“Yeah.” I licked my lips. “Pretty sure what Demetri was asking had nothing to do with one of your one-night stands.”
Demetri was staring at Jaymeson like he was some sort of alien from Star Trek. “Seriously, how are we related?”
Jaymeson shrugged. “Hey, I was only trying to help.”
“You talking about marriage?” I asked as I took a side street to downtown Seaside.
“No, I’m talking about puberty.” Demetri rolled his eyes as Jaymeson cackled behind us. “Yes, I’m talking about marriage.” He shifted in his seat and started fiddling with his hands.
“What did you do?” I asked. “You’re fidgety.”
“He’s high.”
“I’m not high!” Demetri yelled. “But I did do something on impulse—”
Jaymeson waved him off. “Happens to everyone. No worries. One time I—”
“—I bought a ring!” Demetri blurted.
I slammed on the brakes, causing the front of Jaymeson’s head to smash into the back of Demetri. Both of them cursed blue streaks for a good ten seconds.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “You did what?”
“Ring.” Demetri rubbed the back of his head. “Great, now I’m going to look like I have a giant cyst on the back of my head.” He pulled down the mirror and tried to look at the spot but kept flipping off the mirror because Jaymeson’s face was getting in the way.
“Ring,” Jaymeson said slowly. “You mean like a wrestling ring? Or something you do when you’re phoning someone?”
“Ring.” Demetri scowled. “As in, I went and dropped six figures on a five-carat piece of work from Tiffany’s.”
I slammed on the brakes again. “Are you trying to outdo me? Tiffany’s? SIX figures?”
“Tiffany’s has badass rings.” This from Jaymeson.
The car fell silent. I finally spoke up. “And the slut in the backseat knows this how?”
Jaymeson looked away and whistled.
“Jaymeson?” Demetri urged.
“Oh look! The restaurant!” Jaymeson pointed. “Pull over! I gotta piss.”
“He knows things,” Demetri mumbled. “He only acts weird when he knows things…”
“The girls?” I guessed.
“They’ve been talking.” Demetri’s eyes narrowed as Jaymeson disappeared into the restaurant.
“And he’s been listening.”
“Loyalty.” Demetri nodded. “They have his loyalty.”
“Damn.”
Chapter Six
Nat
I felt him before I actually saw him. It had always been like that with Alec; like his presence was something my body was constantly searching for. Within seconds I felt warm hands on my shoulders. Slowly, I turned and bit down on my lip, taking a step back so he could examine my dress.
His eyes darkened as he exhaled. “Damn, baby, you look…” He shook his head. “How long do we have to stay?”
“Dinner and then after party, remember?” I arched my eyebrows. “Besides, I’m only doing this once. So I want it to be perfect.”
“Your wish is my command.” His blue eyes were hooded as he looked at my shoes and slowly raised his head to meet my gaze. “I can’t stop looking at you.” He twirled me around slowly, stopping as his hands ran down my back. Warm lips touched the base of the back of my neck before he turned me to face him again.
“Then close your eyes,” I teased.
“What I want…” He grasped my wrist and tugged me against his body. “…Is you. Right now.”
“You have me,” I whispered. “Tomorrow.”
“I may die tonight.” He smirked then kissed my lips softly. “I’ll never get enough, Nat, just know that. You’re my addiction — my craving, my everything — and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. With our baby.”
Tears welled in my eyes as I kissed him back and just held him.
“Not married yet,” came Demetri’s smooth voice.
“She’s pregnant, you ass,” Jaymeson chimed in from behind Alec. “What worse things could he do?”
“The man has a point.” Demetri nodded. “Still, back off. If I’m not getting any, you’re not getting any.”
“One more day.” Alec grinned. “Then I get all I want, and where does that leave you?”
Jaymeson cackled and elbowed Demetri. “Aw, she still holding out until you give her a ring? Wait a second—” His eyes widened. “Did you just—”
“Justin Timerblake, as I live and breathe!” Demetri yelled loud enough for the paparazzi to hear. Cameras flashed in the direction he pointed, going crazy over the fact that JT would be at the rehearsal dinner.
“Good one.” Alec laughed.
“Yeah, well.” Demetri shrugged. “What can I say? I’m awesome.”
“Yes. Mr. Awesome. Way ta keep the tag on your shirt.” Alyssa came up behind him and tugged it off. “Armani? Nice.”
Alec’s hand came around my waist, resting right on the bare skin of my lower back. “How are you feeling?” His lips brushed my ear. My body shivered. Would his touch always do that to me? Make me want to throw myself at him and wrap my legs around his waist?
“I’m good.” I smiled. “Promise. I don’t feel sick at all, though I am a bit anxious.”
“Did you girls have fun at the spa?”
I bit back a smile and gave him a firm nod. “This afternoon was just what I needed.” There. At least I wasn’t lying.
Seeming satisfied, his grip tightened on my waist as he led me to the large table reserved for close friends and family. The wedding party consisted of Demetri, Jaymeson, Alyssa, and one of Alyssa’s cousins, Priscilla. She was a little bit younger than all of us, just turned eighteen, but drop dead gorgeous. Of course, she’d have to be if she was related to Alyssa.
My friend Alesha was supposed to be the other bridesmaid, but her fiancé, Evan, had been planning a destination wedding literally the same weekend. I couldn’t change my date because the tours wouldn’t allow, and they couldn’t get their deposit back on the destination wedding, which sucked. I would have loved to be there for them and vice versa. I was thankful that Alyssa thought of Priscilla. She’d hung out with me and the guys a few times, but I wasn’t entirely sure how well things would go over with Jaymeson — we’d warned him not to flirt with her. Though his only question had been if she was legal.
“Hey.” Priscilla gave me a quick hug and kissed Alyssa on the cheek. “You gals excited for tomorrow?”
Actually I was excited for tonight. Hopefully Priscilla wouldn’t freak out. I’d invited her because she was part of the wedding party, but part of me felt like I was going to shock the crap out of her.
“Sure thing!” Alyssa gave me knowing look and mouthed, Stop worrying!
“If everyone could take their seats.” My mom stood and clanked on her wine glass. “I’d like to thank everyone for being here. We’re kind of informal, so eat, drink, be merry, and enjoy yourselves! Oh, and wedding party…” She pointed to Jaymeson mainly because he was the only one known to be late all the freaking time. “Pictures are at noon.”
“Noon?” Jaymeson repeated.
“Right,” Alec chimed in. “So don’t go staying up all night and sleeping in.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Jaymeson’s British accent was thick as he crossed his arms over his chest. With a wink he lifted his glass in the air to Mrs. Murray and took a long sip. Her eyes narrowed.
Mom loved Jaymeson the way that people love their puppies. You know you have to feed them and take care of them, but sometimes they just annoy the hell out of you with their constant barking and peeing on the carpet.
And Jaymeson, bless his heart, barked a lot.
“Cheers!” Demetri raised his water, the rest of us clinked glasses and started eating. I was too nervous to eat, so I pushed some food around my plate and managed to choke down some potatoes.
In a few hours Alec would know exactly what I’d been up to for the past month — and it sure as hell wasn’t knitting.
Chapter Seven
Alec
Nat was acting jumpy. When I asked her if she was all right for the third time she smacked me on the arm and told me to eat my food and shut up.
Paranoid was my freaking middle name; she knew that. I was done with trying to act like everything was perfect, so it was hard for me to just sit there and smile when I knew something was up.
Damn, my fingers itched for a cigarette or something — anything really. I hated that every time I was faced with something epic in my life or even something as small as my fiancée not eating her food when I told her to — that I resorted to that addicted feeling. I wanted to feel calm. And maybe that was the problem. I’d spent so much of my life wanting to control things and thinking I actually did have control over them, that when I was finally awake enough to feel anxious, I wanted to numb myself all over again.
How people lived their lives constantly ‘feeling’ and not tuning out the world, was seriously new to me. It had been years since I’d done drugs but it still felt like yesterday, and every raw emotion, everything I felt with Nat just made me feel that much more exposed and vulnerable.
I took a sip of water and watched as she kept pushing her vegetables around her plate. Her color was high, her cheeks flushed, smile wide — okay fine, so I was being a bit paranoid but still, she wasn’t even eating! She had to eat — the doctor said that she was eating for two.
With a sigh I put some carrots onto her plate and gave her a forceful look. She glared right back at me. I stabbed the carrot with my fork and held it to her mouth. “Eat, or so help me God, I’m going to lose my damn mind.”
“And I’m the emotional one,” Nat grumbled then opened her mouth like a good girl.
I stabbed another carrot and lifted it to her lips.
She rolled her eyes but ate it anyway.
Her mouth was so beautiful. Seriously, if I could just feed her — and yes I realize how insane I sounded — I’d be happy for the rest of my days. I hadn’t even realized I was so close to her lips until Demetri kicked my chair, causing me to nearly fall into her lap.
“Yeah, there are small children present.” My brother coughed. “May wanna take it down to PG.”
“Where was it at?”
“Passing R and barreling straight towards X.” Jaymeson laughed.
Priscilla blushed on the other side of him and took a sip of water. Poor girl. It was like watching a lion sit with an antelope. The damn antelope was trapped, just waiting for the lion to devour her.
I’d given strict instructions to Demetri — Watch Jaymeson and don’t leave him alone with the girl. Not that I thought him capable of doing something terrible to her, I just knew girls had a hard time saying no to him. Granted, Priscilla seemed to be anything but star-struck, but still. Jaymeson would only break her heart and no eighteen-year-old just out of high school deserved the heartache someone like him would bring.