Marry Me for Money (34 page)

The band broke our connection again. “We are going to take ten and then play our last round. Stay tuned.”

Relieved, I moved away from Kent. That look of want was back. He looked to my lips, and I wanted to pull him closer and ram my mouth against his, but instead, I looked to the bar.

“Want a drink?” I asked breathlessly and not meeting his eyes.

“Sure,” he replied.

I turned to walk toward the bar, and he followed. Kendy and Aunt Diane were right behind us. He slowed until he was in line with them, and I felt that the almost event had been averted.

When the elevators opened, I hopped onto Kent’s back and linked my arms around his neck. He raced toward our hotel room in a full-on sprint, causing my arms to tighten around his neck. The wedding reception had not been as bad as I’d expected. I’d drunk a lot and danced a lot, and by the time it had ended, I’d been in a happy, jolly mood.

“That was truly priceless. I will forever have the image of my mother practically giving my father a lap dance and then crying on his shoulder because her son is all grown up burned into my brain. And let’s not forget when she passed out on that chair. My father will have a fun time carrying her to their room.” With one hand, he swiped the key that opened the door to our honeymoon suite.

I was dying from uncontrollable laughter as he stepped into the room. I dropped off his back, and my eyes widened as I took in our surroundings.

The suite was complete with a full ten-person dining room table, a bar, and even a small baby grand piano in the center of the room. The twinkle of the city lights surrounded us as floor-to-ceiling windows spanned the whole living room.

“This is amazing,” I whispered, dropping my Louboutin shoes on the floor.

“Yeah…amazing,” he said, staring at me. “I’ve never had so much fun. Thank you,” he whispered.

“Anything for my husband,” I said, fluttering my eyes at him.

He laughed at the look I’d given him.

I surveyed the room and walked in farther. I stopped in the bedroom in front of the palatial king-sized bed. “You know what? Besides the getting ready and that awful ceremony when everyone was looking at us, that wasn’t so bad,” I said, trying to unclasp my necklace.

His hands came on top of mine. “Let me,” he said, pushing my hair to one side of my neck.

It tickled where his fingertips lightly touched.

“Here,” he said, facing me and dropping the necklace in my hands.

“Thanks,” I said quietly.

His smile was disarming. He was truly handsome with his sly grin on his face, still wearing his tux. I didn’t think I’d really taken in the whole ensemble until this moment.

“You look handsome today.” It just came out.

One eyebrow lifted. “Don’t I always?”

It was such a Kent thing to say, and I laughed.

“Thank you, Mrs. Plack.” He bowed. “I’m glad you find me extremely handsome. For me, I find you extremely beautiful today in that dress, but you already know that,” he said slowly.

I sat on the bed, looking at my gown. “Yeah, I’ll admit that this is a pretty dress, but I still have no idea why someone would pay that much money for just a dress.”

He sat down next to me and touched the beads of pearls and crystal on my waist. “It’s the artistry of this dress, the intricacies of every bead being hand sewn,” he said quietly.

His hands moved farther up, stopping right under my breast. “This is not synthetic fabric. It’s silk, and the way it bunches right here tells me the designer is a perfectionist,” he whispered, his voice dropping.

I stopped breathing as his eyes darkened.

He ran his finger in a straight line across the top, right above where the fabric met my flesh. “It’s not just a dress. It’s every detail, every stitch. It’s how the seams lay perfectly flat,” he said, looking at where his finger paused.

When he met my eyes, I bit my lower lip, and his eyes flashed. I felt the air shift. His look was making my temperature rise even though the room was fairly cool. Desire pooled in the deepest part of my belly but I knew that one wrong move would change everything.

“You’re such a metrosexual male.” I laughed awkwardly, moving from his touch.

“I’m not an expert on dresses, but I do know the difference between a store-bought suit versus the finest handmade tailored suit. There is a difference,” he said.

I stood up, turned, and grabbed the suitcase off the floor. “I’m going to change. I’m getting tired.” I walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

I dropped the suitcase on the black marble tile and glanced at the mirror, taking in my flushed reflection. I looked to the buttons lining the back of my dress and sighed before pivoting to walk out of the bathroom.

“Kent, can you do me a favor? Can you unbutton me?” I asked, turning to face the bathroom.

I felt him before I heard him, and when his hands moved to the top button, I held my breath. There wasn’t a nerve in my body that didn’t feel him slowly undoing each and every one. I heard his breathing deepen while he tugged and released each button. The loosening of the bodice should have allowed me to breathe easier, but his proximity prevented that. He stopped right above my blue lace panties and placed both of his hands on my hips.

“There,” he said breathlessly against my neck.

I didn’t move. Part of me wanted him to lower his lips onto the crook of my neck. I heard him exhale as I felt his eyes on my naked back. That electricity was in the air again, and if I turned around, there was no doubt what would happen next.

“Thanks.” Holding the dress up at the sides, I walked back into the bathroom.

I splashed my face with the coldest water, but it was not bringing down the heat rising inside me. That was when I decided to take the coldest and longest shower of my life. I rinsed all the shampoo out of my hair and scrubbed my face raw, removing the caked-on makeup from earlier.

It was almost an hour later when I walked out of the bathroom. Kent had positioned himself in the middle of the king-sized bed, wearing gray pajama pants and a white T-shirt. He had the remote in his hand as he flipped through the channels. I frowned when I noticed him lying comfortably on the bed.

“Don’t worry, I’ll sleep on the floor.” His mood was different from earlier, which made me relax.

I plopped on the bed next to him, combing my wet hair with my fingers. The events of the day were finally catching up to me, and I let out a big yawn.

“Why were you crying earlier?” he asked. I was confused at his question, but he continued, “At the ceremony, you were crying.”

I thought back to when I walked down the aisle. “I missed Nana,” I said, glancing at him. I took a deep breath. “And I know she would have been disappointed in me. Nana wasn’t all about survival of the fittest, doing what you can to survive. Nana was all about doing the right thing, and for the first time since she raised me, I just know she wouldn’t have been proud of me.”

I looked at the engagement ring on my finger. “It’s not me—this gigantic rock, the expensive fancy dress, the big wedding. Taking the easy way out is not me. I’m pretending to be someone I’m not.” I looked back up to him. “On my wedding day, I always pictured myself walking down the aisle in a short linen summer dress. I imagined getting married in my backyard, surrounded by a garden of wildflowers, and by the closest of family. Also, a big part of me wishes Nana could be there on the real day.” I frowned at the thought of never having the chance to see her again. I missed her the most when I needed her or wanted her to experience my happiest moments.

I was surprised when Kent took my hand in his.

“Come here.” He pulled me toward him. “Can I just hold you tonight? I promise, I won’t try anything crazy. Plus, tomorrow at brunch, I can honestly tell my parents we slept together.”

I knew this was dangerous, especially with the near misses throughout the day. I studied his face, which didn’t show any indication of his earlier mood. I really shouldn’t have, but I wanted him near me.

I laid my head on his chest. I was so close that I could hear the thumps of his heart beating. I exhaled a long tired sigh, feeling my whole body loosen in his embrace.

“Don’t ever doubt that Nana would be so proud of the woman you’ve become today,” he said, running his fingers through my wet hair.

His T-shirt smelled of detergent. It was like sleeping on newly laundered sheets. I nestled close and fell asleep to the rhythmic motions of his fingers running from my scalp to the ends of my hair.

I woke up to a big puddle of drool on my pillow. I wiped my crusty mouth with the back of my hand. When I moved, I felt Kent behind me, spooning me—and he was erect.

“Kent!” I whined, hitting him with my arm.

He flipped onto his stomach. “Sorry. That tends to happen in the morning.” He chuckled, his words muffled against the pillow.

I took my pillow and whacked him on his back, again and again, until he flipped over and grabbed it from my hands. The phone rang, and I jumped off the bed before he could hit me back. Instead, he flung the pillow across the room, hitting me on the head.

“Hello?” I laughed, narrowing my eyes at him.

“Good morning. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Hi, Karen. Good morning. No, Kent is just being silly.”

“Come to bed, baby. I want more!” he yelled, so his mother could hear.

I widened my eyes at him as he placed both hands behind his head and gave me a wink.

“I’ll call back later,” Karen replied, letting out a delightful laugh.

“No, he’s just hungry,” I said.

“I’m hungry but not for food, baby!” he yelled even louder.

I squinted at him and pointed my finger in warning.

“You guys are too cute.” She chuckled. “I called to tell you that I’m not feeling too well this morning. I think I had a tad too much fun last night. We’re headed back to Barrington, so I’ll have to cancel brunch. I’m sure you two had a long night, too.”

I felt her smile on the phone.

“Okay, I hope you feel better, Karen.”

“Yes, nothing an Advil, some sleep, and a dark room can’t fix. And, Beth?”

“Yes?”

“Please call me Mom.”

I fell silent at her words.
Mom.
I bit my cheek, touched by her sentiment. “Okay,” I responded.

I blushed when Kent started moaning loudly.

“I have to go, Mom.”

“Okay, we’ll stop by this week. Have fun, and just so you know, your dad and I extended your stay for another night. You know, just in case you wanted to stay longer.”

I blushed at her inward thoughts. “Thanks.”

I hung up the phone, picked up the pillow off the floor, and threw it with a direct hit on Kent’s face. He let out a low laugh.

“When did you start acting so goofy?” I asked.

A dimple popped on his cheek. “When I met you,” he said, throwing the pillow back at me.

He missed as I sauntered toward the bathroom.

I couldn’t avoid the move.

Mr. and Mrs. Plack helped Kent move me into his condo and into his room. It was funny—watching them make room for my things, moving Kent’s belongings in the process—when I knew I’d move it all back into my apartment once the arrangement was over. Throughout the whole ordeal, I made faces at Kent behind his parents’ backs. When they left, I moved some of my stuff back into the spare bedroom.