Twelve
‘That went surprisingly well,’ Tate said as they moved slowly around the dancefloor a few hours later. After the wedding service, there’d been photos, not with the backdrops the bride had been hoping for, but Gisele and the photographer had managed to come up with some clever workarounds that would be just as stunning.
‘All things considered,’ Bel said. She had been in a dreamlike state since they’d started dancing. Pressed so close to him, her head fitted perfectly against his neck and each time she breathed in she caught the scent of his aftershave, warm and a little spicy. She could feel the heat of his hand on the small of her back through the thin material of her dress, and if she closed her eyes and tried really hard, she could almost imagine they were completely alone, just the two of them moving to the music.
‘You took my breath away when you walked down that staircase earlier,’ Tate said, moving his lips closer to her ear.
A row of goosebumps ran down her arm and a giddy sensation of longing filled her. She felt like Cinderella at the ball—happy and excited and desperately ignoring the fact she was a complete intruder. When everyone else went back to their usual lives, so would she, and all that would be left was a beautiful, sad memory.
‘Hey? What’s wrong?’ he asked, easing back so he could see her face.
‘Nothing. Sorry.’
‘It’s not nothing. Tell me?’
‘This is going to end tomorrow. I knew it would,’ she added quickly, ‘but I just didn’t expect it to come around this fast. I’m not ready for it to be over.’
‘It doesn’t have to be.’
‘It kind of does,’ she said. ‘You live on the other side of the country.’
‘Come with me.’
‘What?’ Bel chuckled nervously.
‘Fly back with me. You said you’ve never been to Western Australia. Now’s your chance.’
‘I can’t just … leave,’ she said, battling to not let a surge of excitement derail her logical train of thought.
‘I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you. Come with me. Be spontaneous. Live a little.’
As her brain began listing the million sensible reasons why shecouldn’t, her heart began replaying all the lonely nights she’d spent lying in bed, dreaming up scenarios to escape, not one of them anywhere near as tempting as the man who held her in his arms.
She wanted to have new experiences and adventures. She wanted tolive. She wanted to go out into the world and just …do something.But could she? Dare she?
In true Larkin style, a helicopter arrived to whisk her and her groom away. She made a grand departure with all the fanfare of a celebrity, albeit a Wessex celebrity. Before long, the groom’s family had also enlisted the help of Gisele and her extensive resources to, quote, ‘Get us outta here!’
Tate and Bel made their escape to her room, eager to be alone.
‘You are so beautiful,’ Tate murmured against the side of her neck as he trailed kisses along her skin.
Bel still had trouble handling his flattery. She wasn’t used to someone telling her she was beautiful, and it didn’t feel real. She felt like an imposter and his compliments made her uncomfortable, even though this was what she’d wanted—a man’s undying attention.
He unwrapped her like a present, allowing the dress to cascade to the floor so she could step out of it, leaving her clad only in two strips of delicate lace. He feasted hiseyes on her hungrily before making short work of removing them.
Bel found herself observing the scene as though it came straight from a book—there was a finesse about his movements—so confident and sure. She almost didn’t have to contribute; each time she went to help take something off or move in a certain way to assist him, he gently lay her back and shook his head. He liked to take the lead … like any hero would, she reminded herself. Like Jax did.
His earlier offer replayed in her mind. Why would she give something like this up? He was her dream, quite literally, come true. As his mouth continued to do the most delectable things to her body, Bel let go of her remaining inhibitions. There would be plenty of time later to overthink every minute detail. Right now, she only needed to live in the moment and feel. And it was feeling freaking amazing.
It had been two days since the wedding, and the rain had finally stopped. The water had receded enough to reopen the roads and Bel was pretty sure there had never been a more relieved exodus of people in the history of Wessex.
Back at Bel’s place, Emma was staring at her, open-mouthed, her spoon poised halfway above the sugar bowl as she made their coffee. ‘You’re what?’
Bel bit back the rush of nervous excitement. ‘I’m going with Tate, for a week.’
‘To Western Australia?’ Emma said. ‘On the other side of the country?’
‘Yes. That one,’ Bel said dryly. Some of her excitement faded at the look on her friend’s face. ‘I really like him, Em.’
