Chapter 4 #2
For a second the room is filled with silence.
I can’t help but stare at West’s mouth like I’ll have to take a quiz on it later. His bottom lip is fuller than the top. They’re slightly parted, like he’s just let out a soft breath.
Then he nods at me.
He’s really going to do this. My jaw tightens. Janice moves in closer. And my skin flushes a brighter red than the paint I washed off in the shower only an hour ago.
West reaches for my face, his hand softly cupping my chin like I’m made of glass. Then he tips my head up until our eyes catch.
There’s a question in his gaze. Can I do this? Is this okay?
I nod almost imperceptibly, because I can’t think of a single valid reason why he shouldn’t.
West dips his head, his gaze unmoving, as the tip of his nose brushes mine. My heart starts to slam against my ribcage, and all I can think about is the fact that his mouth is less than three inches away.
I let out a breath he can feel. His thumb brushes my jaw, like he’s trying to reassure me.
And then his lips press against my mouth.
He’s soft at first. Like he’s testing me out. But my whole body tingles at the sudden connection. His hand slides down my neck, as I slowly move my mouth, kissing him back.
His fingers trace my spine, vertebrae by vertebrae, then he reaches the dip of my back, pulling me against him.
Without thinking, I wrap my arms around his neck, my body naturally pressing into his. Chest to chest. Stomach to…
A soft grunt escapes from his mouth.
And then everything narrows into a tiny pinpoint. My breath, my thoughts, the ache in my chest. It’s like my body has been waiting for this moment longer than my brain has.
I kiss him hard. Just enough to know what it feels like when I’m the one who starts it.
His lips part in surprise but he doesn’t stop me.
His hand curls tighter around my waist like he’s anchoring us together.
I feel him against me, thick and firm, and it sends a pulse of pleasure between my thighs.
I sigh against his mouth.
And then suddenly he pulls back.
He clears his throat, his fingers twitching like he has no idea what to do with them. Finally, he drags them through his hair, leaving it a little mussed.
“Are we done?” he asks the officiant.
“Absolutely,” she replies, checking her watch. Oh god, did Riva get her out of bed? The poor woman. “I’ll finish the paperwork and Janice can get it up to you.”
“Perfect,” West murmurs. Then he looks at me. “Ready?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Probably because I can still feel his lips against mine. Why does he have to be such a good kisser?
Why are my thighs still trembling?
“Yes,” I say softly. His eyes flash.
“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Abbott,” Janice says. “Eden, I’ll send you the video. It’s just so… beautiful.”
West tips his head. “Can I see it now?” he asks.
“Oh, yes. Of course.”
He takes the phone, and for a second I can’t figure out why he wants to watch this whole mess again. But then, his eyes widen in mock panic. He presses once, then twice on the phone.
“Oh dear,” he says. “I think I pressed the wrong thing. I deleted it.”
“What?” Janice snatches the phone from him. “It’s okay,” she says quickly. “It should be in the recently deleted folder.”
I glance at him. For a second he looks so stupidly smug it makes my eyes widen. Did he do that on purpose? To get rid of the evidence?
“It’s not there,” Janice wails. “Oh my god. This is awful. I’m so, so sorry.”
I roll my eyes at West. God, he’s so good at this. And by this, I mean lying.
“It was absolutely my fault,” he says smoothly. “But we’ll always have our memories, won’t we, darling?” He shoots an unapologetic look at Janice. “And we really should go. We have a marriage to consummate.”
My mouth drops open. Surely… No, he wouldn’t. Would he?
“Oh of course. No worries, I’ll find a way of getting it back.” Janice looks desolate.
West puts his arm around my waist. “She won’t,” he murmurs confidently. Then louder, “Come on, Mrs. Abbott, let’s get you to bed.”
“I thought we agreed on Fitzgerald,” I reply louder still. “For both of us.”
He laughs softly, like I just told the best joke. “My wife loves to tease me,” he says to Janice, who still looks like somebody stole her favorite teddy bear.
But all I hear is ‘My wife’. The words send a shiver down my spine. He says it so easily, like it means nothing at all. And as he leads me out of the chapel, his palm firmly pressing against the dip of my spine, I start to wonder if I would have been safer staying in that jail cell.
WEST
Eden is snoring softly on the oversized bed, her dark curls tumbling over the thousand thread-count pillowcase, the skirt of her billowy white dress bunched up to her thighs.
She still has one shoe on her foot. The other has fallen off onto the thick, carpeted floor. She looks like Cinderella, assuming Cinderella spent half the day in jail, married the wrong prince, and collapsed asleep before the first light of dawn.
She lets out a sigh, and my gaze dips to her mouth. For a second, all I can think of was how perfectly her lips molded against mine. How hard I got when we kissed.
How I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and carry her to bed even though we were in the middle of a sham wedding.
I sigh, grabbing my phone to walk into the living area of the suite, tapping out a message to my lawyer.
I need annulment paperwork drafted as soon as you get to the office. Nevada jurisdiction. I’ll send the details in an email. – Abbott
I hit send and watch the lights flicker across the strip. There’s a line of light starting to form right above the distant mountains. The last twelve hours have been… trying.
Tomorrow it will all be cleaned up. The way it always is when I’m involved. Nobody will know a damn thing happened.
Especially not Hudson.
I’m not going to beat myself up over it. It was the right thing to do. The only thing. She got into trouble and I fixed it. End of story.
Her family doesn’t have to know. Nobody does.
I pull off my tie, unfasten the top button of my shirt, and take off the ring on my finger.
Assholes like me don’t get caught in fairytales. We burn them down and walk away before the clock strikes midnight. Because that way, we don’t get hurt.