48. Ashlie
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
ASHLIE
“ P resenting Mr. and Mrs. Chase Wilmington!” Hadley, Chase’s sister, announces across the reception hall. The lights dim as a spotlight guides Chase and Kayla onto the dance floor. Everyone whoops and cheers when he twirls her to the C & K projected at the center of the room. The bridal party is scattered around the banquet table, and I’m right next to Hunter, where I should have been all along.
Every time I’ve looked at him today, his eyes were on me. I’m pretty sure I’ll have a permanent mark on my lower lip from biting it so much. The anticipation of falling back into his orbit is off the charts. We haven’t had a minute alone since our time in the storage closet. His hand stroking my thigh under the table right now does nothing to dampen the desire I’ve finally given myself permission to feel.
“Family and friends”—Hadley gestures with her hand—“please direct your attention to the dance floor, where the bride and groom will share their first dance as husband and wife.” She pushes her glasses up her nose and sandwiches one headphone-covered ear against her shoulder, sweeping her blond hair behind her.
Lights flash around the room as people take pictures of the happy couple. I recognize the slow, sultry blues song as one that holds a special place in their story. Watching them sway together as husband and wife is a nice reward after seeing their relationship blossom and grow over the years.
“You’re so goddamn beautiful,” Hunter whispers, squeezing my leg to get my attention. His warm breath on my ear sends goosebumps racing down my arms.
My cheeks burn as I turn to him. “You keep saying that…”
“Because I like the way you blush when I say it.” He smiles, I bite my lip, and we repeat the timid tango we’ve been dancing all day.
I lean into him so he can hear me over the music. “I know you hate all this stuff, but don’t they look so happy? It’s adorable.”
“It is.” He places his hand on my back, his thumb leaving a tingling caress over my bare skin. “And maybe I hate it a little less than before.”
“ Oh ?” My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Do tell…”
He shrugs, that smirk sliding on his face. “Things change.”
“Like what?” The music fades out to an upbeat pop song, but I don’t move.
“Like me. I’ve changed.” His stare is unwavering, transmitting so many unspoken promises. He leans closer, and I’m sure he’s about to kiss me in front of everyone at our best friends’ wedding. I anticipate the shock to my system from his kiss as he slides his knuckles down my arm, but it doesn’t come. “Dance with me,” he says, pulling me out of my seat.
As he leads me onto the floor, I glance back at the table, and sweet Trevor sends over a smile and a thumbs-up. Hunter twirls me around while we dance and laugh like we would at the club, except his hand is tightly secured to my waist. When the music slides into a slow-moving ballad, he uses that same hand to bring me close. “One more dance,” he says, then kisses my forehead. It’s so romantic, I can’t blame my burning cheeks on the energetic dancing from before. “You in this dress should be illegal, Ashlie,” he whispers in my ear. “I haven’t been able to keep my eyes off you all day long.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” I tease, and he pulls me in tighter.
“I’m trying so damn hard not to kiss you right now.”
“Why?”
“Because everyone can see us…”
“I don’t care anymore.” Sliding my hand around the back of his head, I pull him to my lips, a surprise that freezes him briefly. When he kisses me back, the jagged edges left by the mess I made snap into place, making sense of everything. The final piece in the middle of the most frustrating puzzle. He strokes my cheek, smoothing over the last of my doubts. This is perfect: me and Hunter, kissing while we sway to the music on the dance floor.
Strong arms wrap around my waist from behind as I gather the last few cards from the gift table. I giggle at the soft kisses Hunter leaves on my shoulder. “You got Hadley all packed up?” I ask, turning to face the sexy-as-hell smirk on his face. The newlyweds have long since left for their honeymoon in Bora Bora, and most of the guests are gone too. If it weren’t for our families still milling around the venue, I’d pull him into a storage closet to make some memories. The lights are still low, so I doubt anyone would notice we’re missing. But getting caught with my metaphorical pants down at my best friend’s wedding isn’t how I want to be remembered in the history books.
“Yep. But I got roped into shuttling a few people to the airport.” He presses a chaste kiss to my lips, but the look in his eyes is anything but innocent. “Come with me?”
“I promised Kayla I’d oversee cleanup.” I gesture toward the catering crew clearing tables just as two of them collide, silverware clattering as it hits the hardwood floor. “She doesn’t think her junior associates will do it right.”
Hunter snorts and rolls his eyes as he pulls me closer. “That tracks. It should only take me an hour. Meet me in our room at The Bluffs?”
“ Our room , huh?” Biting my lip at his implication, I shift on my feet, squeezing my thighs to relieve the pulsing between them.
His lips tease mine as he whispers, “ Our room. Yeah.” Then he kisses me, and I’m stumbling through a dizzying haze as I eagerly latch onto him. Why the hell was I scared of this ? I clutch his broad shoulders as he presses me into the table. With one hand anchored on my hip, the other smooths up my side until his thumb caresses the fabric over my breast, steadily circling my nipple to a stiffened peak. A needy whimper slips from me when he nibbles my lower lip, and he snickers before diving back in. I trail my hands down his chest, over his stomach, until my fingers glide over his rock-hard bulge pressing into my stomach. A shiver scrolls through him, and our room can wait. It’s time to find a damn closet.
“Hunter!”
“Shit,” he murmurs, untangling from our embrace. Adjusting his tux, he turns from the doorway where Artie stands with a hand on her hip.
She takes one look at us, eyes wide with amusement, before bursting into a hooting laugh. “Really, guys?” Her shoulders shake as she tries to stifle it. I press fingers to my mouth to hide my own giggles, fixing my dress with my other hand. “A closet. A bathroom. A freaking car. All good choices. How do I know this and you don’t?”
Hunter frantically pulls at his pants, glaring over his shoulder at the both of us. “Artemis, I swear to?—”
“Hopefully you have some ‘water balloons’…” She curls her fingers into air quotes.
“Did you need something?” Hunter sneers.
She titters, eyes glistening. “Yeah, I need to give you the talk, apparently…”
I snort, covering it with a cough when he glances my way. It really shouldn’t be this funny. But something about us getting caught feeling each other up like we’re a couple of horny teenagers who can’t wait to be alone is hilarious to me. And from his nosy little sister? We’re never living this one down .
Shaking his head, Hunter sucks his teeth. “You done?”
“Dad, uh, told me to come find you…” She flicks a tear from her eye, a shaky sigh hissing from her lips as she tries to get control. “But I can tell him you”—she snorts—“need to put something away…”
I cackle, and Artie loses it again. With an exasperated sigh, Hunter tips his head back and chuckles. “Fifty bucks, and you never mention this again.” He turns to Artie with a defeated smile.
“One hundred, and you teach me how to drive your car.”
“Naw. Not my car.”
Shrugging, she turns back down the hallway.
Hunter groans, and a tight grimace pinches his face. “ Fuck . Wait…” he calls after her. “Fine. But you saw none of this. You tell no one …”
Artie squeals, fists squeezed near her chin in excitement when she whips back around. “I can’t believe that worked! Ashlie, you’re a genius.”
“Told you, girl!” I wink, and she bounds down the hallway, occasional squeaks echoing as she goes. When I turn to Hunter, his arched brow is only tempered by the smirk on his face. “What?”
“You’re trouble.” The sensual rasp in his voice as he trails fingers down my arm sends a shiver through me, but the fire in his eyes threatens to burn me all the way up.
“ Me ?” I scoff playfully, despite my breathlessness. “All I did was tell her how to negotiate with you the next time she had some dirt. I didn’t know this would be the dirt.”
Tangling our fingers, he leans in, his lips ghosting mine. “You’re my favorite brand of trouble.”
I giggle, and he pulls me against him for another slow kiss. That familiar haze consumes me as I clutch at his waist. A needy whine chases his lips when he pulls away too soon. He presses a peck to my temple, whispering, “If I don’t leave now, I won’t go… Meet me in our room?”
When I nod, he slips a key in my hand. Taking slow steps backward, he watches me with a smile until he reaches the hallway, then disappears around the corner. He’s every single thing I’ve been looking for, and I’m already aching for more of him. An hour is an eternity.