Still Human (Just Human) (23 page)

"Like Jen, I met Liv straight after Danny's departure…and like Jen, what I got was a broken heart. She was a mess."
He turns to Liv and shrugs. "Sorry, but you were!" he continues. "It didn't take me any time at all to get the whole story out of her though, Liv is a sharer! She tried very hard to put it behind her and move on, but most of it was just for show. She never got over him. So instead she started to reinvent herself. Liv was up for a bit of self-discovery and I was into that too, some might say we overindulged! But we found ourselves together and I will love her forever for being part of my journey. When the chance came to start this place, I was IN, no question and it has been the best job ever, doing something I love beside my best friend. I'm so proud of her, for everything she has done and I'll be behind her wherever she goes from here. I love you Liv, but you know that." Then he calmly picks her up, twirls her around and kisses her before he sets her down, to rapturous applause. He’s so cool despite the crowd, but then this is his crowd.

"I haven't finished!"
he shouts and most people quieten down to hear him out. "I just wanted to say that, while I may have been part of the conspiracy to get these two talking again, my co-conspirator and I could not have predicted the impact Danny would have on all our lives. The love these two have for one another was one thing on paper, but seeing them lay eyes on each other for the first time in twelve years stopped me in my tracks, I even dropped table three's burgers! It was electric, you could feel the atmosphere change in the room. I realised then that nobody could have ever filled the space left by Danny, but Danny."

He focuses on me now. "Danny, I feel very lucky, you see, when you have a relationship like Liv and I,
it’s rarely understood by partners. But you didn't just get it, you enriched it. We have been through a lot, you and Liv and I. So now I'm not just able to say I like my best friend’s husband, I can say I consider him to be one of my closest friends. I wish you a lifetime of happiness together and I know I’m going to be there to share it." He raises his glass. "To my best friends," he says and the crowd responds. "Danny and Liv." He pulls me into a hug and claps me on the back.

Now it
’s me. Taking a deep breath, I hold Liv's hand and pull her with me to the mic. I’ve a speech written in my pocket, but after those, it just seems too stuffy. I don't even get it out, I'm going to wing it. "Whoo!" I breathe, just to let everyone know I'm struggling.

"Ok
ay, this is harder than yesterday!" I glance at Liv, she is quietly drying her eyes. She gives me a look, like, 'come on, you can do this'. So I suck it up.

"I just want to say thanks. Thanks to everyone for whatever you did to help me. For a month, people have done favors, kept secrets, lied, hidden things, travelled in secret, put people up secretly who have travelled in secret! The list of things to thank you for is endless. So thank you all for making today happen for us. I had to do it this way because this girl WOULD NOT let me propose to her." I laugh trying to make light of the facts, but I do want to talk about it because
it’s our story.

"
I’ve nearly missed out on this future twice in my life, so it was very important to get it right this time. I couldn't leave it to chance. You see, I was only half living without you," I say, turning to Liv. "I'm certain it was the same for you.” She smiles in agreement.

“As we’ve already covered, I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. You were sitting on your front step, brushing your Barbie’s hair. You were so beautiful I couldn’t speak, but you just waved like it was nothing.
I’ve never been the same again. I tried being without you, life is nothing without you.”

I swallow hard, desperate to finish before this emotion takes over. “Thank you for giving us this chance, Liv, you’ll never regret it, I swear.” I draw Liv in for a lingering kiss, while people clap and make approving noises. “I love you
,” I tell her. Then I turn back to the mic. “Now, I’m going to dance with my wife!” I start to move off the stage but Liv pulls me back.

“Hold on!”
she exclaims, pulling the mic out of the stand. “You didn’t seriously think I would say nothing did you?” She grins. I shake my head in wonder. She’s incredible.

“Hi everyone.” She waves. “I just wanted the chance to speak…I can’t believe this. Yesterday I was wondering what Danny would cook me for dinner tonight and if I should clean the bathroom today, or let him do it as it
’s my birthday. Now here I am at my dream wedding with my one true love.” She looks at me and laughs when she sees me no longer able to hold it back. She hands me her tissue.

“Danny said that he
’s loved me since we were six years old. Well, of course I have too. But let me tell you, it’s hard when you find your soul mate so young. Circumstances pulled us apart before we found our voices and although we both tried to make a life apart, something was always missing. We needed a second chance because we just weren’t ready for the first one.” She wipes a tear with her finger and smiles softly at me. “Okay, so perhaps we needed a third chance too. You see we did doubt and we did underestimate and we did believe the worst, but only because we were too young the first time and too hurt the second time.

“But we
’ve changed and if we’re not the same, things can only turn out differently.” I swallow hard, she’s going to finish me. She takes my hand again. “Thank you for offering me this chance, of course I know I’ll never regret it. Thank you for this perfect day and for knowing me inside out. I always knew you were perfect for me, but today proves it beyond doubt.” She laughs and adds, “I didn’t know that you’d planned a first dance and we’ve never had an ‘our song’ but I’ve had the perfect one in mind since I was seventeen. I just asked for it to be played… and I was informed that we've picked the same song!…So please will you dance with me to our song?” she asks leaning in to my chest as I wrap my arms around her.

“Did you seriously pick the same song?” I ask in disbelief, as everyone cheers.

“Uh-huh.” She grins. I lead her down the steps as people move off the small dance floor in front of the stage.

“Why?” I ask, wondering if she would realise why
it’s significant, we never discussed it.

“You know why
,” she says close to my ear.

The music starts with the word ‘Wonderful’
and I hold her close as the bass drum sounds once. ‘Some kind of wonderful’ by The Drifters, fills the bar and Liv and I dance as if no one else is there. She looks in my eyes as we move. We aren’t great dancers, but it doesn’t matter.

“Why?” I ask her again. “Say it.
I need to know that it means the same to you.”

“Because it was playing the first time we…our first time
,” she replies, her smile glitters. I close my eyes and pull her tight. I never realised she even knew that, let alone remembered it. It was always on in her room, the ‘Dirty Dancing’ sound track, it was just chance that that track was playing. But I’ve never forgotten and apparently neither did she. While I’m lost in thought, her lips find mine.

Chapter Twenty-four

Danny

I love you too.

“Come to bed with me
,” I whisper in Liv’s ear as she stands watching her sister and Jen tear up the dance floor.

She giggles. “We can’t just leave the party.”

“Half the guests have left since midnight, I’m getting impatient and those two could go on for hours.”

She looks like she
’s considering it. “I should say goodnight,” she says.

“No! That
'll take forever, please just sneak out with me.”

“We can’t!”

“Sure we can.” I grab her and scoop her up in my arms. Then I yell, “Night everyone!” I see people turn towards us but I don’t hang around, I take my wife inside as fast as I can. She’s giggling, while telling me off for being so rude to our guests.

“Relax, everyone important will be here for breakfast in the morning, my treat. We can apologise then. Right now, I want you and I don’t care about them.” She punches the code while I hold her. I won’t let her down in case she escapes. We
’re kissing as we step into the hallway and I let her feet back down to the floor once the door is firmly closed behind us. Our kiss is hungry and we stumble slightly, trying to make progress on the stairs while greedily consuming each other. Eventually I step back and fall onto the step behind me. Liv climbs on top of me and I groan as she presses herself against me. I’m painfully hard. She has on that dress and I’ve been watching her all night, imagining taking it off, I can't stand it anymore, I have to shift her off me. As I do she glances up.

"Oh God
, Danny, it's beautiful," she says.

I turn to see what she
’s talking about. The stairs are strewn with white rose petals.

"It wasn't me
," I admit. "Ali and Carla cleaned up after you got ready so that it was nice for us to come back to. They must have done it." She smiles fondly at having friends that would do this for her. "Come on," I say grabbing her hand and leading her upstairs. I'm slightly glad something interrupted our moment, the discomfort has eased now and I'm at least able to make it up the stairs without exploding. As I open the door, I scoop her up again, carrying her across the threshold. We notice instantly that they have done more than just tidy up, everything is perfectly neat and the petals lead straight into the bedroom, where the lamp is on, welcoming us. We cross the living room and stop at the bedroom door. It’s as if we are in a hotel. The bed, freshly made in what looks like new linen, has been turned down. Two fluffy white robes tied up like parcels sit on the covers. Petals surround the bed and on the nightstand is a basket.

A note tied to the handle reads 'Congratulations Liv and Danny. From Lady Luck’s Staff x' and inside is a wedding night care package. Champagne glasses, a bucket of ice (they must have added this not long ago) containing some expensive champagne, chocolates, some painkillers, bottled water, I stop looking at that point and turn back to Liv, she
’s standing beside the bed staring at me. I reach out and pull her to me looking at her in that dress. I don't want her to take it off, but I know it’s just a moment in time, she can't wear it forever. Besides, I want to see what she’s wearing underneath it even more.

I take the ends of the purple sash and slip the bow open, like
I’m unwrapping my gift. I slide my finger beneath the knot and ease it open, holding eye contact with Liv the whole time. Then I pull on one side of the sash to pull it free of her body. Tossing it on the bed behind me, I return my hands to her fabulous body. "I feel bad being the one with the gift to unwrap, it's your birthday."

"Not anymore." She shrugs.

I trail kisses around her neck, catching her necklace. I unclasp it and place it carefully on her nightstand, to keep it safe. I know what it means to her. She watches me. "Something old," I whisper, touching the diamond dangling from her ear. "Something new." I continue, unhooking them both and stashing them with the necklace.

"Something borrowed." She joins in, lifting her wrist to show me. I do the honors. Then I run my finger down the sharp V of her neckline and follow its path, sinking to my knees. I unlace her shoes and slip them off her feet, then start back up again, keeping my hands on the inside of her dress, running my fingers up her silky smooth legs. When I get to my feet again, I've let go and allowed her dress to fall. But as I explore her neck with my mouth, I find the zipper behind her and start dragging it down.

Liv lets out a moan when my tongue slides up behind her ear and I take her earlobe between my teeth, at the same time that my hand travels along the bare skin of her back. I deftly send her dress complete with its full petticoats to the floor and gasp as I step back to see her in her powder-blue lingerie. "Something blue," I breathe, taking her back in my arms. I gasp as she brings her hands around my belt and brushes her hand lower over my zipper. I try to focus, I need tonight to last.

She begins tugging at my shirt as I stroke the smooth skin of her lower back. "Wait, wasn't there supposed to be something in your shoe?" I ask absently, trying to distract myself as her hands find my skin.

"Oh! Yeah." She giggles, reaching into the cup of her bra and pulling out the old coin. "It was killing me and that dress doesn't have pockets!"

I grab her, laughing and lift her legs to wrap around me. The coin falls amongst her clothes on the floor, but I don't care. I lay her back on the bed and stand above her, between her legs, loosening my tie, my jacket and vest long gone. I unbutton my shirt, watching Liv. She is alive with need, I can feel it. She can hardly keep still, her toe strokes up my inside leg. Removing my shirt slowly, I keep her waiting. I'm killing myself, but watching her makes it worthwhile. She can’t stand it though, her hand drifts across her stomach and brushes across the lace of her panties, she sighs and draws back, sliding her fingers under the fabric.

I can't just watch while she does that when I need her so badly, so I quickly divest myself of my pants and underwear and bend to my knees. I pull her hand free and pin it to the bed with mine. She moans and wickedly pushes her other hand in its place. I tut tut, shaking my head and capture that hand too, pressing them both down with my weight so that she feels restrained. Then I lean forward and kiss the spot just below her belly button. She sighs. I kiss two more spots on the way to her underwear and then I run my tongue over the fabric.

Liv cries out when my tongue passes over her swollen clit, even through her underwear, the impact is incredible. I kiss my way back to the top of her panties and pause, watching her squirm. She tests the strength of my fingers at her wrists and realises I'm not letting go, so she surrenders to it. I take the delicate panties in my teeth and move them down as far as I'm able. It's not enough to reveal where she wants me to go, but enough to tease her some more.

When she can't take it anymore, I release her and slide her panties off, then I glance at her nightstand and spot the ice. I grab a piece and hide it in my mouth while she’s distracted, reaching to touch herself again. She is deliberately trying to get me to restrain her again, I know it! She liked it, so I grab both of her wrists in one hand, pinning them lightly above her head and pull down the cup of her bra with the other. She cries out as my icy mouth closes over her nipple and she writhes beneath me, almost trying to get away, but not convincingly enough.

I turn my attention to her other nipple, which gets an equally impressive reaction. I release her hands and they go straight to her shocked nipples, her back arching at the sensations. Then with the ice between my teeth, I slide my way across her heated skin, slowly all the way down until I reach her thigh. I move the ice over her and she gasps as I come close a couple of times, but I make her believe I won’t go where she is begging for me to go. Then just before I start the journey back up, I flash the ice right over her clit. She virtually leaves the bed, crying out a throaty scream of pure
, unrestrained pleasure.

I trail the ice straight back up, all the way to her throat. She
’s still panting when I brush the ice across her lips but she comes back from her high at its touch and grabs me, kissing me with abandon, forcing the half cube of ice into her own mouth. She gives me a lascivious grin and pushes me off her. I fall beside her willingly and watch her remove her bra. She bends to drop icy kisses over my stomach and chest. I suck in a sharp breath as it skates over a nipple, but it doesn’t linger.

She turns so that her back is to me as she works the diminishing ice down over my abs, the fact that I can’t see what she is doing only adds to the sensations. Suddenly
, with no warning, she plunges her icy mouth straight down over my whole length. I’m sure the remaining wedding guests must have heard my cries. The feeling is phenomenal. The ice has gone, but every recess in her mouth is cold and my burning cock is engulfed. The contrast is shocking, but I don’t want it to stop. I can’t help my loud moans as she relentlessly works her freezing lips up and down. She takes me so deep, she is so good at it and the sensation changes again, as she takes me through the icy cold and into the tight warmth of her throat. Again and again…I have to stop it.

“Oh, yes…Liv…oh…please…stop…please.” I’m not sounding convincing, I have to stop her. I don’t want to use my hands, if I touch her I could very well push myself further in, that won’t help, even though she loves it. I have to stop now!

“STOP! Please, stop…” and she mercifully does. I lay panting.

She raises an eyebrow and laughs. “Sorry, I got carried away.”

“I’m not coming in your mouth on our wedding night.” I gasp. “Not while we’re trying to make a baby.” Liv smiles at this and turns back to kiss me, slowing the tempo right down. Now we lay side by side, kissing and touching for an eternity, making the most of this time, not rushing it. I glide my fingers down her body until they are playing against her swollen clit, she gasps. I continue to stroke her and she builds back up quickly. I know we can both come now with little effort.

I roll us over, so that she’s beneath me. Staring into her eyes, I smile. I push against her and she moans. I push again. I nudge her legs apart with my knee and position myself. She stares. We both know that as soon as we are joined it will be fast. She kisses my jaw, my cheek, my neck, then she reaches my ear and whispers. “I love being married to you.” I groan and sink into her, then pull back and push in again. Slowly and steadily with a lingering rhythm that belies my desperate need, I move inside her.

Her legs wrap around me as she moves with me and once again I’m sure, the remaining guests must be able to hear our fevered cries. I can tell she’s close, she always does this pre-emptive gasp.

“Open your eyes
,” I plead. “I need to see you come.” She blinks back to reality for me and our eyes fix on each other as I thrust just a few more times into her and finally feel her explode.

She keeps her eyes on mine and makes a croaky sound of ecstasy. “I love you
,” she whispers, hoarse from her cries and I come long and hard into her. I manage not to close my eyes and I find the words. “I love you too.”

I wake with a start. A panicked feeling like I’ve missed something. This has been happening more, the closer we get to the wedding, I must be subconsciously worried about forgetting something or being late. Then the warm memory of yesterday floods over me. We did it! It’s done, I can relax, she said yes, nothing got in our way, she is my wife. I sigh with relief and drop my head back to the pillow.

“You ok
ay?” Liv murmurs next to me.

I turn to face her. We’re so tangled
it’s difficult, but I manoeuvre so that we are face to face. “Good morning, Mrs Morgan.” I grin, kissing her forehead, then the end of her nose.

“Morning my husband
,” she purrs, closing her sleep heavy eyes again.

“I love hearing you say that.”

“Get used to it,” she says forcing her eyes to get with the program. “Why were you sighing?”

“Oh, I’ve been stressing a little in my sleep lately, but I just woke up and remembered it all paid off! It was a contented sigh.”

She thinks for a moment. “Thank you for everything. It was the most perfect day of my life.”

“I’ll do anything for you.”

Now she sighs contentedly. Then I see a flash of recognition in her eyes. “Is everyone really coming for breakfast?” she asks.

“Yeah, but not yet, it
’s still early.” I glance at the clock. “We have a couple of hours.”

“Hmm.” She hums, snuggling in to me. “What can we do with a couple of hours?”

“Plenty.” I kiss her. “But I have to pee!”

“Me first
,” she says suddenly and leaps up.

I fly after her and catch her at the bathroom door. “Oh no you don’t!” I grab her around the waist from behind and pick her up, she shrieks and slaps me, but I put her down on the other side of me so that
I’m in the lead and easily win the race.

“You’re such an arse.” She sulks, hopping from one foot to the other behind me.

“Hey, you married this ass!” I chuckle, making her wait.

“Well, this marriage will work better when we have two bathrooms.” She teases as I finally step out of her way.