Branded (Strand Brothers Series Book 1) (24 page)

“That’d be me,” he replied with a slight bow.

How I loved a sense of humor. “Fitting,” I declared. He raised his brow. So I explained, “Sensual name for a sexy man.”

He growled in my ear, “You think I’m sexy?”

As I licked my bottom lip, I met his gaze and nodded.

His smile was downright sinful.

Oh, boy.
The promise of seduction his eyes held made me squirm.

Alex broke the spell when he poked his head in and inquired, “Everything all right in here?”

Nik answered, “We’re good to go.” With that, we all walked out to the front steps of the church.

*****

Bird seed was thrown as we made our way to the waiting limousine. Once inside, I thought for sure I would finally get a more passionate kiss. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. A few seconds behind us, Alex, Even, and Renée climbed in to share the ride over to the hotel for our reception.

I glanced over at Nik and thought:
I want to kick them out and have my wicked way with you.

As if he read my naughty mind, he leaned in so only I could hear him. “Later,” he said with seductive promise as his tongue roved over his sculpted bottom lip.

Oh, fucking, my.
Wet heat pooled between my thighs. Yeah, I was more than ready to consummate our marriage. And I had no doubts our lives would be filled with love and passion. I softly kissed the side of his mouth. His hot gaze captured mine, and I damn near spontaneously combusted.

E snapped out, “Stop that.” We both looked over at him as he continued, “I refuse to sit here and watch the two of you go at it like monkeys.” Then he rolled his eyes. “Besides, that vanilla crap is so prosaic.”

Alex added, “That’s what your honeymoon is for.” His face grew stern as he looked over at Even. “And
you
need to put a cork in it. No one here wants to hear about your preferred methods.” He shook his head and made a face of mock disgust.

Hmm, what was that all about?

Renée’s eyes locked with me. “You have no clue, do you?”

“Uh?” I responded unsure of where she was going with this.

I didn’t have to wait more than a few moments when she remedied my naiveté.

“Do you know what Even does for a living?”

I regarded E. “Sure. He runs a high-end night club.”

Alex chuckled, “Well, half of it is.”

I gave Nik a sidelong glance. “There’s more?” I asked him.

He squeezed my hand as Renée proceeded, “You know how you
hate
for me to talk about my sessions?”

My eyes narrowed as my brow furrowed. “Yeah.”

“Who do you think taught me the tricks of the trade, so to speak?”

I paused. Then, suddenly, it all became clear. “OMG!” I looked directly at Even. “You’re
the
Master?”

He bowed his head. “That’d be me, sister dear.”

Beyond dumbfounded, Nik leaned down and queried, “You’ve heard of him before?”

Renée answered, “Who hasn’t? He’s known in at least six States.”

Still, I sat there with my mouth gaping open and stared in shock.

Alex added, “Yes. It’s questionable if the clubs are legal.”

Even fired back, “That’s what I have you for. To make sure I toe the very gray line.”

I finally found my voice. “So, you’re the teacher?”

I attempted to process what I had just learned as my eyes darted between E and Ren. Of course, I knew about her
lessons
. I’d seen the welts and bruises first hand. I studied Even closer. He didn’t seem like the type of man to enjoy hurting a woman. Granted, he was dangerously handsome with his almost platinum hair and silver eyes; still, I couldn’t wrap my brain around the contradiction. Then I recalled what Renée had told me once before:
It’s not like that, Aims. I wasn’t grasping what I was supposed to do. He didn’t hurt me for the joy of it or on purpose. Only to show me what I needed to know so I understood.

Even pulled me from my reminiscence. “Correct,” he answered.

Nik turned my face to his. “Don’t worry.” He vowed, “That’s not my thing.”

I bit my lip. “Then, what is
your
thing?”

He purred, “You.”

Renée chimed in, “Told you so.”

I giggled as Nik queried, “What?”

“Tell you later,” I whispered

He grabbed my hand and kissed the palm while he gazed at me. “I’m gonna hold you to that.”

Both of his brothers made mock gagging noises while Renée chortled at their antics. So this was what life was going to be like. Honestly, I couldn’t be upset with that. I really did love them already—different preferences and all.

Cue the warm fuzzies.

I laid my head on Nik’s shoulder and sighed in contentment. Life as a Strand would never be boring. That’s for sure.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Nik

Nothing would’ve made me happier than to kick everyone out of the limo, so I could properly kiss my wife. ‘Course I knew good and well that would lead to more promising things. Damn. I shifted my legs to somehow disguise the raging erection tenting my tailored Fioravanti’s. We arrived at the hotel, thankfully, before I embarrassed myself.

I climbed out and offered my hand to escort Aimee. Once we entered the ballroom for our reception, the DJ officially introduced us. “Ladies and Gentleman, may I present Mr. and Mrs. Nik Strand.”

We made our way to the front of the room to a standing ovation. Unable to stop my memories, Rachel’s and my wedding suddenly played through my mind as flashes went off from cameras and cell phones.

It had been a simple ceremony. Our witnesses were the older couple who owned and operated the tiny, wedding chapel in Reno. There had been no reception. Her family hadn’t attended—of course, Alex had been there for me—nor any of our friends to wish us well. We had spent our wedding night in a motel just up the road from the chapel. Inside the tiny room, we had danced to Michael Bolton’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” until we fell on the bed, laughing. Then we had made love for our very first time.

I was suddenly back in the present, trying to make sense of my surroundings. My brothers stood in front of me while Aimee had her arm wrapped around my waist. Once I recalled where I was and why, I cursed under my breath. Immediately I apologized, “Aimee, I’m so sorry. I…”

She interrupted, “Don’t. It’s not as if you can control when that happens.”

I wanted to confess this time it wasn’t PTSD, but, at the moment, it didn’t seem appropriate. Alex held my gaze for a few beats before he appeared satisfied with what he saw.

E clapped my shoulder. “No one even noticed but us,” he confided.

As I took in the room, I realized he was accurate. What had felt like hours, in reality had only been a couple of minutes at best. I nodded my acknowledgement. Words refused to surface at the moment. Then shock became the only thing I recognized when Aimee reached up to wipe the pads of her fingers along my cheeks. She pulled her hand away, and I saw the moisture on them. Dammit. I had been crying like a big-ass baby. Once I politely excused myself, I went to pull my shit together in the men’s room. My brothers entered while I splashed water on my face.

Alex didn’t hold back. “What the fuck, Nik?”

E added, “We know that wasn’t your PTSD making its appearance.”

After I turned off the water and dried my face with a paper towel, I leaned my hip against the counter. “No.” I concluded, “You’re right, that’s not what it was.”

They both stood there with brows raised. I took a deep breath and disclosed, “Just remembering mine and Rachel’s wedding.”

E was the first to respond. “Ah, hell.”

Alex grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eye. “You okay? Not having any regrets, are you?” His question was laced with concern.

“No.” I shook my head for emphasis. “Nothing like that.”

E narrowed his eyes. “You’re still in love with Rachel, aren’t you?”

I blew out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “I’ll
always
love her.”

When we all heard the high-pitched gasp, we ran out the door. Aimee stood there against the wall with her hands over her mouth and tears streaming down her face. I instantly turned towards my brothers and suggested, “Give us a minute, would ya?”

They made a respectful departure, as I lifted Aimee’s chin and gazed into her eyes. “Don’t do this,” I beseeched.

She began to babble, “I-I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.”

I tugged her into my chest and attested, “I know that.”

“You do?”

“Yup.”

She continued, “I was worried about you. I swear, I only wanted to check on you.”

“But instead, you heard me confess to loving my late wife,” I answered self-deprecatingly.

She went stiff in my arms. I grasped her face in both my hands. “A man can
love
more than one woman.”

“Yes,” she sighed. I could tell she was attempting to grasp what I said. “The heart is capable of many
types
of love,” she affirmed.

No, that was not what I meant. But my ability to convey that left much to be desired. Thus, I simply nodded and gently brushed my lips against hers. Before things could heat up, Renée interceded, “Erghm, I hope I’m not interrupting anything. But the two of you are needed at the table.”

I smirked, “We’re on our way.”

She nodded and then walked away.

Aimee shook her head, looping her arm with mine. “Shall we?”

*****

We ate dinner, enjoyed several toasts, and then cut the cake. After that, there was the bouquet and garter toss. Aimee didn’t want to part with her beautiful, deep purple calla lilies, so there was a smaller bouquet full of all kinds of flowers for her to throw. It was no revelation when Renée snagged it. The big surprise was when E not only caught the garter, but then flaunted it in Alex’s face. I tried my best not to bust a gut at my brothers’ shenanigans, as I tugged Aimee onto the dance floor. Once there, I inclined my head at the DJ for him to begin the song I had specifically picked for our first dance.

Aimee inhaled sharply when the soulful voice of Adele filled the room. “Oh, I love “Make You Feel My Love.” It’s my favorite song by her.”

I grinned, “I wasn’t aware of that.” Then admitted, “But I think the words sum up my feelings.”

As we danced around the floor, I whispered the words that conveyed everything I wanted to tell her and vowed those lyrics to her. Did she understand what I was saying? When our eyes met, hers were shimmering with unshed tears. Yeah, she got it. Thank God. I held her just a little closer as the song came to an end. We shared another chaste kiss before we danced with her parents.

By the end of the evening, I was worn out, yet overjoyed. Still, trying to process emotions other than anger and guilt was new for me. Yet whenever I looked at my wife, I knew I wanted to be the best I could be. No, I would
never
deserve her. But I’d be damned if I would give her up now. For all it was worth, she had what was left of my splintered heart. Although, truth be told, due to her love and light those pieces were reattaching themselves. Sure, the scars would always be there. Though, somehow I knew, that only made the fusion which was going on better. More complete. The things I felt for Aimee went far beyond the remnants of the love I’d had for Rachel. I was aware I needed to tell her all of this, but unable to put it into words. I vowed to myself,
I’ll find a way.

*****

As we made our way to the penthouse suite of the hotel, I gave her a little information. “We’re only here for tonight. In the morning, we’ll fly out on the company jet to the most romantic getaway I could pull off on such short notice.”

She squeezed my hand. “Anywhere is fine as long as I’m with you.”

Humbled, I took a deep breath before I replied, “Same here. Unfortunately, we won’t have but the weekend.” Her eyes widened as I continued, “I have business that cannot wait. I’m truly sorry.”

She bit her lip in consternation. “I’ll go back to New York alone?”

Man, she’s adorable.
“No. I was hoping you’d join me.”

She smiled, “I’d love to.”

Once we reached the suite, I picked her up and made our way across the threshold.  The door clicked shut, and I ensured it was locked before I turned back to her. She had a wicked grin on her face. I stepped forward, but she held her hand up and commanded, “Stay right there.”

I’m not a man who normally took orders. But something about her made me comply. When she reached back to undo her dress, the front fell to her waist. And there, peeking through soft, gray lace and begging for my mouth, were the most attractive dusty rose nipples I’d ever had the pleasure to look at. Who was I to deny them?

Yeah, she
thought
she was running this show.

Fuck.

That.

I prowled—like the predator I was—forward and captured her by the nape of her neck, drawing her supple curves into my hard planes. Perfect damn fit. My mouth seized hers in a devastating mating, and, for a moment, I was lost to her sweet, wet recesses. Exploring. Dominating. I took everything she was willing to give. My God, she was luscious. As that tongue of hers dueled with mine, I knew I would soon be undone.

My lips traveled down her slender throat, across her collar bones, and further down to those hard peaks pleading for attention. I rasped, “So fuuuuuucking sweet.”

She arched into me on a moan.

I reached behind and undid the hooks on her lacey bra, which was keeping me from her taut nipples. Once freed, I continued my torture. And enjoyed every sigh and gasp she uttered. A little rougher than I meant to, I shoved her up against the wall and laved my way down her stomach, paying homage to her oh-so, sensitive navel. I could feel her orgasm climbing, but I wasn’t ready for her to go over. Just yet. I traced my way along the silky edge of her thong and worked down to the garters clipped onto her stockings. I looked up her body while she watched my mouth. Hell, yeah. “Play with your breasts,” I commanded.

Her brow furrowed for a moment. I wasn’t sure if my bossy side turned her on, or pissed her off. When she complied, I had my answer. With a little satisfied smirk, I continued, “No, not small circles.” Her palms stilled while her lustful eyes held mine. “Use your thumbs and forefingers. Yeah, like that.” As she rolled and tugged those beautiful nipples, I went to work on her core. I used my fingers to hold her panties along the side; meanwhile, my tongue plunged into her slickness with gusto. She came all over my face, screaming my name. I. Fucking. Loved. It. So to bring her again, I switched my attention to her swollen clit and took her up and up and up. Then, I pushed her over on a hard suck of the sensitive nub.