He turned me in his arms and scanned my face with a concerned gleam in his hazel eyes. “Are you sure? My mom thought you looked like you were going to pass out. It’s the only reason she let me break one of the cardinal rules, since the groom isn’t supposed to see the bride before the wedding.”
“I’m okay,” I repeated, in an effort to reassure myself right along with him. “I haven’t eaten much of anything today between getting ready and a tiny case of pre-wedding jitters. You don’t need to worry. I’m not going to leave you standing at the altar. We made a deal, and I’m going to stick to it.”
His brow wrinkled, and I had the insane urge to smooth it with my fingertips. “I didn’t come in here because I thought you’d back out of the wedding.” His gaze swept across the empty room before zeroing back in on my face. “I was worried. My mom also mentioned that you didn’t have any family with you. There’s nobody to walk you down the aisle?”
“No. My parents passed away in a car accident a couple of years ago.” I gulped down the lump in my throat I always got whenever I thought about them. “And it wasn’t possible for my brother to attend on such short notice.” Not when I hadn’t told him about the wedding yet. I was waiting until after the surgery Sullivan’s money was going to make possible.
“When I pushed for today to happen so quickly, I didn’t—”
This time, I didn’t resist the impulse to touch him and pressed my index finger against his lips. “I meant it when I said I’m okay, Sullivan. When I agreed to the date for our wedding, I knew my brother wouldn’t be here.”
He nipped my finger, and I dropped my hand like he’d burned it—an apt comparison, since the graze of his teeth against my skin set my body on fire. Then he bent his elbow and tugged my arm through it, resting my hand in the crook. “Let’s break another tradition.”
“What’re you doing?” I asked in a panic, unsure of how to deal with the sensitive side of a man who’d insisted that our relationship wasn’t going to be the least bit emotional. “You’re supposed to be out there waiting for me with everyone else.”
He responded by kissing me, his mouth crashing hard against mine. When my lips parted, his tongue pushed inside. He cupped my face with his palms and utterly destroyed me with his kiss, leaving me trembling with need by the time we jumped apart after his mom cried out, “I should have known better than to let you in here!”
My cheeks heated as she pried us apart and wagged her finger at her son. “No kissing until the end of the ceremony.”
“Sorry, Mom. Kinsley looks so beautiful in her wedding dress, I couldn’t resist.”
I took that as my cue to play the blushing bride for his mom, tilting my face up toward his and giving him what I hoped was an adoring look. “I don’t think I’ll ever have it in me to refuse one of his kisses.”
“Aww, young love,” she cooed, dabbing at the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief. “I was a little worried when Sullivan told me the wedding was going to happen so quickly, but I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see how adorable you are together. The two of you remind me of Malcolm and myself when we first met and married.”
If she only knew exactly how wrong she was, she’d be devastated. But it was my job to make sure that never happened, so I pasted a smile on my face and nodded. “Hopefully we’ll be as happy together as you and your husband have been.”
“I’m sure you will, dear.” She gave my hand a squeeze and then patted Sullivan’s arm right above it. “But first we have to get the two of you married. Come along now, Sullivan. Head in there and wait for your bride.”
“I’m going to walk Kinsley down the aisle, Mom.” My groom’s voice brooked no argument, but she didn’t seem to mind as her eyes teared up again.
“Okay, honey,” she agreed, turning on her heel to lead us to the ballroom where the ceremony was being held.
As we followed behind her, Sullivan leaned forward until his lips brushed against my ear. “By the end of the night, you’ll be my wife, and there won’t be anyone around to stop me from doing exactly what I would have done if we hadn’t been interrupted: hike up the skirt of your dress and finally get a taste of your hot, little pussy. It would have been nice to exchange our vows with your flavor in my mouth. I’ll just have to go to sleep with it instead, after I’ve gotten my fill of you and fucked you into exhaustion.”