Torn (41 page)

“
Yes, I do.” Katie walked
with him down the hall to the door that led outside. She heard the
string trio begin to play
Canon in
D
by Pachebel.
It’s time.

Lanterns lined the long walkway to the
gazebo by the sea, illuminating the path and adding a warm glow on
the faces the guests. Katie clung to Pete’s arm as he slowly walked
her down the cobblestone path toward Branson. Butterflies tickled
the inside of her stomach as she saw her smiling groom
waiting.

The sea was calm as the windless
October evening greeted her with a warm welcome. Fall colors of
orange, red, and yellow were displayed in floral arrangements
hanging from the lanterns that lit the path. Katie smiled at
several familiar faces before looking ahead to her handsome groom
dressed in a black tuxedo and charcoal gray ascot. His eyes carried
her toward him, until she was close enough to see the wide grin
displayed across his face and the dimples she hoped their children
would inherit.

She was vaguely aware of the minister
speaking and Pete kissing her cheek through her veil before taking
his seat. Katie handed her bouquet to Maggie and relished the
feeling of Branson’s hands as they held her own.

Branson gazed into her eyes as he
vowed to love and honor her for the rest of their lives. She tried
to concentrate on the meaning of their vows and savor each moment
on this perfect night. She wanted to remember the way Branson
looked and how she felt. After they exchanged rings, the minister
pronounced them husband and wife. Branson gently took her chin in
his hand, lifting it slightly, and brought his lips to hers. The
kiss was so soft and tender, mimicking the first time she
experienced his lips. Her heart stopped beating and time stood
still.

“
It is my pleasure to
introduce for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Branson
Stone.”

Branson took Katie’s hand in his as
they walked down the aisle, surrounded by family and friends
clapping and cheering.

“
My wife.” He pulled her
in and hugged her to his side.

“
It sounds so strange,
doesn’t it? I’m Mrs. Stone. Katie Stone. I like it!”

After pictures, cocktails
and
hors d’oeuvres were served on the
patio. Katie popped a bacon-wrapped scallop into Branson’s mouth.
“Isn’t that delicious?”

“
Mmm . . .” he mumbled
while he chewed, and then fed her one.

They walked around, greeting everyone
as they sipped cocktails and sampled the food. Servers walked
around with stuffed crimini mushroom caps, grilled beef brochettes
with an Asian dipping sauce, and mini Maryland crab
cakes.

Dinner was served inside. Katie and
Branson were introduced again as they entered the dining room and
shared their first dance to “At Last” by Etta James.

The party flowed easily and all
traditions were observed, starting with a heartfelt yet hilarious
toast from Mike. “A toast to my best friend and his bride. He’s
either the luckiest bastard alive, or a genius to land such a
woman. Welcome to the dark side, Katie!”

Maggie was next as she recounted
youthful adventures through tears. “I used to make fun of her for
listing out her life goals, but she was focused and got everything
she dreamed of. I remember the first time she saw Branson. It was
the first time I witnessed an actual hyperventilation episode!” She
wrapped up her speech between sniffles with, “I love you both and
wish you every happiness.”

Branson stood and raised his glass.
“First of all, a personal thank you to each of you for attending
our wedding tonight. Some of you have traveled a great distance to
celebrate with us. Now, a toast to my beautiful bride.” He looked
at Katie with adoration. “Thank you for choosing me. You have
brought joy to my sorrowful mind, peace to a raging soul, and love
to my desolate heart. Time will never diminish the depth of my love
for you.”

Katie’s heart melted at his words, and
all she could think about was getting her hands on her delicious
husband. She kissed him before clinking her glass with his and
taking a sip of the bubbly champagne.

Branson leaned over and whispered in
Katie’s ear. “Have we been polite long enough? I can’t wait to get
my hands on you.”

“
I’ll meet you in the
lobby.” Katie stood and shared a look with Maggie, letting her know
it was time to wrap things up. Before meeting Branson in the lobby,
she changed into a casual cream dress. She looked outside and saw
the crowd waiting for them. “They’re standing out there like an
army waiting to attack.”

“
I know. Maybe we should
have chosen bubbles instead of birdseed. Just hold on to me and
run!” He laughed as they held hands and ran through the spray of
birdseed. Once in the safety of the car, they waved goodbye to
friends and family and began their adventure as husband and
wife.

***

“
Whoa!” Katie giggled as
Branson lifted her up into his arms to carry her over the threshold
of their honeymoon suite. He set her down, hung the do not disturb
sign on the door and looked around the room. A tray holding
chocolate covered strawberries and two champagne flutes was
displayed on a table near a freshly lit fire. Branson lifted the
bottle out of its ice bath. “Champagne, Mrs. Stone?”

“
Mmm, yes please.” She
lifted a card from a large bouquet of white roses. “These are from
your parents. How lovely.”

Branson handed Katie a glass before
clinking his against it. “To us.”

Katie took a sip and set her glass
down. “Well, it’s late, we should get some sleep.” She tried her
best to contain the smile that begged for release. She was rewarded
with the dumfounded and defeated look on Branson’s face and
giggled. “I’m kidding.” She hung her suit jacket over a chair
before taking Branson’s glass and setting it down on the table. “We
can sleep on the plane.”

Katie felt the heat rising as she held
the gaze of her gorgeous new husband. He didn’t take his eyes off
of her as he reached around and slowly unzipped the back of her
dress, pausing to trail kisses down her neck and
shoulder.

“
Holy—” Branson inhaled
sharply as he stood back and admired her white lace thong. His body
responded immediately. He had planned on taking his time with her,
slowly savoring every inch of her body, but it had been two months
since they had come together intimately and he was losing focus
quickly.

Katie closed the space between them
and began unbuttoning his shirt. She slid it off into the floor and
ran her hands over his broad shoulders, gliding down over every
muscle.

Branson pulled her in and kissed her.
The kiss began softly, tenderly, but quickly escalated into a wild
hunger that nearly took him over the edge. He felt her fingers knot
in his hair, and one of her legs wrap around him pulling him
closer. Without taking his lips from hers, he quickly unhooked and
removed her bra. There was desperation in his haste as he helped
Katie finish removing his clothes. Not willing to have any space
between them, he led her around the furniture to the frame of the
bed.

Katie felt his hot breath against her
ear and moaned. He guided her back onto the bed, sending chills
along her spine as he gave equal attention to each of her breasts.
His hands and mouth traveled down her stomach until he reached her
white thong and slid it off.

“
You are all mine,”
Branson whispered.

Katie tilted her head back and closed
her eyes, enjoying the sweet rapture of his touch. She was
completely consumed in the exquisite pleasure of their bodies and
souls becoming one.

“
Is it possible that it’s
even better now that we’re married?” Katie rested her head on
Branson’s chest and listened to his racing heartbeat.

“
It’s definitely more
intense. We should test the theory.” Branson pulled Katie on top of
him and the miracle began all over again.

Marriage was exhilarating for Katie.
She loved hearing the lady at the front desk refer to her as Mrs.
Stone, and signing her new name to the room service ticket.
Lovemaking seemed new and uninhibited, with bottomless levels of
energy.

They honeymooned in Bali, and spent
the first four days either in the room or lounging under large
cabanas on the beach. They snorkeled the startling clear waters of
Nusa Lembongan where they took underwater pictures of coral,
turtles, and colorful fish, including a large Mola Mola.

On Saturday they visited the Tanah Lot
Temple and watched as the sky was transformed into a mad artist’s
canvas with bold strokes of orange, red, and purple splashed across
the sky as the sun melted into the sea.

Katie and Branson enjoyed horseback
riding along the shoreline, shopping in the village markets and
hiking through bamboo lined forests. They sampled the intense and
beautiful flavors of traditional Balinese cuisine.

“
I really want to try it,
but I’m nervous.” Katie scrunched her eyebrows together at the
thought of drinking something so revolting.

“
We have to try it. They
say it’s the best in the world. Besides, it can’t hurt you or
people wouldn’t drink it.”

“
Maybe it’s considered the
most expensive coffee in the world for a reason—no one will buy
it!” Katie hesitantly smelled the steaming black cup of coffee. “It
doesn’t smell like poo, it actually smells divine.”

The man serving the Luwak coffee
laughed before telling them about the process of gathering and
cleaning the coffee beans. “Civets, a weasel-like animal, are let
loose in coffee plantations at night. They eat the high-quality
coffee berry, and release the coffee bean. The harvested coffee
beans are then thoroughly washed and roasted over a
fire.”

“
By release, you mean
defecate.” Branson laughed.

“
Yes, but trust me—it is
the best coffee in the world.”

Katie and Branson counted to three and
sipped the brew at the same time. “Wow, it’s really good.” She
looked at the man behind the counter. “Anyone ever get sick after
drinking this?”

He shook his head. “No.”

On the last day of their honeymoon,
Branson ordered massages overlooking the beach. As they enjoyed the
relaxing effects of the deep tissue massage and the sound of the
sea, Katie said, “I wish we could live like this forever. Can’t you
see it—you, me, on a deserted island making shelters out of palm
fronds. You could fish for our food and I would make luscious
desserts from coconut and papaya. Mmm.”

“
Don’t tempt me. This has
been heavenly, but it’s not over yet.”

The massage ended but Katie was too
relaxed to move. Branson sat up, took a long drink of water and
helped her up. “Let’s have a drink by the pool before
dinner.”

Katie slipped on a white chiffon dress
for dinner. It hugged her curves and was a nice contrast against
her skin that had been deeply bronzed by the sun. She ran a brush
through her hair once more before applying a hint of lip color.
“Mmm, don’t you look handsome,” Katie said as she watched Branson
finish buttoning his white linen shirt. His freshly shaven face was
tanned and gorgeous, and Katie couldn’t resist running her hand
over his cheek.

Branson pulled her in for a soft kiss
and smiled. “Don’t get me heated up before dinner. I’ve gone
through a lot of trouble to make tonight special.”

“
Oh?” Katie’s curiosity
peaked.

“
Let’s go.” Branson took
her hand in his and led her out to the beach where a table for two
was elegantly set under a white flowing canopy. “Dance with me,
Mrs. Stone?”

“
I’d love to.”

Branson held Katie close as they moved
to the romantic melody that flowed from the guitarist standing in
the distance. Candles were scattered along the sand, providing a
warm glow. The crescent moon provided enough light to glimpse the
daunting sea.

“
I love you, Branson. I
can’t imagine being happier than I am right now.”

They feasted on fish dressed in a
light citrus sauce and a sampling of delectable desserts. Branson
took the champagne out of ice, grabbed the two flutes, and stood.
“Let’s finish this in our room.”

Branson took Katie’s hand and led her
through the candlelit path back to their room. He filled the two
flutes, champagne bubbling over the top and spilling onto the tiled
floor. “Oops,” he smiled, handing her a glass. “To us.”

“
To us,” Katie agreed
before sipping the liquid. The taste of ginger, toasted hazelnuts,
and apricots lingered on her tongue, tantalizing her taste buds.
She set her glass down when she saw the look in her husband’s
eyes.

“
Branson,” Katie whispered
in breathless anticipation as his lips found hers, soft yet urgent.
Her body felt like it was melting into his, leaving her dizzy with
desire. She stepped backward, finding the bed with the backs of her
legs and pulled him down with her, arching her back to feel his
body press into hers.

He began at her knee, slowly moving
his hand up her silky-smooth leg. He moaned when he felt for her
panties and found her nakedness instead, her body revealing how
much she wanted him. “God, Katie.” He exhaled. “I don’t think I’ll
ever get enough of you.”