. I wanted to touch him.
I felt him smile as he kissed the side of my neck. "I promised you that I'd make love to you tonight."
"At the hotel, later. Right now we're just consummating our marriage real quick." I hooked my leg around his waist.
"No, not quickly." He kissed the side of my neck again and slowly left a trail of kisses down the front of my chest and between my breasts.
"I need you, James. You have no idea how much I need you."
"Then you know how I feel all the time." He grabbed my ass and lifted my legs around him.
I could feel how hard he was. His erection was pressed against my stomach as he lowered me onto the table.
"I've been waiting my whole life for this moment. I'm going to savor every second of it." He bent down in front of me and kissed the inside of my ankle as he slowly pushed my dress up.
I wasn't going to be able to take his torturous ascent. "James, please."
"Insatiable as ever," he said once he reached the inside of my knee.
I knew my whole body was trembling with want. All I could feel were his lips on my skin.
"I like this," he said and snapped my garter against my thigh.
I squirmed and he tightened his grip on me.
"It's hard to know how I should make my lovely wife come first." His breath was hot between my thighs.
He grabbed the sides of my thong and slowly lowered it down my hips.
"Your cock."
I felt him smile again as he kissed me just beside where I needed him most. "That'll be the last of the three. So you'll have to choose what's first. My fingers," he lightly stroked his fingers against my wetness, "or my tongue."
I felt his hot breath again. I didn't want to go slowly, but I did want that. There was never a moment where I didn't want that. "Your tongue."
"I was hoping you'd say that." He placed a long, slow stroke against my wetness.
Fuck.
He expertly swirled his tongue, hitting all my walls. He knew exactly what to do to make me putty in his hands.
I tilted my head back and moaned.
He responded by thrusting his tongue deep inside of me. He gripped my thighs firmly in his hands and spread them as far as they would go, allowing him to go deeper still.
God yes.
He was completely devouring me. I was moments away from release. He wrapped his hands around my thighs and pulled me to the edge of the table, changing the angle again. I could barely control myself. And then he gently rubbed his nose against my clit.
I came. Hard. I gripped his hair as I screamed his name. It was almost embarrassing how fast he could make me come. But I was never embarrassed about my reaction to James. And I knew he loved it just as much as I did.
"There is nothing better than the taste of you," he whispered and placed one last slow stroke against my aching pussy. "And now for my fingers."
"James, please, I need you."
"Baby, trust me, I know exactly what you need." He slowly encircled my wetness with one finger.
I whimpered as he sunk his finger deep inside of me.
"And it makes me even harder each time you tremble in my arms. The look on your face when you come makes me want to do it over and over again to you." He thrust a second finger inside of me.
"James," I moaned.
He began to massage my clit with his thumb.
"Penny Hunter. God, I love the sound of that.
" He kissed the inside of my knee and then stood up so he could peer down at me.
The new angle just made his fingers go deeper.
He moved his hand slowly at first and then faster and faster, driving me toward the edge.
"I love how flushed your cheeks get when you're about to come. And the way your lips part ever so slightly."
He knew me even better than I knew myself.
"Look at me when you come, baby." He curved his fingers, hitting the spot that always made me come.
Yes! I could feel myself start to pulse around his fingers.
A small smile curled onto his lips when he felt it too.
I let myself collapse back onto the table, but didn't drop his gaze.
I could feel the heat of his stare. Each time my pussy throbbed against him, it made him want me more and more.
And it was an intoxicating feeling. I loved that he got aroused at my pleasure. It made me feel so sexy.
He slowly slid his fingers out of me and put them in his mouth, sucking off my juices. "I've never seen you more beautiful than in this moment."
The room was only illuminated by candlelight. His face danced in the shadows, somehow making him look even more perfect.
He slowly lowered his pants, revealing his massive erection. "And I've also never wanted you so badly."
I reached behind my back, searching for the zipper on my dress.
"Keep it on," he growled and stepped forward. He spread my thighs apart again. "I want you just like this."
"Then take me." I grabbed his tie and pulled his lips down to mine.
He groaned into my mouth as he slowly sunk into me.
Fuck, yes. Even though he had just had me with his mouth and his fingers, his thick cock always seemed to stretch me even wider. And I loved the feeling. I loved being completely possessed by him.
"I was made for loving you, Penny," he said against my lips. "I'll never stop. I'll love you until the day I die." He grabbed my hips as he slowly started sliding his length in and out of me.
All I could think about was the friction that I had craved ever since I had stepped into this room. All I could feel was the heat between us.
"You're so beautiful." His fingertips dug into my hips slightly as he quickened his paced. "Fuck," he groaned.
"Don't stop. Please don't stop." I wasn't even sure if I was talking about right this second or our entire future. I just wanted him forever.
"Baby, I'll never stop. I'm yours. Forever and always." He kissed me hard as he slammed into me more forcefully.
There were no doubts anymore. There were no more what-ifs. He was mine and I was his.
His fingertips dug into my hips even harder as my toes started to curl. He exploded inside of me with a force I had never felt before. And I came just as hard.
"My beautiful wife," he said and kissed the tip of my nose. "I promise to love and cherish you every day."
I felt so full. Full of his love and everyone else's that had come to our wedding. I couldn't stop the tears that fell down my cheeks.
"I was made for loving you too, James. You're my everything. My perfect husband." I put my hand on the side of his face.
He rubbed his thumbs under my eyes to remove my tears. "Thank you for saying no to Las Vegas. This was so much better."
I smiled, remembering him asking me to run away with him in my dorm. "This was perfect. Do you think we can sneak away now, though?"
He laughed. "Let's cut the cake and throw your bouquet and get the hell out of here." He grabbed my waist and pulled me to my feet.
I quickly pulled my thong back on as he put his belt back through the loops of his pants. I reached up and straightened his tie and ran my fingers through his hair.
"What, you don't want me walking around with sex hair for the rest of the night?"
"Rob's speech was enough inappropriateness for one night, don't you think?"
James laughed.