Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Kristoffer
I knocked on Emily’s door with three quick knocks. I was supposed to meet her at the bottom of the stairs an hour before the rehearsal so we could talk to Madeline and David, but I’d changed my mind about us telling them.
We’d spent the last few days skating, skiing, snowshoeing and tubing, separately, while sneaking in sexy kisses and gropes whenever we could.
We spent our nights together after everyone else had retired to their rooms, too.
Emily had been doing things with Lucas like her siblings expected, but she’d been pretty aloof which annoyed him so much he’d been hanging out at the main chalet flirting with anyone that looked twice at him.
Both Madeline and David had noticed, and they’d been trying to get her alone to talk, but my Little Red was very good at avoiding their attempts.
“Hey, I thought you were meeting me at the bottom of the stairs like Jack waited for Rose,” Emily said as she peaked out of her door, checked for people, and then stepped out.
I looked at her blankly before it dawned on me that she was talking about the movie Titanic. “You know Rose let Jack die, right?”
“Yeah, but he died very romantically.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “There’s nothing romantic about dying.”
“Of course there is, otherwise, Romeo and Juliette wouldn’t be so popular.”
“It’s a tragedy, Little Red. As was Titanic. And she could have shared that door, you know. Or at least rowed it to find him a piece of wood.”
“She was the one that sacrificed everything for him! She wasn’t going to die at all until she jumped back onto to the boat to be with him.”
“Later, we’re putting that on the TV and I’m going to spank your ass through the entire sinking scene, and we’ll see if you still think it’s romantic.”
“Oh my!” She bit her lip and grinned around it. “That sounds very hot. Not the everyone dying part, but the spanking part.”
My right brow arched at her comment. “Even if I use the bath brush?”
“No comment.” She hooked her arm around mine and started tugging me toward the stairs as if I might suddenly drag her back in her room and do it right away.
“I think everyone is still relaxing in the hot tubs. I stopped at Madeline and Blake’s, and they weren’t back, neither were David and Charlotte.” She looked at her watch. “They shouldn’t be much longer though; we can snag them on their way to their rooms.”
“Listen,” I stopped her before she took a step down the stairs, “I think you should wait to tell them until after the wedding. Maybe until they’re back from their honeymoon. At least to tell David.”
She turned to me. “Why? Are you having second thoughts?” She worried her lip.
“I’m most definitely not, Little Red,” I said, bending my knees so we were eye to eye, and cupping her face with both of my hands.
“But honey, what if he’s upset? What if he’s so pissed off that I’m defiling his baby sister, that he wants to murder me and then has to spend his wedding day behind bars?
Or he kicks me out of the wedding and there’s no one who’s prepared an epic enough speech for the big night and it’s a flop?
What if he decides he doesn’t want to have his wedding at his ex-best friend’s hotel, and they cancel it?
” I was teasing of course, but she understood I was concerned about taking away from why we were all here.
She chewed her lip. “You’re right. Having a wedding and a funeral so close together is so gauche.” She laughed, and I looked around quickly before smacking her ass.
“I want to be able to have you on my arm, to do everything with you, trust me. This is a huge sacrifice.”
She rolled her eyes at my dramatics.
“Oh, so suddenly my sacrificing for us isn’t romantic, huh?” I teased again, this time squeezing her behind and giving it a pinch.
“Ow!” She grabbed her bottom, but the smile never left her face. “Wait.” Narrowing her eyes, she asked, “Does this mean I have to pretend to be Lucas’s date still?” Her cute little nose scrunched.
“Probably. For the sake of keeping things drama free.”
A pout erupted on her mouth. “Fine, but this counts as my sacrifice. And my grand romantic gesture.”
“Noted,” I said and kissed her head.
“So, are you going to tell me why you look at him like you’re plotting his death?” She narrowed her eyes as she looked up at me. “If it isn’t indeed jealousy.”
Another quick look around and I push her back against her room door, pinning her hands above her head and kissing her.
Fishing the key out of my pocket—which was a master, I unlocked the door, and we both stumbled through it.
Kicking the door shut, I spun her back against it.
Taking a handful of her breast, I rubbed her nipple with my thumb, and then dipping down, I nipped at it through the fabric of her dress.
“I’ll tell you after the wedding. I’m also going to tell your brother he needs to choose better friends.
” I smirk. “Present company excluded.” Pulling the fabric bodice of her dress, and her bra with it, down, I fondled her bare nipple.
I twirled it between my thumb and forefinger making her hiss and squirm against the door.
“Okay, I’ll hold off telling my sister then, too.” She gasped as my lips went to her neck and I placed several long open-mouthed kisses there before dipping low again to take her nipple into my mouth.
“She’ll…mm… never let me… pretend to date… Lucas… if she knows… I’m in love with you.”
I stopped abruptly and straightened to look at her.
I was about to tell her I never wanted to hear that man’s name on her lips again, when her declaration hit me.
She’d covered her mouth with both hands, and her eyes were wide.
Mine went wide too, but it was nothing compared the openness of my heart.
At one time those words would have scared me almost as much as the words market crash or I’m late. But to hear them out of Little Red’s mouth, all I felt was fucking joy. It was as if I was a starving man who’d not only won a buffet dinner, but the whole damn restaurant chain.
“In love with me, are you?” I teased, giving her a crooked smile, about to return the words, and then kiss her senseless when a knock on the door interrupted me.
“Open up, Memmy!”
“Madeline!” Emily mouthed.
“I’ll go to the bathroom.” I mouthed back, using hand gestures in case she couldn’t read my lips. “Leave with her. I’ll follow in five.”
I nodded, turning to face the en suite, and then, just as she was reaching behind her for the doorknob, I spun around, cupped the back of her neck and pulled her to me.
Kissing her mouth deeply, I moaned quietly against her lips.
I wanted to convey how much her words meant to me in the kiss since I couldn’t say them back with her sister on the other side of the door.
And I didn’t want to whisper or mime them.
She gasped when I ended the kiss, and I left her standing there.
The rehearsal was torture since I had to stand near Emily, but I wasn’t allowed to touch her.
And being around Little Red and not doing so was akin to starving and watching people eat.
And seeing her walk down the aisle twisted me up inside.
I had never pictured anyone I’d dated walking down the aisle toward me.
I’d never imagined them in a big fluffy wedding gown with my heart swelling and my gut flip-flopping either.
And yet I did exactly that when she did her practice run down the aisle.
After only knowing this woman a few weeks, I knew without a doubt I wanted to marry her. Just like that first night, but this time I didn’t blow off the thought. Looking at my watch and seeing I had an hour before the rehearsal dinner; I made a quick trip into town.
Thoughts of marrying Emily were still floating around in my head when I walked into the small dining hall at the main chalet an hour later. Everyone was seated around a beautifully decorated ornately carved oval table. It was the last dinner we’d have as a group before David and Charlotte were wed.
Christmas music played quietly in the background and the table was set with poinsettia-painted plates and napkin holders.
The center pieces were lit-up crystal churches, set on mirrored plates made to look like skating ponds, and figures of children skated around the lit Christmas tree in the middle while a bride and groom were coming out of the church.
Emily was sitting next to Lucas, but she was facing Madeline and Charlotte.
She looked beautiful as she laughed with her sister and soon to be sister-in-law.
Her cheeks had a healthy pink glow and her eyes sparkled with happiness.
Part of that glow was a direct result of what I’d done to her in the little church basement, but that was our little secret.
Lucas scrolled his phone looking both bored and annoyed.
I smirked, happy the fucker wasn’t the center of attention like he expected.
As I made my way to the spot beside David, I waved to the wait staff so they could start serving champagne.
The room was still abuzz with chatting friends and family, so I leaned close to David, who was hovering over his bride’s shoulder to talk to his sisters.
“Hey, should I get this thing started?” David gave a cursory glance around the table and we both noticed an empty chair.
“Who’s missing?”
He looked at me, his brow furrowing as we both did a count.
“No one?” I questioned.
David frowned. “Hey, babe, is there anyone missing?” He pointed to the empty chair. Charlotte sat straight and both her, David, and Madeline suddenly resembled meerkats looking over the Serengeti.
And that’s when she walked in. My jaw slackened but my fists went tight.
David’s eyes cut to mine. “You told me she wasn’t coming. That you broke up,” he whispered harshly.
Charlotte’s head snapped toward me. “She texted me last night.” Charlotte’s eyes widened.
“She said she was able to change her plans and make it after all. I thought you knew. She said you were back together. Lucas mentioned it to Madeline and me yesterday too. That’s her seat.
” Charlotte gave me a pained expression. “Did I screw up?”
David’s gaze passed between us. Charlotte looked near tears, and I realized it was probably my angry expression, so I took a breath and forced myself to relax.
“I’ve got this.” I stood, my chair scraping the wood floor in an awkward noise as I did.
“Kristoffer!” David called once again in a harsh whisper.
I held up a hand. “Don’t worry, I won’t make a scene.”
He didn’t need to warn me. I’d never have made a scene, even if I wanted to pick her and Lucas up by their proverbial scruffs and toss them in a snowbank.
“Clara? What are you doing here?” I asked, walking toward my ex.
“Darling!” Clara, dressed in a red silk gown that dipped so low at the back it was an inch above obscene, reached out for me. “I was able to change my plans and come after all.”
Placing my hand in the small of her back, I tried to guide her back toward the door.
She rubbed against my side like a cat before she realized I was ushering her toward to exit.
As soon as she figured it out, she quickly turned and attempted to press a kiss to my mouth.
I moved at the last second and her ruby-red lips hit my cheek instead.
Even though I’d dodged my ex’s kiss, Emily’s face still paled.
Gritting my teeth, I looked at Lucas, who was smiling like the Cheshire cat. He put his arm over the back of Emily’s chair, and leaned closer to her, whispering in her ear.
When my eyes swung back to her, the pain in her expression was like a kick to the chest. Betrayal, confusion, hurt, each emotion splayed across her features like shadows.
By the time I was able catch her eye, Clara was telling everyone a story of me begging her to come and rescue me from all the couples that were making me ache with loneliness. And how could she possibly refuse such a handsome man?
“Clara, Kristoffer told us you weren’t coming,” David said. I was too busy watching a look pass between Clara and Lucas to notice David’s expression, but he sounded angry.
“He thought I had to be in Milan this week for a photo shoot. But when he called me, sounding so sad, I knew I had to find a way to sneak back and surprise him.” She started pawing me like an octopus and it snapped me out of my stupor. “My poor baby.”
“May I see you outside?” I asked, my voice tight, once again attempting to guide her from the room.
I looked back at David to reassure him, but he no longer looked like he cared about causing a scene. He looked like he was going to strangle me.
“Oh, excuse us. I guess we’re going to a have a proper hello,” Clara said with an overplayed giggle, wiggling her perfectly sculpted brows.
I nodded at Charlotte’s parents as we passed giving them a big fake smile.
“Oh baby, you’re not mad still, are you? I know you didn’t mean it when you broke up with me. You were just upset because I didn’t make your best friend’s wedding a priority.” Clara declared a little too loudly.
As soon as we made it far enough away from the dining hall, I spun on her. “Mad? A priority? What the fuck are you talking about, and what the fuck are you doing here?”
“We had a fight, baby, that’s all.” She plucked at the lapels of my suit. “And now I’m here to make it up to you.” she said, attempting to press herself against me.
“No thank you. You’re—”
She cut me off before I could finish telling her she was leaving. “Baby, I know exactly what will smooth things over.” She placed her hand over my fly and rubbed. I jumped back just as Emily ran past us.
Fuck.
I shoved Clara back, taking chase, but Lucas pushed by me, shoving me against the wall. I righted myself but before I could follow them, David called my name. I turned and his fist struck my face.
The fuck?
“That’s for fucking with my baby sister’s heart.”