I can’t even hear while I’m up there. I’m trying not to cry happy tears and ruin my makeup, but this is as close to a fairytale as I’m going to get. Other girls wait and agonize for a year to taste different cake samples and think about the exact shade of the tablecloths. Jeff just asked around for wedding planners with cancelled weddings and slid right into a slot with a runaway bride who jilted her groom with one day to go. With him around, everything was easier.
The priest asks me to say “I do”. Then he asks Jeff. Now we’re man and wife.
Jeff kisses me softly on the lips and I can hear happy sighs in the crowd.
Then we turn to the audience. I am bl
inded by flashes, but I keep a smile on my face. No matter what the future brings, I will never forget the happiness of this moment. Danny’s asleep in a carrier in the front row next to my aunt.
Five hours later, my feet are screaming and my stomach is full. I’ve been kissed by Jeff so many times my mouth has swollen to twice the normal size. And still people are clinking their forks against their glasses.
“You want to get out of here?” Jeff asks as he watches me surreptitiously rub my feet.
“Yes,” I say gratefully. I look out at the room. “But the party’s in full swing.”
“They won’t even notice.” Jeff takes my hand and kisses my new wedding band. “Let’s sneak out. I’ll tell the DJ to make an announcement that the free bar is open until 5 AM.”
He goes to the DJ and tells him what to say. As soon as the DJ announces it, there’s a stampede for the bar that only free booze can create.
Jeff and I sneak out through a side door.
“That was crazy,” I say, the cold air hitting my face.
“Let’s go home,” Jeff says. Danny is staying with my aunt and uncle tonight. I shiver at the tone of Jeff’s voice.
Chapter 20
Wedding Night
Jeff
Elia looks unbelievable. I had to hold myself back from kissing her shoulder all day. The smooth brown skin looks so soft and inviting. It doesn’t help that I already knew what it felt like. I drive us both home, feeling myself getting harder, thinking of what she’ll look like when I’ve stripped her.
And then we’re home.
“Wait for me,” I tell her. I get out of the car and run around the front. She opens her door before I can, but then I’m pulling her out of the car and nudging the door shut with my shoulder. My arms are full of her.
“What are you doing?” she squeals. Her arms wrap around my neck.
“Carrying you over the threshold, babe.” I kiss her ear and then her soft shoulder before walking to the front door. Thank God I had the foresight to keep it unlocked because I knew that I’d be carrying her in.
My foyer has motion detecting lights which blaze on as soon as we get in. I take a moment to adjust to the brightness of the light before taking her upstairs to the master bedroom.
I set her down gently on the bed then say, “Turn.”
She leans forward, exposing her back to me. There are little pearl buttons going down the back. I undo them one at a time, watching the smooth flesh revealed just a little bit of the time. I think I might die of anticipation on my wedding night, but what a way to go. I kiss my way down her back until I’m kneeling next to the bed.
“Let’s get you out of those. Stand.” I get back to my feet and pull the entire dress over her head. There’s way too much fabric flying around everywhere. It feels like a snowstorm, but then I’m throwing it to the side and advancing on her.
“Get naked,” she tells me.
I yank off my tuxedo. If I were a patient man, I’d hang it up so that it didn’t wrinkle. But I’m too impatient to do anything that will slow down what I’ve been wanting to do all day.
She’s still wearing her diamond earrings that were something new. She has a blue bracelet on her wrist that was her something borrowed, as well. My grandmother’s ring was something old.
“You’re incredible,” I say to her, parting her thighs with a gentle hand on the inside of each knee. “And I’m going to eat you.”
Before she can say anything, my head is lower so that my tongue touches her inner folds. She immediately writhes under me. I push her knees a little further apart so that I can get access. After letting go of her knees, my fingers are rubbing her clit as my tongue flits in and out of her warmth. Damn, she tastes so good and sweet. I took her virginity, but our wedding night also feels sacred. I feel like tonight is the foundation of the rest of our lives together.