Winter Wedding (Blythe College #5)

Winter Wedding

Rochelle Paige

Copyright © 2014 Rochelle Paige Popovic

All rights reserved.

Edited by Mickey Reed

Cover designed by Melissa Gill

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons or living or dead, events or locals are entirely coincidental.

The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/ Use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.

All rights reserved.

DEDICATION

Crystal-

My publishing journey with the Blythe College series started with you letting me know in the middle of the night that Push the Envelope went live. While I had fallen asleep on my couch waiting on Amazon, you persisted in your stalking of them until it went live. You’ve cracked me up on FaceTime while we learned about author takeovers together, hammered out plot points with me, inspired me with your books, and invited me into your life and home. I couldn’t let this series end without telling you how very much your friendship means to me. Love you, girl!

prologue

Alexa

“Yes!” I shrieked as I threw myself off the bed and into Drake’s arms in response to his proposal. “A million times yes.”

Knowing he’d been holding on to an engagement ring for so many months was a shock, although a much more pleasant one than the other one I’d received tonight. Sure, the idea of marrying Drake had crossed my mind from time to time even though our relationship was still relatively new and we were young. I’d been hiding after what had happened with Brad. His betrayal had made me lose faith in boys and love. Meeting Drake had brought me back to life and made me want more again, but we still had another year of school until we graduated from college. As much as I could picture myself with him forever, I hadn’t expected us to be engaged this soon.

Even though the timing wasn’t perfect and tonight was terrifyingly insane, there was no other answer I could give. The bottom line was this: I loved Drake beyond distraction and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.

“You know you’re crazy, right?” I asked as I stared at the ring he had slid on my finger.

Drake flashed a grin my way, the one that showed off the dimple in his left cheek. “Crazy in love with you.”

My panties practically melted at his answer. “Your kind of crazy must be contagious then because I love you more than I ever expected it was possible to love another person.”

“How about you show me just how crazy we can be together?” he breathed out as his lips trailed down my neck.

I pushed him onto his back on the carpeted floor and tore my sleep shirt over my head. By the time the fabric hit the floor, he’d managed to strip off all his clothes. His hand was stroking lightly his hardened cock as he watched me slide my pajama pants off. I licked my lips at the sight, desperate to taste him.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, baby,” he murmured softly, his love shining brightly from his lust-darkened gaze.

Leaning over to lick the drop of pre-come glistening on his tip, I heard him groan. His hands tangled in my hair, but they pulled me away instead of closer to his erection.

“Drake, please,” I begged, desperate to taste him.

“Oh, you’ll get it. Don’t worry about that. I want those pretty lips wrapped around me, but I want you to do it with my face buried between your legs,” he said before swallowing hard. “I want you to feel with every throb of my cock how fucking hot it makes me when I devour your pussy. Now slide your ass up here and give me what I want.”

I crawled alongside him and kissed him deeply before turning around. Placing my knees on either side of his shoulders, I straddled his face. His breath was hot against my naked flesh as his tongue flicked out for a quick lick.

“Lower,” he rasped before he grabbed my hips and yanked me onto his lips.

I pitched forward at the shock of sensation, suddenly on the edge of a climax before he’d even had the chance to do much of anything. Determination filled me. I wanted to drive him insane before I let myself go. Leaning forward, I sucked his straining cock into my mouth and swirled my tongue over the head. His groan caused a vibration, and I felt my walls clench on his tongue as his cock pulsed in my mouth.

My cheeks hollowed out as I sucked hard, bobbing up and down on his length in a frenzy. His hips surged in rhythm with my movements and his tongue lapped at me as he held my hips tight so I couldn’t wiggle away. Not that I wanted to get away from him. Even as he grew harder and thicker in my mouth, his cock nudging against my throat, I felt myself lose control. He moaned again, and this time, it was enough to send me flying over the edge. As I shuddered from the sheer force of my climax, my legs shook as I held on to his thighs while I came.

When Drake pulled out of my mouth, I tried to protest, but no words would form yet. Pushing me lightly to the side, he slid out from under me and then lifted me into his arms and onto the bed. After I was situated on my back, he leaned over me. I could see my wetness coating his face as his eyes blazed down at me. He moved slowly, giving me a chance to turn my head before he kissed me, letting me taste myself on his lips. My tongue darted out and he lost control.

“Sexiest fucking thing ever,” he growled before he speared inside me with one hard thrust. “But I need to finish inside your pussy this time. Not your mouth.”

And with that, he began moving hard and fast, drilling me with each powerful thrust. Over and over again. His strokes ignited little aftershocks in my body, making me scream his name until my voice was hoarse. Finally, when I didn’t think I could take any more, he drove deep inside and groaned. The heat from the jets of his semen sparked a fire through every nerve of my body as I panted his name.

“I’m so fucking lucky,” he whispered as he swept my dampened hair from my forehead. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, but I swear to spend every day for the rest of my life making sure you never regret saying yes.”

“I’m lucky too,” I rasped out, my chest heaving as I tried to get enough air into my lungs.

“Made for me,” he murmured as he pulled me tight.

Resting my head against his chest, I lay there in an exhausted heap and let my thoughts drift again to what people would think about our engagement. I knew we were young and this would shock many of my fellow classmates when we returned to school for our senior year. Surprisingly enough, I didn’t think it would surprise my dad too much since he’d been so understanding of my relationship with Drake. More so than I’d ever expected him to be after having seen me with a guy. We’d only met eleven months ago, and this thing between us was about as much of a whirlwind as a romance could be.

When it came down to it, none of that mattered to me. I could hardly wait to become Mrs. Drake Bennett.

chapter 1

Drake

   Seventeen long-ass months had passed since I’d slid my ring on Alexa’s finger. Five hundred eleven days down and only seven more to go. When I’d proposed to her, I’d known we’d have to wait before I could add the matching wedding band. I’d just figured it would have been over by now. We graduated almost seven months ago, and if I’d had my way, we would have been married shortly after. It had even looked like that was going to happen until my mom had gotten involved and convinced Alexa that it would take months to plan it properly. Once her eyes had lit at the idea of a winter wedding with the possibility of snow and horse-drawn carriages, I hadn’t been able to find it in myself to complain too much even though it meant I had to wait for what felt like for-fucking-ever.

Alexa had given up a lot to be with me by agreeing to come back East after graduation so I could try out for one of the best rugby teams in the country. One that everyone thought had the best chance to make it to the Summer Olympics. Her dad had let her bring one of the planes so she could do some charters for him out here, and I’d made sure they had space at the closest airport.

I knew flying was important to her. It was something she and her dad had shared when she was growing up, and it had helped build the bond between them, so I’d tried to make it as easy as possible for her to keep doing it. After a couple of months passed, she started taking the plane up less and less. When I asked her about it, she shrugged it off and said that there weren’t enough shorter legs nearby for her to really be of much use to her dad, so he hired another pilot to take the longer overnight trips he couldn’t do himself.

I was so busy once I made the team that it was a while before I realized that my mom had practically taken over the planning of the wedding. I tried telling Alexa that it was okay to say no to her, because this was for us and not our parents, but she smiled and said that she enjoyed spending the time with her. It was nice seeing them grow closer, but with my mom in charge the wedding, had turned into a weeklong affair with hundreds of guests. Alexa had explained to me that she liked being able to make my mom happy, and as long as she got to be my wife at the end of it all, it didn’t really matter to her if she had to play dress-up for all my parents’ friends.

We coasted along for the next couple of months until Alexa started to grow increasingly quiet. I knew something was bothering her. I just couldn’t figure out exactly what it was. I had no doubts about her love for me, but there was a distance between us lately, like she was putting up a wall of some kind. One I was determined to tear right back down because I would never tolerate anything coming between the two of us—not even her own stubbornness in holding whatever was bothering her back from me.

Tonight, I was going to get to the bottom of it before Aubrey showed up tomorrow and consumed all of Alexa’s time with more wedding stuff. So I grabbed my phone and shot off a text before setting everything up for a romantic dinner for two.

Me:
Don’t make any dinner plans.

Alexa:
Okay. Why?

Me:
Because I said so…

Alexa:
Who died and made you the boss of me?

Me:
Nobody needed to die. I’m already the boss.

Alexa:
Really? Says who?

Me:
Says you.

Alexa:
LOL This oughta be good. How exactly do you figure that?

Me:
See that ring on your finger?

Alexa:
Yeah… So?

Me:
My stamp of ownership.

Alexa:
Bahahahaha! NOT!!!

Me:
But you’re still coming to dinner with me, right?

Alexa:
Yes.

Me:
Getting my way = I’m the boss.

Alexa:
If that’s what it takes to make you sleep well at night, who am I to argue?

Me:
Love you.

Alexa:
Love you too!

My parents let us move into the guesthouse on the property to give us a little more privacy than my room would have allowed. I’d slacked off lately in the romance department, and we hadn’t enjoyed a lot of alone time together. Well, other than sex of course. Even with the walls Alexa had erected, she was still mine when we were in bed together each night. It was the only time I felt close to her anymore, and as much of a pussy as it made me sound, it just wasn’t enough.

Now, my fucking dreams were full of visions about making her my wife. Me, the guy who used to be able to pick up any chick he wanted at a party to take home for a quick fuck. A tough-as-shit rugby player. All of that ended the moment I laid eyes on Alexa. Now, I just wanted to watch this crazy girl walk down an aisle to me so I could give her my name.  And I wanted her to be over-the-fucking-moon happy while she did it.
How sappy is that shit?

****

Glancing at the table, I checked to make sure everything was in order as I heard Alexa’s steps nearing the house. Candles were lit. A bottle of her favorite white wine was chilled and ready to go. Our places were set, ready for the food that was staying warm in the oven until it was time to serve it. By the time she got the door open, I had plugged my phone into the sound system so music was playing softly in the background.

“Wow,” she murmured as she glanced around the room. “Did I forget a special occasion? It’s not your birthday. Or our anniversary.”

“I really must be an awful fiancé if I can’t surprise you with a nice dinner without having a specific reason for doing so,” I told her as I guided her into a chair.

“Not awful. Just a very busy one lately,” she corrected me.

I pulled the dishes out of the oven and set them on the table. “That’s just it. You should never feel like I’m too busy to make time for you. Especially not right before you’re about to marry me. I want us to start off on the right foot with each other, not to act like an old married couple before we’ve even exchanged our vows.”

“I don’t think old married couples do what we did to each other last night,” she replied before taking a bite of her food, most likely in an attempt to turn the topic of conversation away from anything serious.

Just like I’d allowed her to do for the last month. But not this time.

“I’m serious, Alexa. I need to make sure you know you’re the most important thing in my life.”

“I do know that,” she replied softly, her eyes softening as she set her fork down on her plate.

“Then let’s enjoy a nice, quiet meal. Just the two of us,” I suggested, wanting her to feel comfortable so she’d open up to me about whatever it was that had been weighing on her mind lately.

Reaching for my fork, I gestured for her to eat too. We chatted about nothing in particular as we took our time with our meal. Once her plate was almost empty, I guided the discussion in the direction it needed to go.

“Everything all set for the wedding next weekend?” I asked. “Anything you’d like my help with?”

The happy smile wiped from her face at my question. Not exactly a good sign. “No,” she replied.

“How about for Aubrey’s visit? She gets in tomorrow, right?” I pushed, not willing to let the subject drop.

“Yes,” she said, giving me a one-word answer again.

“And your dad?”

“He gets in on Wednesday,” she offered—five words this time, making it clear that she didn’t really want to continue the conversation.

“Do you want to call it all off?” I finally asked the question that had been burning in my brain the last week. “Or do you just have cold feet?”

“Drake!” she gasped. “How can you even ask me that?”

I pulled her hand into mine and held on to it tightly. “Deny it all you want, but something’s bothering you. Something you’ve chosen not to share with me, which makes me think it has to do with me. And as we get closer to the wedding, it’s only getting worse. You’re here, but you’re not exactly with me.”

“I’m so sorry I’ve made you feel like that,” she apologized. “I know I’m not the best at opening up, but I’ve really been trying to do better at it with the big things.”

“So this isn’t something big?” I asked, not convinced that it could be anything small. Not with the way she’d been acting lately.

After leaving her chair, Alexa climbed onto my lap and pulled my arms around her. “I don’t know what I’d call it.”

“I need you to try to explain, Alexa,” I chided.

“I am. Just give me a second. I’m trying to think of a way that will make sense.”

I reached for her face and cupped her cheeks in my palms. “Don’t worry about making sense. Talk it through with me instead,” I pleaded.

“I keep dreaming of Jackson and Kaylie’s wedding day,” she began, and I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of him starring in her dreams no matter how innocent it was. “It was so peaceful. Just him and Kaylie and the family on a beach in Mexico. Nothing to worry about except celebrating their love.”

“It was beautiful,” I agreed.

“And I can’t shake this feeling that I made a mistake,” she continued and my heart dropped.

“A mistake with what?”

“I let our wedding become more about your mom than you and me,” she answered softly. “It’s just… She’s here when my mom’s not. And sharing this with her really has meant the world to me. It’s taken away some of the pain I’ve been feeling about my mom. It’s crazy because she died before I ever got the chance to meet her and I’ve had my whole life to come to terms with her loss, but I miss her more now than I think I ever have before.”

“I’m sorry, baby. I know it must be hard for you, thinking about what it would be like if she was here.”

“I think I’ve just been a little sad about it. And that Jackson and Kaylie can’t be here with us for the big day because she’s too far along in her pregnancy. It’s a little weird to think I’m going to be walking down the aisle without the boy who has been like my big brother here,” she admitted.

I felt a small twinge of possessiveness at the idea of her missing another guy on our wedding day even though I knew damn well she’d never thought of Jackson as anything other than a friend. And he only had eyes for Kaylie ever since he’d met and fallen for her, realizing what he’d thought he’d felt for Alexa before I’d met her hadn’t really been love. But I regretted that circumstances being what they were meant she couldn’t have them here for her big day like she wanted. I’d even called Jackson to see if there was anything I could do to get them here, but there was just no way. The timing was too tight since she was so close to the point where she wasn’t allowed to fly and the drive was too long for them to do.

“How about we make sure you FaceTime with Jackson and Kaylie the day of the wedding? It won’t be exactly the same as them being here, but we can try to do something so they’re still part of our day,” I suggested.

I loved the way she cocked her head to the side as she thought about my idea. “I like it! I think it might help to be able to see them even if it’s through a screen and not in person. I think that, instead of coming to terms with my feelings about my mom and everything, I clung to your mom to make some of the pain go away. But I think I went too far with it, and now, we’re having a huge wedding here in your backyard with so many people attending and I feel like it’s all spinning out of control.”

“And that’s it? The reason you’ve been so distant is the sadness over your mom and the stress of the wedding since my mom turned it into the event of the year?”

“Yes. I swear I didn’t even realize I was pushing you away so much. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just let it all get to me and withdrew into my shell a little bit,” she explained.

“I know your first instinct when you’re hurt or scared is to protect yourself by hiding inside your head, but I need you to let me in there with you too,” I said.

“I promise to try, but if you ever feel like I’m shutting you out, please say something right away. It isn’t easy breaking a lifetime of habits, so I need your help when you see me slipping at it.”

“Sounds like a deal to me,” I agreed. “Now, about the wedding… Is there anything you want to change? I know you think it’s too late, but it’s not. If there’s anything you don’t like, tell me and I’ll fix it.”

She smiled brightly up at me, her expression clear of worry for the first time in weeks. “It’ll be fine. It’s only one week away, so it really is too late to change anything major. Yeah, it will be surrounded by hundreds instead of just our family and friends, but as long as I get to be your wife at the end of the day, then I’m happy.”

“Fuck. You have no idea how much I wish you’d told me that in June.”

“Why, so you could whisk me away to Vegas for a quickie wedding?” she teased.

“I would have if I’d known that was even an option,” I said, meaning every word of it. “Then I could have spent all these months with my wife under me instead of my fiancée.”

The mood between us shifted with my words. Alexa rubbed her thighs together before turning in my lap so she was straddling me.