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Amy had a way of steamrolling right past my laid-back personality and somehow accessing a darker side of me that I despised. She pushed all my buttons, and that was just one of the reasons that we didn’t work well together. It wasn’t a healthy union.
I knew now that we never should have eloped. We’d been young and stupid. It was mostly an impulsive decision that came from the pressure Amy felt from her family to settle down and have a family. We’d been seeing each other for about a year, and it seemed like everyone thought that should be our next step. So, we gave in to their demands and tied the knot.
I should have known that it was a bad decision. There was a reason that I didn’t pop the question before her family started pushing for it. Something just didn’t feel quite right between us. I just didn’t know why. Now, I knew that I’d just never really loved her. I’d cared about her, but not enough.
The problem was that Amy hadn’t come to the same realization. She still believed that she loved me, that we were meant to be, so she was dragging this whole divorce out as long as possible to give herself an opportunity to somehow reconnect with me. I’d hate to see how she’d react if she realized that I’d already formed a much deeper bond with Tatum than I’d ever had with her. She’d make my life even more miserable.
“Don’t do this,” I said into the phone, rubbing the back of my neck. I could already feel a tension headache starting as the result of talking to her. “I’m here for my best friend’s wedding, and I don’t have time for your drama. I’ll call you when I get back to New York in a couple of days and we can discuss you signing the divorce papers. It’s time that we moved forward with this and get it done and finalized.”
“Ben, I don’t want—”
I ended the call without listening to her response. It was harsh, and I knew that, but I’d learned over the past two years that if I didn’t cut off her calls, she’d just keep me on the phone for hours, trying to convince me that our short marriage was a happy one, even though we both knew it wasn’t. A part of me thought that her real problem was shame at not being able to make things work. She didn’t want to deal with that emotion or her rigid family’s expectations. I almost felt sorry for her, but she was practically holding me hostage at this point, so my sympathy had a limit. I was so tired of her drama and I just wanted it all to finally end.
I rested my head against the side of the building and closed my eyes, trying to rid myself of all the anger and frustration that I was feeling before I went back to help Tatum with the flowers. She was probably wondering where I ran off to.
Taking a few deep breaths, I reminded myself that I could always just ignore Amy’s phone calls. Finally, I pushed off from the wall and headed back to the chaos of setting up for the wedding. There was a lot to do, but when things were ready, we would run through everything that was going to happen tomorrow as a rehearsal, then go to dinner.
I went to the SUV and discovered that all the flowers had already been removed. I hoped that Tatum found someone to help her instead of doing all that on her own. I could tell that she was the type of person that tried harder than she really had to in order to prove herself.
I rounded the corner, and the breezeway where the reception would be held came into view. I spotted Tatum placing bunches of purple and pink flowers into the short vases at the center of the tables, which had already been covered in spotless white tablecloths. There was also a long rectangular table that was facing the others, and I assumed that was where the wedding party would sit with the bride and groom.
I headed toward Tatum, my mind still lingering on Amy and the audacity she had to demand an explanation of me. Some of my feelings on the matter must have shown on my face because when Tatum saw me approaching, she looked startled. Then, her forehead creased and she frowned slightly. She put down the flowers she had been arranging in a bundle as she came around the table to meet me. Any awkward distance she was trying to put between us earlier seemed to be forgotten as she put her hand on my arm and looked up at me with those captivating hazel eyes of hers.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
It was amazing how much her concern immediately made me feel better. I could feel my stress start to melt away at her sincerity. That was the effect that Tatum had on me, just being near her put me at ease.
Was this what it felt like to really fall for a woman? I wasn’t sure, since I never really had before.
I glanced around and saw that everyone around here was too busy to pay much attention to us. Still, I wanted to be alone with her. I wanted to seek comfort from her in a way that wasn’t appropriate in front of so many people.
“Can we slip away for a bit?” I asked, jerking my head toward the building where we would be getting ready tomorrow. Tatum’s eyes darted around too before she bit her lip and nodded.
“Okay, but not for long.”
Taking her hand, I led the way to the building, pulling open the door and letting her inside first. We were in a short hallway with doors on both sides markedHisandHers.There was no need to explore those rooms. I just wanted to take advantage of our limited time away from curious eyes.
Closing the door behind us, I grabbed Tatum by the arms and pressed her up against the flat surface, drawing a surprised gasp from her lips. Then, my body was against hers, all of my hardness against her soft curves. She was built for sin and God help me, I needed to indulge right now. I kissed her hard, my hands tracing the hourglass curve of her waist and hips as she parted her lips for me. Her tongue tangled with my own, and I got lost in the intoxicating taste of her. My hands found her firm ass, and held on tight.
We kissed for several long minutes, and I just couldn’t get enough of her. Her scent, her taste, her breathy moans. It was all driving me insane.
Tatum’s arms circled my neck, her fingers threading through the strands of my hair. All I wanted was to lift her dress and find out if she was wet for me. But I restrained myself because I knew that if I found her as needy as I felt, I wouldn’t be able to stop and this wasn’t the right place for quick, dirty fuck. As much as I’d love to take her hard and fast against this door, someone could try to come in at any moment. Reluctantly, I pulled away, my cock throbbing as I took in her flushed face and kiss-bitten lips.
“Do you still have my room key?” I asked, my voice thick with desire.
She nodded, her own eyes dark with unquenched lust. “Yes.”
“Use it,” I told her. “Tonight. I want you in my bed, naked and moaning beneath me.”
Warmth bloomed across her cheeks. “Okay,” she agreed.
No reluctance this time. I’d take that as a hell of a win.
Satisfied for now, I stepped back, running my hands through my disheveled hair as I followed her back outside, thinking about the most un-sexy things I could. Baseball. My grandma. Cleaning up vomit from the back of the ambulance during my shift last week. Whatever it took to get rid of this erection because we had a couple of hours left of decorating, rehearsing the ceremony, and eating dinner before I would finally get a chance to be alone with Tatum again.
I could hardly wait.
CHAPTER11
