The Justice of the Peace, a tiny woman in a gray suit, clears her throat, and the whispers fade. A sultry breeze blows from the lake, and I shiver.
Jesse tucks me to his front and wraps both arms around me. I lean back against his hard chest, my mind blanking out. It feels so… familiar. Intimate. Natural.
Easy and yet exciting, exhilarating, and sexy. Fire races over my skin, and the tips of my breasts tighten when his hands shift over my belly.
From the hard rod digging into the small of my back, I’m not the only one aroused.
The Justice of the Peace says a few words, inviting the couple to reflect on the journey ahead of them and reminding them they hereby agree to a legal and binding contract of marriage, or something of that sort, the words lost in the buzzing in my ears.
“Okay?” Jesse breathes in my ear, and I gulp.
“Yes.” I really am, much better than I thought I’d be, though I’m pretty sure his arm around me, his warm presence is helping. “I’m fine.”
I take a fortifying breath, as if about to jump into the ocean, and brace for him to release me.
He still doesn’t let go.
“Good,” he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice as he tugs me back against his hard-on. “I’m fine, too.”
Laughter tickles my throat, wants to spill out, and I swallow it down, trying desperately to pay attention to the ceremony.
Asher is saying his vows, telling Audrey that she and their son are the most important people in the world to him and that he’ll love them forever, that she saved him and he’ll never forget it.
My eyes fill up. I barely know these people, and yet his speech is so passionate and rings with so much honesty that I’m touched. He really loves his woman and kid, and you can tell she feels the same way when she turns toward him and they hug, their baby held between them gently, like a fragile flower.
A small applause goes around, and I find myself clapping, too, because honestly, this is heartwarming. Even more so when they part, and she gives her vow, too, telling him how much she loves him, and how glad she is he made it out of hell alive to be with her.
Crap, they’re going to make me bawl. I wish for love like theirs, for someone to hold me as tightly as Asher does Audrey and their son.
Like Jesse is holding me right now—but for how long? Until tomorrow, next week? What about forever?
Jesse shifts, and I realize the ceremony is over. The couple are kissing amidst cheering and clapping, and Zane has taken out a piece of paper and is frowning at it.
Then he steps in front of the now wedded couple, balls up the paper, throws it to the ground, and lifts a hand.
“All hail Zane Madden,” Jesse whispers in my ear, and although there’s a hint of laughter in his voice, he manages to sound sincere at the same time. “Asher says Zane saved him too many times to count. He is the shit, you know?”
Boy worships Zane. Knowing now that the man took him in from the street and gave him a home and a future, I can understand why.
He has quite a presence, too, imposing with that war-like hairdo and the tattoos. I don’t know his history, but from his almond-shaped eyes and broad cheekbones you can tell he has some Asian ancestry. A sexy, handsome, dangerous-looking boy, like his friends and protégés.
One of whom is squeezing the breath out of me, his arms crossed underneath my breasts, his chin resting on my shoulder.
Not that I’m complaining. Frankly, as Jesse whispers my name and kisses my neck, raining shivers down my back, there’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be. In fact, I wish I could stop time and keep this instance, this precious moment where everything is possible.
Where Jesse Lee might be in love with me.
***
“Good evening,” Zane says, when everyone has quieted down. The spotlight casts him in stark contrast, leaching out all color from his tattoos and hair. “I believe it’s custom for the best man to make a speech. I hon
estly don’t see why the best maid can’t make one, too,” he winks at Tessa who grins back at him. “But I leave that up to her. I have a few things I want to say.”
A few whispers escape the gathering. Speculation, probably, as to what he’s about to talk about.
“I know I’m supposed to give a speech after everyone has been seated at the table, but I’ll do it now. I have my reasons.”
More whispers.