Johnny (Connelly Cousins #2) (21 page)

Johnny set her down on the edge of the bed and went down on bended knee. Her eyes grew wide and her hands flew up to her mouth as he reached along the side of the bed and presented his final surprise.

* * *

S
tacey forgot to breathe as Johnny held out two thornless, entwined red roses. Having incorporated the meaning of gifting flowers in many of her novels, Stacey knew the dark red color symbolized love and romance, and the fact that they were entwined meant...

“Stacey Mallory, will you marry me?”

Somewhere between one moisture-filled blink and the next, Stacey spotted the glittering diamond ring suspended by the white ribbon tied in a bow around the long stems.

“Marry you?” she whispered.

Johnny grinned. “Yes, marry me, Stacey. Be my wife.”

White noise buzzed in her ears; her vision was blurred around the edges, framing the face of the most wonderful man she’d ever met. The man she loved. The father of her child.

She wasn’t even aware she was crying again until Johnny reached up with his thumb and brushed the tears away. “Ah, baby, don’t cry.”

“I just... We never talked about... You never said you wanted to... ”

He gave her a gentle smile. “Of course I want to. You’re my
croie
, Stacey. Do you understand what that means?”

She sniffed, running her fingers along the roses. He had put so much time and effort into this. He often apologized for not being a romantic kind of guy, but what he didn’t realize was, he couldn’t possibly have done anything
more
romantic.

“It means you love me.”

“Oh, baby, it means so much more than that. It means you are my heart. The other half of my soul. It means that I want to spend the rest of my life loving you, if you’ll have me.”

He took her hand in his and looked deeply into her eyes. “Marry me, Stacey. Say yes.”

She hiccupped. “Yes. Yes. Yes!”

He laughed and slipped the ring on her finger, then took her in his arms and gifted her with a searing kiss. Her blood heated and burned, and she couldn’t get his shirt – or the rest of his clothes - off fast enough. Thankfully, he was of a similar mind. In no time at all, the only thing she was wearing was his ring.

“Do you remember what I asked you our first night together?” he asked, placing kisses beneath her jawline.

She struggled to think back to that night, but it was hard to concentrate on anything beyond the feel of his lips and tongue and teeth nearing her aching breasts.

“Favorite sex position?”

He chuckled. “Close, but not what I was thinking. Maybe this will refresh your memory.”

With nothing but a quick homage to her nipples (far too quick, in her opinion), he continued his southbound progress.

“Oh. Ohhhhh,” she moaned. “
That
.”

Johnny lifted her legs and burrowed his broad shoulders under her knees. He lowered his head and gave her a long, lingering lick. Just one, but it was enough to send her into a full-body shiver.

“Just a prelude, I think you said,” he murmured.

“Yep, and that’s more than enough for me. Get back up here.”

He laughed, sending hot puffs of air over her sensitive bundle of nerves. “Not yet.”

He dipped his head and gave her another long, slow lick. Then another. Like some kind of giant cat.

Stacey tangled her hands in his hair and pulled.

“Want me to stop?”

Did she?

“Maybe just a little more,” she breathed.

He obliged, his talented lips and tongue performing magic, making a believer out of her. Before she knew it, her climax bore down on her like a freight train until it made impact and she exploded. He grinned smugly and kissed his way back up her body.

“Your turn,” she said huskily.

For a moment, she thought he might refuse her, but then he eased himself on the bed beside her. He was grinning, but it was the pure heat in his eyes that did it. He wanted this, almost as much as she wanted to give it to him.

She took her time, working her way down his body, much as he had hers. She paused occasionally to admire and worship the taut, corded muscles in his chest and abdomen. Working construction kept him in great shape; his body had become her favorite playground.

Those delicious abs jerked when she cupped him between his legs and placed a kiss on the tip of his turgid manhood. His eyes blazed a luminous green as he propped himself up on his elbows to watch.

“Have I ever told you how fucking hot it is to watch you suck my cock?”

The raw words seared through her. Her man knew exactly when to talk dirty and when to whisper sweet nothings. Tonight, she was getting both, and she was going to reward him. She licked around the top, relishing the taste of him, then took him in her mouth. She pulled hard, then released him with a pop before answering. “Maybe once or twice.”

He groaned, filling her with a sense of power. She closed her eyes and let his pleasure guide her, losing herself in her own.

“Enough,” he suddenly commanded roughly, lifting her from beneath her arms and pulling her up his body.

“I wasn’t finished,” she pouted.

“But I nearly was,” he ground out. “And there’s only one place I’ll be finishing tonight.”

In a smooth move, he rolled her onto her back and eased himself into her. Then he made love to her until they came together in an explosion of colorful stars.

“I love you, hellcat.”

“I love you, too.”

“Y
ou look so beautiful,” Lina said, adjusting Stacey’s veil. “My brother is a lucky man.”

“I’m the lucky one,” Stacey said sincerely. Not that long ago, she never would have believed that she’d be living her own love story, but here she was, about to marry the other half of her soul.

“Who would have thought we’d actually end up sisters?”

“You’ve always been like a sister to me, Lina. I’m sorry I didn’t always treat you like one. Thanks for not giving up on me.”

“Never,” promised Lina with tears in her eyes.

The music of the organ grew louder as Kyle opened the door and poked his head in. “How are we doing, ladies?”

“Almost there,” Lina told him. “We’ll be out in a second.”

“Wow, he really cleans up nice,” Stacey commented. Dressed in a black tux, his hair pulled back and tied at the base of his neck, and wearing his ever-present shades, Lina’s husband looked like he just stepped off the cover of
GQ.

“I know, right?” She winked. “Wait till you see Johnny.”

Stacey didn’t want to wait. For some unfathomable reason, they’d decided to follow the tradition of not seeing each other prior to the service on the day of the wedding. It had been the first night they’d been apart since her surgery nearly six months earlier, and it had been
awful
. She’d barely slept without Johnny’s warm, strong heat and effective methods of distracting and calming her.

Stacey took one more deep, cleansing breath, slipped her arms into the customized forearm crutches (which had been decorated with pearls and white ribbons), and stood. Today she was going to do something she would have considered impossible a year ago: she was going to
walk
down the aisle, straight into the arms of the man of her dreams.

“Okay. I’m ready.”

Lina frittered about, adjusting the small train behind her, then peeked out the door and spoke quietly to Kyle. The pipe organist switched to a series of chords, following with the first notes of the bridal march.

“Let’s do this.”

Kyle opened the door, and the first thing Stacey saw was Johnny waiting for her near the altar. Dressed in a black tux with a crimson cummerbund and bow tie, he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. A wave of incredulity washed over her as the truth lit her up from within: this man
loved
her, and she was going to spend the rest of her life with him.

Then he smiled and she forgot everything.

The guests stood and turned to look toward her expectantly. With some gentle prompting from Lina, she began her journey down the aisle. Flanked by Kyle on one side and Lina on the other, Stacey resisted the urge to rush and took small, somewhat jerky, baby steps.

Johnny’s eyes widened and his lips parted in surprise. It was the first time he’d seen her without her wheelchair or the boxy walker she’d progressed to. The day after he’d proposed, Stacey told Marissa she wanted to walk down the aisle, and Marissa had embraced the idea.

The look on his face made the last two months of grueling effort well worth it.

By the time she reached him, his beautiful green eyes were shinier than usual. He moved beside her and wrapped his strong arm around her waist.

“Lean on me,” he said quietly as they faced the priest. “I will never let you fall.”

She believed him.

The rest of the service passed in a blur. Before she knew it, they’d been pronounced man and wife and Johnny was kissing her. A profound sense of both relief and joy overwhelmed her. His kiss promised a lifetime together, and she eagerly returned it with equal fervor.

Beneath the flowing skirt of silk, her legs finally gave out. Before she knew what was happening, Johnny had scooped her into his arms.

“Told you,” he winked.

“I never doubted you,” she grinned.

The reception was a joyous affair. The hall was filled, mostly with people she’d never met.  Stacey gave up trying to remember names after the first few dozen introductions.

“I think the whole town is here,” Stacey confided to Lina as they shared a rare moment of quiet.

“Pretty much,” Lina laughed. “I think they felt cheated when Kyle and I did a quick civil at Judge Kelley’s.”

There were definite advantages to doing things that way, Stacey thought. She’d wanted to be married before her final trimester, and, as she’d discovered, planning a wedding in two months was not easy. Thankfully, Lina had suggested using a professional wedding planner, who had turned out to be a godsend. She would have never been able to pull it off otherwise.

“Krissy did an amazing job,” Stacey commented, looking around at the elegant, perfectly coordinated décor – white linens, crystal vases holding crimson roses, strands of faux pearls and delicate bouquets of baby’s breaths artfully placed about. 

“Yeah, she sure did,” Lina agreed. “This looks like something straight out of a bridal magazine.”

“It is,” Stacey confessed. “I fell in love with the theme, and Krissy turned it into a reality.” Her eyes landed on a group of exceptionally large, dark-haired men clustered around Johnny. They looked a lot like Michael. She’d met them all in the receiving line, but they started blurring together after a while.

“So those guys are your cousins, huh?”

“Yep,” Lina grinned. “They’re the Callaghan branch of the family. The older man is my Uncle Jack. He and my Aunt Kathleen had seven sons. They live across the river in Pine Ridge.”

“Damn good genes in this family,” Stacey murmured, rubbing her baby bump.

Lina laughed. “Yeah, I suppose so. Great guys, too. All Navy SEALs, like their dad.”

“Seriously?”

“Uh-huh. Most of them aren’t active anymore, well not officially, anyway,” Lina said, averting her eyes. “Sean and Shane, the twins, just completed their six-year terms, and only Kieran – he’s the youngest – is still in the program. That’s why he couldn’t be here.”

“You can’t make this shit up,” Stacey said, shaking her head.

“That’s our crazy family for you. Never a dull moment. And now you’re one of us. Are you regretting it yet? Because it’s too late to back out now.”

“Never,” Stacey grinned. “You’re stuck with me, and I love the idea of a big, crazy family.”

Lina’s expression softened. “I’m sorry your mom couldn’t make it, Stace.”

Stacey took a sip of her sparkling white grape juice. Nearly all in attendance were here because of Johnny. Strangely enough, that didn’t bother her overmuch. Her years of self-imposed seclusion were prohibitive to forming friendships, and her mother was the only living family she had left.

“It’s probably for the best.”

“She’s still mad about the surgery, huh?”

“Among other things.” Stacey’s eyes immediately sought out Johnny as the familiar feelings of disappointment threatened to overwhelm her. She found him near the bar, talking with his grandfather, his brother, and Kyle. As if he sensed her gaze, he turned her way and smiled at her in that panty-melting way he had. The same one that turned her into mush and warmed her from the inside out every single time.

Her mother didn’t understand why Stacey hadn’t contacted her before agreeing to the operation. Nor could she understand why Stacey had refused her offer to move in with her and complete her rehab in Denver. Stacey loved her mother, but Grace Mallory made it abundantly clear that she did not approve of her daughter’s choices. In Grace’s opinion, writing romance was not something mature, intelligent,
respectable
women did for a living. Nor did they break their mother’s hearts by having risky, life-threatening surgeries without discussing it with them first. And they certainly did not “get knocked up” and “shack up” with bikers working menial labor, no matter how physically aesthetic they were.

Stacey wasn’t about to share that with Lina, though. There was no sense hurting her best friend – now her sister – with her mother’s unique blend of high-brow education and small-minded toxicity. She hoped that one day, that would change, but until then, Stacey knew where she belonged.

“Maybe she’ll come around,” Lina mused as if reading her thoughts. “Grandchildren have a way of changing things.”

“Maybe,” Stacey agreed, but those thoughts were for another time. She refused to waste another moment thinking about it. Today was her wedding day. She was officially married to the most wonderful man in the universe, and he was heading her way. Her heart pounded in anticipation. Would it always be like this?

“Yes,” Lina chuckled, and Stacey realized she’d spoken her thoughts out loud. “That’s the way it works with
croies
. Maybe you should include that in one of your stories,” Lina teased.