Misty Blue (19 page)

“Hell, he’s had an erection the whole damn day. I joked with him about it earlier when we were talking. His dancing with you didn’t do it. He has it because he can’t keep his eyes off Mia. It’s not you he wants, it’s his wife,” Jerry answered.

“You think so? Wait until he has her tonight. I’ll bet you by morning he’ll be wishing he’d taken me up on my offer.”

* * *

Mia stood behind her mother, her smile frozen into place. She was paralyzed by the words she’d just heard. Unintentionally she moaned aloud and Jerry’s head snapped up and his eyes connected with Mia’s.

“Mia, honey, your mom was just kidding,” Jerry said and Mia knew he was warning her mother that she was there. As her mother turned and faced her, Mia knew the words she had heard had not been said in jest.

Once more she had to acknowledge that Keefe had been right. As much as she’d wanted it, her mother hadn’t changed for the better. If anything, she’d gotten worse.

“How could you?” Mia asked. “I hate you, Mom. I’m not trying anymore.”

“Like you ever tried, Mia. You were only afraid of losing your brother. Nothing you ever did was because you wanted me around. As for your husband, he’s not here with me now, yet I don’t see him by your side. Maybe it’s not me you have to worry about.”

“Mia, don’t listen to her. She’s been drinking, she doesn’t mean it.”

Jerry pulled on Lillian’s arm, trying to get her to leave. For a second longer Mia stood there and stared.

“When the reception is over, I want you gone. I don’t want you going back to my apartment. I’ll have Keefe give you your things. Since you’ve never wanted to be a mother, you no longer have to worry about it. You mean nothing to me now.”

With tears stinging her eyes Mia finally walked away. She spied her brother walking toward her and shifted her direction. She couldn’t talk to Keefe right now. He would be too angry. He’d toss their mother out without a second thought, and she knew her mother wouldn’t go quietly. Her wedding day would be ruined. Well, actually it already was. But Mia didn’t want the day ruined for Damien.

Mia continued walking, ignoring Keefe calling her. She needed to feel her husband’s arms around her. If she talked to her brother, there was no doubt she would fall apart.

“Damien,” Mia whispered, spotting him at last standing in a secluded corner talking quietly with Ashleigh. She stared for a moment before changing her mind and heading for the bathroom. She couldn’t allow her sudden intense feelings of jealousy to surface. Her mother was a liar, plain and simple. Damien loved her. She was the woman he wanted, not Ashleigh and not her mother.

Mia walked away from her husband, wishing once again that they’d eloped. She did nothing to stop the tears that flowed down her cheeks, no longer caring if anyone spotted a bride crying.

* * *

Keefe ignored his own hurt. Something was wrong with Mia. He’d seen the tears in her eyes as she’d glanced briefly at him and walked away, not bothering to turn when he called out to her. He saw her hesitate when she found Damien and Ashleigh talking. He didn’t know what had happened but he’d be willing to bet their mother was the source of Mia’s pain. That’s all she’d ever really given either of them.

Keefe stood there watching Mia watch Damien. He almost followed her when she turned away, but instead walked up to Damien and Ashleigh, a bit annoyed that they were so engrossed in their conversation that neither had noticed Mia or him.

“What’s going on?” Keefe said a little gruffer than he’d intended, interrupting them.

Surprised, Ashleigh turned to him with what he thought was a rather strange expression on her face. Damien wore almost the identical expression and it made Keefe wonder if it was guilt. Because they were damn sure getting ready to tell him a lie. He could tell by the knots forming rapidly in his abdomen.

“Keefe, we’re just talking,” Ashleigh answered at last.

“I can see that,” he answered her. “It must be something pretty important.” He glanced at Damien. “Mia was just looking for you. She’s upset about something.”

“I didn’t see her,” Damien answered

“Just my point. A bride in a wedding gown is pretty hard to miss.”

“Where is she?” Damien asked, ignoring Keefe’s sarcasm.

“She went into the bathroom.”

A look passed between Damien and Ashleigh that puzzled Keefe. Maybe for once it wasn’t their mother who’d put the tears in Mia’s eyes. He glared at both Ashleigh and Damien before turning to walk away.

“Keefe, what’s wrong?”

For an instant he thought not to answer Ashleigh but took a deep breath instead.

“What were you two talking about?” he asked.

“Why?”

His head tilted to the side and he stared at her. “It just seemed important.”

“It was.”

“That’s it?”

“No, it was also personal.” Ashleigh laughed. “I know you can’t be jealous. First off, I’m madly in love with you. Secondly, Damien’s madly in love with your sister. He can’t see anyone else when she’s around.”

“That’s not true. She was looking for him and he didn’t see her.”

“Would you stop that?” Ashleigh teased, leaning forward to kiss him. “Your sister has changed Damien, believe me. He’s going to make her happy.”

“He’d better,” Keefe growled before turning his full attention to kissing Ashleigh thoroughly.

* * *

Damn. Damien was hoping that Mia had not witnessed her mother’s vulgar display. But Keefe said she was upset. Now it seemed as though she’d seen it all. He had to explain to her, let her know it was not his fault, that he’d not done a thing to make her mother behave the way that she had.

Without checking to see if other women were in there, he pushed the door open and went inside. He saw Mia sitting there looking forlorn with obvious streaks on her face, a tell-tale sign that she’d been crying. His heart lurched and he shook his head. Damien couldn’t believe that on their wedding day she was hurting. He’d already broken his promise to make her happy. Damn.

“What are you doing in here all alone?” Damien said, going up to Mia and kneeling on the floor beside her. “Keefe said you were upset.”

“This is the ladies’ room,” Mia said quietly.

Damien’s heart swelled with love for her. She sounded so sad and he wanted to make that sound go away.

“I know it’s the ladies’ room,” he grinned. “I just wanted to make sure that you’re alright. You’re not angry with me, are you?”

“No. I’m not angry with you. Whatever gave you that idea?” Mia gazed at her new husband. He was smiling at her and lust quickly filled his eyes. She’d been holding onto the thought of that look since she’d left her mother. He took her in his arms and a tremor of desire shot through her.

“Damien, what if I don’t satisfy you?”

“Shh, baby girl, stop. I thought we had this all settled. I don’t know where the hell this keeps coming from, but I know it’s not coming from me.” He kissed her eyelids, her nose, and her lips. “That would be impossible.”

“Let’s just say I don’t. What then?”

“Mia, stop worrying. I love you. I’ll always love you.” He kissed her deeply, his passion for her making him hard instantly. “How much longer do we have to stay?”

“We don’t. We can go cut the cake and leave.” As she answered, the door opened and three women entered at once.

“We’re leaving.” Mia smiled, reached for Damien’s hand and pulled him up and out with her. She should have known Keefe would be standing outside the door waiting for them.

“You were in the ladies’ room?” he said to Damien.

“I went looking for my wife.” Damien grinned. “I do like the sound of that,” he added, kissing Mia.

“So do I,” Mia agreed as she kissed him back. Then spotting her mother, she quickly ended the kiss and looked away. When her brother’s glance connected with hers, she dropped her eyes, knowing as he looked in their mother’s direction that he was aware something was wrong. She’d tell him later to give Lillian her belongings.

“Come on everyone,” Mia said, including Keefe and Ashleigh as she entwined her arm in her husband’s. “We’re going to go and cut the cake.” And she marched away without looking again in her mother’s direction.

Mia was trembling. The cake had been cut, the pictures taken and the catcalls begun as she and Damien made their way from the banquet hall to the elevator door that would take them to the bridal suite. This was it, the beginning of her new life, their new life, as man and wife.

It was as though she were on display. Mia felt the eyes of everyone piercing her back with the knowledge of what she was about to do. She hated that. It was a private matter.

When the elevator doors opened, Damien swung her up into his arms, taking her breath away, and fell backwards against the wall of the elevator.

“Damien, you’re drunk,” she whispered, not able to keep the disappointment from her voice.

“I’m not drunk, baby girl, and even if I were, it wouldn’t make a difference.”

He was so wrong, Mia thought. She had never thought that her husband would be drunk their first time together. Damien wobbled a little and Mia closed her eyes. “Put me down before both of us fall.”

“No, I’m not letting go of you.”

He kissed her and the taste of scotch on his tongue was not as pleasant as the taste of champagne, but she ignored it.

“I love you, Mia,” Damien said, putting her down as the door to the elevator opened. “Thanks for making this the happiest day of my life.”

Now the scotch no longer mattered, just Mia and her new husband. She clung to him. “I love you too,” she said, once again giving in to the feeling of desire that had claimed her body for almost an entire year. It didn’t matter that her husband was slightly drunk. It would still be the best night of her life.

When Damien slid the card down the side of the lock and lifted her once again into his arms, she didn’t protest. She knew it wouldn’t do a bit of good. He was bound and determined that he would carry her over the threshold.

Once inside the room, Damien carried her to the bed and laid her down and lay next to her. Mia looked around and spotted their luggage on luggage racks.

“Turn around,” he said, his voice raspy. “Let me get you out of this dress.”

In a matter of seconds Damien was tossing her wedding gown on the floor and his hands were all over her body. This wasn’t part of her dream. She smacked at his hands. “Damien, I want to put on the negligee I bought.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Because what?”

“Because it’s part of the way I thought it would be. I want the romance.” She smiled shyly.

Damien leaned up on one elbow and looked at her. “Let me get this straight. You want to get up from this bed and put on more clothes?”

“Yes,” Mia answered, embarrassed.

“Why?”

“So you’ll remember how I looked.”

“I’ll remember better seeing you naked.”

“Damien.”

“What? I’m just being honest. We’ve waited too damn long as it is.”

“Then a few minutes won’t make that much difference,” Mia answered, laughing as she tried to untangle herself from her husband’s hands that were all over her body. She was shivering with anticipation. Still, she wanted to put on the gown and watch his face as he saw her in it.

“I still don’t see the point,” Damien said, sitting up now. “Because the moment you come out of the bathroom I’m going to take off whatever garment you’ve put on, and you’re going to be naked anyway. So why not just start there? Cut out the middle man?”

Mia hopped off the bed and went to her bag and opened it, taking out the negligee she’d bought for her wedding night. She held it in front of her body. “I promise I’ll be quick and you’ll like the results.” She went into the bathroom.

Damien fell back on the bed. “Mia, if you think being in white lace is going to make you more appealing than you lying here naked next to me, you’re insane.”

Suddenly Damien remembered the gift he’d bought for his bride and went to retrieve it from his own bag. He laid it on the corner table. “Mia,” he yelled. “What the hell is taking you so long in there? God, I’ll never understand women. Only a woman would think about putting on clothes just so a man can rip them off her. Come on out here, Mia, I’m horny as hell.”

“Keep your shirt on,” she yelled back, making him laugh. The only item of clothing he still had on was his briefs. He would have taken those off but thought it would be sexier if Mia took them off.

Alright
, he thought. Maybe Mia had a point. Maybe she wanted the sexiness of her gown. He opened the champagne and poured himself a glass, shaking his head. He was beginning to feel the combined effect of the day and the alcohol. “Mia,” he called again. “Come on out.” He lay down as a feeling he’d never experienced in his entire life overcame him. He recognized it for what it was: contentment, bliss, joy. Any of the nouns could apply. Mia had made him whole, made him complete by marrying him and he would spend the rest of his life making sure she never regretted her decision. His heart swelled with love.