The ushers were supposed to sweep the curtains aside and her eyes would meet Sed’s from a distance and she’d slowly take her practiced steps in his direction, her gaze never leaving his. The love would flow between them as they anticipated touching, anticipated becoming physically connected, just as they were psychically connected.
But he wasn’t even looking at her.
“Sed!” she called.
Jessica was running down the aisle toward him even before he moved. His head popped up and when his gaze landed on her, he staggered against Brian as if his knees had given out. She wanted to apologize for making him worry. She wanted to yell at him for thinking she’d leave him at the altar. But mostly she just wanted to stare at him in adoring awe. He’d never looked more handsome. More loving. More hers.
She stopped dead as she reached the front row of the carefully decorated chairs with their bows all blowing flat and the flowers crumpled, the ribbons flying in every direction in the punishing breeze. But that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was the man. The man was perfect.
The wedding march faded to silence, allowing her to hear the whispers discussing the scene she’d just made. But these people knew her. They should be used to her causing scenes.
“Who gives this woman to this man in wedlock?” the chaplain said, as if he were going through the motions and not really part of what was going on.
The murmured conversations quieted as everyone stared at the empty spot beside Jessica where her mother was supposed to be standing and giving her away. At least that’s how they’d rehearsed.
“I give myself to him,” Jessica blurted. “My mother doesn’t own me anyway.”
Sed chuckled, his dimples flashing in his cheeks. He held out a strong, masculine hand in her direction. Her heart thudded, as it always did when she was near him, and she took his hand, stepping to his side. She didn’t know which of them was trembling more, but neither of them was at all steady as they waited for Myrna to arrange Jessica’s train as best she could in the wind so they could have their picture-perfect exchange of vows. The backdrop was far from the perfection she’d imagined: the sky was near black with clouds, the ocean churned with angry waves, the wind caught her carefully chosen veil and whipped it about her in chaotic plumes, and her poor bouquet would never look the way it should. But the man....
The man was gorgeous in his tailored black tux with his smile unending and his eyes full of love and a bit of humor.
If he laughed at her for this, she would, she would… laugh right back. Actually, she was moments from breaking into hysterics and she couldn’t figure out why. Her perfect day was far from perfect and for some unknowable reason, she didn’t care. Not as long as Sed recited his vows and meant them as much as she meant hers.
She could scarcely hear the chaplain over the howling wind, but since she and Sed had written their vows, she didn’t need the cues. She knew them by heart.
“You are the reason I breathe,” Jessica said, lost in Sed’s striking blue gaze until a piece of sand found its way into her eye and she had to rub at it, undoubtedly smudging her make-up into a one-eyed-raccoon look.
“What?” Sed yelled. “I didn’t hear you.”
“You are the reason I breathe!” she yelled.
“Yeah, I feel the same way!”
Had he forgotten the words? Understandable. He was probably nervous, and it wasn’t as if either of them could hear the drone of the chaplain. She blinked the sand out of her eye and then squinted up at him. He had his lips pressed together as if he was barely able to hold it together. She continued. It was important that they recite their vows to each other even if they were the only ones who could hear them.
“I love you more with each passing moment!” she yelled.
“Me too!” he returned.
“I promise to stand beside you always, weather any storm—”
“Any storm?” he yelled.
“Yes, any storm. Even this one.”
“I love you!” he yelled. “You matter to me more than anything. I don’t want to live a single moment without you in my life.”
“I love you too!” Those weren’t the words they planned, but considering that she was getting hoarse from yelling, they would have to do.
“Do you want to be my wife?”
“Yes! For always. Do you want to be my husband?”
“Of course I do, or I wouldn’t be here.”
Sed flung out a hand toward Brian, who started.
“Rings!”
Brian hurriedly unlaced the rings from the pillow on Malcolm’s lap and handed them to Sed.
“This ring tells the world you’re mine and no one else’s,” Sed said, then he slipped the ring onto Jessica’s finger.
“This ring tells horny bitches that you’re off-limits,” she countered and slid his ring over the knuckle of his left ring finger.
She couldn’t even remember what they’d planned to say. These words were organic. Real. They were both jealous and possessive of each other, so why not just get that all out in the open and into the ceremony?
They both looked at the chaplain, who stared at them as if they were raving lunatics. Jessica was pretty sure they were at that moment.
“Uh, is that it?” the man said.
Jessica and Sed nodded in unison.
“Then I pronounce you husband and wife. Kiss your bride.”
Sed drew Jessica against his length and the instant his mouth found hers, the heavens opened and rain began to pour in a torrent. Jessica was vaguely aware of the startled cry of baby Malcolm, the disgruntled shouts of the wedding party, and the scramble for cover by the guests, but all of it faded as Sed continued to kiss her. She dropped her bouquet to the ground so she could cup his cheek. Cool rain slid down his face, over her hand, down her wrist, and dripped from her elbow. The wind finally claimed her veil, ripping it free of pins and combs and hurling it into the air. She didn’t care. All she cared about was kissing her husband. This disaster of a day might have taken every perfect moment from her, but it would not take her kiss.
Sed’s tongue brushed her upper lip, and she parted her lips, drawing him deeper. If his strong arm hadn’t been wrapped around her lower back to press her firmly against his belly, she’d have collapsed at his feet.
He drew away after a long moment and stared down into her eyes, raindrops clinging to his spiky lashes and tracing rapid courses down his strong jaw. The wind had calmed and the rain fell steadily, but it no longer fell in a torrential downpour.
“You’re so beautiful,” Sed told her, fingers stroking the sopping tangle of her hair. Hair that had been a gorgeous mass of loose curls moments before, but was now wet and limp. She could only assume that her mascara was making her do her best impression of Alice Cooper.
“If you say so.” She grinned up at him and touched his face. “Why didn’t you tell me how sexy you are in a soaking-wet tuxedo?”
“I didn’t want to ruin the surprise.”
“So you ordered this rain?” she asked, her eyes flipping skyward.
He leaned close and whispered in her ear, “No, but I think God was afraid if I got too overheated I’d have fucked you right here in front of all our guests.”
“I didn’t realize a little rain could effectively cool your ardor.”
“The effect was short-lived.”
“I’m sorry I was late,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and nuzzling into his wet chest. “My mother wanted us to wait for Johnny Depp.”
Sed burst out laughing, the sound rich and deep against her ear as it rumbled through his broad chest. “For a minute, I thought you’d changed your mind. That you finally realized you didn’t want to marry me.”
She reached up and cupped his face in her hands, staring intently into his eyes. “Never. Who in their right mind would go through all this wedding bullshit if they weren’t one hundred percent committed to loving their spouse for the rest of their life?”
“Not me,?
?? he admitted with a chuckle. “I’m sorry rain ruined your perfect day.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” she said, “but we’re here and we’re married. That’s all that matters.”
“I do love you, Mrs. Lionheart.”
He claimed her mouth in another kiss. Her entire body trembled against him. Whether it was from the chill of the rain on her skin or the heat of lust swirling through her blood, she wasn’t sure.
Sloshing footsteps approached and the rain suddenly stopped directly overhead, replaced by the sound of drops against nylon. Sed tugged his mouth away and turned his head.
“Are you two going to stand out here in the rain all day?” Eric said, holding an umbrella over their heads.
“Not all day,” Sed said. “Just until I’ve had enough of kissing her.”
“So all day then,” Eric said with a knowing grin.
Sed chuckled. “Maybe.” His blue eyes lifted toward to the black fabric above them. “Bit late for the umbrella.”
“Jessica’s mother was wailing about ruined dresses, so I had no choice but to save her daughter’s poor garment.”
“It was mostly ruined by baby puke anyway,” Jessica said.
Sed’s fingers found the zipper at Jessica’s back and eased it down several inches. “She’s welcome to the dress. I just want the woman inside it.”
“Don’t you dare, Sed,” Jessica gasped and slapped a hand over the zipper at her back.
“Did she just dare me?” Sed asked Eric.
“I think she did.”
“Tell our guests we’ll see them at the reception.”
“Should I bring her dress to her mother?” Eric asked, winking at Jessica, who couldn’t seem to shut her wide-open mouth.
“That won’t be necessary,” Sed said with a rakish grin that displayed one dimple. “I’ll bring it to her myself.”
He eased her zipper down another inch, and Jessica backed out of his reach. “Sed!” she said in warning, both hands flying out before her.
He ducked his head slightly and ran his tongue along the ridge of his upper teeth, looking as hungry as any voracious predator. “Maybe you should run,” he said in a low growl.
Her breath came out in a startled gasp, and the tips of her breasts tautened. Her hardened nipples had nothing to do with the chill in the air and everything to do with the tone of Sed’s voice. Jessica pressed one hand against the bodice of her loosened gown and swept up the train in her other hand. She turned and headed for the waves of the deserted beach. She stumbled as the sand pulled at her kitten heels, so she kicked them off and sprinted as fast as she could move—wanting him to chase her. Wanting him to catch her. But not without some effort.
Cool water washed over her feet as she reached the surf. A hand brushed her arm, and she darted in the opposite direction, laughing breathlessly as she dodged his grip. Water splashed against her ankles and calves as she sprinted down the beach. She could hear his footfalls just behind her. This time when he caught her arm, she turned abruptly and collided with his chest.
His breath escaped in a startled huff. She dropped her train, not caring that the waves and sand were churning it into a puce-tinged mess, and pressed her palms against his chest. The bodice of her dress slipped low, scarcely covering the white leather of her corset. Still breathing hard from exertion, she looked up at him. Tiny stinging raindrops against her eyelids made her blink.
“Why does chasing you make my dick so hard?” he grumbled at her.
“Because it knows when you catch me, it’s in for a treat.”
She slid her hands down the slick fabric of his red and black brocade vest to find the fly of his trousers. His cock leapt against her palm as she stroked him through his clothes with one hand and fumbled with fastenings with her other.
He claimed her mouth in a deep kiss, hands gripping her bare shoulders. He groaned into her mouth as she freed his massive cock from the confines of his pants. She loved that he’d gone commando beneath his tux. It let her know that he’d planned on fucking her somewhere besides the privacy of their hotel suite in Malibu tonight. Maybe he had ordered that rain after all. It had turned into a blessing in disguise, allowing them precious moments alone together on a deserted, private beach in a storm.
She held his thick length in both hands, gently stroking him as he kissed her. And kissed her. Kissed her as if he planned to never stop.
He tugged his mouth from hers. “Here?” he asked breathlessly. “Are you sure?”
“Are we being watched?” she asked.
He gazed over her shoulder to the near demolished wedding pavilion. “Everyone’s gone.”
“Then yes, here,” she whispered. “Right now.”
He touched her face, his eyes searching hers. “Are you really mine now?”
“I’ve been yours since the day we met,” she said. “The only difference is now you have it in writing.”
He chuckled. “A little insurance never hurt.”
He leaned in to steal a kiss—and her senses. They sank to their knees in unison. He gently eased her onto her back atop the wet sand. An occasional wave teased her toes and pulled at the train of her dress. Sed tugged his mouth free from hers and kissed a gentle trail down her throat and chest. He cupped one breast in his hand and nudged her corset down with his chin so he could suck her sensitive nipple. They were so tender these days because of the pregnancy. Her eyes drifted closed and she gasped, lost in the sensation of his mouth on her. His hand shifted to cradle her lower belly, impeded by the corset cinching her in. Sed was so proud that he’d gotten her pregnant. She could scarcely wait to see him hold their baby—cradling their precious gift in his large, caring hands—for the first time. He would be such a wonderful father. She was honored to have been selected the mother of his children. And to be his wife.
Sed shifted lower and rested his head on her belly. She stroked his hair gently, consumed with tender feelings for the man and the part of him that inseparably linked them—the life growing inside her. When he crawled down her body and shifted his hands beneath her dress, her tenderness was quickly consumed by lust. His hands slid up her thighs and hips, seeking the waistband of her panties. When he found none, his head popped up and their eyes met over the bunched fabric of her gown.
“You’re not wearing panties,” he told her.
“I’m not?” She grinned at him wickedly. “Hmm. I wonder why I made that decision.”
“Because you’re the smartest woman I know,” he said.
His head disappeared beneath her skirt. She moaned when his mouth found her. He licked and sucked her clit, quickly making her pussy the wettest part of her body, though it was about the only part of her that had escaped the rain and waves.
“Sed!” she cried as her thighs began to quiver and the flesh between them throbbed with impending release. “Don’t make me come without you. Not our first time.”
She almost regretted her request when he pulled back with a loud sucking pop and slid up her body. When he found her and slid deep inside, claiming her inch by inch with repetitive hard thrusts, he filled more than her body. He filled every part of her.
Sed buried his hands in her wet hair and alternated kissing her passionately and staring into her eyes as he thrust with a slow, deep rhythm that matched the rhythm of the ocean. Her toes curled. Her belly quivered. Her fingers dug into his back so she didn’t drift away in the current of her desire. He churned his hips each time their bodies came together, grinding himself against her, making her moan with pleasure as he rubbed his pelvis against her throbbing clit.
Waves were creeping ashore as far as her calves now. An urgency consumed them both, as if they were racing the tide. Sed’s strokes hastened—driving his rigid length hard and deep. His fingers—which had been gently tangled in her hair—dug into her scalp, and his tender kisses became hot and desperate.
He tore his mouth from hers, gasping as he fought for control. Watching the twitch of his eye and the set of his jaw as
pleasure consumed him sent Jessica flying over the edge. She cried out, her back arching off the beach as her pussy clenched in waves of bliss. Sed gasped brokenly, ramming into her—once, twice—and then he held himself deep inside as his cock jerked with hard spasms of release.
Breathing heavily, he collapsed on top of her, crushing her beneath a mass of firm muscles and heated male flesh. She wrapped her love in a warm and rather sandy embrace, holding him tight as she caught her own breath. But not her wits. Her wits were never within reach when Sed was between her thighs.
“You realize I plan to top this before the night is through,” he murmured into her ear.
She rubbed her lips against his jaw, her heart thrumming with anticipation. With expectation. He never let her down.
“I’d like to see you try,” she challenged.
Chapter Five