Magical Weddings (68 page)

She paused at the last button, but he would have none of that.

“Veronica, I do believe you are a tease.” He popped the last button and slid the shirt off her shoulders. But he didn’t remove it completely. He used it to trap her arms and bend her slightly backwards, which presented her breasts perfectly for him.

The trapped and bound position heightened every sensation he created with his mouth. When his tongue swirled, her skin tingled. When his teeth nibbled, desire speared heat through her body from her nipples to her core. When his lips captured and sucked, her lungs gasped for air.

“Lucas.” Veronica wriggled to free herself–not to end the beautiful torture but to inflict some of her own on
his
body. “Lucas, help me.”

When he complied and removed the shirt, she gave no consideration for his aid. Instead, she shoved him back on his pillow and launched her own assault. From his lips to his neck and from his chest to his abs, she branded his skin with her lips.

“Veronica...” He started to plead for mercy, but as she took him into her mouth he could do no more than moan.

She felt his fingers kneading through her hair, guiding her up and down. Gently, at first. Then, deeper and more urgent. Her mouth tasted him, feeling the skin tighten and spasm with each stroke of her tongue.

She took him high, but not over the edge. Not yet. She let him go and rolled out of the bed. They both panted heavily in the darkness.

He’d called her a tease. Something in that word sounded powerful. To be the one teasing was to be the one in charge. Now there was something to have courage for–to be the one confidently in control.

Veronica presented her back to him and slowly bent forward, sliding her panties all the way down to the floor. As she straightened back up again, she felt the heat of his body pressing against her back.

“Oh, god. Veronica.” His arms locked around her body, holding her firm.

She felt his warm breath next to her cheek, so she angled her head to expose her neck. He took the invitation and nuzzled into the spot behind her ear. Her breath hitched when he whispered naughty things while nibbling her skin.

“Lucas?” Blood rushed through her body in a desperate pulse.

She reached behind her, flattening her palms on his thighs. She rubbed up and down with her rear until she felt his erection. His hips rocked against her, tempting her with a hot, throbbing massage at the entrance of her core.

She spread her legs in silent demand for more.

He didn’t enter, but he massaged harder. Rocking her up onto her toes. Back and forth until she was hot and wet and clawing his skin.

She’d let her body guide her this far, but the intensity of sensations fogged her mind. Shattered her sense of control. Her moans lifted into a higher octave. She wasn’t experienced enough to hold onto the reins.

As if he sensed her inner battle, Lucas lifted her up in his arms and carried her back to the bed. “We can slow this down.”

Under the sheets, she brought his lips down to hers and wrapped her legs around his. She tasted him at the exact moment she welcomed him deep inside her. “Oh.”
Holy hell, he’s delicious.

She’d used every moment of the night in dedication to his delicious body. In return, he’d devoured hers with equal devotion. Their final trip to the carnal buffet climaxed as the sunrise brightened the sky.

When she could finally open her eyes without exhaustion tugging them back down, she was shocked to see two o’clock on the digital display.

“Good afternoon.” Lucas strode out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his torso and water dripping down his chest.

Veronica was too damned tired to get excited, but she didn’t look away from one persistent drop that slid all the way down his chest and abs. Not until it seeped into the towel would she look him in the eyes.

“Hi.” Was that her voice croaking like a frog? She cleared her throat to try again. “Hello.”

He pointed to the cozy table. “Brought you something from the kitchen. Since we slept through breakfast
and
lunch.”

“Fantastic.” She was across the room in seconds and made a small plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and a bagel. Instead of sitting at the table naked, she tucked back under the bed sheet with her meal cradled on her legs.

“Here’s a cup of coffee to drink all that down with.” A lazy smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “We’re going to need the caffeine boost to get through this day.”

She was smiling at him over the rim when the door burst open. A very flustered, half-dressed groom stumbled in. All he had on were his shirt, underpants and socks - all wrinkled enough to be left over from last night.

“Lucas, I need you. I can’t—” Whatever he was going to say must have disappeared from his mind when he looked over at the bed.

All of the joy and afterglow of the night seemed to suck right out of the open door. She heard Lucas mutter under his breath about forgetting to relock the damned door.

“Roni. There you are. I wanted to...” Davis’ words trailed off as he took a few steps into the room towards her.

“Coffee?” Lucas held a cup towards his brother but Davis waved him off.

“What are those?” He pointed towards the floor next to the bed.

Veronica knew he was looking at the empty condom wrappers. For once, Veronica could read Davis’ eyes perfectly. He was angry.

He looked at Lucas with a brief glare of betrayal. “You had
sex
with Roni.” He choked on the word
sex
.

Veronica watched as the two brothers had a silent staredown. It drew out to an uncomfortable length of time. Finally, Davis spun on his heel and slammed the door on the way out.

Wordlessly, Lucas finished getting dressed for his duty as the best man.

Veronica didn’t waste time either. She showered, dried her hair and did her best to twirl a few finger curls. Without her own tools and makeup, she was at the mercy of the natural look. The recent sun exposure gave her skin a new light glow, but it also gave new life to her freckles.

The only dress available from the leftovers in Lucas’ closet was a sleeveless sheath with large horizontal blue and white stripes. Blue and white seemed thankfully appropriate for a wedding. She checked herself out in the mirror.

It fit perfectly, as if made only for her.

She caught Lucas staring. “You are beautiful, Veronica. I hope you know that.” A sudden wistfulness in his voice triggered butterflies in her stomach. Not the good kind.

“Thank you.” She ignored the feeling and smiled at him.

“I need to go find Davis.”

She nodded. “I’ll be fine. See you after the wedding?”

He nodded and left. No kiss. No sign of affection.

The newly-confident Veronica convinced herself she didn’t care.

She left the room and wandered through the narrow hallways. The staircase led upward, but she paused on the dining deck. The dining salon had been transformed into a white paradise of chiffon and roses. Blue satin ropes held the drapes to the side to allow natural light into the room. The room was set for thirty guests. On a dais at the front of the room, a glossy black grand piano took center stage. Behind it, a long window showcased a full ship-width view of the Gulf. Tonight, it would showcase the moon and stars.

Above deck, the open-air lounge was being readied for an all-night party. Crew members staged a corner for a string quartet. The bartender polished every single glass. Bottles of Cristal sate chilling in large bins. This would be the most elegant party she’d ever been to.

She was about to go down to the boat launch at the back of the ship when she heard men arguing on the sky deck above. The Gulf breezes made it impossible to hear what they were saying, but she thought one of them sounded like Lucas. Slowly, she went up the spiral staircase. She paused, high enough to see but low enough to be able to duck and not be seen.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” Davis sounded angry.

“What am I doing?” Lucas sounded tired.

“You’re handling me.”

“Of course I am.”

“God damn, you’re so much like Mother.”

“And it’s a good thing that I am, because if it wasn’t for us, Father would have destroyed this family long ago. You are well on your way to doing that now.”

“I am the third generation, Lucas. Did you know statistically I’m expected to tank the company?”

“Then do it.”

“You’re daring me?”

“No, I’m too damned tired of playing zookeeper.”

“You and Mother want this marriage more than I do. Why don’t
you
marry Piper?”

“Strange, but Piper seems to like you, Davis. She knows all about you and she still likes you. Mother thinks it’s a damn miracle. She thinks you have a chance at love. Something she never had.”

“Roni knows me, too. She’s loved me much longer than Piper. Well, she did love me, until
you
had sex with her.”

“Veronica had a fixation with you for a long time. That’s not love.”

“But it’s loyalty.” Davis smashed a glass against the bar. “You broke the bonds of brotherhood. You knew I wanted Roni. You brought her on this trip for me. You kept her in your room so the Prestons wouldn’t be suspicious. Then you turned her against me and welcomed her into your waiting arms.”

“You brought me here? You were handling me?” Veronica moved forward without thinking and tripped on the next marble step. She slid halfway down the staircase on her bottom. Both men appeared above her, but she held them back. “Stay away! I don’t need your help.”

“Veronica, I—”

She couldn’t tell if the concerned look on Lucas’ face was real or part of an act. He’d seemed genuinely surprised to find her on the boat, but now it seemed that was all part of a plan.

She was a damned tool to keep Davis in line.

She kept her gaze squarely on Lucas. “My father used to say all that matters in the end is that you loved. He loved my mother. I loved Davis. You can call it a fixation, because I’m not sure you’re capable of love–either one of you.”

She ran down the remaining stairs.

“Veronica?”

“Go away, Lucas. Don’t follow me.”

“Wait!” His fingers closed around her hand, bringing her to a halt.

“Let me go.”

“You have to let me explain.”

“No. I don’t want to even think about how you got me on the boat that night or what you did to get me here.” She shook his hand away but paused to make sure he heard every word. “But I’ll be okay. I’m a big girl now. I actually feel sorry for
you
.”

“Me?”

“You. You’re stuck in this sick, dysfunctional family role because you choose to stay stuck. Nobody forced you down this path. You chose it. Stop blaming Davis for it, and he just might man up on his own.” Veronica backed away. “Goodbye, Lucas.”

Veronica left the yacht with the borrowed clothes she was wearing. There was nothing of hers back in the cabin except the fancy dress she’d bought to impress Davis. She had no more use for it. Let it be there for the next girl.

She was done with the Crowley brothers. She felt a sense of pride in herself. She’d said what she wanted to say exactly when she wanted to say it. It felt good. And yet she felt no joy from it either.

When she jumped in the shuttle boat, she convinced the crewman to take her around the island to the pier on the bay side. She’d seen a lot of boaters from the mainland yesterday. Now it was a beautiful Saturday, and she hoped there’d be even more boaters there. She had nothing to offer, but she hoped she could convince someone to take her to the mainland. From there, she’d figure out how to get back to her car.

However it worked out, it would be far better than staying on the boat. After all, she had no business being at that wedding. It was for family and close friends. She was none of those things to anyone there.

Amazing, the clarity she felt. It freed her from the old Veronica. From Roni. From the girl-in-love-with-Davis who was just as guilty of being stuck on the wrong path as Lucas was.

The crewman dutifully remained at the pier until she’d found a family that was preparing to head home–a one-hour slow motor up the river from the bay.

When the family docked, Veronica helped the mother unload the boat and start a washing machine full of towels. It was the right thing to do for their gift of a ride.

Once Veronica confirmed her car and her purse were indeed at Nellie’s Bar, she arranged for a car service to take her the hour and half drive north to Pearl Key.

She finally arrived back at Nellie’s Bar. Her car still sat in the spot she’d parked it in two nights ago. Had it been only two nights? A lifetime happened in the span of two days.

Inside, she found a woman much younger and slimmer than Nellie.

“Hi. What can I get’cha?”

“I— I’m Veronica Milano. I’m here for my purse.”

Veronica ran outside and paid the driver quickly so he could be on his way back south. But she decided to go back in for one drink. One salute to a mission partially accomplished. She’d found her courage.

“I’ll have a scotch neat, please.”

“Here you go.” The bartender squinted at Veronica, as if trying to place her. “I’m great with faces. I don’t remember you being here Thursday night.”

“You wouldn’t remember. You weren’t here when I was.”

“When exactly was that?” She looked confused.

“It was after midnight. Probably one o’clock.”

“That’s impossible. I had to shut the bar down at ten that night. Old water pipe burst so we had to turn the water off until the plumber could come. It was odd to find your purse in here the next morning.”

“Well, I can’t explain it. I was here. I had a couple of drinks and a great conversation with your owner.”

“I’m the owner.”

“Nellie’s name is on the bar but she doesn’t own it?”

The woman laughed. “Oh, my god! You’re a Pearle’s Girl!”

Veronica slowly pushed her drink away. Probably she’d consumed too much alcohol in the past two days. “What’s a Pearle’s Girl?”

The bartender pointed to the photo centered on the wall behind her. Veronica remembered looking at it. She’d thought that woman in the photo, which had obviously been taken decades ago, was Nellie’s mother.