Commissioned In White (Art of Love Series) (18 page)

“You were begging me for an orgasm, and I heard your damn pleading in my head all night long after you stopped us,” Joe said roughly, tugging the dress down over her full breasts, and then tugging down the strapless foundation garment as well.

When her breasts sprang free of the clothing, he groaned at the sight of her aroused, extended nipples with a level of sexual desire that bordered on insanity. He finally understood all those stories of men who got carried away with women and just took what they wanted. He pinched one eager, straining nipple between two fingers while he lowered his hot mouth to the other, bending her backwards in his exuberance.

Jillian cried out at the contact and grabbed his arms more tightly to hold herself up.

Sucking fiercely and lost in the pleasure of her, Joe fought the beast inside him and had a hell of time not ripping away the rest of her clothes. The rhythm of his hands and his mouth set them both on fire, taking up where they left off last evening as if they had never stopped.

A couple minutes of his mouth on her and he heard Jillian call out, knees buckling. Joe caught her against him feeling the surrender from her climax even as he continued sucking for a moment more until the wave had passed.

When he raised his head, Jillian’s face was a portrait of both shock and ecstasy. He had never in all his life wanted a woman so much. She was so damn beautiful.

“Well at least that’s one of us finally getting some relief,” Joe said roughly, putting his forehead against hers in the first tender gesture he had been able to make to her since she had kissed him last night.

“I want you, Jillian. I know this is not the relationship of your dreams, but I don’t feel like being reasonable about it. Be warned because I’m going to seduce you first chance I get. Save us both the torture and sleep with me until this runs its course. I’ve never felt this way about any other woman. I have to have you,” Joe said.

“Joseph, you had no right to make me do that,” Jillian said, pulling out of his arms and pulling herself back together with now trembling hands.

“What? No right to pleasure you when it was what you wanted as well? Honey, I had every right. I would even call it an obligation since I lit the damn fire in you last night,” Joe said softly.

Jillian wondered how much time had passed as she stared in shock at the determined man who had given her an orgasm with nothing more than his mouth on her breasts.

How did such an inappropriate man have such power over her body? No one else had ever had that level of control over her. Why the hell
him
?

“Reesa is probably wondering what happened to me. I can’t be messing around with you, Joseph. I’m sorry you’re—still unsatisfied,” Jillian made herself say the truth so her apology would ring true. “I’m sorry if you think I led you on, but I didn’t mean to take us beyond friends.”

How long had they been in here? Was the wedding now delayed because of her and Joe? In her haste, Jillian wrestled the foundation garments back into place, but couldn’t reach the zipper on her dress well enough to get it all the way up.

She was surprised again when Joe angrily spun her and yanked up the zipper the rest of the way. She was less surprised to feel the hardness of his erection pressing into her backside.

He put his arms around her from behind and held her to him with more honest longing than she had ever felt from any man she’d dated. Joe rocked against her enticingly for thirty seconds. That was all it took for her tongue to want to order him to lift her dress and end the torment.

And yet at the same time, Jillian cursed herself for kissing him last night. It had just been so long and he had made her laugh all evening. It had all seemed so innocent at first.

Oh, she initiated it. She admitted that. She was the one who teased Joseph until he finally gave in and put his mouth on hers. Then when he had, all hell had broken loose in the parking lot.

They’d been making out inside their winter coats, shirts out and unbuttoned to get to each other, totally ignoring people coming out of the bar and leaving. They were against her car and she’d ended it when she realized how close she was to climax.

Now she was quivering with relief in some ways and wound tighter in others because she wanted another one, but a harder one. One that reciprocated to the man growling in her ear as he ran possessive hands over her curves and down the front of her thighs.

Damn it all to hell, she wanted Joseph McEldowney.

“Joe—please stop,” she pleaded softly. “You’re right. You’re right about me wanting you. But I can’t do anything about this now. I can’t be the one that ruins Reesa’s wedding.”

Joe’s hands calmed, and he finally backed away from her, her concession of desire reaching him when all her other protesting had not. When Jillian turned around to look at him, Joe could see genuine regret in her expression. It was as effective as having a bucket of ice water poured over his head.

Shame for how roughly he’d treated her flooded through him. He shook his head in denial, closed his eyes, and held out his hand to Jillian, not the least surprised when she put her trembling one into it. They had accidentally connected, but they had connected strongly. And while Jillian might loathe that she wanted him, on some level she trusted him instinctively. He could feel that. And he didn’t want to betray it by being selfish, no matter how long it had been or how much he was hurting to have her.

“Larson wasn’t the only one who stopped sleeping around months ago,” Joe said flatly. “But that’s no excuse for what I just did. Not even mutual desire is reason enough to force a woman. I’m sorry if I forced you to take our attraction further than you wanted. It won’t happen again. I promise. And I hope you’ll forgive me.”

He started to drop her hand then, and was surprised when Jillian gripped his fingers hard and held on instead.

“You didn’t do anything but send me soaring to climax and make me want more. You didn’t hurt me or harm me, other than make me question my sanity for teasing you last night. So don’t go feeling guilty for being sexy and having a mega talented mouth. You never forced me to do anything, and I won’t let you think it,” Jillian said firmly. “I’m a big girl, and it was definitely mutual.”

“Thank you for saying that,” Joe said softly, not buying her denial completely, even though he wanted to. Joe well knew how he could get, knew what was in his blood. He also knew he simply wasn’t the right guy for her.

They stood for a moment, just holding hands, squeezing and kneading fingers.

Joe finally turned loose because the comfort of her friendly touch was getting to him and making him crazier than his arousal had.

“We need to get back. Larson’s probably wondering what happened to me as well,” he said quietly, self-loathing seeping into him now that the lust haze was starting to dissipate.

He held the door of the room open to let Jillian walk out, inhaling her perfume as she moved past him, hoping he’d remember it later when he was alone. There hadn’t been a single other woman in his life who smelled as good to him as Jillian did.

“Whoever that guy is you’re looking for so hard is going to be one lucky bastard when you find him,” Joe said firmly, walking away from her with his hands in his pockets to keep them from reaching for her again.

Jillian watched Joe duck out a side door, but turned herself to walk back the way she’d come in. She was running later than ever, but needed just a couple minutes more to steady herself.

She had teased the animal out of its cage last night, and now had no idea how to lure it back inside and calm it down.

And that animal in her had been pretty mean to Joe to send him away aching for her.

***

Reesa stood at the back of the church, her arm tucked through Zack’s.

Brian and Chelsea had headed to get seats just moments ago.

Helped along by Queen Melon, Reesa knew that Sara was now walking down the aisle, spreading yellow and pink rose petals on the carpet.

Reesa smiled at her practical thoughts that there wouldn’t be many petals to sweep up after her dress collected most of them with its full skirt and sweeping train. She sighed at her lack of romance for the moment and laughed softly when Zack patted her hand in support.

At least she looked like the beaming bride, Reesa thought, grateful that the dress captured the magic of the moment even if she couldn’t quite get there herself mentally.

But to be fair, it was hard to pretend to be a blushing bride today when she’d barely gotten any sleep the night before being a loving wife. It certainly didn’t matter to her that they’d had their passionate wedding night before the actual ceremony today. She and Shane had done most everything backwards in their relationship anyway.

Nobody had a one-night stand and then fell in love. Well, nobody but them.

Jillian stepped to the end of the church aisle and then disappeared as the music built.

Reesa took one final deep breath, checking for nerves, pleased that she wasn’t feeling any flutters in her belly or regrets in her mind. She had fixed that yesterday, thankfully. And proving to Shane that she loved him had been easier than she had imagined.

Well, not easy, Reesa thought. But it had been simple—and right.

In fact, Jillian had been right. There was no need to hold back her love from Shane just because she was afraid of losing him.

Her musings were interrupted when they began moving forward, Zack smiling as the congregation stood and gasped in awe at their first sight of her.

Reesa laughed softly as he patted her hand again.

She walked carefully down the aisle, making herself ignore the urge to look behind her to see if any rose petals remained in her wake. The weird thought brightened her smile as she drew closer to her groom, whom she noticed was now staring at her very strangely.

Why was Shane looking at her that way? Was he actually weaving? Had Joe managed to get him drunk while they dressed for the wedding?

She darted a glance at Joe, who was watching Shane with concern as well and totally missed Reesa’s inquiring look.

She looked at Jillian, who was trying to calm a spinning Sara, and then at the minister, who was looking very nervous. Reesa recognized him as the one who had performed Jessica’s ceremony.

“I’m going to be fine,” she whispered to him, smiling her encouragement.

The minister nodded and began the ceremony.

Her vows came first, which Reesa had been told had been the minister’s one condition for performing another Larson wedding. She snorted and felt like laughing. Getting the tattoo was ten times harder and scarier than today.

When Shane just continued to stare at her as if she were some stranger he barely recognized, Reesa picked up his giant hand, pushed the wedding band into place, and promised him forever in the loudest voice she could manage.

When Shane’s turn came, he put the ring on her finger, but gripped her hand so hard she called out, which made the congregation laugh.

“Are you okay?” Reesa asked Shane, smiling up into his face.

She bit her lip and waited to see what he would say.

***

A stupor had fallen over Shane the moment he saw Reesa walking towards him in her beautiful dress, looking like some enchanted heroine from a fairy tale. How was he ever going to hold the attention of a woman who looked like she did, who could please a man endlessly in bed, who loved her family deeply, and who would tattoo his image on her arm just to prove a point to him?

His love for her was overwhelming. Her love for him was unfathomable.

Finding her had been like solving a mystery the universe had plopped down into his life. Getting into her life had been a hero’s journey worthy of retelling, and one he had enjoyed telling in his novel.

Shane thought it was indeed like he was living one of his own stories every moment Reesa Callahan Larson was in his life.

It was incredibly overwhelming to think about it all now while dozens of faces watched them. His head was spinning with wanting to make sure he said and did all the right things so she would proudly remember this day.

His body was stiff with anxiety, but when he tried to move his legs and relax, his knees simply wouldn’t bend.

Then suddenly Shane was falling, and he couldn’t stop himself.

***

Calling out in shock, Reesa caught a falling Shane in her arms, lowering his knees to the floor as she yelled desperately for help.

“The dress is ripping right off you,” Jillian said wildly, dropping the bouquets and grabbing handfuls of material just as it separated down the back seam from the pressure of Shane’s body landing on the front of it.

Jillian held the seam closed with an iron grip while struggling not to laugh at the ridiculous situation.

At the same time Jillian was helping Reesa, Joe swore and tried to grab Shane from behind, but he’d fallen too quickly. Putting his arms around the back of his giant friend, Joe pulled him backwards to get his weight off Reesa and her dress, but he was too late to stop the damage.

Reesa heard Ellen’s voice calling “No, not again” and Sara squealing as Jillian let go of her dress with one hand to hold the girl back from running to help. Reesa was too busy dealing with the kneeling man in her arms to spare a glance behind her at what Jillian was dealing with, so her imagination filled in all the gaps about what everyone was seeing.