False Start: A Football Romance (30 page)

Grace approaches me and hands me the bouquet of orchids and lilies, my favorites.

"You ready to make Kip an honest man?" I nod and hug her tightly, thankful for the love and acceptance she has already shown me. I am truly blessed to be a part of this family.

"Yes." I sigh, my nerves on edge.

The cobblestone path to the church entrance is lined with beautifully intertwined purple and white streamers. The entrance to the sanctuary is much the same. Lanterns hang from pews, and the purple and white streamers add pops of color.

Pastor Michaels is up front, and to his left is Kiptyn, his smile genuinely lighting up the room. The thin white fabric of my sundress flows down my body with each step, and the lights are just dim enough to hide my tears. Oh, how I wish my mother could be here. I know she's here in spirit, but damn, I wish she was the one holding my hand right now. I sigh, looking over at Devan and Jax, who offered to give me away.

Each step closer to Kip makes me weak in the knees, and my heart pounds faster. When we reach the front, they both release my hands, giving me over to Kiptyn. Pastor Michaels begins the ceremony, and I can no longer hold back the floodgates. Every moment in my life was leading to this one, preparing me for the day I stood beside the man of my dreams and accepted him as my husband.

I never imagined it would happen like this, and yet it happened just the way it was meant to. I know that. I have always been a believer in faith and the big man upstairs. I know he has a hand in the way my life played out. Every morning I wake up, I give him thanks for the blessings he has given me.

Chapter Forty

Kiptyn

This is it, the moment my life changes. My palms are sweating so badly, I feel like if I look down, I’ll see a puddle on the ground where they’ve been dripping. I don’t look. I don’t take the chance of missing the moment Skila walks through the doorway.

Butterflies take flight in my stomach when the music starts. I can’t decide if I need to swallow, throw up, or both. I need a drink of water, I think, but I can’t move. Jordan slaps me on the back and clasps my shoulder. I think he’s holding me in place. Do I look like I want to run?

I might.

I look over at him, but he just grins and nods back at the front of the church.

Lisa’s nephew is the first one down the aisle. His cuteness makes everyone smile and say, "Awwwww". As soon as he sees his grandma, he runs down the aisle as fast as his cute, slightly chubby legs can carry him until he falls right into his grandma’s arms.

From what Skila tells me, Lisa’s mom was always the cool mom. When Sky’s mom was taking chemo, apparently Gwen was always there for them. Sky loves her, and they're like one huge extended family. Next comes Lisa, Sky’s only bridesmaid and maid of honor, in a flowing blue dress. Sky isn’t the only one who notices the way her brother is eyeballing Lisa. I’ve seen that look a hundred thousand times before. Those two are up to no good.

As soon as Sky steps in, I lose it. My heart is stuck somewhere in the base of my throat. I don’t even know how I'm able to breathe around it right now, but I manage. Her flawless mocha colored skin glows next to the creamy white hue of her dress, and as she walks down the aisle, her brothers each on one arm, I can’t believe this is really happening.

She is everything, and now our forever is on the horizon.

Gorgeous.

Amazing.

Beautiful.

Stunning.

Extraordinary.

I can't find one word that would suitably describe her at the moment.

As she reaches me, she smiles a sultry smile that makes my knees nearly buckle. I'm definitely the luckiest man alive. Pastor Michaels begins his speech, but all I can focus on is the remarkable woman standing next to me.

"Dearly beloved . . ."

That's the last thing I remember. I'm so lost in Skila’s eyes, I don't hear a thing until Pastor Michaels clears his throat.

"Time for your vows," he whispers, and since we made the decision to write our own, it's especially emotional. 

“Skila, the day I first laid eyes on you, my world came crashing down around me. Everything I thought I knew was changed in that moment. My universe that had once revolved around only me now had a new center . . . YOU. You’re like a bright star who attracts others, none more so than me. I was drawn to you. I still am. You are my light, my moon, my diamond in the Sky. You are my North Star, and with you, I know I'll always be home. Thank you for choosing me, loving me, and giving me the chance to be the man you deserve.”

I’m barely able to finish, but the love I see reflected in her eyes gives me the courage and strength I need to go on. Raising her left hand to my lips, I kiss her ring finger before sliding the gold band onto her delicate finger and lowering her hand again.

As soon as Skila begins her vows to me, I can feel the tears pooling and I'm trying to hold them back. The look on her face is filled with more love than I have ever witnessed, and for the millionth time, I'm thanking the Lord for the blessing she is in my life. I still don’t know what I did to deserve her, but I hope that I can be the man she deserves for the rest of her life.

“I wasn’t looking for a man when I found you. I wasn’t looking for anything, and I’m glad, because then I might have missed the chance to meet you and fall head over heels, helplessly in love with you. You shook my entire foundation, Kiptyn Price, and I hope the tremors of our love never settle. Before you, I had gaping hole in my heart from love lost and pain too great to conquer, but because of you, my heart is once again whole, and I know that as long we have each other, nothing will ever break me again. I love you, Kip, today, tomorrow, and every day until the sky darkens overhead, and even then, I’ll love you.”

She slips her band on my finger, and I pull her to me again, unable to resist the urge to have her in my arms. I need to feel her body against my own. If I could, I'd have her stripped bare right now and I’d be worshipping every inch of her luxurious skin, but I can't.

Not yet.

We have a crowd of people watching us and waiting for the ceremony to end. A few more hours at the most, and then I’ll have her all to myself once again. Releasing her, I take her hand in mine, and we pause as the preacher asks us the customary questions, followed by our “I do”.

I can't help but smile while looking into her glistening chocolate eyes, knowing that I just married the most amazing woman God ever created. We stand there for a moment after he pronounces us husband and wife, letting it sink in. I'm amazed, stupefied even, that I got her. I got my Midnight Sky.

Behind us, I hear the sounds of clapping and a sharp whistle that could only have come from Jaxon, Skila’s younger and much more exuberant brother.

"Well, kiss her already!"

Bo shouts from the back of the room. If I'm not mistaken, his words sound a little slurred—no doubt from the moonshine he told me he did not bring into the church.

Ignoring the catcalls, I lock eyes with my bride and slowly, taking all the time in the world, I lower my lips to hers, and I worship her mouth the way only I'll ever be able to from now on. Skila is breathing heavier and leaning into me when I let her lips go. I rest my forehead against hers for a minute and give us a few to gather our wits, and then we turn to face the small gathering of people.

We walk over and join Nana and Jordan at their table. Jordan stands and slaps me on the back before pulling me into a hug and then doing the same to Skila. He catches her off guard, but after a quick twirl, she’s laughing and clinging to his arms. I’m kind of thankful Chris couldn't make it, even if his excuse was total bullshit. I just don't think he and Sky get along that well, and the more I’m around him, the less I think we do too. One thing’s for certain: if it had been his hands on my brand new bride, right now I'd be feeling some entirely different emotions.

Chapter Forty-One

Skila

Grace has very thoughtfully prepared my favorite, fried chicken and cornbread. I just hope the baby cooperates long enough that I'm able to actually eat. She has an elaborate display of potato salad, green bean casserole, dressing and gravy. There’s so much food here that I feel like I might go into a diabetic coma just from looking at it all.

On the tables, there are also baskets filled to the brim with flower petals, and mason jars of sweet tea and lemonade. We all gather around the table, and after being passed back and forth for hugs and kisses, we eat our meal and happily banter back and forth, catching up on each other's lives and remembering those who we all wished were here.

Conversation turns to Camryn, and for a minute, things feel a little awkward, but the moment passes with wonderful words of wisdom from Kip’s granny.

“If our Lord saw fit to bring him through death, he will see him through these trials too. Just have faith.”

I’m going to hold onto those words in the coming days. I know he has a long road ahead of him, and it’s going to be hard, but she’s right. He will make it.

After a short while, when everyone's plates are empty, Kiptyn excuses himself from the table and returns to the house. A few moments later, he emerges with our cake in hand. He sets it down on a small table that I hadn’t noticed before and calls me over.

Almost all of our guests accept his invitation to me and gather around the cake, admiring Grace’s handiwork. It's quite beautiful, featuring three tiers, the colors fading from a soft purple around the bottom tier, to a bright white at the top. Around the base, Grace has adorned the cake with white lily blossoms that seem to shimmer in the lantern light. Sitting atop the highest tier are more lilies and purple ribbon, as radiant as the ones in my bouquet and the ones on Kip’s lapel.

The cake is so beautiful, I almost don't want to eat it. Together, we slice the cake and serve all our friends. The night finishes out well, and we say goodbye to our guests one by one as they make their exit.

Nana mutters something inappropriate, having moved onto a third bottle of Hennessy, and I wonder if we may need to take her home, but Grace grabs her hand and tells us she'll make sure she at least makes it into the front door of her house.

I'm exhausted and it's been a long day, but easily one of the best days of my life. Kiptyn and I sit outside the church, watching the stars and fireflies dance across the night sky. I’m enjoying the silence, and even though Kip is with me, the solitude. It’s been a crazy day.

"You ok, babe?" Kip asks, wrapping his warm arms around my shoulders and pulling me back against his chest.

I’m so thankful that his shoulder is healing up properly and that he isn’t going to miss any games at the start of the season. I know he was worried about it, even if he wouldn’t talk to me about it. Physical therapy has done wonders for him, and what they had originally thought was a torn ligament ended up just being a really badly pulled muscle. It still hurt like hell, and fighting with Camryn after that didn’t help at all, but in the end, it all worked out.

"Of course," I reply with a smile. "This little guy sure enjoyed the cake. He’s practically break dancing in there." Kip laughs and reaches down to stroke my belly. He leans in to kiss me and stands up, holding out his hand.

"Let's go inside."

I nod and take his hand, allowing him to pull me to my feet and walk across the street to his granny’s house. When we reach the front door, he reaches down and lifts me off the ground, carrying me over the threshold. When we are safely across the doorframe, he sets me back down and shuts the front door before taking my hand and climbing the stairs by my side.

We climb into bed together, and he wraps his arms around me. I glance at the set now adorning my finger and marvel at how it shines in the moonlight coming through the open window.

"Was everything to your liking today?" Kip asks, tracing the line down the center of my stomach with his finger.

"I couldn't imagine a better day, Kip. Thank you," I say, "Everything was perfect."

I roll to my side and pull him to me to kiss him goodnight. I know it's our wedding night, but I don't know what to expect, considering we are staying at his granny’s house. He takes my lower lip in between his teeth and sucks it into his mouth.

Chills race down my spine, causing goosebumps to break out all along my skin. Wetness pools between my legs as our mouths collide, tongues searching, demanding, and claiming each other. Kip gathers my hair behind my neck to twist it around his wrist and pulls my head back, exposing my neck. Panting, I close my eyes and move my hands under the hem of his shirt, sliding them up his hard abs and exploring his smooth chest. My God, his body is addictive.

When he pulls back, releasing my hair, I open my eyes to protest, my hands still searching for him. There’s no need though. He’s only making space between us to gather his shirt and pull it over his head. Moments later, his hands are trailing down the length of my dress until he finds the ties holding it together. He pulls the strings and they come unraveled. Lifting the hem of my sundress, he pulls it over my head, careful to avoid tangling my hair in it on the way over my head. Tossing it in the corner, he wastes no time resuming his torturous seduction.

My blood pounds in my ears as he removes my bra. I need his hands on me, his mouth. I need all of him, now. Otherwise, I'm afraid I may spontaneously combust on the spot. I hear a noise downstairs, and that damned flash of awareness that we’re in the childhood bedroom of his granny’s house and she could come home any moment flashes through my thoughts, but it dissipates just as quickly as it developed. I can't think when he’s touching me. I can only feel, and oh my God, do I feel so much.

Lifting off the bed, I press my naked, warm breasts against his bare chest. A sigh escapes me. He groans, thrusting up against my willing core while he begins to trail a path of kisses down my neck to my shoulder, all the way to my breast. He circles my navel with his tongue, kissing up and down each side of my stomach, whispering sweet nothings to the baby inside.

When he has given his son enough time and attention, he trails back up my stomach to my taught nipple. His tongue flicks out, teasing me before he sucks my nipple into his warm mouth. I arch my back, begging for more. I can feel him gazing up at me and pry my eyes open to meet his bright blue stare. The look of love and adoration I see there melts my heart.

Leaving my nipple, he pulls back, trailing his hands down my body once again, following his feather light touch with soft kisses. When he reaches the waist of my panties, he slows and slides his hands under my backside to grab my ass. Pulling me closer to him, he lowers his mouth to my core, taking me into his mouth, lace panties and all. One hand slides around, and his finger eases under the edge of my panties. I feel him searching for my wet center. He slides one finger into me, and I cry out from the pure torment, but he doesn’t stop. Releasing the lace, he pulls back and blows on my clit.

My legs tremble.

Sucking me into his mouth again, I can't help the cry of ecstasy that escapes my lips. I'm so close to shattering around him.

“Kip, please,” I say, pulling on his shoulder.

I want him close to me.

I want to feel his body against mine, to feel his skin on mine and have his breath mingle with my own as we reach that perfect, beautiful moment together.

He understands what I need and lifts himself from the place between my thighs, lifting me until we are again chest to ever-growing baby bump.

I open my eyes as he nuzzles my cheek with his nose. I feel him smiling against my cheek, “I love you, wife.”

My chest swells with the amount of love I feel for him in this moment. Twisting out from under him, I push him back against the bed and straddle his thighs. My hair blankets my body, hiding it from the world before he smoothes his hands along my face and gathers it behind my neck, baring me to him. I rise onto my knees slowly, never losing contact with his skin. He slips his fingers into the edge of my panties and drags them down my legs before tossing them in the corner, where they join my discarded bra.

I hover over the tip of his steely length. Every muscle in my body trembles as I grip his shoulders and sink down, slowly impaling myself on his throbbing head, stretching to accommodate to his size. Our eyes close for only a moment as I take him completely inside of me. Pausing, I feel him pulsing within my walls. A guttural moan from deep in his throat escapes his lips.

“You’re so tight. You feel so fucking good, Sky,” he says through gritted teeth. “Can you move yet?” he asks.

I nod my head yes, as I’m unable to form words. Gripping my hips, he easily glides me off him until I'm suspended just over the tip of his thick cock. I inhale sharply with anticipation and follow his gaze to where our bodies connect. It’s got to be one of the most erotic things I’ve ever seen in my life, watching him slide in and out of me over and over. Watching as I stretch to take him in. I reach my hand down between my thighs and spread my fingers on each side of him as he slides in and out of me.

He moans low in his throat. “Fuck, Sky.” Pulling my hand away, I circle my clit as he raises and lowers me repeatedly. When I pull my hand away, my fingers are glistening with the sweet juice he creates in me. I bring my finger to my lips and suck them into my mouth, savoring the taste of myself. Leaning forward, I kiss him and let him lick the remainder of the juices off my lips. Gripping my hips painfully, I know he’s grasping at the last threads of his control. The sight is so erotic, it’s burned into my memory forever.

He’s holding back for me, trying to allow me some comfort, but that’s not at all what I want. Taking over, I push him deeper, farther than I knew was possible, and that seems to be all the permission he requires. I need him. I want all of him. Some barbaric part of me has staked a claim on him, and in this moment, the animalistic side of me rules. I want to feel him in the deepest crevices penetrable. I need to be owned by him, body and soul.

We begin pumping together in a steady rhythm, gripping each other tightly, skin blazing. Kiptyn takes my mouth in a deep, passionate kiss. I can feel the orgasm building. I'm about to shatter. My clit is rubbing against his sexy ‘V’ every time I slide down the steely length of his cock, creating just enough friction to drive me wild. Add in the sensual dance his rock hard cock is doing inside of my walls, and it's amazing I'm still hanging on.

“I’m going to come,” I whisper in his ear.

“Wait for me.”

Wait! Like hell! Shit. I can feel it building, peaking at the top and about to crash over the surface. The first wave hits, and my pussy clenches.

“Can’t,” I shout, and with no alternative but to follow, we spiral down into ecstasy together, every part of my body convulsing as he spills into me.

We cling together in a spiritual connection that seems to bring life into perfect focus. Sweat trickles down the center of my back and into the crack of my ass. He cradles my cheeks in both hands, and my thick hair forms curtains around our faces, plunging us into complete darkness, until he draws back so we are nose-to-nose. Closing his eyes, he pulls in another deep, cleansing breath.

“What are you doing to me, Sky?” he murmurs.

“Loving you,” I whisper, our lips feathering with the words.

“Don’t ever stop,” he says, the emotion of the moment overwhelming us both.

I could lie here forever just like this, but he has other plans for us. Removing his hands from my face to seize my hips, he lifts me until he is poised once again at my entrance.

I instinctively grasp his wrists for support, anticipating the fierce ride. In one quick, penetrating thrust, he is inside of me, buried to the hilt. He slides his hands from my waist to my ass, lifting me off the bed as his cock repeatedly hits that sweet spot inside my walls. Electricity builds low in my belly, and I know I’m almost there, but I want more than anything for it to last. I want to feel him come inside of me and bring me over the edge with him.

With my hands on either side of his head, our eyes lock. Sliding our sweating bodies together, I wrap my legs around his waist, pressing my feet into his ass and coaxing him closer until I hear the blessed words I’m dying to hear.

“Skila, I want you to come with me.”

“Yesss,” I hiss as I can hardly get that one word out.

“Fuck, Sky,” he yells at the same time I scream, “Kip.”