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Simone is wearing a knee-length, sleeveless dress covered in floral lace, her hair is pulled up on one side, and she’s carrying a bouquet of white roses. But it’s her smile that is the most breathtaking part of her, shyly confident and bright. It’s her smile that catapults my heart rate into high gear.
For a moment, I allow myself to believe we’re not doing this to help our businesses. We’re doing it for love. The way it’s supposed to be.
The way it should have been.
With her brother as my best man.
Simone hands her flowers to Avery and turns back to me. The shyness has vanished and she’s all soft smiles. I take her hands in mine and give her fingers a light squeeze.
When Jerome asks if anyone finds a reason we shouldn’t get married, I half expect Avery to yell, “Hell, yeah.”
She keeps quiet. And I release the breath I’ve been holding.
Troy hands me Simone’s wedding band. I place it at the end of her ring finger, and repeat after Jerome, “I take you, Simone Angela Hensley, to be my lawfully wedded wife. To love and to honor you in sickness and in health till death do us part.” My voice comes out loud and strong and without a flicker of hesitation.
I slide the ring onto her finger.
Avery passes Simone my ring, but not without tossing her a look first, questioning Simone if she’s sure she wants to go through with the wedding. A look hopefully only noticed by Simone and me.
Simone responds to the unspoken question with a nod and slips the ring onto my finger. “I take you, Lucas Cameron Carson, to be my lawfully wedded husband. To love and to honor in sickness and in health till death do us part.” She pushes the ring over my knuckle.
“With the power vested in me by the state of Oregon,” Jerome says, “I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
I lean into Simone and brush her lips with mine. But once I can steal her away for a few minutes? I have every intention of kissing her out of her loving mind.
My arms circle Simone’s waist from behind. “How about a real kiss?” The volume of my voice drops, the words gravelly against the curve of her ear.
She glances around Rose’s backyard, at the people socializing, drinks in hand. “I thought the kiss when we said our I-do’s was a real kiss.”
“You know what I mean. We just got married. People are expecting us to be unable to keep our hands off each other. And that includes sneaking in kisses whenever possible.” I don’t have to look to know we’re the center of attention. I can feel the weight of everyone’s stares.
She chuckles. “Good point, Cannon. Okay, we need to give them a kiss they won’t forget anytime soon. But it has to be somewhat PG friendly.”
“Deal.” I stand still, memorizing her lips, reliving in my head the first time I kissed her. I’d fantasized about it for months. When the moment finally came, it was better than anything I’d imagined. I trace my thumb along her lower lip. Her breath hitches, her eyes darken, and I can’t resist any longer. I cup the back of her head, and my mouth meets hers.
I keep kissing her until she’s trembling in my arms. Until my body feels as though it’s about to evaporate. I’m vaguely aware of music and talking and laughter coming from the reception, but none of it matters. The only thing I care about is this woman in my arms. That, and making sure she’s thinking about me tonight while alone in the guest room.
My mouth moves to her jaw, the shell of her ear, her throat. Her fingers dive into my hair, keeping me close. Tiny moans fall from her lips. Encouraging me. Reminding me how good we are together.
If I had my way, we’d skip the party and go to our house.
If I had my way, Simone would change her mind about staying in the guest bedroom.
I rest my forehead against hers. “Tonight, when you’re in bed, I want you to remember how it felt when I used to eat you out. How it felt when I touched you.” I brush my thumb along the side of her breast. “How it felt when I was inside you. How wet you were.”
She releases a whimper.
I smile, knowing I’ve got her exactly where I want her.
“That wasn’t quite the PG-rated kiss I was talking about,” Simone says, sounding a little dazed.
A rumble of laughter builds in my chest and powers its way to my throat. “You’re probably right.”
A few hours later, as we make our way to the dance floor, Delores steps between our target and Simone and me. “What a handsome bride and groom you two make.”
Simone and I both thank her.
“And I’m sure it won’t be too much longer before we hear the pitter-patter of little feet.”
