14. Maddison
Maddison
A s I slip the cream silk over my hips, I feel every muscle in my body tensing. I manage to pull the zip halfway up my back, but I’m going to need Hunter to do the rest. He’s waiting in the living room of our suite, having left me to get ready on my own.
When I’d bought the dress with Hunter’s black Amex card, I’d felt the kind of giddiness that had been missing with my first attempt at marriage.
For one thing, I never had a say over my last wedding dress, and I’m sure Hugo’s choice was based on the sheer quantity of fabric alone, thinking it would make some kind of statement.
This dress is simple. It has a Bardot neckline and a flattering silhouette that fishtails out as it reaches the floor. There are no layers, and no fuss. I’ve styled my hair straight and it’s pinned on one side with a spray of dried flowers.
It's everything that my other dress wasn’t, and yet, as I stand in front of the full-length mirror, I feel a sense of déjà vu.
This isn’t a love match. It isn’t even a long-term match.
As Hunter was at pains to point out, it’s a piece of fucking paper, and this is no different to the last time I prepared to walk down the aisle.
With one final look, I step out of the bedroom. The groom has his back to me, staring out at the kaleidoscope of lights that stretch out across the Las Vegas skyline. Hunter’s wearing a dark, three-piece suit and a white dress shirt. Gold cufflinks glint in the soft light of a nearby lamp.
I clear my throat and finally, he turns. Seeing his jaw drop is the reaction every bride wants, and yet my heart cracks just a little. There I go again, feeling things I shouldn’t. Hunter isn’t meant to be anywhere near my heart.
“Could you fasten me up?” I ask, turning my back to stop myself from searching his face for something that isn’t there. He’s a Griffin. They might protect, but they don’t love.
I feel the heat of Hunter’s body as he reaches me. “You’re beautiful,” he whispers, as his fingers trail up my spine deliberately as he pulls up my zipper.
“No silk tent this time,” I say, playing it cool as I turn back to face him.
Hunter hooks a finger under my chin. “And let that be the last comparison you make to that wedding this evening,” he says with a soft growl.
Easier said than done, I’m tempted to say, but I don’t want to sour the mood. I can only blame myself for feeling more than I should. I was the one who brokered this deal. I’m the one making Hunter marry me, but from the way he’s looking at me, I could fool myself into believing he wants this too.
“Thank you,” I say. “For everything you’re doing.”
When he kisses my cheek, it’s gentle and chaste. “It’s my pleasure, Maddie. ”
He doesn’t use my pet name and that stings more than it should.
I truly am a lost cause. I wish I had Hunter’s self-control.
I know he wants me physically, and his flashes of possessiveness prove his feelings run deeper than he’s letting on.
I didn’t imagine his jealousy when I told him about Amos, but I need to accept this for what it is.
Hunter might be claiming me as his own, but he has no intention of keeping me.
Hunter isn’t to blame for my feelings, I keep telling myself as we leave the hotel and take the short trip to the white clapboard chapel bedecked with fairy lights. At least it’s not as gaudy as some we’ve driven past.
Hunter holds my hand as he leads me to the entrance, but I hesitate as I check behind us.
“What are Levi and James doing?” I ask as the two men we’d travelled with take up positions on each side of the chapel.
“They’ll be guarding the perimeter.”
“But don’t we need them as our witnesses?”
Hunter squeezes my hand. “All taken care of, little bird.”
Damn my heart for melting. And then it explodes as I step into the chapel and find two people waiting for us next to the pastor. I only recognize one face and even then, I’m struggling to believe my eyes.
“Melissa?”
The server from the hotel bar in Bloomington had come to my rescue in my hour of need, and I’ll be forever grateful to her. She has a smug grin on her face as her eyes rove slowly and deliberately over my future husband. And then she gives me an enthusiastic thumbs up.
“I hope I did the right thing,” Hunter says under his breath. “I thought you might want a familiar face here, and she seems harmless enough. The guy is her plus one.”
I squeeze his hand. “It was really thoughtful of you.”
Hunter glances at me. “I am aware how messed up this is, Maddie. But I do care about you, more than I should.”
It’s not the usual declaration of love from a groom to his bride, but it’s more than I could have hoped as he leads me down the aisle.
The ceremony rushes by in a blur. We exchange vows and wedding bands, and it’s only when the pastor declares us married that I realize one particular line had been skipped over, and it’s the one that brought my last wedding to a complete halt.
“You told him not to ask if there were any objections, didn’t you?” I ask, turning to Hunter.
There’s a smirk on his face. “No one is allowed to interrupt our wedding.”
“And no one did,” I say with a rush of relief.
My husband presses his lips against mine, and with a swipe of his tongue, I open up for him. When our kiss deepens. I hear an ear-splitting wolf whistle. That’s Melissa.
“Go girl!” she shouts.
“So much for no disruptions,” Hunter mumbles when we come up for air.
I grin at him. This beautiful man is depriving the female population of something special by vowing never to marry – officially. I should be grateful that I have some small piece of him. He cares. It’s more than I’ve had before and it has to be enough.
“Let’s get the paperwork sorted,” I say to let him know that I understand the assignment. And I’m OK with it.
A shadow flickers across Hunter’s face, as if he didn’t want to be reminded so soon. It’s probably wishful thinking on my part, I tell myself, as we conclude our business with the pastor before making our way out of the chapel where Melissa flings confetti into the air.
We hug like old friends. “I have no idea what Groom Number 1 looked like, but Groom Number 2 gets my vote every time,” she says in a conspiratorial tone that I know is loud enough for Hunter to hear.
I pull confetti out of my hair. “We don’t talk about Groom Number 1,” I say with a grin.
“We’re about to hit the Strip if you want to join us,” Melissa offers. “We plan on making the most of our all-expenses trip, and I’d love to hear more about how you ended up here.” She squeezes my arm. “I love this dress, by the way. You’ve upgraded in every sense.”
“Well, the bar was set very low,” I reply. “And I would love to catch up while you’re here…”
“But we have other plans,” Hunter interrupts. He takes my elbow and eases me away. “We’re just glad you were able to share in our special day, Melissa. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip.”
“Make sure you give Maddie my number,” she says, then turns to me. “We will catch up at some point. And in the meantime, I hope you enjoy your wedding present.”
She gives Hunter an exaggerated wink before her plus one pulls her away.
As we’re climbing into the limo, Levi and James appear from wherever they’ve been secreted. They nod their heads to me before sitting up front with the driver, which I presume is the nearest I’m going to get to an acknowledgement from Hunter’s bodyguards that I’m now Mrs. Griffin.
“Wedding present?” I ask Hunter as we make our way back to the hotel.
“That woman is deranged.”
“I imagine she’s thinking the same about me,” I reply with more truth than I’d like. “But I’m still glad you went to the trouble of tracking her down.”
Hunter leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees while he plays with the plain gold band on his wedding finger. “I hate to do this,” he says as we approach our hotel, “but I’m going to drop you off with Levi while I go to this meeting I’ve set up.”
“I could come with you,” I suggest. Being abandoned immediately after my wedding is only marginally better than running away before the vows.
Hunter rakes his gaze over my dress. “You’d only be a distraction. Besides, there are certain people I don’t want to know about my marriage just yet. And there are others like Killian, who I’m meeting tonight, who I’d rather never knew.”
I tilt my head. “Is he one of the bad guys?”
“He’s actually not the worst, but his father is someone I definitely wouldn’t want hearing about you.” He’s still twiddling his wedding ring. “I need you to look after this,” he says as he slips off the ring and hands it to me. “I don’t want to risk Killian finding it in my pocket.”
“Would he search you?” I ask, doing my damnedest not to take it personally. This was not a real wedding, and taking the ring off is not a rejection.
“It’s been known.”
“My god, Hunter. Is it safe for you to meet him?”
“As safe as it can be, and this meeting is for our mutual benefit,” he tries to reassure me. “Barrett’s been overstretching his reach in the last couple of years, and his list of enemies is growing. We’re not the only ones wanting to know his next move.”
“How long will you be?” I ask, imagining a long, anxious wait ahead .
Hunter checks his watch. It’s gone nine. “Don’t wait up.”
“Seriously?” I ask, unable to hide my hurt, and grateful that we’ve just pulled up at the hotel.
When Hunter had said we were sharing a room, I knew better than to hope he’d changed his mind about ruining me, but even so…
“Great. What bride doesn’t want to go to bed alone on her fucking wedding night?” I ask as Levi opens the door for me. “And as low as the bar was set by Barrett, you’re doing a great job of staying down there too.”
“Maddie,” Hunter begins, but I’m already tumbling out of the limo.