After the Internship: A Novella (The Intern #4) (12 page)

Chapter
Sixteen

Cecilia

“I WAS GOING to wait a few days into our trip but I just couldn’t wait another day to call you my wife.”

I bite my lip in response, hardly knowing what to say. Bentley can be intimidating and the stress can overcome him a lot of the time, but Jesus…when he’s vulnerable and genuine, he melts the panties right off me.

“I can’t believe you did that. How…how did you even plan that so fast?”

He shrugs, grinning. I know exactly how he did.
Money talks
.

I never question his ability to get what he wants because I already know—he’s too dreamy to be denied.

“So what now? You’re my husband...” I let the word roll off my tongue, it feeling completely out of place. “That sounds weird.” I laugh, insecurely.

He wraps his arms around my hips, pulling me in closer. “A piece of paper is just for legal reasons, which we can easily get at the court house, but the vows, promises—those are what matter most.” He leans in, brushing his lips against mine. I open up, giving him access as the emotions overwhelm me
at the realization of being
Mrs. Bentley Leighton.

I moan into his mouth, silently begging him to take all of me. After our ceremony, we walked down the beach and jumped into the ocean. It’s not exactly a traditional wedding, but to me
, it was absolutely perfect—swimming, laughing, and kissing in the ocean was perfection.

“Your mother is going to kill us,” I deadpan. “Do we have to tell her?” I raise a brow, only half kidding.

“I won’t if you don’t.” He winks, flashing me a devilish smile—the one that could get me to do practically anything.

I burst out in laughter. “Yeah, right. She’ll continue dragging me to fittings and probably wax appointments soon. That woman is relentless, you know?” He smirks, letting go of my waist and grabbing my hand.

“Let’s worry about that when we have to. Until then…” He lingers off, walking us to the hot tub that’s next to our small, private pool.

I nod in agreement. Talking about your mother-in-law on your honeymoon is a mood killer.

He walks us into the Jacuzzi, the water boiling hot. It’s perfect, soothing my
still sore muscles from the flight.

I straddle his lap as he finds a corner to get comfortable in. “So
, Mr. Leighton, what are you going to do with your wife the rest of the week?”

“Well, first,
Mrs.
Leighton is wearing far too much clothing.” He reaches around my neck, pulling my bikini string, freeing my breasts.

“A triangle-shaped piece of cloth is barely too much clothing,” I mock. “But if that’s the game we’re playing…” I lower my eyes to his groin. “I’m not the only one going commando.”

“You aren’t going commando,” he corrects. “Yet.”

He pulls the string of my bikini bottoms, releasing them completely from my body. He tosses both parts of my bikini on the cement next to us.
“Now
you’re going commando.” He winks, flashing his panty-dropping smile.

I bring my hands down to his swim trunks. I feel his erection against my palm through the fabric. I squeeze lightly, teasing and torturing him as I loosen my grip to pull them down his legs. They float to the top
, and I quickly throw them out before he can grab them from me.

“Now we both are.” I grin back at him.

He looks at me with pure wanton desire, no play left in his eyes. He cups my neck and pulls me toward him, slamming our mouths together. His kisses are greedy and fast, leaving no time to prepare me for what he’s about to do.

He lowers both hands over my hips, lifting me up just long enough for my body to cover his cock. Our lips stay locked as he slowly pushes me down on him.

I moan eagerly into his mouth, the pressure of the water surrounding us and the rhythm of our bodies make for a whole new sensation I’ve never felt before.

Once we form a steady pace, his hands begin wandering up my body, landing on my breasts. He squeezes and massages them as I continue riding him, hard. I grip his shoulders as I balance myself, not wanting the flow of the water to slow us down.

“Jesus Christ, Ceci…” he pants out, releasing our lips. His head falls back against the edge of the hot tub as my body tightens around him, releasing a loud inaudible moan.

“Oh, god,” I breathe out, keeping up the pace so he comes next.

“Yes, sweetheart. Just like that. Don’t stop.” He grips my hips, moving them rapidly as his body tenses. I watch him as he releases inside me, his eyes rolling to the back of his head.

I slow the motion of our bodies, the water continuing to bubble around us. We’re both breathing heavily, beads of sweat layering over the both of us.

“I sure hope they clean these things regularly,” I quip, realizing we’re probably not the first to partake in hot tub sex.

“I think the hot water makes it an auto-cleaning tub.”

I narrow my eyes at him, wondering if he’s serious. He lets out a light laugh at the way I’m looking at him. “That’s doubtful,” I tease.

Bentley helps me out, wrapping me in a towel right away
in case we have any onlookers. We both get dressed and decide to take a walk out on the beach.

As we walk across the white sand
and linking hands, I ask, “Are you still sure you made the right decision?” He looks down at me, pulling his brows in. “About your job,” I clarify.

He looks away a moment and nods before speaking. “Yes. I’m positive. As much as enjoyed it at first, it was becoming more of a job than something I was passionate about. When I first started, I love
d every part of it. I was a single bachelor living in the modeling world, so really, there was nothing to hate about it. If my father would’ve just waited until I was ready to start working with him, I would’ve eventually gotten to that point where I would’ve wanted more. And that’s where I am now. Although the past couple years have been great, it isn’t something I see myself doing long-term. I hate that it takes me away from you and my family. I can still be involved in the modeling industry without modeling.”

I tilt my head to the side in question. “Oh, like how?”

“Well…there’s a lot of aspiring models with no direction on where to go or how to get noticed. A lot are looking for agents and small gigs until they make their way. I have a bunch of agent contacts as well as photographer contacts that would set me apart from the rest. I could be the middle person that matches models up with agents. It’s not something that’s done typically, but it’d allow me to weed out the prospective ones and seeing which agent would suit them best.”

“But didn’t you kind of burn all those contacts when you fired them all?”

He shrugs. “Yes, but that’s business. It’s not personal. They’re always looking for new and hot models. And that’s what I’d be doing. It’d mean less traveling, more steady hours, and I’d be my own boss.”

“Have you been thinking about this for a while? Seems you have a lot of figured out.” Our hands begin swinging in between us as the wind picks up.

He shrugs casually, but I can see the excitement in his body language as he continues to talk about it.

“Yes, sort of. I’ve been thinking the traveling is becoming too much.” He stops and turns toward me, pulling me to his chest. “I don’t want it getting in the way of us. I’m not going to risk that.”

My heart sinks as I feel like I’m the reason he’s throwing his dreams away. I know I’d do anything to be with him, even if it meant changing a major part of my life, but I can’t help the feeling that overwhelms me.

“I hate that you are just quitting because you’re scared we aren’t strong enough to survive.” I try
not to sound weak, but I do. It sounds pathetic.

He grabs my chin and tilts my face up to look at him. His face is firm and serious. “I would never quit something I didn’t want to quit, Ceci. You’re the reason I wanted to go back. You’re the one that inspired me to follow my dreams after we broke up. I admit, I wasn’t always a saint. The career can really beat you down
, and the pressure can be overwhelming, but it was always you I thought of. And the moment I got you back, I wanted to do anything to keep you. Once I went back again, it just didn’t feel right unless you were there with me. And now that you can’t be, I don’t want to live that life anymore. You’re it for me. You’re all I want, and I don’t care the price or consequences it comes with. You have every right to go after your dreams, and I’ll be next to you the entire time.”

He literally takes my breath away at his confession. I gasp for air as the tears threaten to pour out, but I don’t even care. I let them flow down my cheeks at the beautiful man in front of me—both inside and out.

“If I hadn’t already married you, I would do it all over again. I could never get tired of hearing you talk so passionately about us. It makes me want to stay here forever.” I wrap my arms around him, pulling his mouth to mine. His hands firmly grip my neck, keeping the pace slow and sweet.

*   *   *

The rest of the week is just as magical. We ended up scuba diving, snorkeling, paddle boarding, and windsurfing before we left. When we weren’t out on the water, we camped out in our suite enjoying the endless room service and hot tub. Before we left, Bentley scheduled us couple massages, ending the most relaxing and happiest week of my life.

Chapter
Seventeen

Bentley

“DO WE HAVE to go back?” she whines, sticking her bottom lip out like a child.

I tilt my head, trying to hide the grin forming on my face. “Sorry, sweetheart. Reality calls.”

“Reality sucks.”

We’ve been on the plane for over sixteen hours now with one layover already. We have five hours left, but I can’t wait to get Ceci back home. I plan to announce the news to my family as soon as possible. I know my mom will probably shit a brick, but I don’t care. We’re happy.

We arrive back to Omaha around eleven
p.m. the following day. All we plan to do is sleep and order in for the next twenty-four hours.

“I can’t wait to hug our bed,” she says in all seriousness as we get out of the car. “That and my pillow, of course.”

“Okay, just don’t forget your husband while you’re in there.” I smirk, grabbing the luggage from the trunk.

“That still sounds weird. Can’t I call you something else?”

“Like?” I question.

“Slave boy. Hot stuff. Mine to please. Take your pick.”

I burst out laughing as I begin walking up the walkway. “You need sleep.”

“Yes, please. Lots and lots of sleep.” She stumbles inside, flicking the lights on to an empty house. Memories flood in of the last time we were home—the Hannah interview, the Jason pictures, Ava’s emails, the media—all the drama we left at home eight days ago.

We sleep for ten solid hours. We had an amazing time in St. George, but it feels amazing to be in our own environment again.

“Wake up, sweetheart,” I softly whisper in her ear.

“I am,” she insists, mumbling and turning over.

I roll her back over and begin kissing up her jawline to her ear. “I highly doubt that.”

“Just five more minutes,” she begs.

“We’ve already slept through breakfast and lunch. I think it’s time we eat and get moving. Plus, we need to go apply for our marriage license,” I say matter-of-factly.

She opens her eyes finally. “We’re going to need witnesses.”

“Yup.” I shoot her a look of excitement. “Who do you want to ask?”

“Cora will kill me if she finds out I got married without her. Simon will, too.”

“Cora and Simon it is. Give them a call and see if they’re free this afternoon.” I kiss her on the nose just as I’m about to get off the bed. “Oh, go hop in the shower. Our food will be here shortly.”

I wink at her just before leaving our bedroom. I haven’t even touched my email since  before we left. I had turned my phone off and only used it to let my mother know we’d be out of the country for a while without actually telling her anything. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to be anywhere near her when she finds out.

I have about three hundred emails to sift through. Angie has sent me thirteen messages,
all threatening me to call her
or else.
I laugh as I imagine her petite body threatening me. Her voice is loud and proud though, I’ll give her that.

I decide to call her since I just heard the shower start and knowing Ceci, she’ll be in there a good half hour.

“It’s about fucking time, you asshole!” she answers the phone in a bloody rage.

“Nice greeting. Is that for everyone or was that specially for me?”

“Asshole. I swear to god, Bentley. I’m going to kill you.”

“Angie, pipe down. You really should work in theatre if you’re going to be so damn dramatic.”

“Dramatic? I’ll tell you dramatic. Everyone from the media to photographers has been up my ass this entire week. You didn’t answer my calls or emails. You could’ve been dead for all I fucking know.” She sounds out of breath from yelling at me, so I take the opportunity to finally fill her in.

“All right, I’m sorry I left you hanging. You have every right to be pissed about that. But if you stop yelling, I could explain to you my new plan,” I say calmly, hoping she’ll give me the chance.

“Fine, Bentley. You have five minutes or I’m putting you on my shit list.”

I laugh to myself at her being adamant on being pissed off at me, but she won’t be once I tell her my plan.

“As much as I’m not happy to lose my best client, I do actually like your idea. It’s gonna be a business adventure, that’s for sure.”

“Well, I was hoping to get my best agent on board,” I say with a grin, which I know she can hear in my voice. She’s
used to my grinning pleads.

“You know I can’t say no to you, asshole.”

“That’s the attitude I love.”

We finish hashing out some details, but I don’t want to get too much into right now. Not when I have more important plans. I schedule a business meeting with her for another time and hang up.

I walk down the hallway to find Ceci in the kitchen making a pot of coffee. She gracefully walks from the fridge to the counter and back again, putting the creamer away. I watch as she grabs a spoon and stirs the creamer in, her body so relaxed and flawless.

I walk quietly behind her and wrap my arms around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulder.

“Glad to see you finally got out of bed.” I kiss under her ear, feeling a shiver run down her body.

“At least someone is,” she teases. “I’m going to have to call my boss and see if I still have a job,” she groans.

“Why wouldn’t you have a job?”

“Because
, after two weeks, I up and left. Doesn’t make me look very good for an employee of the year award.”

“I’d give you an employee of the year award…”

“Shut up.” She laughs, spinning around to face me with her cup of coffee in hand. “I’m serious.”

“All right, all right.” I hold my hands up in protest. “I told you I called him and made arrangements. It’s fine. He just said to have you call when you got back.”

She narrows her brows at me, suspiciously. “How’d you get him to agree to giving me the time off anyway?”

“I told him the truth—that I was taking you for a surprise getaway.” She puts a hand on her hip, not believing me. “And I might’ve promised him some promotional shoots.” I begin walking backward, ready for her to come at me at any moment.

“Bentley!” she squeals. “I told you not to get involved in my work.”

“Technically, I didn’t. I asked him what it would take to get you some time off. And I wasn’t about to say no when that’s what he asked for.”

Her scowl turns into a smirk as she fights to show that she’s mad at me. “Fine,” she breathes out. “Last time!” she warns, pointing a finger at me.

We eat our late lunch and finish drinking our coffee before we head out to the courthouse. In order to officially elope, we’ll need to get our marriage license and plan a date with her friends to go down there
to make it legal. I don’t care what a piece of paper says—to me, she’s my wife. But for legal reasons, I want to make sure it’s official.

“Ready?” I ask, handing her the pen. She nods with a huge smile on her face.

“I think it’s a little late to back out now, Mr. Leighton.” She forcefully grabs the pen from me, ready to sign the document the woman prepared for us.

“Technically, you could back out,” I tease. “But I wouldn’t let you get very far.”

She signs her name, dramatically signing ‘West’ for the last time. “I think that’d be an understatement,” she mocks.

Since there isn’t a waiting period for Nebraska, we can get married right away. Fortunately, when I called to make an appointment, they had one free timeslot this afternoon after someone apparently canceled.

“Cora knows it’s at four, right? It’s quarter till and she’s not here,” I ask, worried.

“Yeah, she knows. She likes being fashionably late.”

“Should I be worried?” She turns and gives me a questioning look. “That she’ll murder me for taking you to elope?” I clarify.

“No.” She laughs. “Once I told her, she said it was very romantic.” She smiles. “Plus, her and Simon eloped, so she’s just glad she doesn’t have to be a fat bridesmaid.” I pull my brows together, wondering what the hell that means. “Oh, shit.” She covers her mouth. “She was keeping that a secret.” I pull back slightly, pretending to be upset she’s keeping a secret from me. “Secrets from my best friend don’t count as keeping secrets,” she says matter-of-factly.

I let out a light laugh, not really minding she let that information slip. “Well, I’ll expect a thank you from her then.”

Cora comes barreling in, squealing and running with her arms wide open. It’s one of those overly dramatic slow motion affects where two people run in toward each other.

“I can’t believe you!” Cora wraps her arms around Ceci tightly, swinging her side to side. “God, I’m so excited.”

“What about me?” I put a hand to my chest, pretending to be mad I’m being ignored.

“All right, fine. You did good—so I heard.” She gives me a quick hug before releasing. “Plus, now I can scratch that diet.” She grins in all seriousness.

Simon and I exchange quick hellos before we rush to
the elevator and make it to the courtroom just in time.

The ceremony is quick and a lot less romantic than our first one, but I don’t care. All I want is for everyone to know she’s mine.

As soon as the judge announces us as husband and wife, I grab her face and pull her in for a long, passionate kiss.

“Hells yeah!” Cora cheers from behind, causing Ceci to laugh mid-kiss. I shake my head, giving her lips one last peck.

As soon as we get back to the car, I pull Ceci’s hand to my chest. “Time to put those rumors to rest.”

I grab my cell phone and take a
selfie of us holding our hands up with our rings on full display. I upload it to my Instagram with the caption, “This happened!”

*   *   *

It takes my mother all of forty-two minutes before she calls and begins screaming at me. Apparently, I’ve ruined her life and I owe her the wedding she’s planned.

The picture went viral in less than three hours. Tabloids captioned, “Our favorite couple finally wed!” and “Bentley Leighton, officially off the market!” First, they trash our relationship with speculated rumors and now
, they were sending their congratulation wishes.