Then Comes Marriage (21 page)

“Karaoke, you say?” I might be slightly interested.
 

“Yeah. I’d sing a love song to my husband—ahhh, there I go, saying it again!—but I can’t carry a tune to save my life.”
 

“I don’t sing,” Derek tells us.
 

“Really?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. “Because you didn’t dance until last night, remember? I’ll find a way to get you up there, singing with me.”
 

He smiles down at me. “You can try.”
 

“Anyhoo,” Kelly says. “I’m gonna get changed. Meet ya there?”
 

“Sure,” I say, then regret it. Wine. Derek. Alone together in my room. Just thinking of his broad chest makes me tremble. “Or maybe not,” I sputter but it’s too late. Kelly’s already walking away and can’t hear. Though it’s not like we have to show up.
 

“Do you want to go?” Derek asks.

“I’ve always wanted to sing karaoke,” I confess. “It’s on my bucket list.”
 

“Then we’re going. Do you need to change too?”

“I kind of want to. And I need to put this bottle of wine in my room. Are you going to change? Or do you want to come with me?” Inviting him into my room is just as dangerous as inviting Eric Northman into your house. I might not be able to get him to leave.
 

But not because I want him to. Because I won’t want to leave the room either.
 

“I can come with you,” he says. I press my lips together and turn to go to the elevator. We ride up in silence, standing behind a few other people who were also driven inside from the storm.
 

“It’ll only take me a minute,” I tell him, fulling knowing that’s a lie. I want to fix my hair and put makeup on. It’ll take me half an hour at best.

“I’ll time you,” he jokes. I open the door to my room and flick the light on. “Wow. This room is huge.”
 

“It’s the honeymoon suite.” I wrinkle my nose and point to the balcony doors. “It has a great view.” Derek crosses the room and looks outside, giving me the perfect opportunity to grab a dark purple dress and hurry into the bathroom to do my makeup as fast as I can.
 

“That was twenty-three minutes,” Derek informs me when I come out. He’s standing by the windows, back to me. He turns around, smirking. The smile disappears form his face and his mouth opens slightly. “Fuck,” he mumbles. “You look amazing.”
 

“Thank you. Was it worth the wait?”

“Yeah, I’d say so.”
 

“Good.” The dress is tight and low cut, showcasing my breasts that are pushed up thanks to my favorite bra. The dress is sexier than anything I own, not counting lingerie, and I got it specifically for an occasion like this, though I didn’t think an occasion like this would actually happen. I slip my phone, ID, room key and credit card into a wristlet purse and take Derek’s hand.
 

“Let’s go.”

Chapter Sixteen

Derek

The hotel bar is packed. It’s one of the most upscale bars I’ve been in, nothing like the pub I used to frequent after a long day at work. Rachel and I stand by the bar, waiting for our drinks. She got a fruity mixed drink again and I ordered a beer.
 

“There you are!” someone shouts over the loud music. I don’t need to turn to recognize the Canadian accent…or the volume of her voice. “Go upstairs for a quickie, did ya?”
 

Kelly and her husband come bustling through and stop right in front of us. Her husband playfully elbows her. “Told you we had time for one.”
 

“So, what are we drinking?” Kelly asks Rachel, eyeing the cup in Rachel’s hand.
 

“Dirty Monkey,” she says. “It’s kind of my staple honeymoon drink.”
 

Honeymoon, right. Suddenly I’m hating that I made her out to be my fake wife. Because I don’t want anything about this to be a lie, which is funny since I lie to myself on a daily basis. I look at Rachel, smiling and sipping her drink and feel a pang in my heart, a heart that up until moments ago I swore no longer worked.

“Well, I’ll just have to get one too!” Kelly turns to her husband, raising her eyebrows. He nods in understanding and goes to get her a drink. “Oh, hey, a table!” She points then takes off, sliding into a booth near the stage before the previous occupants are gone. Rachel chuckles but follows. At least we have a place to sit now.
 

“I hope I don’t offend you,” Kelly says to Rachel and I immediately feel protective. Starting a sentence that way means you’re about to say something offensive. “But I’m curious. Neither of you have on rings.” She holds up her left hand and wiggles her fingers. “I’m the first to show this sucker off, so I’m curious.”

“I was afraid of losing them in the ocean,” Rachel explains. “Derek too. We didn’t even wear them here.”
 

“Oh, makes sense! You know, I thought the same thing, but I just can’t take it off! Seriously though. It won’t come off! Hah! I guess that means David is stuck with me for good, right?”
 

I keep my eyes on Rachel, wondering how this talk of marriage is affecting her. She’s got on that smile, her armor, but this time I see it not just on her lips but in her eyes.
 

“Sounds like it,” I tell her. David comes back with drinks.

“So,” Kelly says after sucking down half her drink. She puts her hands on the table and leans forward, and I can’t be sure but it looks like she’s checking Rachel out.
 

Interesting.
 

“How did you know?” she asks me, raising her eyebrows. “That she was the one?”
 

Oh shit. I put on a smile and look at Rachel. She’s forcing a smile as well, and it’s hard for her to maintain eye contact.
 

“How did I know,” I echo as my mind races. “I just did.”
 

“Come on,” she says and reaches across the table, poking my arm. “Ohh, hey there muscles.” She winks and bits her lips. What is happening? “Give me more than that! Like with us, we knew the second we talked on the phone for the first time. We both had the TV on in the background and the same commercial played at the same time, but on different channels. Hello, fate, am I right?”
 

“Yeah, I mean, what else could explain that?” Rachel says.
 

“So…how did you know?” Kelly asks me again. “What made you decide you couldn’t live without her?”
 

I look at Rachel, remembering the way her blue eyes sparkled when we stood atop the Twin Falls. “She has a way of looking at the world, a way of not ignoring all the bad shit out there, but seeing the good in things despite it. And I don’t think anything can keep her down. Every time she falls, she gets back up and rises higher. I can’t say I admire a lot of people, but Rachel’s resilience is a force to be reckoned with.”
 

“Awww, oh my God that is sweet,” Kelly coos, but I hardly hear her words. I’m looking into Rachel’s eyes. Her brows push together and she blinks back what I think are tears.

“What about you, Rach?” Kelly asks and it bothers me for some strange reason that she’s using a nickname. I haven’t even called Rachel by a nickname.
 

Not that it matters. Because this doesn’t matter. It’s a fling, a lust-driven connection that I shouldn’t act on. I’m not in love with Rachel. Yet those things I mentioned could make me fall if only we had more time.

It’s a good thing I’m leaving in a few days.
 

“Um,” Rachel starts, shaking her head. I can tell she’s blushing in the dim light. She takes a drink to buy more time, closes her eyes for a second, then puts on a smile. “He makes me laugh. And he makes me feel valued, if that makes sense.”
 

“You two are a match made in heaven!” Kelly squeals. “Plus you just look good together. So good.”
 

Rachel takes another sip of her drink and diverts her attention to the stage. “That guy is pretty good,” she says in regards to the man belting out a Jimmy Buffet song on the stage.

“You should get up there,” I say, tipping my head down. “You said you wanted to, right?”
 

She bites her lip as she thinks, and then smiles. “Yeah. I’ll do it.”
 

“What are you going to sing?” I ask.
 

“Let me surprise you.” She goes over to the DJ and puts in her song. She’s up next, and gets on stage as soon as the guy singing gets off. She flashes me a smile before
Don’t Stop Believing
starts. She’s got a good voice, and just enough confidence to get the crowd going. She becomes more and more at ease in the spotlight as the song goes on, and has half the bar watching and singing along with her by the song’s end. The crowd cheers and claps when she’s done, and Rachel returns to the table beaming.
 

“If I admired you before…” I say, smiling. Rachel slides back into the booth and picks up her drink.
 

“That was fun.” She moves in close.
 

“Go on!” Kelly shouts. “Kiss her!”
 

“Yeah, Derek.” Rachel leans in. “Kiss me.” She parts her lips, waiting. I want so badly to kiss her again, to feel the heat of her skin on mine, to taste her, drink her up. But I know that if I kiss her now my will is bound to break and things will go farther…and I want them to.
 

If anyone was to make me go back on my word, to break the promise I made for myself, I want it to be her.
 

I reach out, hand cupping Rachel’s face. Gently, I tip her chin up and move my head down until my lips touch hers. For a split second, only we exist. For a split second, my heart is healed. And in that split second I know I don’t want this to end.
 

“Hot damn!” Kelly yells. “You two are turning me on!”
 

Rachel and I break apart, but I can still taste her on my lips. I slide my hand down her cheek and take her hand. Being with Rachel makes me feel.
 

And I’m not sure what to think about that.

David waves down a cocktail waitress and orders us all tequila shots. We do a quick cheers in honor of our new marriages—hah—and then down the alcohol. Rachel shudders at the taste and reaches for her mixed drink.
 

“Not a fan?” David asks.

“I don’t particularly like the flavor of alcohol,” Rachel says. “Hence why I drink stuff like this.”
 

“Try a pineapple shot,” David says and orders us more. Kelly whispers something to him then looks back at Rachel and again, I think she’s checking her out. We get the second shots, and once they’re down the hatch Rachel turns to me.
 

“I think I’m drunk.”
 

I put my arm around her, bringing her in. I’m not drunk, but feeling the booze. Rachel’s arms wrap around my torso and she puts her lips to my neck.
 

“I think you might be, too,” I say softly, resisting the animalistic desires that are stirring deep inside.
 

“You two are so hot together,” Kelly says, and this time I’m sure she’s staring at Rachel’s breasts. She brings her hand to her mouth and bites the tip of her finger. “Do you want to maybe get out of here and continue this party of four somewhere a bit more quiet?”
 

Rachel—who is drunk—eagerly nods, saying the noise is going to give her a headache. She either hasn’t noticed or is totally cool with the sly invite to go upstairs and have a foursome with Kelly and her husband. They practically salivate at Rachel’s response.
 

“Actually,” I say and wrap Rachel in my arms. She melts into me. “I’m not ready to share this little lady just yet.”
 

Rachel stares at me quizzically for a few seconds before she gets it. Yes. She’s definitely drunk, and it instantly becomes my duty to keep her safe.
 

“Right. Just us. The two of us.” Rachel taps my nose with her finger. “Boop!” She bursts out in giggles. “I have to pee.”
 

“I’ll take you,” Kelly offers eagerly. Too eagerly. I don’t like it. Am I back to my old, paranoid self? Seeing the worst in well-meaning strangers?
 

One look at Rachel and I know I can never be too paranoid.
 

“Nah,” I say. “I’m taking my little vixen upstairs. Is that all right, honey?”
 

“Yeah, baby,” Rachel says and laughs. “Let’s go.” She slurps down the rest of her drink and unsteadily gets to her feet. “Bye,” she says to a very disappointed Kelly. “See ya around!”
 

She holds tight to my hand as we weave through the crowd and exit the bar. The hotel halls are empty, and we’re alone when we stop by the elevator.
 

“So they’re swingers?” Rachel asks, wobbling on her heels just a bit. “Or did they want us all to…to…” She mashes her hands together. “..All at once?”
 

“I think the latter,” I chuckle. “I thought she was checking you out before but wasn’t sure. She wants to get with you.”
 

Rachel raises her eyebrows. “Well, can you blame her?” she laughs.
 

“I can’t. I can’t at all.”
 

“Do you want to get with me?” she asks coyly. The elevator dings and the doors open. I can’t answer Rachel. Instead, I take her hand again and guide her in. I can feel her eyes on me, drilling in, waiting for my reply. I stare ahead, looking at the lobby. But as soon as the doors close, and I’m alone in here with Rachel, I turn, unable to hold back.
 

My heart is on my sleeve, a dangerous, stupid place to put it, I know.
 

I twist my hands in hers and take her wrists, bringing her hands up over her head. I step forward, pressing myself into her. Rachel surrenders to my kiss, tongue slipping into my mouth. My hips grind against hers as we back into the elevator wall. My heart is pounding away in my ears, and blood rushes through me. My cock aches for her already, and I cannot get enough. I take my lips off her’s and kiss her neck, causing Rachel to squirm beneath me. She lets out a moan when I bite at her tender flesh, hardening my cock.