Playing with Seduction Page 17
He pulled his mouth from hers, their eyes meeting. “There’s something you need to know.”
Bree stared at him, her chest heaving, her face filled with apprehension. “All right.”
“I love you, Bree. And I’m not just telling you that because you said it first. I’m saying it because it’s true. I’ve waited my entire life to feel like this about someone. I’ve been miserable without you. I’m afraid I was an awful best man during Liam’s stag weekend.”
Bree grinned.
“What’s so funny?”
“I’ve been miserable without you, too.”
Wesley closed the vent on the grill and locked the patio door. He took Bree upstairs and made love to her, in the fullest sense of the words.
Dinner would have to wait.
Chapter 22
Brianna smoothed down the hem of her skirt, her heart beating rapidly. “Are you sure you want to do this tonight?”
Wesley squeezed her hand and grinned. “The way I see it, this is long overdue.”
He pressed a warm, lingering kiss to her lips, one strong hand cradling her face.
Bree leaned into his touch and angled her head, allowing Wes to deepen the kiss. His tongue slid between her lips and glided along hers. He released her hand and planted his on the small of her back, pulling her in tighter against him.
She should pull away. Show a little self-control. After all, though they’d declared their love to each other, they’d yet to tell their family and friends.
Kissing openly outside the resort wasn’t very discreet. Still, she couldn’t pull herself away, reluctant to allow a single inch of space to separate her from the man she loved madly.
They’d spent the majority of their first three days as a bona fide couple in Wesley’s bed. Talking, eating, making love. Taking small steps toward planning for a future together.
The prospect of slowly building a life together was exhilarating and terrifying. And she couldn’t think of anything that would challenge her more or make her happier.
Wes pulled his mouth from hers reluctantly and groaned. “We’d better not be late. Liam will never let me hear the end of it.”
They rounded the corner and entered the pathway that led to the outdoor patio where Liam and Maya’s rehearsal dinner was being held. They were greeted by teasing woots and loud kissing noises.
Bree pressed a hand to her open mouth, her cheeks stinging with heat.
“Guess the secret’s out.” Wes squeezed her hand.
“No matter. It was just about the worst kept secret in the history of secrets.” Liam met them on the path and grinned. “And I should know a thing or two about clandestine relationships.”
Wes grinned. “Well, I’m glad you and Maya aren’t a secret anymore. I’m excited for you both, Liam. I know you’ll continue to be very happy together.”
“I’m thrilled for you, mate.” Liam’s self-congratulatory smile could light the entire Eastern seaboard. He held his arms open and hugged them both. “I knew you two were absolutely perfect for each other.”
“Does this mean you’re confessing to being a meddling matchmaker?” One corner of Wesley’s mouth curved, as he tried to hold back a smirk.
“Now that it’s worked? Absolutely.” Liam chuckled. “Now, if my best mate has had his fill of snogging this lovely young lady—for the time being—I say we get on with this rehearsal. I’m quite in a hurry to marry a lovely young lady of my own.”
Liam’s eyes practically glowed as he looked at Maya Alvarez. The woman he would stand beside on the Pleasure Cove Beach and make his wife in less than twenty-four hours.
A table of children squealed with joy, and everyone laughed.
“Those are Maya’s daughters—Sofia and Gabriella. That’s Kai—the bride’s nephew. That’s Madison—the bride’s niece. The little one is Liam’s niece Emma and that’s her older brother, Max.” Wesley gave Bree a breakdown of all the children in attendance.
“Bree, I’m so glad you’re here.” Lena’s eyes sparkled as she approached, gathering them both in a hug. “You two belong together. I’ve known it since the day I met you. Saw the love he had for you in his eyes. Saw the same in yours.”
Bree smiled, her eyes misty with tears as she glanced up at Wes. “You’re a very wise woman, Ms. Lena. And you’ve raised a truly wonderful man.”
Wes leaned in and gave Bree a quick kiss on the lips before deftly moving her through the group of family and friends.
They congratulated Maya, whom Bree had met at a previous business dinner. Wes introduced her to the matron-of-honor, Kendra, and her husband Nathan Johnston, a pro football player. Next, he introduced her to Kendra’s and Maya’s brother Dash Williams and his fiancée Mikayla.
She met a variety of additional relatives. Liam’s father, Nigel, and Mrs. Hanson—the woman who had been Liam and Hunter’s nanny since they were boys, but now seemed to enjoy a much more personal relationship with their father. The groom’s brother, Hunter, and his wife, Meredith. Kendra and Dash’s mother, Ms. Anna. The Johnston family, comprised of Nate’s parents and several of his siblings, including his fraternal twin sister Vi. Maya’s parents—Curtis and Alita Williams, and her brother Cole.
The rehearsal was lovely. Filled with laughter and tears of joy. During the delicious meal that followed, there was more of the same.
Bree felt at home, like she was among family and old friends. She’d been nervous about the prospect of uprooting her life and moving to Pleasure Cove so that she and Wes could be together and close to his mother. But there was so much love, friendship and good-natured teasing here. And they’d gone out of their way to make her feel like she was part of their extended family.
At the end of the night, she and Wes said their goodbyes, saw Lena to her room at the resort, and strolled along the beach hand-in-hand.
London would always be special for them. It was the place where they’d first met and where they’d both realized they’d fallen in love. But here on the sandy beaches of Pleasure Cove among friends who were already beginning to feel like family...this somehow felt like home.
Not his home or her home, but theirs. The place where they could make a life together.
Epilogue
Wes was head over heels in love with the girl who was in his arms. She’d stolen his heart in a way he hadn’t thought possible.
He wanted to give her the entire world wrapped in a neat little bow. He’d do anything for her.
The edge of her mouth curled as she slept, mimicking a smile. She seemed to know instinctually that she was safe in his arms. That he’d do everything in his power to protect her and provide for her.
He stroked her soft, downy hair and kissed her forehead.
“Mackenzie Alena Adams,” he whispered softly. His lips brushed her warm skin as he inhaled her scent. “Do you have any idea how much you mean to me?”
Mackenzie yawned and stretched, her dark eyes opening for a moment before she closed them again and pressed her fist to her lips in a failed attempt to suck it.
“Hungry again, baby girl?” Wes secured the blanket around his daughter, only a few hours old.
Bree grinned as she stroked their daughter’s cheek. “She’s beautiful, Wes.”
“Just like her mama.” Wes pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Bree’s lips.
He sat on the edge of Bree’s bed and wrapped an arm around her as he cradled their daughter in his arms.
They’d been together for two years and were already engaged when Bree had shown him the positive pregnancy test. With the help of their family and friends, they’d managed to coordinate a simple, but elegant ceremony on Pleasure Cove Beach. The same place they’d witnessed Maya and Liam taking their vows two years earlier. They’d both stood barefoot in the sand, the soft sea air rustling her
hair, and declared their commitment to each other.
Even now, he got choked up thinking of how beautiful she’d been in her wedding dress. A sleeveless, cream-colored ball gown with a sweetheart neckline that showcased her breasts, enlarged by the pregnancy.
Wes hadn’t thought he could be any happier than he was the day Bree stood there on that beach in front of the world and agreed to be his wife.
He’d been wrong.
Witnessing the birth of their daughter had been even more touching, eliciting tears from both of them.
As a husband and a father, his life had taken on new meaning. Bree had given him the life he’d convinced himself he hadn’t wanted. Yet he was happier than he ever imagined possible.
“Would you like to hold your baby sister?” Wes beamed at the handsome boy who was nearly fifteen with a face that looked so much like his own.
The boy who’d washed his hands and had been waiting patiently bobbed his head and took the newborn in his arms.
Wesley’s heart felt as if it would burst. His son. It still didn’t feel real. But Bree had made it happen. She’d written letters to Gray’s adoptive parents for more than a year before she’d finally gotten a response.
Gray had learned he was adopted and he wanted to meet his biological parents. He’d been angry with Wes at first, but they’d slowly built a relationship over the past year. And four months ago, Gray had finally met his biological mother—Janine.
Wes had been nervous to see her again. He was uncertain of how he’d react to the woman who’d given away their son without telling him. But when he’d laid eyes on Janine and seen the pain and fear on her face, they both had tears of regret in their eyes.
He and Bree had sat and talked with Janine for an hour before Gray arrived with his adoptive parents. And when they parted ways, he managed to hug his son’s mother and wish her well. Something that was only possible because of the love and grace he’d learned from his mother and from being with Bree.
They’d been through a lot. Marriage, a growing family and the expansion of two successful businesses. Bree had become a vocal activist for organizations that raised money to battle his mother’s illness and those that protected women from boyfriends and exes like Alex Hunt—whom they hadn’t heard from since Bree filed a restraining order against him.
A wide smile spread across Gray’s face. “I think she just smiled at me in her sleep.”
“She knows she’s safe. That her big brother will always be there to protect her.” Bree wore a white-and-green hospital gown with a crusty, baby-puke stain on one shoulder. Her curls were secured in a messy topknot.
She looked happy, but exhausted. Still, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
The love of his life.
Maybe he didn’t deserve Bree, the kids, or the life they were building together, but he was damn grateful for it. And he’d never, ever let any of them go.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from IT’S ALWAYS BEEN YOU by Elle Wright.
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It’s Always Been You
by Elle Wright
Chapter 1
Dr. Lovely Washington frowned when she felt the sun beaming down on her. Morning already? She patted the mattress, pausing when she felt cool skin under her palm. Drake. She pinched him. He pushed her hand away, grumbling something incoherent.
She smacked him. “Drake, what are you doing in my bed? And please...close the blinds. The light is killing me.”
“Whashuleafmelone,” he mumbled.
“I won’t leave you alone until you get up and shut out the sun,” she said, pinching her forehead. “My head hurts. And aren’t you late or something?”
When he didn’t move, she went to throw the sheet off, then stopped abruptly. Frowning, she patted her bare breasts. Uh-oh. Where is my shirt? Reluctantly, she slipped her hand under the sheet, over her stomach, her belly button, her—
She sat up abruptly. “Oh, my God, I’m naked!” Her mind raced to remember how she’d ended up like that. Last night was a blur. They’d booked a two-bedroom suite at the Bellagio because her family reunion was there. Two rooms, two beds. Yet Drake was in her bed and she was naked. “Oh no.”
Drake had agreed to come because she hated going to these things by herself, and she wasn’t particularly thrilled to face her family alone after her breakup with Derrick. When she needed someone—and she did—Drake was always there. He was her very best friend, since the age of two.
Her night had taken a turn for the worse when she’d received a call from the hospital that she’d lost a patient. Drake had dragged her out onto the Strip to distract her. That was all she remembered.
She held her face in her hands, praying the shooting pain in her head would stop. She remembered something else. Tequila. Lots of it. Peeking through her fingers at Drake, she sucked in a deep breath. She couldn’t tell if he was naked. He was lying on his stomach, his bare back gleaming at her in the sunlight. The sheet was draped low. Gently, she lifted the thin material.
“Drake!” she screeched, digging her nails into his back.
He pushed himself up on his elbows. “Ouch! What?”
“Get up,” she ordered through clenched teeth. “Now.”
He blinked and glanced at her with one eye. “What happened?”
Pulling the sheet with her, she hopped out of the bed. “Look at you,” she said, pointing at his bare ass. “You’re naked! Oh, my God.”
“Oh, shit.” He rolled out of bed onto the floor with a loud thump. Reaching up, he pulled the balled-up comforter with him. He finally stood up with the thick cover wrapped around his waist.
There was no movement—just eyes on eyes, heavy breathing and loud thoughts.
“Why are you naked?” Her heart raced as she watched his gaze drop to the bed.
Drake ran a hand through his wavy hair. “Why are you naked?”
She swallowed past a lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. “I asked you first,” she croaked.
“Obviously, I don’t know.” He rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Why are you nervous?” she hissed. Drake was normally a calm and collected person, but they’d been friends long enough that she could recognize when he was nervous. After all, they’d been best friends for almost their whole lives.
His b
loodshot eyes flashed to hers and his forehead creased. “I can’t remember. I just remember walking on the Strip doing shots.”
“What do you mean you can’t remember anything? You’re naked!” she shrieked.
He pressed a hand to his temple. “Love, please, be quiet. You’re making my head hurt worse. I don’t need continuous updates on our lack of clothing.”
She clutched the sheet to her chest. Tears pricked her eyes. “Drake, did we...?”
He held a hand up. “Don’t say it. There has to be a good explanation.”
“But we’re both...” She dashed a tear off her cheek.
“Don’t cry. That’s how we got into this situation in the first place.”
Placing her hands on her hips, she hissed, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
He covered his eyes. “Pull the sheet back up, Love.”
Realizing she’d let it fall to the floor, she screamed and scrambled to pick it up, twisting the fabric around her body. “This can’t be happening.”
He motioned toward the bathroom. “Put some clothes on, for Christ’s sake. This is already bad enough.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Go in the bathroom,” he demanded.
“You go in the bathroom,” she countered, clutching the sheet in her palms.
“Love.”
“What?”
He stalked toward her and she retreated until the back of her knees hit a chair. Overcorrecting, she stumbled into the seat.
Drake held out a hand and she took it and let him pull her to her feet. Then she shoved him away. “Get away from me, you ass.”
He nudged her toward the en suite bathroom. “Look, get dressed. We’re never going to figure this out standing here like this.”
“I hate you,” she growled as she stomped into the bathroom. Kicking the door closed, she leaned against it. A hotel robe was hanging on a hook and she snatched it and slipped it on. Once she secured the tie, she whipped the door open and stormed back into the bedroom toward a now clothed Drake.