Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
LILLY
October
The morning of Kat’s wedding, Ian wakes me up in the best way possible—peppering my face with kisses.
The corners of my mouth arch up, but I keep my eyes closed to get more of his ministrations—greedy for him.
“Time to get moving.”
That piques my attention. “But it’s so early.”
“Well, even though it’s my bye week, I have to go work out.” He brushes his knuckles down the valley of my breasts. “And you are due to meet Kat for pre-wedding primping.”
“You’re right and I’m going to be late!” I say jumping out of bed.
We dress quickly, and he parks the car in front of the wedding venue.
“I am so excited for today. I’ll see you later before the ceremony. I’ll be the one in yellow,” I say as he lowers his face to mine to kiss me. Whenever we pull away, we go back for another one, before we part breathlessly.
I enter the venue, and a friendly receptionist welcomes me pointing me toward the bridal suite.
I knock, fully in maid of honor mode. Kat opens the door and drags me inside. She’s in her bathrobe, pacing around and shooting off questions.
“What if something goes wrong? Did they deliver the flowers?”
“They did,” I assure her.
“The food, is it really good?” she asks, her eyes flickering with distress.
“It’s delicious.”
“What if they mess up the cake? I saw these videos of the servers tripping and—”
I take her hands in mine and say, “Breathe with me.”
She does, but her emotions are palpable, and I give her hands a small squeeze. “Everything is going to be perfect.”
“Thank you, bestie,” she says, appearing calmer.
Shortly thereafter, madness erupts as her room fills with people while we get beautified by a team of professionals.
Seeing my friend in her wedding dress, my emotions grip me and I barely suppress my tears.
She notices me struggling and fans her eyes, saying, “Don’t cry. If you cry, I will cry.”
“You look so beautiful,” I say with a nostalgic smile. It feels like she is starting a new chapter, and I couldn’t be happier for her.
The wedding planner announces it’s time for the ceremony, and I move behind Kat.
I fix her train and leave her with her father in the hallway, taking my place at the altar.
A flower arch decorates the intimate room, and a white carpet delineates the rows of chairs that are decorated with bows.
Theo rocks on his feet, smiling nervously.
“She’ll be here,” I say to encourage him.
He scratches his jaw, chuckling. “She better.”
I glance at Ian, who sits in the front row, grinning at me and capturing all my attention. He looks stunning in his gray suit, which molds perfectly to his mouthwatering physique. The yellow handkerchief in his jacket pocket matches my long, ruffled pale-yellow dress.
Soft music begins to play, and my best friend walks down the aisle with her father at her side.
She reaches Theo, both having eyes only for the other. Witnessing the love between them, it’s hard to keep my emotions in check.
I swipe at the corners of my eyes as subtly as I can as they recite their personalized vows.
The officiant pronounces them husband and wife, and cheers erupt as Theo cups her face and smacks her lips.
After I congratulate them, I walk to Ian.
His hand lifts, but it drops immediately, remembering we’re in public. His jaw ticks, and I hate it when something upsets my man. I look around. Noticing the attention is all on the happy couple as it should be, I take his hand in mine briefly. I squeeze it, mouthing, “I love you.”
We’re so lost in the other, we’re the last in the room. Everyone has surely gone to the ballroom where the reception is being held.
Ian kisses me lightly and I dab at his lips that glisten with my gloss to remove it.
Holding hands stealthily, we part a few inches the moment we walk inside the ballroom. It looks spectacular.
Flowers and tall candles decorate the tables, and a crystal chandelier drips from the ceiling. A candy bar sprawls in one corner, and the DJ plays his set at the opposite one.
“Wow,” I mouth to Kat, who smiles brightly as if in competition with the sun.
At a round table, Ian is quickly engaged in conversation as everyone wants to know more about him.
He mouths, “I have this,” and I walk over to my best friend.
“Do you need anything?”
She looks around. “I want this day to be over and not over.”
A fond smile arches the corners of my mouth. “That sounds like you.”
Theo comes over, and he wraps his arm around Kat’s waist, gazing at her adoringly.
“Sorry, but I have to take my wife for our first dance.”
“Is it normal to like the sound of that word so much?” she asks, wearing a smitten look.
I hug them quickly, overjoyed for them, and say, “Go enjoy your moment.”
I watch them for a few seconds when someone stops next to me.
“Hi, Lilliana.”
The hairs on my nape stand up as I whip my head to see him. My ex.
“Hi, Nick.”
I didn’t even think that he might be here, but he works with Theo. That’s how we met.
He rakes his eyes over me as if undressing me and a shudder rolls down my back.
“It’s good to see you.”
I offer a noncommittal sound and look at Ian, his gaze searching for me around the ballroom. When his eyes find Nick, they darken. His possessiveness offers me the biggest thrill.
I am about to walk over to him when my ex curls his hand around my elbow. I quickly snatch my arm away, not liking his presumptuous touch.
“I thought you wouldn’t mind,” he says self-assuredly.
“We are not together,” I grit out, so done with him. “Excuse me.”
“I want you back.”
His words surprise me so much that I burst into laughter. “I thought I wasn’t what you were looking for. Never mind the other thing.” I tried to be a good girlfriend. But it was not enough.
He waves me off as if my argument is not a big deal. Asshole.
“I was wrong. I regret my slip, but you were always working.”
Blaming me. Nothing new there.
Hating that I lost time being with him and tried to make it work with the wrong person, I shrug. “Too bad.” Too late. Too everything.
“Give me another chance,” he insists.
“No.”
Disbelief flashes in his eyes. He always thought of himself as the best catch, but I couldn’t care less.
I am about to walk away when he gets in my face, blocking me.
Nostrils flaring, I glare at him. I am getting pissed when Ian appears by my side, hands in his pockets. He might look unperturbed and calm, but I know him. It’s his eyes narrowing to slits, the muscle in his jaw popping. He’s trying not to lose his cool.
“We were having a conversation,” Nick says smugly.
“And you have to touch her for that?” his voice lowers to icy. I half expect an arctic wind to blast my ex.
I place my palm on Ian’s arm, snapping at Nick. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
His expression hardens. “So, you wouldn’t give me a second chance but prefer to be one in a long list of women?”
I wave him off, wanting to be done already. For the sake of not causing a scene at my best friend’s wedding, I keep my smile on and my voice neutral. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He clicks his tongue. “Good luck, man. You’re going to need it. She’s good at stringing you along.”
What the heck? I compromised so often just to appease him.
He seemed so into me at the beginning. Things quickly changed after we became a couple.
Nothing I did was good enough. I had to be at his beck and call, and when I wasn’t, he found someone else to spend the night with.
It took me months to realize he loved the idea of having a girlfriend, not the responsibility that came with it. It was only on me.
Ian cocks his head, smirking. “Nah, dude. I don’t need luck. It was about the boys she was with before she met me.”
At the dig, Nick’s face reddens, a vein in his neck throbbing.
It shouldn’t give me this much pleasure, but I feel vindicated. I don’t even care if I come across as petty. This asshole did a number on my confidence, and it took Ian to grow back into myself.
Ian places his palm on my back and guides me to the table.
“What would a wedding be without a bit of drama?” he says good-naturedly, trying to ease me, knowing I hate that I gathered attention.
At least I don’t have to worry about Nick trying something else. He wouldn’t risk his good reputation.
Ian pulls out my chair and adds as if reading my mind, “You’d be the center of attention regardless, Lilly. You shine so bright.”
Nick might have tried to dim my light, just to feel better about himself, but he failed. Men who lack confidence want to crumple their partners too, to cope with their pitiful existence.
“Thank you. I have to keep up with you,” I say, smiling, the incident forgotten.
Ian loves my confidence and is not threatened by it or by my success. He relishes in them.
Kat’s and my song comes on, and I move to the dance floor to join her.
Swaying my hips and raising my arms in the air, we dance until sweat breaks on our necks and our throats turn dry from singing off-key, but we don’t care.
We go to the bathroom to refresh, and Kat says, “I’ll have Nick thrown out if you want me to.”
I wave her off. “It’s nothing.”
“I thought Ian might throw him out himself when he grabbed your elbow. What did he say?”
I recount the story, and she gasps. “Really? That asshole. How conveniently he forgot how often he belittled your business and made you believe you were a bad girlfriend. I swear the greener they look, the more red flags they carry. I hate that I introduced you to him.”
I didn’t tell her about the cheating part, afraid she might kill him. Plus, he works with Theo, and I didn’t want to cause him trouble. It was not their fault that they fell for his charm. I did too.
Not wanting her to stress over that on her special day, I say, “Let’s hope for drama free from now on.”
When we return to the ballroom, I see couples on the dance floor.
My heart deflates in a long blow of longing. Shoulders slumped, I trudge to the table, but Ian stands up. I think it’s to pull out my chair when he stretches out his hand.
“Would you dance with me?”
I want that so badly. As if he can read my mind, he quickly adds, “It’s your best friend’s wedding and we’re going to immortalize this moment by dancing together.”
I take his hand, loving when he takes control. “You say and do all the right things.”
“It’s easy when it’s for the right person.”
Yeah, steal some more of my heart as if it’s not entirely yours.
As we walk to the dance floor, I feel eyes on us, but I ignore them, savoring the moment with my man.
A slow song starts, and his arms come around my back. I cross mine around his neck, and we move in sync, eyes locked. Dancing together, the world around us vanishes. It’s just Ian and me. The song ends too soon, but another begins, and we sway on the dance floor, lost in our own little world.
With him, nothing else matters. Everything else simply ceases to exist in his orbit.
As the wedding nears its end, he leans into me, whispering, “I booked us a suite for tonight.”
“You did?” I squeal, loving to be loved by him. Loving how he loves me—selflessly, completely, unshakably.
His eyes sparkle, fascinating me more than any galaxy. “Yes, because I have a surprise for you.”
Completely enamored, I sigh dreamily, “You set the bar high, even for you.”
A lopsided grin arches the corner of his mouth. “Trust me, I’ll measure up.”
“Cocky as ever.”
We’re among the last guests to leave, and I hug my best friend, wishing them well and hoping they have the best time on their honeymoon. They’ll be gone for two weeks. But after all the wedding stress, they deserve it.
Inside the elevator, I thought we’d go straight to the suite, but we end up on the rooftop.
A tray of chocolate-covered strawberries awaits, and soft music plays from a sound system. I can see the entire city lighting up in the distance.
I turn to him. Emotions overcome me and tears glisten in my eyes.
He cups my face and gently brushes my tears away with his thumbs, kissing me. “I promise you that no day will pass when you won’t feel my love or what you mean to me.”
“You know I’m already in love with you, right?” I murmur.
He smirks. “Yes, but I’m making sure you’ll stay that way.”
I am sure I will. He’s making it impossible not to.
I giggle. “Wasn’t the wedding romantic enough for you?”
He groans. “Not our wedding. And too many people present for what I have been dying to do for the last hours.”
“And what would that be?” I ask, licking my lips in anticipation.
I love the playfulness we have going on, but even more that I am myself. I don’t have to second-guess myself around him or his intentions.
“Kiss, touch, have you just for me.”
I feel the same—always greedy and needy for him.
At the table, I place my cheek in my palm. “Now you have me. What’s next?”
We talk about everything and nothing over sips of wine and share strawberries dipped in chocolate.
We dance until my feet hurt.
We kiss until my lips swell.
I feel alive, and if I could, I’d freeze time, but then I would lose all the wonderful moments along our journey ahead. What a wonderful conundrum to have.
“I’m never letting you go. Just a warning,” he states.
I rest my cheek against his chest, feeling his heart thump beneath. “Good, never do that. I’ll take that as a promise.”
“A vow would be more fitting.”
My chest soaks up his love, making my heart blossom. What a divine gift to be loved like he does me.
I lift my chin. “Ian?”
His midnight eyes sparkle under the blanket of stars above us. “Yes, baby?”
“Let’s go to the suite.”
He takes my hand, and we rush toward the elevator.
I am glad there is no one to witness our desperation.
We can’t stop kissing or touching each other.
He takes three attempts to swipe the card before the door opens.
I don’t even see the room because one second, he undresses me, the next, he pushes me toward the bed.
The hunger blazing in his eyes sets a fire to lick at my skin, making me ravenous for him.
I spread my legs, coaxing him to come to me and ease my Ian-induced fever.
He tugs at his tie, undressing quickly before he descends on me. Trailing kisses up my calf and thigh, he crawls on top of me. The promise of unbound pleasure reverberates around us—so thick in the air, my hungry lungs inhale it eagerly.
“I need to fuck you. Hard. All night long.”
“Do it. I need you like that too.”
He’s on me, and all night long, I feel him inside of me, tearing me apart, building me back together, stretching and filling me, fucking me into sweet oblivion.
My moans and his groans create a symphony of pleasure while our bodies come together in a dance of passion.
I get lost in the land of euphoria, only to return and be in the arms of love.