Chapter 31
ZINA
The rehearsal dinner went off without a hitch. I took in a deep breath and stood with my back against the wall, waiting for the last of the guests to depart before I could oversee clean up and try to get to bed at a reasonable hour.
The interior of the Phillips House sparkled with candlelight reflecting off of bare branches that had been coated in fake ice.
Candles decorated almost every horizontal surface.
After the fiasco at Lacey and Bodie’s wedding last year, real candles were prohibited, but the Munyons had sprung for LED lights that looked incredibly realistic.
We’d made it through tonight but tomorrow was going to be the real test. The pressure that had been tightening in my chest for the past few weeks was almost too much to take. And in less than twenty-four hours, it would all be over.
“What are you thinking about?” Alex stopped in front of me. He’d been out at the warehouse all evening avoiding the event. I wished I’d been out there with him instead of micromanaging high-profile guests for the past several hours.
“I’m just thinking about all the things that could go wrong tomorrow.” I looked up and gave him a nervous smile. Even though his top priority was penguin patrol, he’d made it clear we were a team and would sink or swim together.
He took my hands in his and gave them an encouraging squeeze. “We’re ready. Lacey’s documented every contingency in her monster binder. We’ve got backup plans for backup plans. Everything’s going to be fine.”
“Do you really believe that?” I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so unsure. We had a plan… a good plan. And Alex was right… Lacey had thought of every possible scenario.
“Yes, and you should too. We’re ready for this, Zina.” He leaned in and nudged his nose into my hair. His breath tickled my ear and sent a shiver racing down my spine. “I think you need something to take your mind off things tonight.”
I let out a low laugh, already knowing exactly where this conversation was headed. “And I bet you’ve got the perfect distraction?”
“Come with me.” He twined his fingers with mine and tugged me into the front room.
I nodded at a few guests as they headed out the front door and followed Alex toward the closet under the stairs.
“Where are we going?” The house was still full of caterers and event staff. And that closet was nowhere near big enough for one of us, much less both of us together.
He pulled the door open and ushered me inside. The lingering scent of lavender mingled with dust and the faint smell of mothballs. Except for a few boxes against the far wall, the space was empty.
“We can’t go upstairs. They’ve got all the damn tablecloths stored in the bedroom,” he grumbled. “And I’m committed to finding some way to help you relax so you get a good night’s sleep.”
“Shoving me in a closet is really helping, I can’t wait to—” He cut me off by capturing my mouth with his. We’d both been so busy lately that we hadn’t been able to find much alone time. My pulse spiked as he took the kiss deeper and heat rushed to my core.
Alex pulled back and barely let me catch my breath before his lips found mine again.
His hands roamed down the front of my shirt, pausing to undo the buttons on the way to my hips.
I wanted to tell him we couldn’t do this here, that someone would hear us, that we’d get caught and ruin the entire event.
But then he got down on his knees and lifted my skirt. I gasped as he slid my panties to the side.
“You’re already soaking wet for me, aren’t you?” He didn’t give me a chance to answer before he slid one of this thick, long fingers inside me to find out for himself.
I leaned against the wall for support before my knees buckled. He knew exactly how to touch me, where to apply pressure and just how much I needed. I felt around for something to hold onto, but the walls were bare.
“Easy there. I want to make this last for you.” Alex pressed kisses along the inside of my thighs, taking his time, no doubt enjoying the effect he was having on me.
I loved the way he touched me, but I wanted more… needed more. “Alex…”
“Shh. I’ve got you.” Fabric ripped. Then his mouth was on me, his tongue gently circling my entrance.
I slid my fingers into his hair, desperate for him to finish what he’d started. I was close… maddeningly close. But then he shifted the angle. The momentum building up inside started to recede. I tried to pull him closer. I just needed a little bit more to send me over the edge.
“Patience.” His warm breath brushed against my core. “Be a good girl and I’ll let you come on my tongue.”
“You’re teasing me. This isn’t relaxing at all.” I fumbled to find his shoulders in the darkness and gave him a gentle push.
He broke contact and for a few seconds I felt like I was all alone in the dark. Then I heard the unmistakable sound of him lowering his zipper.
Alex
I’d told Zina I wanted to help her relax, and that was true, but the real reason we were hiding in the closet under the stairs was because I couldn’t get enough of her.
“Come here.” I stepped out of my pants and reached for her, closing my fingers around her shoulders.
“Are you done being a tease?”
My cock rested against her belly, hard and eager to engage. “I wasn’t teasing you, just making sure you were ready.”
She wrapped a hand around my length. “Have I ever not been ready for you?”
The tables had turned and now she had the upper hand. The way we battled for control was always a major turn on.
“No, baby.” I lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around my middle. The tip of my cock nudged at her entrance. Fuck, this woman drove me wild.
She angled her hips to take me. I pinned her back against the wall for leverage, then thrust into her.
We’d done away with condoms after the first few times and feeling her heat with nothing between us was gave me the sweetest satisfaction.
I paused for a few breaths while she stretched to surround me.
“You okay?” I whispered.
She answered by nipping at my neck and clasping her ankles behind my back.
I rolled my hips, driving into her as hard as I could without pounding her into the wall. Her nails dug into my shoulders. My mouth found hers and we locked together, so caught up in each other that the whole damn house could have burned down around us and neither one of us would have noticed.
Zina came first. Her breath quickened, her quiet moans grew longer, and her walls clenched around me. I held her as her release crested, wishing I could watch her come. Then I slid my hand between us and coaxed another orgasm out of her before finally letting myself go.
Our foreheads touched as we gasped for air in the now overheated, stuffy closet.
We both had things to do, tasks to check off on our to-do lists, and last minute prep to get ready for the next day.
But I didn’t want to let her go. Here, in the sanctity of the closet, my cock still buried inside her, she was mine.
“Thanks for the distraction,” she finally said. “That took my mind off of things for a full five minutes.”
I laughed as I stepped away from the wall and her feet slid to the ground. “I’ll be ready to go again in just a minute if you want.”
Fabric rustled. She was already pulling down her skirt. “I’d love that, but duty calls. Any idea where the remnants of my underwear went?”
I fumbled for my jeans and pulled them on. “You head out first. I’ll find what’s left of them.”
“Wonderful. I’m going to sneak upstairs and grab another pair.”
“I’ll meet you there.” I caught her hand in mine and lifted it to press a kiss against the inside of her wrist. “And maybe after everyone leaves, I can distract you some more.”
“As long as we don’t have a wedding crisis pop up between now and then.” She slid her arms around my neck and our lips met.
“In case no one else tells you, you’re doing a great job,” I whispered against her mouth. She deserved to hear it because it was true. I’d been skeptical about Lacey’s plans, but Zina had pulled everything together. She was amazing.
She slipped out the door with a smile on her face, and I stood there grinning to myself, thinking that if tomorrow went half as well as the last five minutes had, we were going to be just fine.