29. Melissa
29
MELISSA
“ D id y’all catch them?” Jase asked as he rolled over. The sheets spilled out from between his legs as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
We’d had one hell of a late night. That was before Chase called early this morning and said that HJ and Isaac were making a run for the courthouse.
Naturally, I jumped out of bed and floored it to Beaufort to meet up with the rest of the poker club. We surprised them with a shower of rose petals as they ran down the courthouse steps after their wedding day elopement.
Isaac was probably the only person in the world who could convince Hannah Jane to elope on her own damn wedding day.
Since it was Hannah Jane and Isaac’s wedding week, we’d opted for a Thursday night poker night after the wedding rehearsal. We didn’t even bother getting the chips and cards out. It was also the first time Jason and I had gone to a poker club night as a couple.
It was bizarre .
Not once had the thought of bringing someone with me to poker ever crossed my mind. Now, I had an honest-to-goodness boyfriend who got along with everyone.
It was perfect—a word that I rarely used to describe anything.
“Mhmm,” I hummed as I crawled back into bed to kiss him.
Jase wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest.
“Babe, I’ve gotta get going. I’m meeting the girls at the salon in half an hour. I just had to come back and get my dress.”
“But you got your hair done yesterday,” he said, fingering my long box braids.
“I know.” I pecked his lips. “But it’s a girl thing. And I’m not saying no to free mimosas. Besides, I told Erica and Kristin that I’d be there to help wrangle the kids.”
“Fine,” he grumbled as he manhandled me over his waist until I was straddling his hips. “But after the wedding, you’re mine.”
“Deal,” I said as I leaned down and kissed him. His stubble scraped against my cheek, fingers digging into my hips.
I loved the contrast—the pillowy softness of his lips mixed with the rough way he handled me, trusting me to take it.
He slid his finger up the leg of my shorts and through the strip of denim between my thighs, dragging his knuckle down my slit. I dropped my head into the crook of his neck. “Jase?—”
“It’s been too long since I’ve been inside you. We need to remedy that.”
“I have to go.”
He chuckled, sliding a finger into my wetness. “No, baby girl. You have to come. ”
I whimpered. The way his voice rumbled, low and sinister when he called me baby girl, made every nerve ending in my body spark like a live wire.
“Jase,” I choked out again. Only his name. I couldn’t think of any other words to say. Not when he was working my pussy the same way he solved Rubik’s Cubes. Confident flicks of his fingers against my clit, my walls, and my G-spot had me about to fall apart.
All at once, my world exploded. Like a waterfall crashing, my orgasm pummeled into me. “Jay—” I grunted out as every muscle in my body clenched around him.
“That’s my girl,” he said, sliding two fingers out of my pussy. Jase looked me dead in the eye as he stuck them in his mouth and sucked off my wetness.
Oh my God. I had never seen anything hotter.
“You taste so good. I can’t wait to get my mouth on you tonight.”
I whimpered. “Maybe I have time? I can be a little late…”
Jason snickered. That asshole . “Nope. Be a good girl and help Hannah Jane get ready. I’ll see you at the wedding tonight.”
I practically stormed into the salon, carrying the garment bag with my bridesmaid dress. For a girl who had just been gifted a body-wracking orgasm, I sure was in a mood.
How dare he tease me like that? Licking my orgasm off his fingers like a goddamn popsicle, telling me what he’s going to do with his mouth, and then demanding I go be social and get pampered.
Rude.
The floral scent of high-end hair products hung in the air. There was a table off to the side with pastries, coffee, and build-your-own mimosas.
Breakfast champagne? Yes, please.
“Oooooh,” Hannah Jane said from the salon chair she had claimed as her throne for the morning. “Someone has orgasm face.” She giggled, sipping from a champagne flute.
“What’s an organ-spasm?” Zoey asked Kristin.
Kylie, Kristin’s other sister, busted out laughing.
“Something we’ll talk about when you’re older,” Kristin said placidly, glaring at Hannah.
“Oh God,” Bridget groaned. “I love you, Mel, but I don’t want to hear about your—” she looked at Zoey and then back at me “—e xtracurricular activities with my brother.”
“Does it feel like you’re kissing Bridget?” Erica asked as she sat in a chair beside Hannah. Her big bouncing curls were in the process of being smoothed, braided, and twisted into a chic updo. “I mean, she and Jason share DNA. Hell, they look like twins.”
Maddie laughed as she picked at a mostly uneaten croissant. “Speaking as the only person in this room who has kissed Bridget, you could do a lot worse. My little hottie knows what she’s doing.”
“Hell yeah, I do.” Bridget laughed as she and Maddie high-fived.
“I do not feel like I’m kissing Bridget.” I giggled as I hung my dress up on the garment rack. “No offense, babe.”
She shrugged with a coy little smile on her face and knocked back her glass.
“So, things are going well between y’all?” Kristin asked.
I poured myself a mimosa, grabbed a trashy gossip magazine, and plopped in an empty chair. “Shouldn’t we be talking about Hannah? This is her day.”
Hannah drained the rest of her mimosa. “Nope. I wanna hear all the sordid details of you and Mr. Top Gun.”
“ Lieutenant Commander Top Gun,” Bridget clarified.
“Maybe we keep the sordid details PG,” Erica said, pointing between Aly and Zoey. They were Hannah Jane and Isaac’s flower girls .
“There are no sordid details.” I looked at Bridget. “I’m certainly not kissing and telling. Sorry, boo.”
“Look at us!” Maddie said with—were those tears in the corners of her eyes? “Y’all, we’re all grown up and settled down! All of us!”
“Well, mostly grown up,” Hannah said as Maddie knocked back the rest of her glass.
“It’s just OJ,” Maddie said as she filled her champagne flute with more juice. “Don’t worry, my beautiful bridal butterfly. I will be totally sober for your big day. Besides, I’m on the clock. I’ve gotta stop by the restaurant and take your cake to the venue. No one wants a tipsy pastry chef. Your wedding cake would end up looking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.”
Hannah squealed and wiggled in her seat. “I can’t wait! I’m going to stuff my face tonight.”
“Where are you going on your honeymoon?” Kylie asked.
“Monaco.” Hannah Jane sighed happily, staring at her engagement ring. “Two weeks of just Isaac and me and the French Riviera.”
“And then it’s back to bridezillas and florists from hell,” Maddie said.
Hannah Jane giggled. “I swear Isaac almost had a coronary when I told him I was going back to work. We had a huge fight over it.” She shook her head. “I get it now—why all my brides are exhausted by the time they get to their weddings. It’s not just the event planning. Hell—that’s the easy part. It’s all the other stuff. Getting his name put on the deed to my house. Talking about whether to have joint bank accounts. Trying to figure out how we coexist with our careers and all the traveling.”
“It’s hard when you feel like you’re just roommates who occasionally have sex,” Erica said. “Things get stressful, and you focus more on how you’re pissed that he didn’t take out the trash than the fact that you’re in love with each other.”
All the girls nodded in agreement.
Kristin twisted her engagement ring. “Falling in love and staying in love feel so different sometimes. Falling in love feels like a roller coaster. Butterflies. A careening free fall. Twists and turns that make you hold on for dear life. There are so many changes that you don’t fixate on the little things. You just feel the rush. Staying in love is like a road trip. There are snacks and a good playlist. Sometimes there’s some road rage. Some bumps and detours, but the journey is fun, and the destination is worth it.”
“Damn, cupcake,” Maddie said. “When did you get so poetic?”
Kristin just laughed and sipped her champagne.
After a morning being thoroughly primped and pampered, I left the salon with a fresh manicure, pedicure, and professionally done makeup. I stood in line with the rest of the girls as we took photos before the ceremony.
Like, a thousand photos.
In the blazing hot sun.
A bead of sweat trickled down the back of my neck. I patted myself on the back for putting my braids in a giant bun on top of my head rather than leaving them down.
The five of us who weren’t saying “I do” today wore dresses in cream, blush, and a shade of pale gold that Hannah Jane referred to as frosted champagne.
Boujee beige was more like it, but I kept that opinion to myself.
I stood patiently as the photographer rearranged us for the eleventy-fifth time, and smiled. A figure approached, carrying a wedding program. I squinted and lifted my hand to shade my eyes .
Jason was walking toward us wearing a suit that made him look like sex on a stick. If the photographer turned around and snapped a photo of him it would, without a doubt, be the next GQ cover.
My heart did that nervous fluttering thing it always did when he was around. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he gave me heart palpitations.
He had gotten a haircut to shape up his post-military growth. His blond strands were slicked to the side, and he had a debonair five o’clock shadow that was glimmering on his sharp jawline.
He stood off to the side, feet shoulder width apart and hands behind his back. I smiled to myself because he probably didn’t even know he was doing it. The posture had been ingrained into him.
“Damn, girl,” Kristin said, leaning in behind me to whisper. “He’s looking at you like you’re edible. ”
I bit back a laugh, thinking back to the promises he made this morning. I lifted a foot and rolled my ankle back and forth, trying to ease the ache from wearing heels.
I had no idea how Hannah Jane did it every damn day. Thankfully, the photographer dismissed us. The girls scattered for shade, and Hannah Jane dipped off—probably to have a quickie with Isaac before the ceremony.
I made my way to Jason, who had found a cool spot under a tree.
“Hi,” I said as I used one of the chairs set out for the ceremony for balance and peeled my heels off.
“Hey, yourself,” he said, sauntering over to me with his hands in his pockets, all cool and casual and absolutely gorgeous. It was really unfair for a man to be that pretty.
Jase bent down and kissed me, careful not to smear my lipstick. “You look absolutely regal, Melissa. ”
My cheeks burned hot at the compliment. He didn’t simply say I was pretty or cleaned up nicely.
He looked at me like I was royalty.
Jason held the back of my head so I could tilt my chin up to see him without exerting an ounce of energy. He cupped my cheeks and stared deep into my eyes. “You don’t even need a crown. That dress—and your hair up like that…” He swallowed and shook his head like he was having trouble reconciling all his thoughts. “You’re magnificent.”
The wedding went off without a hitch. Hannah Jane looked absolutely beautiful as she walked down the aisle. Isaac even shed a tear when he was saying his vows. For a playboy who started out as a cocky bastard, it was pretty incredible to see what falling in love with a woman like Hannah had done to him.
The reception was in a giant tent. Floral arrangements and string lights hung from the ceiling. A massive wedding cake of Maddie’s doing was half-devoured as couples filled the dance floor.
I stabbed a bite of lemon-blueberry cake and moaned. The cheesecake frosting was literally the icing on the cake. “Damn,” I said. “I want another piece because it’s so good, but I might die if I take another bite.”
Jason scraped his fork across his cake plate, gathering the few remaining crumbs of sweet potato cake.
I’d scoffed at the concept of vegetables in cake, but Jason let me steal a bite from his plate, and my mind was blown. The white chocolate ganache and salted caramel buttercream made the sweet potato spice cake downright sinful. Maddie was a dessert wizard.
He chuckled as he licked his fork clean. “What do you think?” he said as he scanned the crowd. “Think this could be us? ”
“We’ve been dating, what? A week?” I laughed nervously. “Don’t you think it’s a little soon to be talking about weddings?”
“Nope.” Jason shifted in his seat so that we could face each other. “I told you where I saw us going.” He took my hand in his. “Rings. Vows. A family. The whole nine yards.”
I swallowed. “Oh.”
“Oh?”
“I just—I mean… We were having sex when you said that. I just figured…”
He frowned. “Figured what? That I don’t mean what I say?”
“People say all kinds of things during sex,” I said with a shrug.
I thought he’d be mad. Maybe ice me out for the rest of the night.
Instead, he reached down and pulled my chair closer to him. “Baby girl, your pussy is downright magical,” he said, chuckling. “But it didn’t turn my brain to mush. Not completely, anyway. I’d never lie to you, Mel. Maybe white lies when it comes to Christmas presents or surprising you on your birthday, but nothing like that.”
“This is moving fast.”
He smiled and took my hands in his. It was warm and comforting. Familiar. It reminded me of all the reasons I trusted him. “If you haven’t noticed, I like things that go fast.”
“Are we crazy?” I said, running my finger along the veins on top of his hands.
He has some good veins. I could start an IV on him with my eyes closed.
“Probably,” he said casually. “But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”
The DJ called all the men out to the dance floor to catch the garter, but Jason didn’t move. “I’m going to propose to you, Mel. Not today. Not tomorrow. But soon. So, if you don’t want that, I’d suggest you tell me right now. I’m not playing. I’ve wanted you for longer than you know, and I’m not walking away this time.”
There was a cheer in the background, and I faintly saw Chase awkwardly holding the garter that Isaac had thrown, but I was too transfixed on Jase to care.
“I want that,” I said softly. “You. Us. All of it. I’m in.”
The ladies took over the dance floor as Beyoncé blared over the sound system, but I was too entranced in him to move.
I came to my senses when Hannah Jane tossed the bouquet, and it landed smack dab in Bridget’s hands.
Oh shit.
Oh… no, no, no.
I looked across the tent to where Kyle Kingsley was sitting. Flames blazed in his eyes as the DJ called for Chase and Bridget to share a dance. His fists were clenched under the table, and his jaw was tight. He had the fa?ade of a mild-mannered businessman, but beneath his polo shirts and his artificially whitened smile was a living, breathing monster.
He wasn’t the boogeyman. He was worse than that. He was real and dangerous.
Chase held Bridget at a respectful distance as they swayed to a slow Ed Sheeran duet about a joker and his queen. The lyrics were painfully fitting.
Bridget eyed me over Chase’s shoulder. Her gaze was pleading while Chase was saying something to her that was inaudible to the rest of the crowd.
She looked like a scared little deer as she danced with him, stiff as a board.
The song ended, but Chase held on to Bridget. Kyle was already out of his seat, and she knew it. Bridget pulled away from Chase and made a beeline for the entrance to the tent .
“What’s that about?” Jason asked, rising up out of his seat, probably to go after his sister.
I put my arm on his bicep to stop him. Jason was the only person who could possibly stall Kingsley long enough for me to get to Bridget.
Kyle wouldn’t risk Jason getting suspicious. He’d pull his Jekyll and Hyde act and turn on the charm for his future brother-in-law. He would try to lull Jason into a false sense of security so that he could keep his pawn on a short leash.
“Um, hey—you know, I never made plans with Bridget to go to their house for dinner. You know my work schedule, right? Can you go talk to Kyle and pick a date while I use the ladies’ room?”
Jason’s brow furrowed. “You okay?” He placed a warm hand on my cheek. “You feel a little clammy.”
I needed Jason to stop worrying about me and intercept Kingsley, who was already weaving through tables to go after Bee. Kyle had that look in his eye that told me he was going to take out his rage on Bridget.
The dance with Chase wasn’t her choice, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to let her get away with it.
“I’m fine. I just need to use the restroom. Too much to drink.”
Luckily, Jase didn’t argue. He kissed my cheek and walked away, flagging down Kyle before he could get out of the tent. I grabbed my clutch and went after Bridget.