I bent and kissed her, pulling her close. Our lips moved effortlessly, soft and sweet. I pulled back, spinning her, and got to work on the buttons that had mocked me all day. One by one, I slid them open, tracing her spine with my lips. The small zipper at the bottom slid down easily, and in an instant, the dress was a pile of froth and glitter on the floor. I traced the indents of the stays that remained on her sides, hating the fact that they had marred her skin and amazed she had walked around all day smiling while they had pinched at her flesh.
She turned with a smile. “They don’t hurt.” I held out my hand, and she stepped from the material. I bent down, unbuckling the strappy shoes and sliding them off her feet. I kissed each instep, rubbing them. I looked up at her.
“You were so beautiful today for me, Addi. Breathtaking.”
Color flushed her cheeks. I slid my hands up her calves, the silky skin smooth under my fingers. I stood slowly, letting my fingers trail over her body as I drew to my full height. “But I think you are the most beautiful when you’re just Addi. Alone with me, without the corset or the makeup. I see the real you. The most beautiful woman in the world because you are that way inside and out.”
Tears filled her eyes. I cupped her cheeks. “I’m the luckiest man in the world because I have you. Now I want you to wash your face, put on one of my shirts, and come to the living room. I want to sit by the fire and feed you. Hold you. That’s all I want right now. Let me do that.”
She covered my wrists with her fingers, squeezing them. “How did I get so lucky?”
I nudged her nose with mine. “I guess we both did.”
Then I winked at her. “Now go, before my dick overrides my head and I ravish you first. My god, you are sexy.” I traced the wisp of lace at her hips. “Keep these on. I want to take them off—with my teeth.”
She sashayed away, winking at me over her shoulder.
“Whatever you want, Mr. Riley. I’m all yours.”
It was all I could do not to follow her.“Married?” I gasped. “Gracie is married? To that guy? Jerome?”
She giggled around a mouthful of a sandwich. The kitchen had packed up a veritable feast. We had sandwiches, cheeses, assorted pickles, and condiments from the midnight buffet. Plus cake and cookies. I had refused their offer of the filet of beef and other items, asking them to donate it all to a shelter as we had requested. What they gave us barely made a dent in the leftover food, and I was happy to know the rest would help feed those in need. I had filled a plate for us to share, and we had both tucked in.
“Jaxson,” she corrected.
“Whatever. Gracie is married? Holy shit, Richard is going to blow a gasket.”
“She doesn’t want him to know. She says it was a mistake and it will be handled.”
I snorted as I reached for another sandwich. I had hardly eaten earlier either, and now I was starving. “Katy invited him for Christmas. You know it’s going to come out.”
“I’m the only one who knows. Well, and you now. You can’t say anything.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “I can’t believe, of all of us, Gracie would be the one to get drunk and marry someone in Vegas. Her intense, I-could-kill-you-with-my-bare-hands-looking boss, of all people. And she expects it to remain a secret. The way he was looking at her? Good luck with that.”
“I think she was going to tell him he couldn’t come.”
I sat back and pursed my lips. “I don’t think he is gonna listen. This is going to be one for the records.”
Addi worried her lip. “This is so unlike her.”
“No shit. It’s something one of the triplets would do. Maybe even Shelby. But Gracie?” I let my head fall back. “Do you think she’s in love with him?”
“All she has ever said was he was hard to work for. I never even knew his name until today.” Addi shrugged. “He is handsome, though. Sexy with that smolder.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I beg your pardon? He’s what?”
She laughed. “Not as handsome as you, of course. He’s way too dark and broody for me. For Gracie too, I would have thought. But who knows?”
I huffed.
Addi picked up a slice of cake and nibbled it. She licked her lips, staring into the fire. I loved the way she looked right now. Dressed in one of my hoodies, her legs bare. Her face scrubbed clean of makeup and her hair down around her shoulders. I had changed as well, wearing only a pair of sweatpants and a loose Henley. Comfort was the key. Sitting across from each other on the blanket I had spread out, eating an indoor picnic, sipping champagne, and talking was exactly what we needed to do. Reliving the day and, of course, the bombshell Addi had dropped. It made no sense to me. Gracie—married. She was the most sensible of us all. Level-headed. She thought everything through. An impulsive marriage to a brooding, older man? Her boss, no less? I really wanted to hear that story.