She returned his kiss with fevered impatience, sucking at his tongue, sinking against his chest like she wanted to crawl inside his body. Helpless little whimpers emitted from the back of her throat, sending a jolt of lust straight to his groin.
“Um, Julie, is everything okay?” Chris heard the assistant’s voice. It sounded like it was coming from the bottom of a well, barely cutting through the lust-filled haze in his brain.
She pulled away from his embrace. Reluctantly he released her and smiled as he watched her smooth the front of her sleeveless blouse and run a hand over her hair.
“Yes, Meg, everything is fine. Chris is an old friend.” Only someone who knew her very well would detect the slight tremor in her voice. That was Julie, polished and professional.
Meg backed through the door, and shut it behind her.
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He immediately pulled her back against him.
“I can’t believe you’re really here,” she said, running her hands up and down his back as though proving to herself he was really here. “How did you find me?”
“I didn’t. I mean, I didn’t know you were working here.” He felt her stiffen, and he tightened his arms around her so she couldn’t escape.
“Then why are you here?”
“I wanted to find out who the crown princess of Sweden liked so much that she decided to have her wedding here.” He flashed a smile, which faded when Julie didn’t smile back. “And I wanted to hire her for myself.”
Julie put her hands against his chest and tried to push away. “You came here to offer me a job?”
“No, well, yes, but not you specifically. I had no idea you were my competition.” She turned her face away, but not so fast that he missed the tremble in her full lower lip.
“I thought you were happy to see me.”
Julie let out a ragged little sigh. “For a minute I thought…” She shook her head.
“What?” He asked, capturing her chin in his hand and forcing her gaze back to his. He couldn’t resist.
He pulled her towards him and his tongue stole out, tracing the plump curve of her bottom lip. “Tell me what’s wrong, Buttercup, so I can make it better.”
Julie let out a ragged little sigh and pushed his head away. “I’m disappointed, okay? I had this stupid little fantasy that maybe you tracked me down and came here to tell me…”
“Tell you what?”
Julie just shook her head. “Never mind. By the way, Wendy told me you called, that you were worried.” His mouth set in grim lines. “Is that all she said?” He remembered saying quite a bit more in his follow up message. Either Wendy hadn’t repeated it, or Julie didn’t give a flying fuck. He hoped like hell it was the former.
“I think that was the gist of it. Behold.” She spread her arms, sarcastically showcasing her small office.
“Despite what you thought, it appears that silly, spoiled Julie can actually take care of herself.” PrivateParty
Chris looked around the office. “I think you’ve proven that beyond a doubt, as well as proving that I’m the biggest idiot that ever lived.”
“No argument there,” she muttered, but he could see the faintest twitch of a smile.
“Look, I know I was an asshole. I should have had faith in you, but I didn’t.” Chris cupped her cheek, fingered a strand of her hair, marveling at the fact that she was here, she was real, and finally he had the chance to do something right. “I missed you so much, it made me crazy,” he admitted.
Julie’s eyes lit up.
“You don’t have to look so happy about it. I’ve been miserable.”
“Then why didn’t you try to find me sooner?”
“I wouldn’t let myself believe you’d actually turn your back on everything just to be with me.” Her eyes clouded and she looked away, and again he was hit with the full force of his own stupidity. He didn’t want to do it, but he was going to have to do some serious begging. What the hell. Julie was worth it.
“I was an idiot,” he repeated.
“I think we’ve established that.”
He chuckled and reached for her hand, toying with her fingers. “This is going to sound corny as hell, but from the time I first met you, I wanted you. And I think everyone knew it, except you. But everyone was very quick to tell me to stay the hell away from you. That I may be half Dennison, that didn’t make me good enough to lay so much as a finger on you.”
Her delicate brows knit in a frown. “Didn’t I have some choice in the matter?”
“Come on, Julie, you knew it, too. Even in college, you made sure your parents never knew we hung out. Sure, I knew we could have a fling, but when it came down to it you’d never fight your family for me.” Though his tone wasn’t accusatory, merely honest, she winced at hearing the truth.
“You’re probably right,” she grudgingly admitted. “I would like to say I’ve come a long way from that spineless eighteen-year-old, but up until a few months ago, I was a spineless twenty-six-year-old willing to marry your brother to make my father happy. It’s not exactly a shock that you thought I’d eventually run home with my tail between my legs.” The defeated slump in her shoulders broke his heart.
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He gripped her hand tighter. “You’re wrong. I was a coward. I should have trusted you, believed you when you said you were ready to risk it all.” He sat down in a leather armchair she used for guests, pulling her into his lap. “I’m ready to risk it, too, and, if you give me another chance, I swear I’ll never let you regret it.”
Julie kissed him, melting into him with a sigh as a surge of love and lust crashed through her. Part of her wondered if she should play harder to get, give him a worse time before giving in so completely. But he was here, he wanted her, and she wasn’t about to waste any more time holding back her forgiveness. Of course, that wouldn’t stop her from milking his guilt for all it was worth.
“Don’t think this means you’ll be able to hire me away without a fight.”
“I can offer you a very competitive position,” he murmured between kisses. “Not to mention the extra benefits. I wish I’d known you were here,” he whispered against her lips, “because I could have put together a better package.”
“I have no complaints about the package,” she said, sliding her hand down between them to press against the erection threatening to burst out of his fly.
He half laughed, half groaned. “It’s still incomplete. For one thing, I don’t have a ring.” That froze her where she sat. Her heart started to race when he gently lifted her from his lap, took her shaking fingers in his, and sank to his knees in front of her.
He took her hands in his again, slowly bringing each one up to his lips. “The two weeks we spent together made me realize something I’ve known for a long time. I love you, Julie, more than I’ve ever loved anyone, more than I ever thought it possible to love anyone.” Her breath caught on a sob as she sank to her knees, too. “I love you, too, so much,” she murmured, threading her fingers through his hair and pulling his mouth to hers.
Amazingly, his dark blue eyes sparked with tears, his Adam’s apple bobbed before he continued. “I know it’s probably too soon, since you just got out of one marriage, but do you think you can handle being Julie Dennison again?”
Julie choked on a sob and threw her arms around his neck. “It’s not too soon, so if you’re asking, I’m saying yes.”
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Epilogue
S
he was without a doubt the most beautiful, sexiest bride that had ever lived. Chris’s heart was so full, he was afraid it was going to burst through his chest as Julie walked toward him. Her silk dress showed off her sweet curves, making his hands itch to take it off her. Her gold-streaked hair tumbled around her shoulders, the soft curls brushing against her lightly tanned shoulders. No veil obscured her hair, but she’d tucked a single, fluffy white flower behind her right ear. Her mouth was stretched in a smile so wide, it nearly took up the bottom half of her face, and pure, unadulterated happiness radiated from her blue eyes.
His breath grew tight as she approached, his heart pounding so hard he was sure she could see it through the fine linen of his shirt. With his heart in his throat, he took her outstretched hand, and suddenly the raging storm inside him turned perfectly calm. This was it. He was holding everything he’d ever wanted in life in his hand.
“Where is he? It’s time to cut the cake?” Carla asked Julie.
Julie put a soothing hand on her arm. “Don’t worry. He’s right over there, talking to Drew,” she indicated Chris’s friend from high school.
“This is so much more fun than your last wedding.” Wendy, once again Julie’s maid of honor, sidled up next to Julie and wrapped her arm around Julie’s waist.
She briefly laid her head on Wendy’s shoulder. “I agree. Of course that could be due to the fact that I’m actually marrying the right guy this time.” Across the dance floor, her gaze met Chris’s. The heavy-lidded look he shot her was so full of heat it put the blazing Caribbean sun to shame. Noticing Chris’s distraction, his best man turned around and smiled, saluting the women with his drink.
Her gaze slid back to Chris. She couldn’t wait to get him alone. It had been hard, the last few months, shuttling back and forth from St. Thomas. Julie hadn’t felt right about leaving the Ritz in a lurch and had stayed on until Princess Christina’s wedding. At first Chris had been disappointed, but ultimately he understood her sense of responsibility, and he loved her all the more for it. So for four months he’d paid Max overtime to ferry them both back and forth to St. Thomas.
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The last month had been particularly torturous, as Julie had insisted that they abstain from sex in order to make their wedding night more special. Unconsciously Julie licked her lips at the prospect of getting him naked. Oh yeah, the fifteen seconds that she would last would be very special indeed.
“I’ll say you got the right guy,” Wendy sighed. “I don’t think any man has ever looked at me like that.”
“I don’t know, I think Chris’s friend Drew is definitely checking you out.” Wendy snuck a peek at Chris’s best man. Sure enough, he was looking back at her, his green eyes gleaming under dark arching eyebrows.
“Hmm. He seems like a cocky bastard.”
Julie looked up at Wendy, surprised. “I thought that was your type.” Wendy frowned. “Not anymore.” Then she released Julie’s waist to chase down the waiter with the champagne.
It was amazing how different this wedding was from her last. Unlike her last over-engineered dress, this time she wore a simple sleeveless ivory satin gown. Its lingerie-like design skimmed her curves, and the ankle-length hemline offered glimpses of her feet, completely bare except for a platinum toe ring set with a tiny diamond. It was a gift from Chris, specially made to match the gorgeously simple three carat solitaire that decorated her left hand.
A small party of friends and relatives gathered at the beach bar under a tent. Even her parents seemed to be enjoying themselves. Shortly after Chris had proposed, Julie had called her mother, who showed surprising assertiveness in her efforts to get Julie and her father to reconcile. Though she doubted they would ever be close, Julie and her father had formed an ever-strengthening truce in the past several months. Ironically, he seemed more impressed by her newfound independence than he ever was with her endless efforts to please him.
She felt Chris’s presence even before he touched her. She leaned back against his chest, turning to nuzzle the warm skin of his throat bared by his open collar. He was so gorgeous in his black linen trousers and white dress shirt. Unlike her, he did wear shoes—black leather flip-flops.
They watched Carla as she bustled around, directing waiters, instructing the band on what song to play while they cut the cake.
“It’s really nice having someone else take care of everything for a change,” Julie said as she burrowed against him.
“Yeah, remind me to send Carla on a vacation,” Chris said, nuzzling her curls. His fingers dislodged the PrivateParty
gardenia blossom she’d tucked behind her ear, and she felt the petals caress her cheek and shoulder as it fell.
“How soon do you think we can sneak off?” Chris’s hot breath caressed her ear before his teeth closed over the lobe in a teasing nip.
Julie’s nipples beaded against the silky fabric of her dress. That was the problem with the tropics. There was no way to hide your arousal by claiming to be cold. “We should probably stay a bit longer…” Dampness soaked the silk of her ivory La Perla thong panties as she felt the hard length of Chris’s erection growing against her belly. “But I know of a certain ladies restroom that could be put to good use…”
And this time, when Julie Driscoll Dennison’s groom was caught in flagrante delicto, it was with the bride’s full and vocal approval.
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1
J
ordan Cameron sank back in his office chair and glared at the reflection of his father’s profile in the eighth-story window of the New York City investment firm. For the first time in over a decade, John Cameron wore no beard, and every trace of gray in his hair had been covered with dark blond. He looked more like Jordan’s older brother than his father. It wasn’t right and, clearly, neither was his father’s state of mind.
Jordan swiveled in the chair, curling his fingers around a brochure for the medical tourism resort his father returned from three weeks ago and had yet to stop talking about. He respected his father and never questioned his choices aloud. However, this latest decision wouldn’t allow him to bottle his exasperation. “Jesus, Dad, think about what you’re doing. It’s a passing fad at best.” Inspecting himself in the golf green–etched mirror hanging on the wall kitty-corner from Jordan’s desk, John rubbed his first finger and thumb along his clean-shaven chin. “Oh, I think about it. Every time your mother sneaks up and pinches my ass. I forgot how strong my sex drive was until I spent a week at Private Indulgence. Thanks to that ‘fad,’ our marriage and love life are stronger than ever.” Jordan sighed. From the way his father talked, you would think the resort staff had restructured his entire reason for being and not just his underdeveloped chin.