Page 101 of Hard Hitter
Oh. My. God. How is it going faster?
She was grateful for the chatter and the clinking of glasses in the space, because she was sure the buzzing sound would otherwise be audible at this level. She peeked through eyes that wanted to flutter closed or roll back, and saw where Quinn’s hand was in his pocket, holding the remote. His corded, contracted forearm told Raelyn that he was squeezing it. Maxing it out as he spoke. She struggled to control her breathing. His hand wrapped tight around that little black remote might as well have been finger fucking her beneath the table.
She couldn’t sit still. The sensation against her clit along with Quinn’s voice and words had her on the edge.
“Because if you hadn’t fucked up so bad, I wouldn’t be here right now, with the woman I’ve been in love with for the last fifteen years. And I really want you to know that you’re responsible for this right here.”
“Mhmm,fuckyes!” Raelyn threw her head back, her breasts heaving as she found her breath.
“Yeah girl!” Amira exclaimed.
Raelyn was aware of the curious glances in her direction. Quinn wouldn’t make eye contact with her, but she could see him grinning and he still wouldn’t release his grip on the remote.
“That was a little more than enthusiastic,” Emerson’s voice was cautious and searching. He glanced back and forth between Quinn and Raelyn, Quinn’s strong stare never faltering. Emerson threatened to let out an actual grin. “Okay, now I’m not saying this to be a dick, but I know that ‘fuck yes’.”
Raelyn’s body was humming as she nearly vibrated out of her seat, gripping Quinn’s leg, then grabbing at his suit jacket.
“Think so?” Quinn asked. He and Emerson exchanged challenging glares across the table, staring each other down.
“Quinn, we need to go.Rightnow,” Raelyn panted, swiveling to get out of her seat and tugging at his arm. At this point, she really didn’t care who found out. She just needed Quinn. Now. With his pants off.
With one last triumphant glance across the table, Quinn stood and followed her out of the dining hall.
Chapter 27
The morning of the wedding arrived with a rush. Raelyn had a to-do list about a mile long to help get Amira ready for the big day, and yet all she wanted to do was lie around in bed with Quinn, as per usual. However, she had things to do and places to be, so after a quick yet satisfying round of love making in bed, Raelyn set off for Amira’s, leaving Quinn looking both fulfilled and sleepy. It was a good look on him.
As crazy as the entire morning had been, the ceremony was absolutely beautiful. Raelyn was so happy for both Amira and Brody and was actually impressed at how well Brody’s sword had tied into their castle-like surroundings. After the ceremony, the wedding party spent a little over half an hour doing group photos around the Chateau, both inside and out. There were so many natural backdrops for wedding photos at this place. The fountain, the gardens, the balconies, the winding staircases. When Raelyn was little and had seen her first wedding hosted by the Chateau, she had wanted so badly to have her own wedding here. As much as she despised being called a princess, she was at least willing to accept that her wedding day would be the one time that it wouldn’t just be okay to be treated like a princess, but it would be expected.
With the formal pictures out of the way, the wedding party moved into the first ballroom where the tasting room was now cleared out except for the bartenders. The larger ballroom was being filled with guests for the reception. On the bar, there were twelve glasses of champagne in crystal flutes waiting for them. Amala passed the drinks out to everyone, and they all toasted to the new Mr. and Mrs. Kalahan.
“So, when they have kids, do you think they’ll get Amira’s skin tone with Brody’s hair?” Emerson was leaning back against the bar next to Raelyn as the two watched their best friends link arms to drink the rest of their champagne. “Is that even possible? What would that look like?”
Caught off guard by this casual, breezy, tolerable version of her ex-fiancé, she glanced sideways at him, mouth open, ready to make a comment. She thought better of it, though, and shook her head. It was probably best not to draw attention to it; she wouldn’t want him thinking she was enjoying his company or giving him a compliment. “Let’s just hope they look more like Amira, but with Brody’s height.”
Emerson chuckled, which was a rare occurrence, “Yeah, well, at least they’ll be smart.”
Raelyn couldn’t help the furrowed brow and somewhat stupefied expression as she looked at him.
“What?” Annoyance seeped into his voice now.
That’s more like it.
“You’re just being oddly...pleasant. It’s freaking me out a little,” she admitted.
“I can be pleasant,” Emerson said defensively. “You liked me once. You know I can be nice. I don’t always have to be…” he seemed to search for a word, “combative.”
Both Raelyn and Emerson were laughing before he’d finished the word.
“You can’t even say that with a straight face. Yes, youalwayshave to be combative. And competitive and manipulative.” Raelyn took another sip of her champagne.
There was a silent pause between them as they simply observed the members of the bridal party around them, drinking, laughing, making good conversation, taking selfies.
“Do you ever think about...what our wedding would have been like?” Emerson attempted to make eye contact as he asked this. “Is this what you wanted? Your family’s place?”
Is this what happens when he drinks wine instead of whiskey? He's not going to try getting sentimental with me, right?
Feeling more than a little uncomfortable, she felt the best thing to do was to simply respond, not giving him a reason to think he’d thrown her off guard in any way. “Honestly, we weren’t even engaged long enough for me to work out the details,” Raelyn replied, determined to avoid his piercing blue gaze. She was pretty sure it was focused on her face, but for all she knew he could have been staring at her chest or the small bit of flat stomach showing between her top and skirt.
