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“I need you,” Reece groaned.
Kneeling, a gamine smile curving her lips, Jess had her wicked way with him. He hissed a long scalding curse. Her hot, hungry mouth was taking unlimited advantage of him.
The quiche burned.
ChapterSeventeen
NOVEMBER, A YEAR LATER
That evening the sky over Chicago was clear. For once, the perpetual wind had stopped sweeping the streets, and stars glimmered, brightly defined, against the indigo curtain of the night. Inside, the imposing five-bedroom house shined as bright as the day. Between scented candles and electric lights in every room –four bathrooms and pantry included, the house was wrapped in a warm, welcoming glow. It could be seen glittering from two blocks away. And, if by any chance somebody didn’t spot the lights, nobody passing by could possibly miss the long line of cars filling up every parking space available along the residential lane. For the party being thrown tonight wasn’t a regular Thanksgiving dinner party.
Flower arrangements, strategically placed, decked the rooms. Their smell mixed with that of the scented candles. The radiant bride-to-be was clad in a long, ivory, strapless dress made of silk that clung to her body leaving her shoulders bare. The fitted bodice sported a deep cut, pointed V-neck. The A-line gown cascaded towards the ground and had a tantalizing slit that showed a shapely leg with each step the nervous bride-to-be took. Her proud father walked her down the impromptu aisle that had been created inside the large, open-plan living room.
Fifty-seven people looked up in admiration at a very nervous Jess wearing an uncharacteristically shy smile upon her face. Her long, glossy, midnight-black hair had been arranged in a coil on top of her head with a soft, curly cascade down to her nape where it alluringly brushed each time she moved. Fresh, decorative gypsophila had artfully been arranged between her hair by one of her collaborators at the salon she now owned. Light make-up gently emphasized her features. Aquamarine eyes were liquid with badly controlled emotions.
Reece visibly gulped, affected by her mien. Coal-black eyes ate her alive with each step she took towards him in time with the wedding march.
Jess returned the favor by admiring Reece’s powerful body clad in a smoky-gray tailored suit. His jet-black hair had been trimmed in a short, fashionable cut. A two-day-old beard ran around his jaw and mouth making him look both dangerous and sexy as hell. This was her man. Pride swept over her when she thought of the taut muscles and skin underneath those clothes, and of the man inside that body. A pang of longing made her melt between the thighs. His predatory gaze sent shivers of anticipation down her spine. Enthralled, Jess would’ve walked to Reece even without her father assisting her.
When the bride-to-be and groom stood at arm’s reach, her dad kissed her on the cheek, and passed her hand to Reece, who enfolded it in his warm, large one. Jess’s heart was pounding crazily in her chest, robbing her of breath. This time she was truly going to faint. Already a dull ring was echoing in her ears.
In the end, she didn’t pass out, though her steps visibly faltered when her hand touched Reece’s. Luckily, he was quick to lend her his support. Their eyes locked.
The music faded into the background as did their guests, the house, and everything else around them. Obeying an untamable urge, Reece wrapped her in his arms.
“I love you,” he hoarsely whispered before their thirsty tongues engaged in an erotic exploration of each other’s mouth. It was almost half a minute later that Reece was brought back to the present by an insistent tap on his shoulder.
Johnny cleared his throat, leaned closer to his ear, and said loudly enough for everybody to hear, “You generally ‘may kiss the bride’after, notbeforethe ceremony.”
“Couldn’t resist,” Reece justified to their guests while he looked intensely at Jess, who blushed. Their family and friends laughed good-naturedly.
Entwining their hands, Reece and Jess exchanged one last, meaningful glance before turning their full attention to the priest standing in front of them. The ceremony officially began, and by the time the young couple was ready to exchange their vows, some of the guests had misty eyes.
“Will you, Reece William Hilton, take Jessica Pamela Wright to be your lawfully wedded wife for the second, and with God’s assistance, possibly last time? Will you…” The rest of the priest’s words were lost to them when a gasp echoed around the room, shaking it with puzzlement.
“And will you, Jessica Pamela Wright, take Reece William Hilton to be your lawfully wedded husband for the second, and with God’s assistance, possibly last time? Will you…”
LeeHanne shot her husband an inquisitive stare. She was dressed in a long, purple, silk dress with a generously scooped neckline and a full gown that reached her feet. Her hair was collected on top of her head similarly to Jess, but with purple flowers in it. She was acting for the occasion as Jess’s maid of honor. Johnny instead, wearing a gray suit and a mauve shirt with a purple necktie and pocket handkerchief, stood beside Reece as best man. To his wife’s silent inquiry he answered with an arching brow. Yes, indeed it sounded like the priest was marrying Reece and Jess for the second time. But how was that possible?
Words that Jess had told LeeHanne some time before going to Alaska came flooding back to her mind. ‘There are things that you still ignore about Reece and I,’ Jess had said. That conniving, sniveling little cheat. And Reece the weasel had never breathed a word, not even to his best buddy. Again LeeHanne’s eyes met Johnny’s. He, too, was thinking along those same lines. Wait until they get the chance to be alone with those two…
“You may now kiss the bride,” the priest concluded, wearing a smile that said he had not enjoyed a wedding as much as this one in years.
When they turned to face each other, Reece’s eyes were suspiciously moist. Jess’s heart froze. She’d tried so hard during the ceremony to keep her own joyous tears at bay, but the sight was her undoing. Witnessing the strength of Reece’s love for her, seeing how important she was to him, knowing he was unselfishly allowing her to peer into the depths of his soul, filled her with such piercing tenderness for this man that she physically hurt, and tears fell freely down her cheeks. Luckily, she’d worn light foundation and water-proof mascara.
To overcome the emotional intensity of the moment, Reece theatrically took hold of Jess by the waist, bent her back down like a tango dancer, and with a deep, clear voice declared, “Kiss me babe, but make it good.”
Jess yelped surprised when she felt the air whoosh behind her, but the moment their lips met, for the second time in less than one hour, their hunger for each other surfaced, and the jovial, lighthearted mood Reece had attempted to set was soon dispelled, replaced by some serious kissing. The amused audience cheered and applauded the newlyweds.
When it became apparent Reece and Jess were lost in a world of their own, Johnny intervened. “While they try to suffocate one another, I suggest we leave them to their fate and dedicate ourselves to more earthly pleasures. If my nose hasn’t failed me, I smell roasted turkey. You two take your time, okay?” he said, patting Reece on his shoulder without him noticing it. “We will find our around your house,” Johnny concluded, leading the guests to the buffet set up under a rented, large, heated tent set in their back garden. Again, everyone laughed, truly enjoying themselves.
“Mrs. Wright, Mrs. Hilton, why don’t you ladies escort me?” Johnny addressed Jess and Reece’s mothers offering each woman an arm. Flattered, the two women smiled at him entwining their arms with his. LeeHanne, inspired by her husband, did the same, taking Mr. Wright and Mr. Hilton’s arms.
“We will compliment them later. That is, if they are still breathing,” Johnny declared.
“Well said.” Mr. Hilton laughed, caught up in the jovial spirit of the evening. A clear example of how gracefully Reece would age, John Hilton had always believed his son would score high when he chose the woman he’d share his life with, and had not been disappointed. Jessica was not only a good sight for sore eyes, but also a woman not in the least afraid to stand up for her ideas and keep his son on his toes. Just like his Janine had done with him during their almost forty years of marriage.
Led by the best man and the maid of honor, fifty-seven people made their way towards the back garden to avail themselves of the finger sandwiches and canapés offered as appetizers, before the official dinner began.
