Mountain Charm (22 page)

Angelina nervously glanced around the room, but Felicia was too preoccupied with wedding drama to hear their crazy conversation.

“Sorry,” Maddie whispered.

“It’s okay, and you can stop now. I’ve already forgiven him.”

Her face brightened. “You have?”

“I have. We’re good.”

Maddie’s eyes flashed with mischief. “I did notice you only requested the one room.”

“Well, it seemed like the . . . economical thing to do.”

The bride snorted. “Whatever. I want
all
the details.”

Angelina rolled her eyes, and the girls giggled.

“Wow, it’s going to be a special night for both of us,” Maddie said, her voice filled with awe. “Everything really is changing, isn’t it?”

Angelina reached for Maddie’s veil and gently toyed with the lace. “Yes, but these are good changes. Growing up. Falling in love. Finding your soul mate.”

“We’re so lucky, Angelina.”

A brief look passed between the lifelong friends, and they immediately erupted into sobs.

 “Are we ready?” Felicia asked brightly, but her face turned ashen when she saw their tears. She grabbed a box of tissues from the nearby table. “Okay, tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll tell you how we’ll fix it.”

Both girls laughed as they dried their eyes.

“We’re just happy,” Maddie promised her.

Felicia’s shoulders sagged with relief, grateful there wasn’t a wedding-related tragedy.

“Well, that’s what we want! Happy bride. Happy maid of honor. Happy groom. Speaking of which, Nick looks as if he’s a nervous wreck, but I’ve never seen a happier man standing at the altar. Are you ready to see him?”

“I’m ready,” Maddie said, her voice strong and calm.

The three of them made their way toward the tiny sanctuary. A mandolin played the soft strains of “Canon in D” as Angelina took her place at the back of the aisle. She stared down at her purple and cream bouquet, took a long steadying breath, and began to walk. Angelina fixed her eyes on the altar as she followed the path of rose petals, and when she finally reached Nick and the minister, she lifted her head and turned toward the congregation.

 In an instant, Angelina’s eyes locked with Dylan’s, and her breath hitched in her throat. He looked handsome, dressed in his dark suit and skinny tie. His eyes swept over her, and she felt a rush of excitement as his burning gaze never left hers—not even when the music changed, signaling everyone to stand.

Taking another deep breath, Angelina forced herself to look toward the aisle, where her glowing best friend was making her way toward the altar. Her arm was looped through her father’s, and when they reached the minister, Maddie kissed her dad’s cheek before he joined her mother on the front row. A radiant Maddie handed Angelina her bouquet before joining her hands with the groom’s, and the ceremony began.

Grateful to still have the tissue in her hand, Angelina dabbed her eyes as the preacher talked about love and patience, and how they were the foundations of marriage. Throughout the service, Angelina couldn’t help but think about her parents and how special their love story had been. The spell had brought them together, but it was their commitment and love for each other that had helped them endure the many storms life had thrown their way. In the end, their love hadn’t been strong enough to beat cancer, but it
had
been strong enough to let them enjoy every single second they had together. They hadn’t wasted their time on petty arguments or silly misunderstandings. They had been thankful for each and every day they could wake up together, until that very last morning when Samuel Clark had taken his last breath with his wife by his side.

By the time the minister pronounced Maddie and Nick man and wife, Angelina was a sobbing mess. The entire congregation was crying, too, so it was easy to brush off her tears as happy ones. And she
was
happy. Her best friend had found her happily ever after with the man of her dreams.

Angelina could feel the heat of someone’s stare, and like a magnet, her gaze shifted to the second row.

While every head in the chapel was turned toward the happy couple, Dylan’s eyes rested firmly on Angelina.

While the number of people invited to the wedding had been limited to close family and friends, the reception was open to anyone who had wanted to make the drive from Maple Ridge to the hotel in Gatlinburg. Because of the evening ceremony and the full-blown celebration expected to take place in the banquet hall, Angelina was grateful Felicia had recommended the guests stay overnight.

The party was in full swing, but Dylan was nowhere to be found. Angelina had been busy, but now that her speech was over and her duties fulfilled, her eyes scanned the crowd in search of him. When the DJ announced it was time for the couple’s first dance, Angelina took her second glass of champagne and retreated to a dark corner of the banquet hall.

As Maddie and Nick danced, Angelina couldn’t help but smile as she watched the two of them. She couldn’t help but think how wonderful it must be to have that kind of love—an honest, soul-stirring love—without the help of spells or charms or any other ridiculous magical enchantments.

Just two people, till death do them part.

The music changed, and more couples joined the bride and groom on the dance floor.

“Isn’t there a rule that the maid of honor isn’t supposed to be prettier than the bride?”

She smiled. His voice was soft and warm against her ear, and she trembled as his fingertips trailed across the exposed skin of her shoulder.

“The bride is the most beautiful woman in the room.”

Dylan stepped closer, drawing her gently to his chest. She melted against him, loving the heat of his body as he held her close.

“I can’t agree with you.” He glided his nose along her skin, causing her to moan softly. “You’re so gorgeous, Angelina. This dress is going to haunt my dreams for the rest of my life.”

He gripped her waist and pulled them deeper into the corner. His lips ghosted over her, touching every inch of visible flesh his mouth could reach. Angelina’s long black hair was swept up, granting him access to her shoulders and neck.

“You look so beautiful tonight,” he murmured against her ear. “Seeing you walk down the aisle and listening to those vows . . . all I could think about was us.”

“Us,” Angelina said quietly, her voice quivering.

Burying his face against her neck, he sucked the skin there, and her head fell back against his shoulder.

“Look at them. Look at the way Nick’s staring at her. As if he can’t take a breath without her. I know how he feels, Angelina. I can’t breathe without you.”

Dylan gently bit her earlobe, making her groan.

“Just so there’s no misunderstandings, I want this with you. All of this. The chapel. The rings. The vows. I want it all.”

Her heartbeat accelerated as the enormity of his words washed over her.

“I want it, too,” she admitted with a whisper.

Dylan smiled against her skin. His fingers danced along the straps of her halter dress, grateful to find that with one tug, the dress would easily fall away from her body.

“Do you know what else I want? I want you, Angelina. I love you, and I want you. Tonight.”

Angelina whimpered as his teeth gently nipped at her neck.

“Not tonight.
Now
.”

It was all he needed to hear. Dylan grabbed her hand, and without a backward glance at the partygoers, the two of them rushed toward the elevator.

The hotel room door had barely closed before he was pushing her against it. Angelina grabbed his tie and pulled him closer, whimpering when their mouths collided.

“I love you,” Dylan whispered in between kisses. “I love you so much.”

Angelina closed her eyes, savoring his sweet words and heated touches as his hands skimmed the fabric of her dress. Her lips parted, and his tongue found hers, causing her to whimper louder and arch against him. Dylan groaned, grabbing her leg and hitching it around his waist as he pressed into her. Her hands wove into his hair as she kissed him harder.

“Please,” she begged when they came up for air.

Breathing harshly, Dylan pressed his forehead against hers and gazed into her eyes. She was too beautiful . . . too eager . . . and he knew he had to slow down.

Dylan gently lowered her leg and took her by the hand, leading her toward the bed. Angelina gasped when she saw daisy petals scattered along the blanket.

“I know rose petals are typical,” Dylan said sheepishly, “but nothing about us is typical.”

 “When did you—”

“That’s why I was late to the reception,” he said. “You wouldn’t believe how hard it was to find daisies in this hotel.”

Angelina’s eyes welled. It was the most romantic thing she’d ever seen.

“They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

With trembling fingers, she reached for his tie. Dylan noticed her unease, and he took her hand, pulling it to his lips and kissing it softly.

“I’m nervous, too,” he admitted.

“You are?”

“A little, yeah.”

“But this isn’t your first time.”

“No, but it’s yours, and I don’t want you to regret a moment of it.”

Feeling slightly braver, Angelina tugged the tie, letting it fall to the floor. She slipped her fingers beneath the buttons of his shirt, undoing each one with a slow, agonizing pace that made him tremble. He unzipped his slacks, letting them fall and pool at his feet. Angelina’s appreciative gaze drifted over his body.

“Turn around, baby,” he murmured, desperate to see her, too.

Angelina obeyed, and he let his hands slide along the straps of her dress. Her entire body shuddered when she felt his fingers undoing the tie. The dress fell away, leaving her in nothing but her lacy underwear and heels.

Angelina stepped out of her shoes and turned around.

His hungry gaze gave her courage, and she reached for her panties. The fabric drifted down her legs and joined her dress on the floor. Angelina loosened her hair, letting it spill around her shoulders, and Dylan’s eyes drank her in, examining every curve.

Suddenly, he was the nervous one.

Hurting her was unimaginable.

“Hey,” Angelina murmured as she took a step closer. “Don’t worry. I’m not.”

“You’re not?”

She shook her head. “I’m nervous, but I’m not worried. Not about this. Do you know why?”

His hands settled on her hips as he drew her closer.

“Why?”

“Do you remember asking me why I’d waited so long?”

Dylan nodded.

“I’ve been waiting for you since I was thirteen years old. Ever since the day I cast that spell and blew out the candle. I wished for you, and now you’re here. And you love me.”

He pressed his forehead to hers. “I do. I love you so much.”

Angelina placed her hands on each side of his face.

“I love you, too.”

She’d never seen him smile so brightly.

“I do,” she said, her eyes shining. “I love you.”

With a groan that set her body on fire, Dylan lowered his mouth to hers. Angelina’s fingers dug into his back, pulling him closer until the weight of his body pressed her down onto the mattress. Kissing hungrily, their fingers roamed along each other’s skin. Dylan’s hand cupped her breast, causing her to moan against his mouth as he teased and caressed her flesh. Lowering his head, he peppered kisses along the length of her body, making Angelina squirm beneath him as he blazed a trail between her breasts and down her stomach.

“Please,” she whimpered.

Dylan’s mouth never left her skin, even when he dipped his head lower, causing Angelina to moan as pleasure spiked through her body. Her fingers tangled in his hair as his fingers, and finally, his mouth slowly explored her. She arched, he groaned, and when she was sure she couldn’t take another moment of his touch, her body shattered beneath him.

Overwhelmed and just a little giddy, Angelina began to giggle. He pressed a kiss to her inner thigh, and she felt him smile against her skin.

“That’s been building for a while,” Dylan said, smiling up at her.

“No kidding.”

He chuckled before crawling off the bed. Angelina was about to protest, but then she realized what he was doing. Seconds later, she heard the rip of foil, and then he was back, hovering over her and kissing her tenderly.