Diary of a Wedding Planner in Love (Tales Behind the Veils Book 2) (12 page)

Tuesday, February 11th

Lillian and Laura invited us to come to Lakeside Gardens tonight for a cocktail reception and a big announcement. They told us we could bring dates, so I asked Cabe. Since I started working weddings he has pretty much accompanied me to every social work function we've had, so everyone in the office knows who he is. Well, except Chaz and Charlotte have never met him.

I felt strange about asking now that we're doing the whole ‘slow down’ thing, but when I asked, he simply said, "Sure! What time?"

Wow. No big deal, and here I was obsessing about it.

He nearly took my breath away when I opened my door. He wore a dark purple button-down shirt with a purple and gray paisley tie and dark gray slacks. His curls were slicked back away from his forehead, which only served to accentuate those incredible baby blues of his. He had a bit of a goatee happening, which I've seen him do before and have always liked. Although I have to admit when I saw it tonight, my first thought was whether or not it would tickle. Boy, the myriad of sensations that mental image caused.

Our arrival caused quite a stir, and it seemed everyone had a comment to share with me.

"Oh honey," Chaz said the moment we were alone together. "You did not mention the absolute divineness of this specimen when we talked before. Girl, you let
that
move cross country with another woman? You need your head examined."

Next it was Lillian when we ended up in the restroom at the same time. "So, you two seem back to being cozy. Patch things up, did you?" I nodded and exited quickly to avoid another session of Lillian's relationship advice.

"You look so happy, sweetheart," Laura whispered into my ear as she hugged me. "I'm so glad it all worked out."

I felt like the entire office had been following my dating life like a bunch of soap opera groupies.

Mel was the worst of all. She followed Cabe around all night, constantly making little innuendos with clever double meanings. I could have killed her. She is my best friend, but the woman sometimes has no tact and not a clue how to be discreet.

Carmen was there with her husband, Omar, and baby, Lila, excited and upset about returning to the office from maternity leave at the end of this month. She treated Cabe with indifference that borderlined on hostility, still pissed at him for leaving me to marry Monica.

Then, of course, there was Charlotte. She couldn't keep her eyes off Cabe, and the minute he stepped away to use the restroom, she made a beeline for me.

"Oh my Gawd! He is so hot. I mean, like he is off the charts. Is that who you're dating? Because if not, I would totally give him my number. I mean, not if you're dating him or anything. But are you? 'Cause he is definitely my type."

Luckily, I knew I wouldn't look good in orange or horizontal stripes, and I'd be claustrophobic as all hell in jail, so I just walked away from her without responding the way I wanted to.

I hoped the big announcement would be that Charlotte was leaving us now that Carmen was returning, but Mel seemed to think it had something to do with Chaz. Maybe they had fabricated a title higher than senior event planner just to bestow another promotion on the golden boy. Hell, maybe they were going to make him partner.

Karen and Mitch, Lakeside’s owners, circulated among the crowd greeting each new arrival. I could tell Karen had been crying, but she smiled graciously as she hugged everyone and remarked on the snazzy attires.

Cabe rarely left my side, although I am sure it had as much to do with avoiding Mel and Chaz as staying next to me. His hand either stroked the small of my back or intertwined with mine the whole night. His touch coursed through me like adrenaline. My nerves jittered on edge with the anticipation of the big announcement, anxiety over the state of our relationship, and bitchiness over Charlotte's constant ogling of Cabe. I couldn't stand still for long and found it hard to smile and make small talk with the various industry peers who had been invited.

I felt relieved when Lillian and Laura finally took the stage and called everyone to attention as Karen and Mitch joined them.

Laura took the microphone and spoke while Lillian looked on with a rare beaming smile. "Since Karen and Mitch built Lakeside Gardens, it has been the premiere ceremony destination in Central Florida. We have been privileged to be the event planning company of choice for their brides, and now we are excited to announce we have purchased the property and business from Karen and Mitch. Welcome to the beginning of a new chapter for Lillian and Laura, Inc."

Shock and applause rippled through the crowd as Lillian and Laura hugged Karen and Mitch and accepted the crowd's words of congratulations.

Karen wiped her eyes with a tissue and took the microphone Laura offered.

"It's been an amazing journey to build this property and watch it grow. Mitch and I had a dream to create a place of beauty and serenity where brides and grooms could start their lives together. We've fulfilled our dream, and it's time for us to move on. As many of you know, we have two adorable grandbabies in Oregon, and we will be moving there this spring to be full-time Nonna and Papa. We will miss you all, but we know we are leaving Lakeside Gardens in the best possible hands with these ladies and their team."

The rest of the night flew by in a blur of champagne toasts, congratulations, shared laughter and work stories. I was quite tipsy as Cabe walked me to his car, and I was relieved he had chosen not to drink since I was in no shape to drive.

He walked me to my door and unlocked it for me as I wrapped both arms around his neck, my stilettos slapping the back of his neck from where they dangled on my thumb.

"Cabe, will you stay with me tonight?" I asked.

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against mine.

"I'll probably be asleep in five minutes anyway," I said. "I just want to be with you. I want to fall asleep in your arms and wake up next to you. Please?"

He kissed me then, the familiar fire sparking deep within me and unfurling at his touch. Somehow he reached down and swept me off my feet, carrying me through the door in his arms without ever letting his lips leave mine.

He carried me straight to my bed, laying me down gently before straightening to loosen his tie.  I moved to kneel in front of him, nudging his hands aside to tug the silk free from his neck.

My head swam with dizziness, in part from the alcohol but more from the absolute intoxication of his touch. His taste. The scent of him. His warmth against me.

The residual pain of losing him intensified my need to connect. To be close. I didn’t want anything to separate us. I unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it from his shoulders before pulling my dress over my head and leaning forward to mold my skin against his body.

He inhaled with a bit of a groan as he slid his arms around me, his touch blazing a trail of fire on my bare skin. With a quick flick of his thumb, he unfastened my bra, removing the lacy barrier from between us.

I moved to press against him again, my nipples taut from the sudden exposure to the air and yet warmed by the heat from his chest. I twisted my fingers into the long curls at the back of his neck and pulled him to me, but our mouths only met for the briefest of moments before he bent his head to nuzzle behind my ear. Anticipation coursed through me as he kissed along the curve of my neck, and I thought I would explode by the time he finally closed his mouth over my breast. His tongue teased at my nipple—nibbling, licking, tugging, and releasing. Creating sensations that emanated out across my body like wildfire. I buried my hands deeper in his curls and arched toward him, whispering his name in a moan and a plea.

He tensed for a moment, and I thought he might pull away. Shut us down again and put the wall between us. But then he groaned, and his touch grew more frantic, more urgent. In that moment, he surrendered. I felt it.  I knew I could push him wherever I wanted to go tonight.

But somehow knowing that calmed me. It eased my fears. Cabe still wanted me. He still needed me. I was certain of that. But he had wanted to wait. He needed time, and I knew that, too.

Without a doubt, he was worth waiting for, and I would do anything to keep from losing him again.

"I'll wait," I whispered as he kissed his way down my stomach, his hands on my hips caressing my skin. He didn't stop at first, so I tugged at him and said it again, a bit louder this time. "I'll wait, Cabe."

He looked up then, and the desire I saw burning in his eyes sent shockwaves tingling through me. It matched my own desire, an ache desperate to be satisfied. I could feel my pulse pounding between my legs.

He pushed me back onto the pillows and eased himself onto the bed.

“God, I want you, Tyler," he whispered against my skin as he bent over me.

His tongue. His mouth. His hands. It was torture and pleasure all at the same time. He tasted and teased his way across my ribs, plundered my bellybutton, and nearly drove me insane with his feather-light kisses along the lacy edge of my panties, lingering on each hip bone as I writhed beneath his touch.

I moaned as he slid the lace down, his tongue following his fingers as he went. He continued his journey of kisses down my leg as he took the panties off and tossed them aside. He paused for a moment to look at me.

I swear if he had said he was going home right then, I may have killed the man. Luckily for him, he didn’t. A slow, seductive grin played across his face, and his voice was husky when he spoke.

“You are so damned beautiful. You have no idea what you do to me. What you mean to me.”

He dipped his head between my thighs then, and I nearly lost my mind. I swear this man has talents I never knew existed.

I'd have to say I reached ecstasy in record time. It felt like he'd been there for mere seconds before I screamed out, arching my back and allowing the deep spasms to wash over my body. I fell limp back to the bed, my hands grasping at his curls as he rose from between my legs and kissed his way across my hipbones and back up my stomach. I yelped and pulled away when his lips tugged at my nipple, too sensitive for any further sensations. He chuckled and buried his face in my neck, wrapping his arms around me while I trembled against him and breathed deeply to slow my racing heart.

He shifted onto his back, pulling me with him so that I lay somewhat across him with my head on his chest. I wanted to just drift away into the most completely relaxed state I'd been in for years, but I couldn't. I desperately wanted to give him the same intense pleasure he’d given me.

I traced the line of hair down the middle of his stomach, circling his navel with my finger as his heartbeat quickened beneath me. I ventured just beneath the waistband of his pants, dragging my fingertip slowly across his abdomen. His sharp inhale empowered me, and I dipped my finger even lower the second time across. The bulge in his pants moved slightly in response to my touch, and I watched it in fascination as I unhooked the waistband and slowly pulled the zipper down.

It was Cabe’s turn to moan as I moved my tongue down the path my finger had taken, pausing here and there when I hit a particularly sensitive spot. With every tremble and every groan, my efforts intensified. I wanted him shaking. I wanted him aching. I wanted him to cry out my name, to lose his mind in the moment because of me. I wanted there to be no doubt of whether or not we had crossed the friendship line.

My hands shook as I knelt beside him to pull his pants over his hips. I couldn’t help but think how stupid I’d been all this time. How could I have not noticed this man? How could I have spent so much time with him and never seen the beauty of his body?

The perfectly chiseled abs honed from years of surfing. The strong biceps and pecs from paddling out through the waves. The long, lean thighs and tight, muscular calves. The tantalizing V between his hipbones inviting me to explore.

And explore I did. I took my time, too. My every movement was focused on appreciating him, pleasuring him, and telling him with my mouth what my words had failed to say all these years. I moved slowly at first, reveling in the intimacy of the act, my tongue alternating the rhythm and adjusting ever so slightly to match his reactions. But then he began to move with me, and I quickened my pace until his entire body tightened and convulsed in release. He cried out my name, just as I’d hoped he would.

I can’t deny I experienced a small twinge of pride in knowing I could make him react that way, and I crawled back up his body like a satisfied cat who’s caught her prey. I settled myself on top of him with his arms wrapped around me, my head nestled under his chin, and the length of our bodies interwined.

Our weeks of starting and stopping had brought us both to the edge, and we trembled in the aftermath of the pent-up tension, completely spent and unwilling to move.

I marveled at the depth of the emotions flowing through me. I had never experienced anything like the passion between us. I had no idea physical intimacy could be so intense. So fiery. So all-encompassing. It was as if every feeling I had for Cabe, every emotion I'd been wrestling with, was intensified and centered in the pleasure we’d given each other.

I snuggled closer to him, and he tightened his arms around me, kissing the top of my head. Had it had been the same for Cabe? After all, he'd wanted to wait, to slow down. I knew I'd probably pushed him tonight, even though I offered to wait before desire swept us away.