I expect him to lean in for a quick, clinical kiss, so when his hand moves from my waist to the side of my neck, my gasp of surprise is genuine. He’s staring at me, his lips hovering over mine. Then one side of his mouth curves upward in a panty-scorching smirk of a grin and he whispers, “Close your eyes, princess.”
I close my eyes.
His lips brush mine briefly, and, thinking that will be the end of it, I begin to relax. Only to have his hand on my neck slide behind, gripping the base of my skull so tightly my lips part on a sharp whimper.
Ren presses his mouth against mine, teasing my bottom lip before sliding his tongue between my lips almost delicately. I respond in kind, allowing him to kiss me, thoroughly, languidly,until I’m leaning so heavily against him, he’s all but holding me up.
He pulls back slowly, giving me a moment to stand on my own two feet, the expression on his face almost unreadable. A shiver rolls over me and we turn toward our small group, Ren’s arm wrapped around my shoulder, his other being held in a death grip between both of mine.
“May I present to you,” the officiant announces from behind us. “Mr. and Mrs. Rennick Rafferty.”
Everyone claps, the girls cheering uproariously, and I glance at Ren, muttering, “I never agreed to that.”
Unfazed he responds, “Guess it’s a good thing I never asked.”
Not waiting for me to respond, he walks forward, taking me with him. Everyone falls in behind us, but we don’t go far, as we come across a woman waiting with camera in hand. Once again, I’m giving Ren a dirty look. “Seriously? Do we have to?”
He gives me a patient look then responds, “Just humor me, princess.”
I search his gaze, annoyed that he’s giving nothing away. Finally, I nod, turning back to our friends who are doing the worst job pretending to not be smiling. Narrowing my eyes, I shake my head and mutter, “You’re all in big trouble.”
The group all give me the same innocent look, and then immediately begin to laugh. I sigh, shake my head again as I give up trying to be mad. I smile, genuine, grateful for the camaraderie of people I barely know, but also feel like I’ve known forever.
Turning back to Ren, I laugh, reaching for him. He takes my hand, allows me to tug him into the swarm.
Then the camera shutter clicks. And clicks. And clicks.
16
A TIPPING POINT
REN
When Cassidy first appeared,she was partially covered by shadows. She hadn’t caught sight of me yet; her and Issa entirely focused on Declan who was watching his wife with the same look a wolf gives its next meal.
For a moment, I thought she was going to run. For a moment, I wondered if I’d gone too far in my planning. But after Declan mentioned writing my own vows just in case it mattered someday, I got to thinking. Maybe, just maybe, it would be best to do the entire affair just in case it mattered someday.
Now, this being Vegas, it’s not like setting this up required a huge amount of effort. Sure, I had to make some calls and pony up some cash, but the brunt of the last-minute legwork fell on the company running the show.
Just when I was bracing to go after her, she started moving forward again, her troubled expression now gone. She tried to feign annoyance with me and failed. And I truly enjoyed her off the cuff vows, happy to have something amusing to bounce off of given I put her on the spot while be completely unprepared.
Then there was our kiss. I had every intention of leaving it a quick, clinical touch of lips, but once her subtle scent washed over me, I couldn’t help myself. She gave me the sexiest little whimper, and I was done with pretenses and propriety and I dove right in.
Of course, now, here I am, in the back of a limo with a raging hard on.
Cassidy is seated across from me, facing the driver. So far, she has done everything she can to avoid looking at me, something I find as amusing as I do annoying.
Wanting her attention on me, I nudge her foot with mine and ask, “You following all the rules, princess?”
Her lips twist, her eyes narrow, but she nods. I wait a moment to see if she’s going to say anything and when she doesn’t, I retort, “Are you going to prove it?”
She sighs heavily, then looks pointedly to my right where the driver is seated on the other side of the partition, which is still down. Twisting around I ask the driver, “Is this barrier soundproof?”
The man gives me an amused glance then shakes his head. “No, but I can turn the radio way up.”
“Yes. Please do.”
The partition slides up just as music begins to play loudly, and I turn my attention back to Cassidy whose expression has turned amused. “Go on then. Let me see.”
