Forever: A Seaside Novella (BOOK 3.5) (8 page)

All in all it seemed like a typical day in the life of AD2… minus the whole wedding. The gang was just that, the gang. Together forever.

Chapter
Seventeen

Alec

“I can’t do it.” I looked at the three-tiered cake from Sweetside Seaside Bakery; the frosted masterpiece was something out of Nat’s dreams. As a guy all I could really say was that it was cool, if you liked black and white, and lots of shiny objects that make you want to put on a pair of sunglasses.

Michelle, the baker, tapped her foot impatiently. “Just do it.”

“Can’t.”

“Do it, or so help me God, I’ll ruin the cake myself!” She raised the knife above her head.

“Wait!” I grabbed the knife from her hand and scowled. “Fine, we’ll cut the cake.”

“And…” Michelle crossed her arms.

“And…” I gulped. “I’ll very gently wipe some cake on her face.”

“That’s all I ask.” Michelle patted me on the cheek. “Good choice, Alec. Now, if you’ll excuse me I need to go make sure Jaymeson hasn’t molested the female ice sculpture.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I mumbled.

“Right, well, a trip to the ER isn’t really in my plan for your wedding day, so I’ll just go make sure security hasn’t let that Brit close enough to do anything—”

“—Twitter-worthy.”

“Right.” She walked off leaving me alone with the shiny cake and knife.

It wasn’t that I had a fear of cutting cakes or anything, or that I was super attached to food. But Nat… she looked so damn beautiful, how was I supposed to wipe cake on her face when all I wanted to do was kiss her lips? Stare at her? Lick her from head to toe? Hmm, maybe I should just start at her feet. Right, I’d just put frosting on her toes, suck on each one until the frosting was gone, then I’d move up her calf and—

“So, you got a thing for knives now, or what?” Demetri said behind me.

“Ass.” I didn’t turn around, just placed the knife onto the table and continued to stare at the cake.

“It’s cool.” He walked up beside me. “I mean, I used to have a thing for butter. So you like knives, no biggie. I mean, I wouldn’t have taken you for being a knife lover. After all, Jaymeson’s the one that can find his reflection in anything from a spoon to a toilet.”

“What do you want?” I asked, voice strained.

“Time to cut the cake.”

“But Nat—”

“—Had to change.” Demetri slapped my back. “Girls these days don’t just have one dress for the wedding, they have two.”

Just as he finished talking, the aroma that was pure Nat wafted into my personal space. I swear her pregnancy made her the most beautiful-smelling woman around. She was always fresh like sunshine. Damn. I was going to start fantasizing again if I didn’t get a hold of myself.

“Husband?” She giggled.

Demetri laughed. “If you don’t have a freaking heart attack after turning around, there’s no hope for you.”

“Go,” I barked, turning at the same time.

What I saw took my breath away — stole it straight from my body and placed it on the opposite end of the earth.

Nat.

In a see-through, plunging white dress. There was hardly any material, yet it covered her shoulders and back. Certain parts were totally see-through as if she’d just covered the important parts and let lace do the rest.

Damn my imagination.

“We’re married.” She smiled, taking a step toward me. I held out my arms and pulled her against my chest.

“Any second thoughts?”

Her smile grew. “Never.”

“Time to cut the cake!” Jaymeson yelled above the crowd.

“He drunk yet?” Nat giggled.

“Hope not because he has to get Demetri and Alyssa to the airport after the reception.”

Nat’s grip tightened around my waist.

“Hey.” I tilted her chin toward my face. “I know it’s crazy that we have to go back to work right away, but I promise I’ll make it worth it to you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Of course.” I kissed her gently. “I’ll make it worth it, over and over and over again, until you forget the reason for being upset in the first place.”

“And what if I don’t forget?”

I gave her a smug grin. “Baby, if you don’t forget your name, then clearly I’m not working hard enough to erase your memory.”

“So what? You’ll just work harder.”

“Harder.” I laughed. “Faster, slower, then when you can’t take it anymore, even slower than that.”

“I have a feeling we’re talking about different things.” Her cheeks turned pink.

“I have a feeling you know exactly what I’m referring to.” I grabbed her ass and pulled her flush against me. Her eyes widened briefly before she closed them and turned completely red.

“Uh, cake?” Jaymeson came up next to us. “Or are you planning on having sex right here?”

“Cake,” Nat mumbled against my chest.

“Then sex.” I shrugged.

“Hmm.” Jaymeson grabbed the knife. “I would have done sex first, but then again, I’m a—”

“—Whore,” Alyssa finished. “We know. Now hurry and cut the cake, guys! I have to go grab my stuff for the airport.”

I took the knife from Jaymeson’s hands and led Nat to the cake table. Hell, how was I supposed to go through with tradition without messing up her makeup?

I placed my hands over hers as we cut through the first tier and placed small pieces on each other’s plates.

Nat was too sweet. With a giggle she dipped her finger in the frosting and rubbed it across my lips. Clearly she hadn’t a clue that about ten minutes previous I’d had several fantasies about licking frosting off her body.

Licking.

Hmm.

I dipped my finger in the frosting and winked at the crowd, all before rubbing the frosting down the front of her chest, right between her cleavage.

With a swift lick, my tongue went all the way from the V in her dress towards her neck, meeting skin in such an erotic combination of sugar and Nat that my knees almost gave out.

The crowd erupted in cheers. When I lifted my eyes I winked at Michelle who simply threw her hands up into the air as if I was a hopeless case.

But Nat grabbed my face before I could see anything else. Her mouth was hot on mine as she wrapped her arms around my neck. “Such a rock star at heart.”

“This rock star doesn’t have a heart.”

She pulled back, a confused look etched across her face.

“He gave it away a long time ago.” I kissed her mouth again. “In high school — hasn’t seen it since, not that he wants to. Why would he want his own heart when he could have yours?”

A tear slid down her cheek. “Why indeed?”

“A toast!” Demetri shouted above the crowd. “To Mr. and Mrs. Alec Daniels!”

Whistles and clapping followed, but I may as well have been alone in my own little world — all I could see, all I’d ever seen since the first day I’d met her—were those eyes, those lips, and that smile. Next to Nat, the world would always be a blur — because I refused to take my eyes off the prize — off of my wife, for as long as I lived.

Chapter
Eighteen

Demetri

I knew Alyssa was pissed. She had barely looked at me when she walked down the aisle in front of Nat. When I had tried to grab her attention she scowled. I would have gotten down on one knee had it not taken away from the wedding.

Once the reception was over I had plans. Big plans. I just wasn’t sure how receptive Alyssa would be, especially since now she thought I was backing out of commitment, like Jaymeson and I had gotten brain transplants or something.

“I don’t know…” Jaymeson licked his lips and checked his watch. “We only have a few hours before your flight. If you expect me to drive you and Alyssa to the airport while you canoodle in the backseat, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Canoodle?” I repeated. “Who says that anymore?”

“It was the most appropriate word I could think of considering Aunt Lois is standing within earshot of this particular conversation,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Please.” I waved him off. Aunt Lois can’t hear a damn thing. “HELLO, AUNT LOIS! GREAT EVENING, ISN’T IT?”

“Oh you!” She tittered grabbing onto my sleeve. “No I won’t go skinny dipping! You rogue!” Jaymeson spit out his water onto the ground. “But this one.” She eyed Jaymeson up and down. “For you, I’d be willing to change my mind.”

Never in my life have I seen a man look so trapped. Jaymeson looked from me to Aunt Lois and back, peeling the label from his bottled water in the process.

“What say you, England?” I joked. “You up for a night swim?”

“I’d say I was down, so, so down,” Jaymeson whispered.

“LOIS!” Nat’s dad called, saving Jaymeson from being taken advantage of by a seventy-year-old woman.

When she was a safe distance away I let out a snort of laughter and punched Jaymeson in the arm. “Wow, smooth. I’m actually a bit worried to leave you alone with her.”

“I keep doing that.” Jaymeson shook his head. “Panicking in tense moments, that can’t be good.”

“Wow, maybe your past is catching up with you?”

He seemed to think about it for a moment. “Nah, that can’t be it, I’m just dehydrated or something.”

“Dehydration causes players to do what? Say ’yes’ to cougars?”

“Do I even want to know?” Alyssa said coming up behind us.

“Not this time.” Jaymeson shook his head. “Really, I wish I didn’t even know. Yet I’m pretty confident when I go to bed tonight, I’m going to wake up with at least two nightmares, both containing Aunt Lois without a bathing suit.”

“I’m concerned that you would know what she looks like without clothes on,” Alyssa said.

I raised my hand. “I second that concern.”

“Screw you both.” Jaymeson swore and grabbed his keys. “Now grab your shit so I can drive you to the airport.”

Alyssa shrugged and grabbed her bag. I stayed back and whispered to Jaymeson, “Please?”

With a curse he looked down at the ear plugs in my hands. “If we get in an accident because I have these bloody things in, then I’m blaming you.”

“You won’t. Just keep your eyes on the road.”

“Trust me, I don’t want to watch the peep show in the backseat.”

“Peep show?” Alyssa said, joining us again.

“Someone really needs to stop interrupting conversations,” Jaymeson grumbled then stomped to the car and got in the front seat.

“Hey.” I tugged Alyssa’s hand. “Can we talk?”

“Right now?”

“On the way to the airport.” I opened the car door for her. “Jaymeson has ear plugs in.”

“Is that even safe?”

“It’s not super dark yet.” I shrugged. “We should be fine. Besides it’s not as if you and I can’t hear, I just…” I swallowed back the dryness in my throat. “It’s important that we talk about something.”

“Fine.” She gave me a weak smile and got into the car.

Wow, that was a great start.

Chapter
Nineteen

Demetri

I waited until we were on the highway and then grabbed Alyssa’s hand. It seemed like we’d lived a thousand lifetimes together. I mean, how many shitty things had we dealt with together over the last year? I wanted to marry her. I really did. I wanted to be with her forever. I think part of me was still scared of commitment, not that I actually wanted to say that to the girl I loved.

Anyone — and I do mean anyone — in my position would be feeling the same thing. After all, I went from drug-addicted, suicidal maniac to sober, group-counseling marriage material — all within the course of a year. It was fast, and I knew that. In the long run I didn’t want to be the type of guy who jumped into marriage just because I loved someone — not when I wasn’t sure I was actually able to offer all of myself without hesitation.

Because marriage didn’t just affect me, it affected her and I’d be damned if I put her through heartache she didn’t deserve.

“Lyss,” I began, my voice cracking.

“Don’t,” she whispered. “I just, I know you want to talk Demetri, and I know we need to discuss things. I’m just not in the mood to fight, you know? Not after seeing such a beautiful ceremony. Not after experiencing what we did last night. Can we just… not talk?”

“I think that’s the first time a girl’s ever asked to make out with me…” I joked.

Alyssa rolled her eyes but I could see a small smile forming on her lips, she pressed them together and looked out the window.

“Trying to hide your amusement?” I grasped her chin and tilted her face towards mine.

“Ass.” She sighed, lips trembling.

“Come on, you love this ass.”

Full-on laughter escaped her lips. “Ugh, I hate how easy it is to forget when I’m hurt or angry or upset with you.”

“I don’t ever want you to feel like you can’t talk to me, Lyss, but honestly? I’m glad you don’t stay upset for long. I’m not sure my heart could take it. You’re my entire world; therefore, all my focus is always going to be on making you happy, and trying to distract you from moments when I’m a complete jack ass.”

She sighed heavily. I waited for her to say something; instead she kissed me lightly across the mouth. “Kiss me, Demetri Daniels. Make me forget I’m upset with you.”

“My pleasure,” I whispered against her pink lips.

Chapter
Twenty

Nat

Naked.

I was naked.

And I was already pregnant.

So I should have been totally fine with the fact that Alec specifically asked for me to wear nothing. He even gave me a time limit. Five minutes and he was coming back into the hotel room.

The man was insane! He’d helped me out of my dress then turned when it fell from my body. He’d said something about ’do overs’, which to be honest, I wasn’t really sure I was comfortable with. As far as I was concerned, I didn’t want a ’do over’, I just wanted him.

A knock sounded at the door.

I took a few deep breaths and answered, “Come in.”

The door opened and closed so fast I jumped in my chair.

“Perfect,” Alec’s dark voice radiated throughout the room causing me to tremble in my chair. He took a few steps toward me and then stopped.

I watched as his eyes drank me in — all of me.

Uncomfortable, I started to shift in my chair.

“Don’t.” His voice was hoarse; he tugged his shirt from his pants and began slowly unbuttoning. With each button my breathing picked up until finally he threw his shirt onto the ground.