Текст книги "Reciprocity"

Автор книги: K. I. Lynn

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

It would’ve been so much easier on me had I at least considered getting married any time in the last fifteen or twenty years. All that I didn’t know—and had no idea I needed to know—was brought up by Sarah, Nathan’s mom, and Teresa, my foster mother, and had my head spinning. At least we had a venue, and, with that, a helpful coordinator who worked to streamline the process.

Over the years I’d seen movies where the bride had a ton of people with her while picking out a dress. Somehow, that was how it ended up being for me, as well. Caroline, Sarah, Teresa, and Erin were scouring the racks, asking me questions that I had no answer to. What color did I want? What style? Plain or glitzy? Form-fitting or loose?

My impression that all dresses were white was squashed. Even though they all looked the same color to me, they were, in fact, not.

Caroline worked the dressing room, helping me bounce, slip, and slide into each dress. After each one, I couldn’t help but think some gym could market the experience as a workout class, because it was. Some dresses weighed what felt like almost twenty pounds. By the third one of those, we whittled away the heavier fabrics. I finally knew something—I wanted a light dress for my beach wedding. A fabric that flowed in the ocean breeze.

“So, when do I get to repay this favor with you and Ian?” I asked Caroline as she yanked another dress off.

She grunted, and I popped free. “Whenever he gets off his damn ass and asks me.”

My fingers moved through my hair, pulling it back from my face. “You’ve been together for almost three years.”

She sighed. “Yeah, and I’m beginning to wonder if we’re going anywhere. I mean, he never wants to talk about the future.”

“Really? He always seems so glued to you.”

“Yeah, but is it super glue?”

“You live together. Do you love him?” I asked. She nodded. “Then I’d wait to see if the glue dries.”

She smiled at me. “Well, we do have an Aruban vacation coming up. Maybe we’ll find out then. Until then, we have a quest.”

I turned to the mirror so she could zip up the back of the next dress.

Caroline’s eyes popped out before she caught mine in the mirror and smiled. “Yes.”

I beamed at her.

It wasn’t a strapless dress like most seemed to be—it was a lace-covered, v-neck cut, sleeveless top that ended at an empire waist. The skirt was light chiffon and moved with ease—ethereal almost. I turned to see the back. It was mostly sheer, with lace details around the edge.

It was conservative with a romantic elegance. It wasn’t overly done up or covered in beads and fancy fabrics.

It was perfect. It was me.

There was no second-guessing, no “let’s try on a few more.” No, I’d found the dress. The one I’d walk across the sand in to join Nathan so we could finally become a family.

Family. I would be part of a real, loving family.

I deserved one, and so did Nathan.

CHAPTER 5

The countdown was on—three days. We still needed to finish up the workweek before boarding a plane, and my insides felt like a ticking time bomb.

That was probably why Drew, Caroline, Nathan, and I all went out to lunch—to relax. We’d decided on a sandwich shop not far from the office, specializing in grilled subs and fresh-cut fries. Drew drove Caroline and me, while Nathan was a few minutes behind due to a meeting with a client.

After ordering for Nathan and myself, I searched for a table for the four of us. The restaurant was pretty empty, being that it was mid-week, so there were lots of options. I found one and waited for the others to join me.

“So, are you changing your name, hyphenating, or keeping Palmer?” Drew asked as he took the seat across from me. He’d learned fast that the seat beside me was reserved for Nathan.

I shook my head like mad. “Hell, no… Am I keeping Palmer?” I scoffed. It wasn’t hard to imagine where the anger stormed from for a name that’d been mine for thirty years. “As soon as we get back, Palmer is gone. I don’t want to be associated with that man anymore.” I smiled at him, pushing all the negativity away.

Drew nodded. “I figured. Can’t call you DAP anymore. Maybe I’ll just start DAT. Who DAT?”

I rolled my eyes and let out a small snicker. “That is the stupidest name. You haven’t called me that in years, therefore it and all incarnations are void.”

“I can always bring it back.”

“No. Its statute of limitations is eighty years.”

“I’d like to appeal.”

“Appeal denied.” I clasped my hands together and cocked my head at him.

“Why?”

“You don’t have the appropriate paperwork.”

“What the hell is going on over here? Lawyer porn?” Caroline asked as she sat next to Drew.

“We were discussing DAP.”

Caroline paused, then shook her head. “That was the stupidest nickname.”

“Oh, come on, it was different.” The muscles in his forearm flexed, and he grinned.

“It made it sound like you were calling her some cleaning agent. ‘DAP will get out all your stains!’”

“Lila works just fine,” I said and took a bite of my sandwich.

“I’ve got some names for her, but they aren’t for polite company.” Nathan’s arm wrapped around me as he sat down and pulled me close for a kiss.

I looked up at him. “What about Honeybear?”

“Honeybear?” Caroline and Drew asked in unison.

I could swear Nathan’s cheeks pinked up. “Yeah, you’re my Honeybear. Public or private, but I’d prefer private. I’ve got an image to keep up, after all.”

“That’s worse than DAP.” Drew had a look of disgust on his face.

“I think it’s cute. Very different and shows a different side of Nate.” Caroline smiled across the table at us.

“Thank you, Caroline.” Nathan smiled back at her, then took a bite of his sandwich, moaning as he chewed.

I let out a giggle. “Hungry?”

“Fuck, yes. I haven’t eaten all day. Someone wanted to exercise this morning, and I missed breakfast.” He elbowed me and grinned.

“Oh, God, I don’t want to hear about the kinky, fucked up shit you two get into.” Drew made a gagging sound, then set his sandwich down. “Great. Now all I can see is your fucking hairy balls.”

“Hey, I said exercise—you’re the one who twisted it into my ass being naked.” Nathan chuckled. “And what the hell are you doing see my balls? I thought you’d be envisioning Lila, though I’m glad you weren’t, but is there something you need to tell us?”

Drew glared at Nathan, then shot a fry in his direction. “Shut the fuck up.”

Caroline rolled her eyes. “Yup, bunch of professional lawyers over here, not that anyone would guess.”

Drew sat up straighter and held his head high. “Professional when we need to be.”

Caroline quirked her brow at them. “Frat boys the rest of the time?”

Drew took a bite, then wiped his mouth. “You know I wasn’t a frat boy.”

“True, but I’m willing to bet Nate was.” Caroline turned her blue eyes back to Nathan, and he held up his right hand.

“Guilty.”

I gasped in shock and pulled back. “My God, what am I marrying?”

He eyed me sideways, his lip twitching up. “Prince Charming, remember?”

I scoffed. “This is one fucked up fairy tale.”

Nathan nodded, then he turned toward me, his eyes softening as he pulled me closer. “Yes, it is, but it’s ours.”

“Oh, by the way, I ran into someone who knows you when we were at the bridal shop.” I’d forgotten all about it.

His brow quirked. “Yeah? Who?”

I wracked my brain trying to remember his name. “Mack something. Said you met back when you were working on the Marconi case.”

Nathan swallowed hard, and set his sandwich down as he turned away from me. His profile didn’t stop me from seeing the color leave his skin. My stomach dropped, and a sickness washed over me. The air around him had become so thick that I was certain Drew and Caroline noticed his abrupt change in demeanor.

He only had that reaction when the Marconi were brought up.

“What else did he say?”

It’d been an innocent run-in, or so I thought. “Congratulations. That’s it.”

He turned back to me, his lips twitching into a forced smile, but his eyes couldn’t hide the combination of anger and dread.

“So, did you hear about Blackwell?” Caroline asked. “Seems he’s all the scandal with that intern Tara.”

I turned to look at her, mouthing a “thank you” as Drew jumped in, steering the conversation away and saving our peaceful lunch as much as possible.

When Nathan came to my office at the end of the day, I could tell he was off. His agitation was seeping through in the expression on his face and the fidgeting of his hands. The silence as we climbed into the car and headed home was a dead giveaway that something was wrong.

I waited, knowing he’d spill when he was ready. It was better to wait and let his mood settle. About ten minutes into our drive, he opened up, but not on the subject I was anticipating.

“Adam’s trying to get a plea bargain,” Nathan said.

I turned in my seat to face him, stunned. “What?”

“I got a call this afternoon.” Nathan’s gaze never left the road, but his anger was evident by the grip he had on the wheel and the clenching of his jaw.

“He’s trying to get out of it.” Of course he would. His demented mind blamed me for all the hardships in his life. “How much will this push the trial out?”

“Depends on how long the prosecution lets it go until they put their foot down and say no.”

“They will say no, right?” I asked, nervous that the prosecutor would deal. If they did, Adam could serve much less time.

Nathan nodded. “With his priors, they’re not going to go easy on him.”

I let out a relieved sigh. “Hopefully they won’t let it go on too long. I want this over with.”

Nathan reached over and squeezed my hand. “It’ll be over soon. That fucker will be in jail, and we won’t ever have to think of him or see him again.”

“It’s not soon enough.”

“I know.”

It was not the news I wanted to hear. We were leaving in a few days for our wedding, and it was souring the mood. The only reprieve was that there was more time for me to prepare for telling a courtroom of people the events of my life with Adam. At the same time, I was ready to get it over with.

My future awaited me, and I would live it, with Nathan, to the fullest.

My hand clamped onto Nathan’s as the airplane engines geared up, and my eyes sealed shut as it rocketed down the runway. I was tense as the wheels left the ground, but I was able to relax after a few minutes.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.” My grip loosened, and I let out a long breath.

His thumb ran across my fingers. “At least we found a direct flight, so we don’t have to do it again today.”

“Yes, very happy about that.”

“Just relax, Honeybear. In a few hours, we’ll be on the beach.”

I pursed my lips. “Good thing I brought my tablet so we can watch movies and take my mind off the fact we’re over thirty thousand feet in the air.”

He smiled and kissed my shoulder as he leaned over to pull out our earbuds while I let out a long breath.

Thankfully there was very little turbulence through our entire flight. However, finding all the baggage we brought along with the seven people we traveled with was a pain. Half an hour later, we found everything and everyone, and were off to the Divi resort where we were staying. It was a little cramped in the van that came to take us, but we managed.

George and Sarah, Caroline and Ian, Andrew, Teresa and Armando all accompanied us, whereas Jack Holloway and Darren Morgenson would arrive the next day with their wives. Unfortunately, Noah and his wife, Camilla, were unable to come.

“Do we need to call Erin and let her know we’re here?” I asked to no one in particular. Erin and her family had gone down a few days in advance due to her vacation schedule.

Sarah turned around from the seat in front of me. “She said she’d meet up with us when we see the coordinator at three.”

I nodded and looked out the window. The weather was much different than the cold winter in Indiana. The sun was shining and the palm trees were blowing in the sea breeze. Flickers of blue ocean appeared between buildings, and I could almost taste the salt in the air.

When we arrived at the resort, I couldn’t help but smile. It was perfect—the exact image that appeared when I told Nathan I wanted the beach—sun, sea, and salty air. It reminded me of one of the happiest times of my life and would forever be a reminder of the happiest day of my life.

Nathan squeezed my hand and smiled down at me. I grinned back, then launched myself at him. He laughed, stumbling back a bit as he lifted me off the ground.

He kissed my neck. “Are you happy?”

“So happy.”

“Me, too.”

We checked in, and, by some luck, were able to get into our rooms right away. One of my bags went to the room I would share with Nathan, but for tradition’s sake, I was spending the eve before the wedding with Caroline, and Nathan was sharing with Ian.

Nathan had insisted we do our honeymoon to the extreme and splurge on a suite. I wasn’t about to complain.

We agreed to meet for lunch at the buffet after getting settled, and I headed in the opposite direction from Nathan. Caroline took my hand and smiled, swinging our arms between us.

The first thing I did when we entered was unpack my dress and hang it up in the closet.

“Hmm, we may have to have it pressed,” Caroline said as she looked it over. Her eyes scrutinized it as she pulled at the fabric and released it. “I’m sure the hotel can do it. We can ask Marie when we meet with her.”

It did have a few wrinkles and was looking on the limp side. After all, it had been stuffed in a suitcase for the last eight hours.

I shut the closet and moved over to the sliding door that led to the balcony. The second I stepped out, I was hit with the warm sea breeze and the salty tang in the air. My hair blew around my face, and I sighed as I soaked in the warmth.

“Thank you for picking the beach.” Caroline bumped my shoulder. “I needed a vacation.”

“Thank you for coming.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it for all the tea in China.”

“You don’t even like tea.”

She shrugged. “Okay, how about all the stars in the sky?”

My lip twitched. “The stars are in space.” She huffed and pinched my side, making me cry out.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. How’s that?”

I leaned my head on her shoulder. “Better than you could imagine.”

CHAPTER 6

Meeting with the event coordinator, Marie, went smoothly. She was a petite brunette with a curvy figure, round face, and wide, bright green eyes that stood out against her tanned skin. Her bubbly and open personality set me at ease the moment we met.

She’d done a great job asking all the questions in the few short weeks before the wedding and rolling it all together in time. Granted, I wasn’t a bridezilla. I let her fill in a lot of the blanks. In the end, I had a feeling she liked having the freedom to plan a wedding for a bride who wasn’t so specific on every single detail. Especially with the short timeline.

Marie snapped her binder closed and stood after going over everything with us. “All right, I’ll see all of you back here in two hours for the dress rehearsal. Hopefully you can round up the men by then.” She snickered and waved as she headed back to her office.

I was so happy to have her. She’d made the whole process so much easier and kept me from having a panic attack.

“The boys will probably be at the pool bar,” Erin said with a roll of her eyes. Her skin was pink from playing in the surf with her boys, and she had raccoon eyes.

Caroline snorted. “It’s always five o’clock when you’re on vacation.”

“We should find them before they get trashed and sun-baked.” Sarah sighed and smiled at me.

I wondered if Nathan was having a drink as well. After my accident, it was only some wine here and there or a margarita at Erin’s—our Friday nights were a long gone thing of the past. Though, the reason we stopped was due in part to all the medications we were on, along with therapist directions. In the end, it was a good thing for both of us, but it was vacation, so I suspected we’d be partaking quite a bit more than normal.

Teresa slipped her arm in mine and smiled. “Come, mi niña, let’s find them.”

As we walked through the lobby, I couldn’t help but take notice of how…different things were. Four women were paced with me, talking to me. I was involved and part of the group. In fact, I was the center of attention. It was surreal.

There’d already been so many “what do you want” or “what do you like” questions thrown around—people doing things for me and wanting to know what I wanted.

“There they are,” Caroline said, pointing to exactly where we thought they were—the pool bar. Ian was sitting next to Nathan, his Cheshire grin aimed at Caroline. She beamed back at him. His blond hair was a mess, making it obvious he’d already been in the pool.

“Well, hello, beautiful ladies.” Nathan grinned and pulled me between his open knees, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Extra special hello to my bride.”

He pursed his lips, and I leaned down to meet them. They tasted like beer.

“Are you drunk already?”

He chuckled. “On half a beer? No.”

“So, you’re just being overly charming, laying it on thick.” My eyes narrowed. “What are you up to?”

He quirked his brow at me. “What I am up to is cloud-fucking-nine, because I haven’t felt this good or been this happy in years. If I seem drunk, it’s because I’m drunk on happiness and…giddiness. I’m giddy.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “You’re being silly, but I have to admit, it’s fun, and I kinda like it.”

He gave me a quick peck. “Anything for you.”

I drew a circle on his chest with my finger and looked at him from under my lashes. “Anything?”

Ian laughed next to us. “Uh oh, man. She’s breaking out those feminine wiles.”

Nathan backed up and looked me over. “Who is this temptress before me? Because my fiancée isn’t like this.”

“I guess I’m giving in to my inner harlot.”

“Well, I like this inner harlot. Tell me more.” He grabbed onto my ass and pulled me hard between his legs. “What was it you wanted again?”

I placed my arms on his shoulders and ran my fingers through his hair. “I want to go walk on the beach and play in the water.”

“Now? What time is the rehearsal dinner?”

“In a few hours. So, we have about an hour or so before we need to get ready.”

“All right. Let’s go get changed.” He stood up, taking a long last sip of his beer, then grabbed my hand as we walked off. “We’ll be in the water.”

Ian toasted us with his beer. “Have fun!”

We headed into the hotel toward Nathan’s room, walking hand-in-hand. I couldn’t keep the smile from my face.

“You look happy.” He smiled down at me, his free hand brushing a strand of hair back. “It looks so good on you.”

I grabbed hold of his arm and leaned against his shoulder. “I am happy.”

He kissed the top of my head. “Good.”

When we entered his room, I sat down on the bed next to his suitcase. It was a front row view to a strip show, and I’d left my singles back in the room. I licked my lips at the sight of one of my favorite parts of his anatomy swinging as he stepped out of his shorts. He noticed me staring at him and smirked.

“See something you want?” He thrust his hips, making his cock bounce up and down.

I nodded and gave him a pout. “But it’s not hard yet.”

“I’m trying fucking hard not to.” He shook his head and picked through his suitcase, looking for his swim trunks.

“Why?” He was never one for holding back.

He slapped his trunks at me after he pulled them out. “Because we’ll have all the time in the world for it after the wedding.”

I sighed, enjoying my view, pouting at him as he got dressed. He chuckled and pulled his trunks on. Once they were up, hiding his cock again, we headed out the door and down to where I was staying.

As soon as we were in the room, I rid myself of my sundress. There was a groan behind me when I bent over to slide my panties down. I smiled, turned toward him and winked. He cursed under his breath, his hand rubbing at the back of his neck as he adjusted his stance.

Out of my suitcase came the small white bikini Caroline found for me in the fall. It was the only suit I owned, but I figured I’d buy another one while we were in Aruba.

I bent over to slip on the bottoms, and he groaned again.

Nathan’s eyes darkened and he turned from me, his fingers rubbing against his lips. “Motherfucker.” I also caught his hand on his cock. “You are a very bad girl.”

“What?” I adjusted my breasts, fixing the top so it was just right.

“I fucking forgot about what you’d be wearing. You know how I feel about you in this sad excuse of a bathing suit, and you’re teasing me with it.” His muscles tensed and flexed, teeth mashing. “You’re trying to push my buttons, and I’m not going to give it to you.” His gaze narrowed on me. “I’m onto your games.”

My jaw dropped open. “Are you denying me?”

He nodded. “For being a tease, you aren’t getting any until tomorrow night.”

“But…”

“Besides, we don’t really have time for it.”

I quirked my brow at him and shifted my weight as I crossed my arms, thus pushing my breasts out more. “Says the man who’s perfected the office quickie.”

He sighed and leaned back against the wall. “What have I turned you into?”

“Exactly what you wanted—a sexual deviant who can’t live without your cock. I believe your official title for me when we’re alone is ‘my little cocksucking slut.’”

He grinned at me and shook his head. “I’ve created a monster.”

“A cock monster.”

“Yes, a cock monster. Now throw your dress back on, and let’s go. You wanted to play in the ocean, remember?”

“You distracted me.”

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Fuck, I love you.”

We walked down to the beach, and I gave a happy sigh when my feet sank into the warm sand. Nathan was staring at me, and I turned to him. “What?”

“I need to make you insanely happy more often, because you are shining.”

I beamed up at him, then took his hand and ran toward the crashing waves.

Waking up without Nathan beside me was strange. I didn’t like it at all. Even though I wasn’t alone—Caroline was beside me—I felt like something was missing. The worst part of it all was that I wouldn’t see him until this afternoon at the wedding.

I stood, trying not to disturb my sleeping friend, and walked out onto the terrace. The sun was just over the horizon, and the humid warmth of the island increased with every passing minute. Waves crashed against the beach in a steady rhythm.

I wished Nathan was with me, standing behind me, his arms caging me against the banister as we took in the morning view. Then again, he’d probably only last about a minute before pulling down my panties and pushing his cock in me as we looked out.

The thought alone made my pussy twitch. No surprise that I was still wanting for him, especially after all the teasing yesterday and what he did under the table at dinner. His fingers not so innocently slipped up my skirt and brushed against my pussy more than once.

The sliding glass door opened behind me. “Morning.” Caroline moved to the rail to stand next to me.

I looked over and choked out a laugh. Caroline’s normally well-kept brunette hair looked like she’d been through a tornado. Some of her makeup was missed when taking it off the night before, giving her a black eye effect.

“You look…excellent this morning.”

She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “Shut it.” She looked back out and sighed. “I love it here. Can I stay? Forever?”

“I don’t know about that. You want to leave me? What would Ian say?”

“Pfft, he’d probably be up for it. I’m sure there are tons of IT jobs here.” She leaned her head on my shoulder. “And I couldn’t leave you all alone to deal with both Nate and Drew all the time.”

“They are a handful.”

“We need to find Drew a girl.” She pulled at one of the tangles in her hair, trying to smooth it.

I nodded. “I want him to be happy, too. He’s a great guy.”

She pushed her arms out and stretched. “Maybe when we get back, we can convince him to go onto one of those online dating sites.”

“We might be able to talk him into it.”

“Especially now that you’re off the market.” She bumped me.

I shook my head. “We tried once. It didn’t work.”

She looked over the balcony down to the pool. “I know, and he does as well. Took his hardheaded ass long enough to see it, but he agrees with me.”

I turned to her. “Agrees with what?”

She put her arm around me. “There is no better man for you than Nate, even with all the shit that surrounds him.”

I sighed, smiling as I stared out. “I never knew I could feel like this. That I could love like this or be loved.”

“You’re a whole different person than you were six years ago when we met.”

“He’s everything to me. I can’t live without him.”

She was silent for a moment. “We’ll make sure that never happens. Because guess what?” I looked at her. “I can’t live without you.”

I threw my arms around her. “I love you.”

She chuckled. “I love you, too.” She pulled back. “Come on, let’s go get some breakfast.”

I smirked at her and waved toward her head. “You are going to do something about that, right?”

She stuck her tongue out at me and headed inside. “I’ll throw it up in a bun for now and get a shower when we get back.”

I rifled through my bag for some shorts and a T-shirt. “Hey, I know I didn’t go with the whole wedding party or anything, but you know you’re my maid of honor, no matter what.”

She snorted. “After all the heavy lifting I did when we were dress shopping, you bet your ass I better be!”