Page 160 of Cloudy With a Chance of Bad Decisions
Joe tripped in the sand down by the edge of the water, and we both held our breath, then sighed in tandem when he righted himself without face-planting. Dude was big enough if he hit the dirt he’d cause an earthquake.
“You okay, buddy?” I called. Joe just nodded, then went about his business.
“Lucky save,” Alex whistled, then turned his attention back to me. “Before you ask, there will be no strippers at June’s party either.”
“Yeah?” I cocked my head at him, figuring there was a story there.
“We don’t like it,” Alex shrugged. “June and I. It’s an opinion we both share.Not to judge, of course, everyone likes different things.”
“So, when you get married, you won’t be going to strip clubs in Vegas?” I don’t know why I was pushing. Well…actually I did. Because I definitely wanted to know. Especially considering the fact that I had been burned by infidelity before. Every couple has their own rules when it comes to things like that. And I could admit that I was curious if Alex and I would be compatible in this way.
Testing the waters, even though I knew it was fruitless.
“Definitely not,” Alex agreed. “I think the whole concept of ‘seeing what you’re missing out on the day before your wedding’ is gross. Why would you be ‘missing out’ on anything if you’re marrying the person you want to spend your life with? It doesn’t make sense.”
I was oddly relieved.
“What about you?” Alex was testing me and it was even more blatant than my test had been.
“Ah. No. I don’t like that either,” I said. “Something small and personal like this is nice, though. However, I wouldn’t pick beer pong or pizza delivery.”
“Yeah?” Alex grinned. He slung an arm over my shoulders, pulling me into him as he steered us away from the empty party skeleton and up the hill toward the cabins. Next, we were setting up Juniper’s “spa” night. Alex had informed me that he’d be doing all the heavy lifting—despite my protests—but that I was welcome to do anything else that might not involve bumping my injured hand on things.
No matter how much I told him I was fine, he didn’t listen. Which I supposed was fair, considering the fact that he was the one dressing my wound every morning. He hadn’t protested me making friendship bracelets—but then again, it would be very difficult for an accident to happen when one was tying string.
“I always thought a joint party would be nice,” I admitted. “Because if you’re getting married, you’ll be joining family and friends. So…it only makes sense that it would not be a separate endeavor.”
Brendon had liked to keep his friends separate.
“If you think about Brendon one more time, I can’t promise I’ll behave.”
I jerked, startled. Alex was watching me like he always was, and though his words were extreme, there was a spark in his eyes. Adangerousspark. One I did not want to test—unless, maybe, I did?
The thought alone was enough to make my heart skip a beat. Did I…want to be punished by Alex? Yes, yes I did. But I was also nervous. The last time I’d been spanked had not gone well. Brendon had?—
“George.” My name was little more than a growl. I had hardly any time to react before my back was against the cabin we’d been walking by and Alex’s tongue was in my mouth. I moaned around him, fingers catching in his shirt as he licked behind my teeth, curling tongues with mine.
Alex kissed me so goddamn hungrily all thoughts fled my mind entirely. Until I was simply drifting, nothing but a mouth meeting his with sticky sweet glides of our tongues and lips. By the time we parted, I couldn’t even remember my name, let alone what we’d been talking about.
“There we go, that’s my pretty kitty,” Alex said silkily when he pulled back far enough to see my face. His hand was on my throat again. I couldn’t even recall when it’d moved there, but I didn’t mind. In a way, it felt like a collar, and that was…soothing.
“Kitty?” I echoed, too dazed and kiss-swollen to properly snark.
“That’s right,” Alex pecked me again, giving my neck a squeeze. “You just need to focus on me, okay? No one else.”
“Okay.”
“Good boy.”
Alex stole at least a dozen more kisses over the course of the next hour. We set up the bridesmaids’ cabin the way Juniper had specified, massage chairs across the main floor, and a table full of cupcakes for dessert. There was a pedicure station that genuinely looked delightful.
I made a mental note to visit later, if it was allowed.
I’d been in the bridesmaids cabin only once before, when June had interrogated me about her veil, and I could honestly say—standing back to observe our work—the place was nearly unrecognizable. With pink and green streamers hanging on the walls, and a giant balloon arch that Alex had paid an obscene amount of money to have delivered—there was no denying that it was gorgeous.
“She’s got a flair for the dramatic,” Alex explained, noticing the way I was staring. “Roderick doesn’t care about the frills, June does.”
“Right,” I agreed, though my attention was now on him. “You…are amazing.” The room was truly magnificent—like something straight out of a magazine. Alex shrugged, embarrassed.
