Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
ANNA
Ilay in the middle of my bed, naked and sated the next morning.
If I allow my brain a chance to overthink, to worry and welcome the annoying anxieties to trickle in, I end up with a racing heart.
With sweating palms and a fiery blush warming my cheeks.
But Dean Warner is a man who knows determination and perseverance.
And dammit, I’m pretty sure he has a secret ability to read my mind, because the instant I recover from my last orgasm and the send him away thoughts whisper for attention, he flashes that perfect, taunting grin of his and makes it so I don’t have to think at all.
“I can feel your panic in the air, Counselor.” Dean wanders into my room in nothing more than a pair of boxer shorts and a nasty, purple bruise marring most of his left side.
He carries two mugs, one in each hand, and coming around my bed, he places both on my side table and sits on the edge of my mattress. Twisting his muscular torso, placing his right hand by my hip to brace his weight, he leans over me and grins. “You think I can’t read the panic on your face?”
“I don’t bring men back to my bed.” I gulp an irritating lump of nerves and look anywhere but into his milky eyes.
“Also, we shouldn’t forget the part where I hurt you with my car.
I brought you here so you could recover, but now you’re doing that thing with your tongue, and my pussy is… and you’ve… and we…”
His smile grows.
“Stop smirking like that!” I surge tall, naked from top to toe.
“If this were the other way around—man hurts woman, woman needs medical care, man seduces woman even though she’s still in pain—people would say he took advantage of her while she was weak.
If our roles were reversed, Mel would’ve already rammed my door and got rid of you. ”
“You’re begging for an excuse to freak the fuck out.” Chuckling, he ducks forward and presses a chaste kiss to my lips. “You like me, Counselor. Your heart does weird things every time you look at me.”
“No shit!” I explode. “That’s the problem.”
“Vulnerability scares you.” Another kiss. “And badass lawyer Anna Maxwell isn’t accustomed to being scared.” A third kiss. “It’s okay to try this out, though. You did your thing for all these years, and I did my thing. Our things were okay. They got us through. But ya know what we could do now?”
Damn him, he places another kiss on my lips.
“We could try our thing. See where it ends up. Could be fun,” he quips, brushing the tips of his fingers along my thigh. “Could be safe. Could end up a docuseries after you kill me for being too annoying. The good news is, we already know all the parts work when I’m fuckin’ you.”
“God.” I drop back to my pillow, grunting and creating a double chin as I pout. “I would’ve been so disappointed if you sucked in bed. But the fact you don’t is also kind of annoying. Bet you won’t shut up about it now.”
“Never.” His eyes flicker to my legs. To my core. To the way I rub my thighs together. And because he has all this fight tournament energy, and nowhere to use it, he buries his nose between my legs and nibbles. “I’m gonna eat my breakfast, Counselor. You enjoy your cocoa.”
He peels my thighs open, dragging one up to rest over his shoulder. “We have an hour, then you gotta get your ass up and into a gown.” He slides his tongue inside my pussy and groans. “Fuck. You taste good.”
“Your flowers.” I rush around Mel’s dressing room and collect all the things we need.
I look the part, at least; dressed, makeup done, hair styled, shoes on.
I appear as though I have everything under control, but dammit, my brain swirls and bounces from thought to thought.
It worries and overthinks. It makes up false what ifs and reminds me how much it fucking stings when things go bad.
But those are thoughts for tomorrow, they’re for after Mel has had her big day, so I snatch up two bouquets, tossing one to Elena and grinning at her victorious arms-in-the-air, just-caught-a-game-winning-throw show, then I pass the second bouquet to Nick’s other, older sister. “Elena first. Then you.”
“Then you,” she plays along, though we all know we’ve talked this out a million times before. “And Mel. We got it.”
Drawing a lung-stretching breath, I grab the remaining two bouquets, different from the others, and stop in front of my best friend.
“You look stunning.” I extend my hand and wait for her to accept her flowers.
“You’re ready to puke,” I add, snickering.
“Contemplating the benefits of escaping out the side door, grabbing your groom, and eloping somewhere far, far away.”
“That’s what we should have done.” Her cheeks puff wide, full of nervous air. “We should’ve gone to the courthouse or something.”
“And rob Elena of her chance to catch the bouquet when you toss it?” I set my flowers on a small table and trade the pretty posies for my best friend’s face instead.
“This is your day. It’s exactly what you wanted.
It’s how you planned it, with guests you want, and with the groom who fucking deserves you. ”
She blinks, blinks, blinks terrified tears into her lashes. “I don’t have a good track record with this stuff.”
“Oh, please.” I carefully swipe the moisture away, determined not to mess up her makeup. “Your ex has a shitty track record with this stuff. You, my dear, sweet girl, are perfect just the way you are. Nick’s waiting for you, and he knows you get weird about this commitment nonsense.”
Pot, meet kettle.
“Which means he’s in the hall, ready to grab on if you try to make a run for it.”
Curious, Elena stalks toward the door and opens it a crack. Then she laughs. “Go away, Bello Lolo! She’s fine.”
“He’s right there,” Mel gasps. “I could go to him now, sneak out, and visit the courthouse.”
“Can’t.” I press the world’s softest kiss to the very tip of her nose.
“Courthouse is closed for the weekend. They do that on purpose to circumvent the antsy brides. But don’t sweat it.
” I drop my hands to her shoulders. Then down her arms. I slide my palms all the way to the end, then I twine our fingers together.
“He’s here, and he’s who you want. I’m here, and I’m the second most important person at this shindig. ”
Just as I intended, she bursts out with a shaking, watery laugh. “The fact you approve of this wedding is a big deal.”
“Exactly! Marriage is for losers, didn’t you know? Why buy the whole pig when you only need the sausage?”
“Amen.” Elena slams the door in her brother’s face and spins back with a grin. “I subscribe to the Anna Maxwell life theory. It’s way more fun this way.”
“But you don’t get to subscribe to that life anymore,” Camila counters, her eyes warming the side of Mel’s face. “You got my brother’s heart in your purse, which means you bought the whole pig. You gotta keep him.”
“I think your sausage versus pig speech is cute.” Mel tilts her head and swipes her cheek on her shoulder. “Except I know for a fact I caught a Rose and Jack, hand on the window situation when you got home last night. Sex in the car, Annaliese? Really?”
“Excuse you, you voyeur creep.” My cheeks blaze fiery red. “Do you often watch me that closely?”
“Only since Dean Warner crashed into your life.” Teasing me is, evidently, how she deals with her own nervous woes, because she changes our grips, transforming from the shaking, scared bride into the formidable best friend who loves bossing me around.
“I’m leaving town tonight and going… somewhere. For an entire week.”
“As you should. You deserve paradise and a man who thinks you shit rainbows.”
Her lips twitch, playful and silly. “A week is a long time, and tomorrow is Christmas Day. You’re insane if you think I haven’t considered moving our trip back, because I know you’re gonna do something dumb.”
“I’m never dumb!”
Elena scoffs. “I set you up with the perfect Latin king, and you wigged out before the first kiss. God forbid feelings become involved and family dinner turns awkward.”
“You do dumb things,” Mel presses, drawing my gaze back her way. “Fortunately, Dean seems to have figured you out already, so he’s gonna sidestep some of the dumb, and he’ll hold you together when you inevitably set some shit on fire.”
“You sure put a lot of faith in a man you literally met a week ago.”
“When we know, we know. And I know.” She boops the end of my nose with the tip of her finger.
“You hate icky emotions. You loathe vulnerability. You abhor being alone, but you choose aloneness every single time something big is happening, because cuddling someone who matters when you’re sad feels weird. ”
“You’re reaching.” No, she’s not! “And if I didn’t know better, I’d almost wonder if you were deflecting, all to avoid walking down the aisle.”
“You’re looking for an exit strategy,” she sighs, “And I won’t be here to hug you through your hurt feelings. If you care about my happiness at all, you won’t break anyone’s hearts while I’m away.”
“Oh good! Emotional manipulation. I love when that happens.”
She rolls her eyes. “I just know you’re gonna piss me off this week.”
“And yet—” I look to the ceiling, my smile splitting clear across my face at the sound of church bells.
“It’s time to get your booty moving. Right now.
” I snatch up my bouquet and smack her silk-covered butt.
“You look pretty, your dress is sublime, your tits look fantastic, your ass is doing this lovely shelf thing I know Nick likes.”
Elena gags on her side of the room.
“And I’m not wearing a single shred of taffeta.
” I peek down at my gown, soft pink material floating all the way to the floor.
She chose a sweetheart neckline, so we’d all have fantastic tits, and a corset bust, so I don’t even have to work hard to suck my belly in.
The steel boning will do all the work for me.
All for the low, low price of not being able to breathe.
“I’m so freakin’ happy for you, babe.” I wrap my arm around hers and lead her toward the door, slowing our steps while Elena and Camila go first. “You deserve this.” I bring her around and stare into her beautiful baby blues.
“You deserve happiness, Mel. And who knows…” I draw a shuddering breath…
ish. Until my dress says no more. “If you show me that it can be done, if you prove people are worth the fear of what could be lost, then maybe I’ll not set shit on fire.
Then you can be the maid-of-honor at my wedding. ”
“To Dean?” Her eyes alight. “Nick likes him, and I’m not sure anyone cares that he may be a criminal. He’s too charming to send away, ya know?”
“Oh, God.” Laughing, I peek into the hall to make sure Nick is nowhere nearby. As maid-of-honor, it’s my duty to ensure this marriage starts without bad luck. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” She squeaks. “That’s better than hell no.”
“I mean, if I were going to try that shit out with anyone, I suppose he might be a decent candidate. Assuming we ignore the criminal stuff.”
She giggles.
“He’s too charming to send away.” I parrot her words and turn toward the door, leading her through as bells make way for an organ.
Nick’s nieces will walk first. Then his sisters. And then us, because although Mel has a dad, he long ago lost the right to attend her special day.
Which is ironic, really, since my father absolutely deserves to be here, but isn’t.
We come to a stop at the end of a long hall, behind a set of double doors and a couple of dudes in suits who open them for Elena and Camila to pass through.
Stepping forward—we’re next!—I peek across at my best friend.
“This might be the greatest honor ever given to me.” I pat her hand and search her beautiful, glistening eyes.
“For you to ask me to walk with you made my heart so freakin’ happy.
If I decide to get hitched someday, ya know, if the whole concept of marriage became less lame, maybe you could return the favor and walk with me?
” I swallow my nerves. My tears. “We both know I’ll be looking for an exit, and you’re so good at talking me down from full blown panic attacks… ”
“I’ll walk with you. It would be my honor and privilege.” She chokes out a snickering giggle, inhaling a shuddering breath and nodding as the doors open for us. Then her breath catches.
“Oh my gosh.” Fresh tears trickle onto her cheeks, because at the other end of the aisle, an insanely handsome Nicolas Ramos waits for his bride. “Doesn’t he just look amazing?”
“Yeah.” I didn’t invite a plus one to this shindig, but I’ll be damned if I don’t scour each pew, searching until I stop on a pair of milky brown eyes and a smile too wide, too freakin’ bright, you’d swear he’s known these people all his life. “He really looks amazing. He’s exactly right for me.”
Surprised, her wide eyes swing back to mine. “What?”
“For you!” Laughing, I lead her forward. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time, I walk Melanie Hamilton toward her future as Mrs. Melanie Ramos. “I love you,” I whisper under my breath. “So, so much.”
“I love you, too.”
“Now go get him.” I unravel our arms and slap her ass. “He’s gonna Hulk smash this chapel if you don’t hurry.”