Pretty in Ink (Voretti Family Book 3) (17 page)

“What are you doing?”

“I thought we’d start out slow.” She grinned. “Don’t want you to pull a muscle or anything. At your age, who knows how long the recovery would take.”

He tried to take offense. If he was pissed, he wouldn’t notice the heat of her skin moving straight through his shirt, like the fabric had melted away. The fresh scent wafting from her hair when she tossed her head. The creamy skin displayed by that strapless dress.
 

His name in bold script on her bicep. A goad. A promise.

I’m yours. Take me.

He pushed her out of his arms before he did something stupid. “Come on, Livvy. Let’s see your moves.”

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” She shimmied her hips for a second.

He managed a fumbling sort of sidestep that was almost in sync with the beat.

“You’re thinking too much. Turn that big brain off and feel the music.”

“Okay,” he lied.

“Close your eyes.”

That was actually a good idea. If he closed his eyes he wouldn’t see the flush working up Liv’s skin. Wouldn’t wonder if it was from physical exertion or if it was because of him.

But with his eyes closed, his other senses roared to life. The bass crawled into his head and pounded against his synapses, forcing him into motion.

It felt good to let his body do what it wanted for once. His hips moved and his arms waved, and he didn’t think about anything but the driving beat.

The song ended.

He opened his eyes. Liv grinned at him, wide and approving, like he’d come over to the dark side.

He froze.
 

“Come on.” Her smile turned dark. Seductive. “I know you liked that.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Actually, it is. Seriously, Caleb. You’re not hurting anyone. You’re dancing.”

She was right. He wasn’t shooting up in the back of some seedy club like his old man used to. He was dancing at a wedding attended by his best friends. The only people in the world he could count on to have his back. He wasn’t strung out or out-of-control. When he’d been moving to the music, he’d been relaxed for the first time in…forever.

The next song started.

“Well?” Liv held a hand out to him, eyebrows raised.

He laced his fingers with hers. Pulled her close.

This was their last night together. He was going to experience it to the fullest.

L
IV
WASN
’
T
SURE
how long she’d been dancing with Caleb. One song blended into another, impossible to focus on because her awareness was centered on the man in front of her. He was so
alive
. Like he’d been hiding behind his staid Captain Integrity mask for the last twenty-five years, and she was only now seeing the real Caleb.

The hour grew late. The DJ switched from a fast dance track to a slow ballad.

Caleb stopped. He threw a nervous glance from her to the empty table where he’d been sitting.

No way. She wasn’t going to let him turn back into Captain Integrity now.
 

She pulled him close. Rested her head on his shoulder.
 

For a second he was still. Then his arms came around her. Once he’d made his decision, there was nothing tentative about him. He held her like she belonged to him. And, in that moment, she did. She closed her eyes and breathed in his clean, strong scent, and forgot about everything else.
 

The music stopped, replaced by the DJ’s voice. “Okay, all you unmarried ladies! Head to the center of the dance floor for the bouquet toss!”

Liv barely suppressed a growl. Ella had the worst timing in the entire world.

She forced her eyes open. “I’m afraid that’s my cue to disappear.”
 

Caleb’s arms tightened around her like he was never going to let her go. Certainly not tomorrow, no matter what their agreement had been.

Their agreement.

She peeled her body off Caleb’s. “I should…” What was wrong with her? She’d actually forgotten they weren’t a real couple for a second. “I have to…”

He pushed her away, gently. “Okay, bunny. Run and hide.”

Without his warmth plastered against her, she shivered. “You’d be running too if you’d seen the way Heather was eyeing that bouquet.”

“I don’t run.” Caleb’s gaze burned into her.”

“Come on!” The DJ’s voice burst over the speakers. “I know we have more single ladies than that.”

Liv took off, not sure if she was running from the bouquet toss or Caleb. She’d almost reached the bathrooms, a step behind Keri, who’d obviously had the same idea, when someone grabbed her arm. She choked on the overwhelming scent of peaches, and cursed herself for being so distracted that she’d lost track of Ella’s whereabouts.

“No way. You girls aren’t getting out of it that easily.” Ella laughed, like the idea of anyone trying to avoid the bouquet toss was ridiculous.

“I have to pee,” Liv tried.

“I’m sure you can hold it for five minutes.” With Liv in one claw and Keri in the other, Ella started toward the dance floor.
 

“I’m engaged, remember?” Keri flashed the diamond ring on her left hand like it was a blingy get-out-of-jail-free card.

Ella laughed again. “Don’t worry. Until you have a wedding band on, you’re still technically single. Some people never actually go through with the wedding, you know. And you and Sean haven’t even set a date.”

“We’re waiting until I finish medical school.” Keri slanted Liv an exasperated look, like it was Liv’s fault Bridezilla had caught them.
 

“Hmm,” Ella said, like she had her doubts. She dragged Liv and Keri those last few feet forward, and the angry bridesmaids surrounded them.
 

Liv took one look at Heather’s if-you-touch-the-bouquet-you’ll-wish-you-were-never-born glare, and finally got Nonna Hazel’s thing about the evil eye. She wouldn’t mind a
cornicello
about now. At the very least, she could jab the pointy end into Heather’s eye if attacked.

“If I end up in a fight,” Keri muttered, “I’m sending you my hospital bill. And I’ll bet you anything that Heather chick has multi-drug-resistant staph lurking under those acrylics.”

“Stand in the back with me. It’ll be fine.” Liv led Keri toward the rear, as far as possible from Heather.

Ella had already positioned herself ten feet away from the group, with her back to them. She glanced behind her, trying to line up her shot, and Heather shoved in front of the other bridesmaid, throwing her arms up.

The bouquet sailed so high it almost hit one of the support wires rigged through the top of the tent. Heather jumped into the air with a savage cry. The peach roses sailed over her in a neat arc and smacked into Liv’s chest. Liv clamped her arms around them reflexively.

Something bit into her palm. She sucked in a breath as she pulled her hand free. Trust Ella to have a bouquet with thorns.

Keri smirked. “Congratulations!”
 

“You take it.” Liv thrust the flowers at her friend.
 

“No way.” Keri took her cell phone out of her shiny gold clutch. “Hold still. Now smile, Mrs. Ward. At least you’re getting married. I seemed to be doomed to a sad life of spinsterhood.”

Liv tried to grab Keri’s cell, but her friend danced out of reach. And then she was being smothered by the scent of peaches once again.

“Congratulations, sweetie!” Ella bounced up and down in front of her. “I’m so glad you caught it. I was worried about Heather, but I should’ve known she was no match for fate. This proves it. You and Caleb are meant to be.”

What the…? Liv shook her head, trying to clear out her ears. It had almost sounded like Ella had given her blessing to Liv and Caleb’s relationship, but there was no way Liv’s evil cousin was being supportive. Maybe Ella’s perfume was making Liv hallucinate. “Aren’t you the one who said Caleb and I didn’t seem like a couple?”

Ella sighed. “I don’t say this a lot, but I was…you know.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Wrong.” She cleared her throat, and her voice returned to its normal volume. “I was worried, you know? Because Caleb is such a sweetie, and we all know the way you chew up men and spit them out. But now I can see you’re committed to him.” She laughed. “You made his name so big,
everyone
can see. What font size is that?”

“It’s, uh…” Liv took a deep breath—through her mouth instead of her nose—but it didn’t help.

“I don’t think they use font size at tattoo shops,” Keri said.

“Whatever. The point is, you’d better remember that I was the one who saved you from missing the bouquet toss. I want a big thank you at your wedding.”

Yep. Liv was definitely hallucinating, because she could see exactly what that wedding would look like. Sunset. A deserted beach. Her in a vintage corset and lace dress next to Caleb in a tuxedo. Her heart swelled, and she caught herself hugging the deadly bouquet to her chest.
 

Snap out of it. You’re having an allergic reaction.

She cleared her throat, vaguely aware that she was supposed to say something, but Ella was already chattering on. Something about how cute she and Caleb had been on the dance floor. “I never thought you’d fall for a guy like Caleb. You were always into those losers like CJ. But you did good. You and Caleb are going to be really happy together.” For once, Ella’s eyes weren’t glittering with malicious intent. She was actually trying to be
nice
.

And if she believed Liv and Caleb were together, everybody must believe it. Which meant Liv had gotten exactly what she wanted. So what was up with that weird tightening in her throat and the pressure building behind her eyes?

“Thanks, Ella.” She blinked, forcing the tears away. “Excuse me. I’m going to fix my makeup.”

“Wait!” Ella grabbed her arm. “You have to dance with Caleb first.”

The DJ’s voice came over the first strains of a slow ballad. “And now, Olivia Voretti will lead off our next dance with her escort, Caleb Ward. Watch closely, ladies and gentlemen. Do you see a wedding in their future?”

Nerves pinged down Liv’s spine. Caleb appeared through a break in the crowd. Ella relieved her of the bouquet, giving her no excuse to put off the inevitable.

She strode toward Caleb, moving faster with every step, like his gaze was a magnet. He put his arm around her, and her body automatically conformed to his. He felt so good. Strong and sure, like he knew exactly where they were going, and he was going to take her there.

She had a vision of what they must look like, moving together like they were one body instead of two. Her whole family was watching. Smiling. They had bought into the act one hundred percent.

They’re not the only ones.

Liv told the Annabelle voice inside her head to shut up. She wasn’t going to overanalyze what was happening. She was going to experience this moment to its fullest.

She and Caleb danced until the end of the last song. Even after the music stopped, she didn’t move.
 

“That’s all for me, folks,” the DJ said. “I hope you had a magical night. Don’t forget to congratulate the happy couple before you leave.”

“C’mon,” Caleb said, roughly. “We should say goodbye.”

Liv forced herself up, but she didn’t get far. Caleb’s arm came around her shoulders, holding her close as they began the lengthy process of saying goodnight to every single Voretti in the room. He kept her close as they walked back to the hotel and headed up the elevator. He didn’t even lose contact with her when he slid the key card into the slot to unlock their room.

It was dark, but he didn’t turn on the light. He led her to the bed. Pulled back the covers.

He finally let go, leaving her off balance. Empty.
 

Need pulsed through her veins.
 

And then she heard it. Fabric whispering against skin. Caleb undressing.

That was what she needed. His body against hers with nothing in between them.
 

She unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor. Toed off her shoes.

In the darkness, Caleb was nothing more than a shifting pattern of shadows as he climbed into bed. He still stole her breath.

She slipped between the sheets wearing only her bra and underwear.

What are you doing? Do you have any idea what this will mean?
 

She didn’t have time to think about that. Not when this could be her last night with Caleb

She fit herself against him. She didn’t know what was drawing them together, what it meant, or where it was going. She only knew that she needed to be close to him.

The warmth of his skin quieted that Annabelle voice in her head. With Caleb’s heart beating steady under her ear, she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
 

She fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

*

For the second time in a week, Caleb awoke with Liv in his arms. Unlike the last time, he didn’t jump out of bed.
 

This was it. His last morning with Liv.

She made a small sound, burrowing into his chest, and he tightened his arms around her. He wasn’t ready to let her go. He couldn’t even if he wanted to, because they were tangled together. Her thigh over his leg. One soft hand resting against his chest, and the other…

The other was lower. Covering a part of his anatomy that was harder than it had ever been.

He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. Morning wood. That’s all it was. A perfectly natural, biological phenomenon that had nothing to do with the soft fullness of Liv’s breast against his chest or the sweet scent of her hair.

A fragment of his dream flashed behind his eyes. His tongue plunging into Liv’s mouth, chasing a moan.

His whole body went hot, strung tight and aching. He wanted her under him. Over him. Any way she wanted, as long as he could get inside her.

Her eyes fluttered open. She lifted her head, and her gaze found his.
 

She had to see how much he wanted her, and he braced for her to push him away. But this was Liv; instead of fleeing danger, she ran straight toward it, pressing her lips to his.