25. 25
A s the sun comes up, lightening the sky outside, the ceiling becomes visible. The ceiling I’ve stared at almost all night. When I wasn’t tossing and turning, that is. At first, the sound of the ocean kept me awake. Parker preferred to have the windows open, letting the ocean breeze sweep through the space. For someone who doesn’t sleep with any white noise normally, this was incredibly distracting to me.
But the noise didn’t hold a candle to the distraction that was sleeping next to Parker. The last time we slept in a bed together, his strong arms were wrapped around me and we didn’t know what was to come the next day. This time, there was no snuggling. No gentle kisses on my shoulder. No marriage proposal waiting on the other side .
There was only a divider made of spare pillows that I wanted to rip away.
Every time my eyes closed, Parker’s face as he spilled his seed in the bathroom would dance across my mind. My fingers ached to take care of myself. At one point, I considered going into the bathroom and following Parker’s lead. But I couldn’t do that.
What if he heard me?
And worse, joined me?
Or even worse, didn’t join me?
My libido was firmly on team “join me” and my mind waffled between the two.
“Psst. Parker?” I whisper into the dawn. Even though he still has some groveling to do, I’ve softened a lot since my talk with Charlie.
“What?” he whispers back.
“Are you awake?”
“No. I’m asleep.”
“Can you be awake?”
“What’s in it for me?”
“The pleasure of my company?”
“I don’t know if that’s sufficient. Your inability to lay still and loud thoughts kept me up most of the night and I needed my beauty sleep. I’m in a wedding today.”
I rip away the pillow blocking our faces, his already turned toward me humor lighting his eyes, and glare at him.
“I’ve got news for you. No one cares if you look pretty,” I inform him.
“Untrue. There are going to be pictures of this event and I have to stand up next to Alec.”
“Tank is here, now. Maybe he’ll demote you. ”
“He texted me last night to let me know I’d still be best man.”
“Oh, so that text you got,” I joke and know it was not the right thing to say.
His eyes darken, tongue peeking out to wet his bottom lip. My gaze tracks the movement, wanting to lean over to kiss him. The memory of his hands on my body as he kissed me on the couch during the Desire Suite date makes me shift toward him, ever so slightly. Enough that, if he wasn’t interested, could be taken as me getting more comfortable.
“Anastasia,” he whispers, but my name is heavy with implication and desire.
“We should go get breakfast,” I say, flinging the blankets off me. Almost jumping from the bed, I storm out onto the lanai, to get some air before I do something stupid like beg him to kiss me.
Footsteps sound through the villa, and I feel him standing behind me.
“I can’t go get breakfast. I’m supposed to meet up with Alec and all the guys soon. We are grabbing food and going golfing. I’m sorry.” He whispers the last part and it sounds sincere.
His fingers blaze a trail of heat down my arm, but I don’t look at him. When he hugged me last night, it took me by surprise, but my body quickly remembered how much it loves being in his arms. And if I look at him right now, I might kiss him.
I feel him press against my back, wrapping his arms around me.
“I’ll see you later, yeah?”
I nod and his lips press a kiss where my neck meets my shoulder, branding me. My mouth opens in silent exclamation. I want him to continue, but his arms drop from around me, the door opening and shutting gently a few minutes later .
Stomach grumbling, I move into the room, grabbing up the phone and pull the menu toward me.
“Kitchens,” the man says, the sound of lots of people moving coming through the receiver.
“Hello, I’d like to place a room service order, if that’s okay?”
“I’d be happy to take care of that, Mrs. Hightower. What can I get for you?”
I pause at his assumption that I’m Parker’s wife, butterflies swarming in my stomach, but decide to leave it uncorrected. “Could I get the kalua pork eggs benedict, please? And some of that green juice? And a side of hash browns.”
“No problem. We’ll have it to you in thirty minutes.” He hangs up the phone without saying goodbye.
My morning passes in a haze of relaxation. I take a nap on one of the loungers, trying to catch up on the sleep I didn’t get last night. Looking at the time, I know I can’t put it off any longer and go to get ready to watch two people declare their love for each other.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to look that good. You might upstage the bride,” Parker says as I move toward him.
My silk, emerald dress has flowers all over it, skinny straps that crisscross over the back, and is my favorite thing Lorelei bought for me. She refused to take my money when I offered to pay her back for everything she bought but that just means I will be baking her things for free for the foreseeable future.
“You look pretty great yourself,” I say, smiling. His tuxedo fits him like a glove and I catch more than one set of hungry eyes on his ass.
He offers me his arm. “Let me show you to your seat. ”
“Thank you,” I say, linking my arm with his.
There are five rows of five chairs, split in groups of two with the aisle going down the center, and I wonder how I’m so lucky to be here. Ignoring the awkwardness between me and Parker this has been an incredible getaway and I’m glad that I agreed to come.
Parker leads me to the fourth row and puts me on the seat farthest from the aisle Charlie will be walking down. He takes my hand from his elbow and keeps a firm grip on it until I’m standing steadily in front of my chair. I turn back to him and I’m almost struck stupid by how beautiful he is.
His hair is tied back in his low bun, but a few strands have freed themselves to frame his face. The straight nose and stubbled jaw line are softened by his full lips and the faint laugh lines around his eyes.
Our eyes don’t leave each other as the moment stretches, crackling like a fire between us. The wind blows, pulling my softly curled hair across my face, but before I can fix it, Parker’s fingers are there, pulling it back and tucking it behind my ear, his thumb running the length of my jaw.
My eyes fall to his parted lips and for a moment, I think he’s going to kiss me.
I want him to kiss me.
But before we can linger any longer, one of the guests I’ve not met calls his name and the moment melts like a snowflake on pavement warmed by the sun.
“Save me a dance?” he asks, giving the universal ‘one moment’ sign to the other guest.
“I’m sure I can find a slot for you,” I say, imagining his strong hands pushing me around the dance floor.
Without another word, he nods, turns, and leaves .
Time seems to be moving at a normal pace again. I look around at the beautiful venue Charlie and Alec have chosen for the ceremony. While a simple affair, the backdrop is anything but.
A custom arch flows like a cresting wave with pink and purple flowers covering every square inch. The sun is setting behind us, giving the altar, and the sweeping view, a beautiful glow. Waves crash below the cliff, adding to the ambiance of the day. Lorelei mentioned the official, as well as Charlie and Alec, will be wearing small microphones that will play to speakers hidden discreetly below a few of the rows of chairs so everyone will be able to hear the ceremony.
But the beautiful venue can’t keep my eyes from Parker forever. I watch as Lorelei touches Parker, a gentle hand on his, and for the first time since we left the House of Desire , I want to bat it away. The irrational spark of jealousy leaves me fuming as he walks her down the aisle to her seat in front of me. He kisses the back of her hand and I can’t help but huff. Did he not want to kiss my hand?
The trail his thumb made along my jaw warms with his phantom fingers and I try to tame the dragon within me, fighting to free itself.
“You look great,” Lore says, looking back at me.
“All thanks to you,” I tell her, tamping down the jealousy.
“How was last night?” I think of Parker in the bathroom once more and feel the blush walk up my neck. “That good, huh?” she says with a smirk.
“It was no big deal.”
“Uh huh.”
With such a small wedding, it only takes about ten minutes to get everyone seated and the music that has been gently playing changes as Alec follows the officiant down the aisle. As if by magic, Courtney appears at the top of the aisle, her plum, floor length lace dress with sweetheart neckline amplifying the petite woman’s curves, her arm through Parker’s. A tissue peeks out of her bouquet clutching hands. She smiles and winks at a man, I’m assuming her husband, as she makes her way down the aisle and stands waiting, tears already gathering in her bespectacled eyes.
When they get to the front of the aisle, they split off. Parker slots between Alec and Tank who’s sitting comfortably on a chair.
The music changes again and the officiant gestures for us to stand. Notes of the song waft on the air as Charlie comes to stand at the aisle, her smile visible from space.
Her dress is magnificent. Instead of stark white, she’s chosen a beautiful cream that warms her skin. The A-line shape has a gentle flare from her hips, crystals and pearls becoming denser the farther down the dress you look. A deep V cuts the otherwise plain neckline, but the thin straps are covered in tulle that travels over her shoulders and fall like a cloak trailing behind her. Crystals and pearls decorate the tulle as well.
Riotous curls bounce all over, the ones near her face pinned together in the back, letting us see her stunning face. The makeup is light but impactful, extenuating her love soaked beauty even more.
Her father stands beside her, precious in his tuxedo, as his lip quivers.
They take their first step down the aisle as the music swells and I turn my head away from the bride.
My favorite part of any wedding is to watch the groom watch his soon-to-be spouse walk toward him. Alec’s face is filled with awe at the ethereal beauty of the one he gets to call his. His eyes never stray. His intensity never lessens. His devotion is evident and steals my breath from my body .
What I wouldn’t give to have someone look at me the way Alec is looking at Charlie.
In the blink of an eye, Charlie and her father stand before Alec. He tries to say something but simply lets out a great, gasping sob before throwing himself into Alec’s surprised arms. The men hug and Alec’s lips move as he whispers something to his soon-to-be father-in-law. The older man nods before pulling away, kissing his daughter on the cheek before taking his seat next to his wife.
“Honored guests, we are here today to celebrate the love Charlie and Alec have found within each other as they stand before you ready to make a promise, through the good times and the bad,” the officiant says in a friendly voice.
He continues on, but I lose focus as my eyes move from the happy couple to Parker, standing strong beside his friend, and I can’t help but think of when he was down on one knee in front of me.
How fast my heart was beating.
How I wanted to pull him to his feet.
How I wanted it, for just a second, to be real.