Page 9

“Damn, that feels good. Hmmm, yeah right there.” The warmth of his kisses consumes me. They set my skin on fire; he sets my skin on fire by his touch. His lips slowly drift down my neck over my shoulder and back up again. This dream is perfect. I don’t ever want to wake up. Let me die by a kiss; that sounds like the perfect death.

“Sweet girl, your phone has been going off for the past twenty minutes. You need to get up.” His voice is husky, dripping with sex and I want to hear more. “Laney, wake up.” I felt his fingers digging into my hip pulling me to him. The heat of his body is welcoming, as is his hard shaft that is currently poking me in the ass. “Open those beautiful green eyes for me.”

Things are starting to come into focus. I don’t think I’m dreaming, nope that would have been too easy. Those kisses, that voice, and that rather nicely sized rear intruder are all very real. What thehell happened last night? Rolling over, I stare into the most beautifully rugged face and most gorgeous honey eyes, Nathan’s eyes. Rubbing the sleep from my own eyes, I try to focus on the sight in front of me; I realize something doesn’t feel right; something feels off. “Ouch! What the hell?” Looking down at my left finger I see the biggest diamond I’ve ever laid eyes on. It’s sitting on top of a band encrusted with diamonds and sapphires.

“It’s the Asscher cut diamond you picked out last night. Do you not like it?”

“I don’t understand,” I said, pulling at the sheets that are apparently covering my naked body. That’s when I hear my phone going off and recognize that’s it’s my mother’s ringtone.

“Why does Cruella De Vil keep calling you?”

“Ah, that’s my mother.”

And why do you have a picture of Cruella De Vil come up when she calls you?”

“You don't wanna know. That woman would skin puppies if she thought it would make her more money."

“Shouldn’t you answer the phone, love?”

“Love?”

“Yes, love. I tried to give you a pet name last night, but you kindly nixed that idea. Said you hadn’t had one since you were a kid and it was kinda sleazy, maybe you used the word creepy, but you said love would work. So I’m working with what I’m given.”

“Wait, a pet name, Nathan?” My head is spinning. Two nights of heavy drinking is doing some major damage to my brain. “Why were we talking about pet names, and why am I here?”

“We talked about them right after I made you my wife.”

“Holy shi–what! What did you just say?” And there goes my mother’s ringtone again. Seriously can she not give me a break?

“Last night, you, me, Stella and Troy were drinking and dancing at Inferno. We met you guys there. Tell me you remember?”

I try to think back on the night’s events. We met the guys at the club, after a couple of drinks that a couple of other guys bought us. We finally saw Troy and Nathan. Damn it, the current hangover I’m experiencing is hindering all my memories of the last twelve hours. I remember dancing, laughing, drinking. Obviously. We left the club, got a limo. Did Stella lift her top while she was standing in the moon roof of the limo? Wait, where the hell is Stella? We were dancing at another club, the same one as last night. I didn’t want another colorful shot, but she made me, told me it was time to let loose. She repeated over and over that I was awesome, a hot piece of ass. I remember tipping my head back as I took the shot. I remember seeing Stella high-five Nathan and him laughing, then nothing. The rest of the night is blank. Wait, honey eyes. Nathan’s honey colored eyes. He was close to me, looking down at me, speaking. Christ, what was he saying? Wait, was Stella crying? What the hell happened last night?

In my fuzzy memory, I see him. I hear him tell me for better or worse until death do us part, I hear myself say ‘I do’. I can hear him follow the same words then he kisses me, wow does he kiss me. Coming to that realization, I lock eyes with this beautiful man sitting in bed with me. A smile pulls at his lips. His eyes sparkle with lust. Damn he’s gorgeous. I hit the mother lode. Crap, my mother. Why was she calling? Nathan continues to smile at me. His morning scruff makes him even more attractive. It’s the kind of scruff that’s meant to be there, not because he’s a slob, but because it looks so damn fine on him. His caramel hair is short on the sides but longer on the top, letting the curls fall where they need to be to make him look perfect. How is it he looks so put together? What the hell do I look like? Shit, I bet I’m a mess with mascara under my eyes. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was down to my chin after the night I had. His bare chest is covered in tribal tattoos; the swirls highlighting the muscles underneath.

“I think it’s coming back, isn’t it, sweet girl?”

“Maybe,” I said sheepishly.

“You remember, don’t you?”

“Maybe, a little.” I couldn’t form words. He was gorgeous and it was tripping me up.

“Do you remember telling me we were a match made in New York Heaven?”

“New York Heaven?”

“Yes, since we’re both from there.”

“You’re from New York, how did I not know that?”

“You never asked.”

Biting my lip, I try to remember more of the night. But nothing was coming to me. This is totally screwed up. “Where’s Stella?”

“Well, after she gave you away—”

“She gave me away?”

“Yes, then she stood up for you.”

“Wait, she stood up for me?”

“Yes, Troy stood up for me. We said our vows and they gave us the night to ourselves to celebrate our honeymoon and let me tell you—that was my favorite part.”

“She was okay with this? How could she be okay with this? How could she let this happen? Wait, our honeymoon? This is our honeymoon? I barely even freaking remember a damn wedding for me to have a freaking honeymoon. I don’t even know your last name. Oh, my God, I’m reliving a freaking Carrie Underwood song. My mother is going to kill me.”

He takes my hand in his. “We’ve never formally been introduced.”

“What?” I don’t understand what he’s saying, I’ve spend the past couple of days with him. I know his name is Nathan.

“When we met, love, we only exchanged first names. Troy and Stella introduced themselves, but we never did. So I thought I’d take the liberty to introduce myself, properly. My name’s Nate, Nathan, Nathaniel, actually. Nathan Whitmore.” he says.

“Nathan Whitmore,” I whisper back. Why does that name sound familiar? My phone rings again. I can’t get a break!