Bear, page 14
Bear didn’t care. If he had a photo of that, it’d be his screensaver on every device he owned.
“Don’t worry, Bear. She’s got something sexy to wear just for you,” Xan said, sounding all too pleased with herself.
“Why you no good, dirty heifer. You’re not supposed to—”
“Well, okay, baby. Gotta go. Feeding the little terror. Love you, bye,” Brody said quickly and ended the call.
Damn, he wondered if she was going to put whatever it was on tonight. His mind began to race with all the possibilities and hours of fun they could have.
His buddy glared at him as if he could read Bear’s wayward thoughts. “Dude, we’re leaving at seven in the morning on the dot.”
“Am I that transparent?”
“When it comes to Roxie? As clear as a window, man. As clear as a fucking window.”
Chapter Nineteen
Roxie sipped her champagne at the poshly decorated table where she and the rest of the Arkansas gang were awaiting the arrival of the newly married couple. The lodge’s banquet hall housed several long tables placed diagonally, covered with hand-sewn lace runners, adorned with greenery and candles, and displaying several large centerpieces tall enough for people to still see when seated across from each other. Tulle hung from the rafters, fresh flowers from the chandeliers, and thousands of tiny lights from the ceiling. No expense had been spared for the reception, but it paled in comparison to Blade and Anna’s wedding. The ceremony had been a scene straight from a fairytale.
Anna had planned on renting tents for an outdoor wedding, but Blade had secretly surprised her by having a soaring wood and glass chapel built in a wooded section of the land not used by hunters. It was a hidden gem in the forest only accessed by rock-paved, winding trails, with flowers and solar lights guiding the way. The walls in the chapel were so tall that cherry trees in full blossom lined the aisle. Trees. Freaking trees on the inside. How Blade had kept it a surprise until the ceremony, Roxie had no idea, but the man had pulled it off.
He’d been so handsome, his normally spiky hair cut shorter and styled in a classy way. After spending the morning running around like a chicken with its head cut off, Roxie was surprised Anna even got ready in time for the wedding march, but she did, and the woman was breathtaking.
Seriously, Anna looked like a timeless princess.
“I still can’t believe he had a chapel built,” Heather said.
“That was ballsy. What if she hadn’t liked it?” Shelby said. “Girls are so particular about this sort of thing. I mean, some have every detail planned while we’re still playing with Barbie dolls.” Mason quirked an eyebrow at her, and she reared back. “What? I said some. Not all.”
“So you haven’t envisioned how your big day will go?” Mason challenged.
“A castle in Italy, but that’s beside the point.”
Maya snorted. “Actually, that was the point.”
“So how would you do it?” Xan asked, checking on the ring bearer sleeping in his antique stroller.
Shrugging, Maya said, “A Victorian house in South Carolina with towering oak trees covered in Spanish moss.
“I’d love to find a little church out in the country,” Caitlin said, but there was a sly little smile on her face. Before Roxie would question that, Caitlin looked over at Heather and asked, “What about you?”
“Oh, I don’t really care.” Heather’s gaze darted in Roc’s direction beside her, but she didn’t look up at him.
“Um, yeah, and those are just lizards out there in the swamp,” Maya said and smirked. Looking at Caitlin, she said, “She wants to find an old warehouse—”
“No,” Heather said quickly. “An old brick, industrial-looking building with open rafters and original hardwood floors.”
Maya smiled triumphantly.
“You did that on purpose,” Heather said, grabbing her champagne. She raised an eyebrow at the woman across from her. “Viola?”
“Pass.”
“You can’t pass,” Shelby said.
“I’m not getting married again. Been there. Done that. Bought the expensive-ass T-shirt.”
Shelby winced, stealing a glance at Gauge. Roxie’s gaze shifted his way, too, but he wore no readable expression. He sat there, watching Viola through the corner of his eye.
“What about you, Roxie?” Viola asked, punting the question away faster than a kicker on Super Bowl Sunday.
Shit. Did her cheeks just turn red? She glanced around the table as she struggled for an answer. Every woman seated around her was watching expectantly, but all the guys were too busy looking at their significant others, probably weighing the answers they’d all just confessed.
“Unlike Heather, I actually haven’t thought about it. When you’re a mom, you don’t really fantasize about those things, right, Xan?” She just wanted the attention off her.
Heather busted out laughing. “Clearly, you’ve blocked out the bridezilla she was.”
“Hey,” Xan said, rearing back, but she quickly relented. “Yeah, okay.”
“C’mon, Roxie, we all answered,” Maya said.
“She probably realizes she won’t have much of a choice,” Shelby said. “Bear will probably drag her to the courthouse the moment she relents.”
“We’re not getting married,” Roxie said, but it lacked the heat her declaration once had.
She felt Teddy’s hand settle on the small of her back, probably easing her worry. It was amazing how attentive he’d always been, even when he’d kept her at arm’s length in the past. However, since she’d kissed him on New Year’s Eve, he’d been on a whole new level, slowly chiseling away at her defensives.
“Blade had the chapel modeled after the one she fell in love with back in Arkansas. He knew she’d love it,” Teddy said. “Sometimes, you just have to put a little trust in us.”
Before she got a chance to respond to that, the emcee tapped on the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Young.”
Everyone rose and clapped as they made their way around the room. Blade still wore his gray tux, but Anna had changed into another wedding dress, this one without the cathedral train. The couple hugged and thanked everyone as they made their way toward the Bang Shift table. There, the embraces were a little tighter, the good wishes more genuine.
Blade’s mother kept the festivities on schedule with dinner, the first dances, and cake cutting. Blade’s cousin gave a hilarious toast and attempted to run out of the room with Anna, singing a botched version of “Peggy Sue” but changing the name to “Anna Sue.” By the time the formal activities were complete, the crowd was fed, thoroughly buzzed, and drifting to the dance floor.
Teddy leaned over and whispered into Roxie’s ear, “Dance with me.”
“You’re not good with questions, are you?”
“I’m not good with rejection.” The way he said it, his eyes open, she felt the truth of his words clear to her soul.
Without word, she stood, and he guided her to the edge of the floor, past the tables but just on the outskirts of the designated area. When he clutched her waist, she wrapped her hands round his neck, going up on her tiptoes even with her heels on since the man was a foot taller than her without them. As they swayed to the music, he gazed into her eyes, and it was almost too much for her.
“You look so beautiful tonight.” His breath bathed her cheek, the hint of whiskey picking at the scab of the emotional wound that had never quite healed.
She murmured her thanks before resting her head on his chest. He held her tightly through several songs, and when Brody tried to cut in, Teddy growled at him.
Xan laughed as she twirled around the floor with the ring bearer in her arms. “Come dance with us, my Viking.”
That was all the encouragement Brody needed.
Teddy gripped the back of Roxie’s neck and whispered in her ear, “I wanna mess this pretty little hairdo all up.”
“You do that, and I’ll knee you in the balls.”
“God, that sass. It’s like a jolt of electricity every time you open that hot little mouth of yours.”
He licked his lips, and it totally snagged her attention. She glanced up at him, but he didn’t wait for her to initiate what they both craved. He hadn’t done that since she’d kissed him on New Year’s Eve. His mouth brushed against hers once, twice, before he took her top lip into his mouth. She trapped his bottom one between hers, sucking lightly. She felt more than heard the rumble in his chest, and she pressed even closer up against him. His tongue teased her until she opened for him, and still, he took his time, massaging her tongue with his, angling enough to get deeper without grabbing her head.
Their kiss was both passionate and reserved, so much communicated without any words being spoken.
It’d be a miracle if they made it back to their room with her hair still pinned up.
“We’re supposed to be the ones making out in the corner,” Blade said from beside them.
Teddy pulled away, and Anna giggled as Blade twirled her around them on the dance floor.
“Nobody’s stopping you, man,” Bear said.
“Except my wife. She doesn’t want to desert our guests.” He grinned at her. “Wife,” he said in awe.
They both glowed. Seeing them both deliriously in love made Roxie a little envious. She was seriously happy for the couple. She just wished she could embrace that deep emotion, too.
“We could just slip down the hall—” Brody said with an arch of his eyebrow.
“No,” Anna said playfully. “We’re not sneaking away.”
Blade’s head dropped back on a groan. “Then let’s go get a drink. Come with us.” Blade jerked his head at Teddy and Roxie.
Teddy released her and offered her his elbow, which she took, and if she pretended they’d always been this touchy-feely with each other in public, she blamed the romantic setting.
Blade asked the bartender for two whiskeys and two glasses of champagne. The rest of the Arkansas crowd gathered around them, all drinking alcoholic beverages except for Xan. They drank, laughed, and danced. Even Blade’s mother joined them in the fun. A few times, Teddy stroked Roxie’s cheek along her hairline, and she was torn between melting into his touch and swatting him away. The last time she’d gotten this dressed up was for her high school prom, and the wedding photographers were still circling the crowd, snapping shots. She refused to look a mess in those photographs.
As soon as Blade and Anna left the reception in the decked-out limousine, everyone began retreating to their rooms. The entire event had been beyond words, but Roxie was dead on her feet. She slipped off her heels and groaned as she wiggled her toes.
“Got your shoes?” Teddy asked beside her.
She frowned. “Yeah?” Right after uttering the word phrased as a question, she squealed as Teddy hoisted her up into his arms. As he carried her down the hallway, she said, “You realize we weren’t the ones getting married, right? No need to carry me bridal style over any threshold.”
“Don’t remind me.” His scowl was playful.
Pursing her lips, she kept her sarcastic remark to herself. Once they reached the room, he set her down, and she tossed her shoes next to her suitcase.
Had their room been this small last night? They’d been so busy with last-minute wedding stuff that she hadn’t really paid attention, but now that they were here and the festivities were over, it somehow felt more intimate. Remembering what she wore underneath this dress, butterflies swarmed in her belly. Even though Xan had let the cat out of the bag about Roxie getting something sexy to wear for him, she didn’t know if she had the courage to go through with showing him. Part of her wanted to sneak into the bathroom and change into something else while she still had time. The other part of her told her not to be such a chicken.
With his gaze locked on her, he took his time loosening his tie. Teddy in grease-stained jeans was a wet dream. Teddy in a suit, though? That was a fantasy come to life. Normally, Roxie was pretty confident in her looks, but strutting around in shorts and a tank wasn’t in the same hemisphere as wearing a negligee.
Gathering all her inner confidence vibes, she turned her back to him and looked over her shoulder. “Can you unzip me?”
He licked his lips and give her a single nod before stepping up to her. Her breath locked in her lungs when his fingertip trailed along her shoulder to the zipper. The sound of its teeth releasing echoed in the otherwise quiet room…until a low groan came from the man standing behind her.
“Fuck me,” he breathed.
“That’s the plan.”
Chapter Twenty
When her dress slipped from her shoulders and hung at her hips, she slowly shimmied out of it, being sure to arch her back to tease him. She’d fallen in love with the gartered corset she revealed as soon as she’d seen it. The lacy thong, however, required multiple pep talks from her BFF before she’d bought it.
Before he had a chance to zero in on her stretch marks, Roxie turned, wishing she would’ve kept her heels on just a little while longer for the full effect. Not that he was looking at her feet. Oh no, his eyes raked over her pushed-up cleavage and the barely-there lace of her panties.
“So beautiful.”
“I think you need some help,” she murmured and reached for his belt, her gaze finally catching on the Christmas gift she’d given him. The embossed flames didn’t really go with his suit, but the jacket had kept it covered. She doubted he would’ve cared anyway. He’d worn it every day since he’d gotten it.
Roxie made quick work of undoing his pants and dropping to her knees. Teddy finally sunk his hands into her pinned-up hair as she licked the underside of his dick, and she fought a smile at how he reverently caressed her strands. He never hid his love for her red hair, and she was a little surprised he’d minded her all evening about not messing it up.
He hummed when she pulled the swollen head into her mouth, but the taste of his skin on her tongue distracted her from the words he uttered next. Sucking him was supposed to be for him, but as she bobbed on his hard cock, she grew wet and achy, torn between making him lose control and shoot down her throat or stopping so he could fuck her instead. She was greedy for him, so as far as she was concerned, it was a dang good dilemma to have.
“Not this time,” Teddy said, tugging her away. When she looked up at him, he swore a low oath and yanked her up, crashing his mouth against hers. They tumbled onto the bed, and he kissed down her neck as he kicked off his pants. “Fucking beautiful.”
She held onto his head as he made his way to her cleavage. He nibbled on the ample flesh, pushed up thanks to the sexy contraption she wore. His hand skirted down her side, and as he got close to her panties, she writhed, eager for his touch. When he kept going, the sound that came out of her was a mix between a whine and a harrumph. He skimmed the lacy top of her thigh-high stocking before making his way back up her body again. He bypassed her aching core again.
“Teddy,” she groaned.
“Patience, little momma. I wanna unwrap this beautiful gift first.”
The corset had a bunch of hooks in the front, and he started unfastening them at the top, licking the skin he revealed as he went. His breath hit her panties, and her hips lifted of their own volition. Gently…maddening slow…he pressed a kiss against her cloth-covered mound as he worked to free her stockings from the garters. As he caressed her thighs, he sat up. “These stay on.”
She flashed him what she hoped was a sultry smile. “The panties can stay on, too, if you tug them to the side.”
Heat flared in his gaze right before he dropped his head and licked her through her panties. He nibbled her through them, gripping the thin material with his teeth and pulling it away from her pussy. His finger hooked underneath the string, revealing her to him, and he descended again with a feral sound of want ripping from his throat.
Roxie gasped as he ate her with barely controlled lust, not even bothering to tease her. He nipped, licked, and sucked everywhere he could reach, and when he wasn’t fucking her with his tongue, he used his fingers. Fire gathered in her core, her orgasm building ridiculously fast. Barely above a whisper, she said, “Ted-Teddy. I’m gonna—ahh.”
She tried to be quiet. Really, she did. The lodge was filled with guests. Hell, Shelby and Mason were in the room next door. But Roxie failed miserably.
Teddy lunged up and pushed into her while she was still coming, and that just drove her even crazier. He fastened his mouth onto hers as he fucked her so hard the headboard slammed against the wall. He reached up and grabbed it, probably to stop the racket, but it also gave him better leverage. She wrapped her legs around him and twisted her head away to suck in some air.
He grabbed one hip, spreading her more, and somehow he went impossibly deep. “Can’t get enough of you,” he chanted. “Wanna live inside this pussy.”
“Oh, God.”
“Fuck, so perfect. So mine.”
She clawed at his back as another climax detonated. He dug his head into the crook of her shoulder and groaned, bathing her in his hot release. It took her a moment to understand the surge of wetness hadn’t come from her.
Over the last couple of months, they’d had sex many times, but not once had they done it without a condom. They’d had the responsible conversation after an intense night of lovemaking on Valentine’s Day a couple of weeks ago, but Teddy hadn’t stopped wearing one. She’d figured he just wasn’t ready for that level of intimacy. Maybe she’d been overthinking it, and he’d decided to use up the last of the condoms he’d had. Either way, she hoped he’d meant to take her bare and wasn’t going to freak out about it later. The last thing she needed was a reason for him to retreat.
After some time of him holding her in his arms and nuzzling her hair, he got up to get a washcloth. He tenderly cleaned her, even when she gently protested, “You don’t have to do that.”
“It’s my pleasure, babe.” He tossed the rag aside and pulled her against his chest. “Everything about you is.”
