Loving Storm (Ashes & Embers 5)

“I like him. I’m going to see him again. Tonight and maybe after, we’ll see how it goes.”

“He doesn’t date, Amy. He just parties.”

“I’m done dating. My last sixteen relationships have crashed and burned. Now I just want to have some fun. No strings. No heartache. Just great sex and the chance to be with a famous rock star, which not many of us get to do. Stop acting like my mother.”

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Again.”

She turns back to the mirror and pulls lipstick out of her clutch bag. “I can’t get hurt if I don’t care, Ev. That’s why he’s perfect. I’ll never care about someone like him.”

My gut sinks, and I take a step back from her as she swipes the red tube over her lips. I don’t like this new attitude of hers at all. She thinks she’s protecting herself, but I know better. Despite her carefree, sassy attitude, Amy’s been looking for love for a long time.

She turns away from her reflection in the mirror to face me. “Evelyn, you just married the love of your life. Go and enjoy your wedding and don’t worry about me.” Her voice softens. “You finally found your happiness, and hopefully someday I will too. Until then, I just want to have fun, and I want you to focus on you.”

“All right. Just be careful. Mikah is a whole different kind of animal than what you’re used to.”

We don’t say anything else as we walk back to the party together, and she makes a beeline for the bar as soon as we get there. Storm and I lock eyes from across the room, and my heart does that pitter-patter thing—only this time in overdrive—as reality sinks in. He’s my husband now. The man I’ll spend the rest of my days and nights with and will grow old with. It’s an overwhelmingly knee-weakening, breath-stealing feeling.

Storm gives Tor a friendly slap on the back and rushes over to me.

“Where’d you disappear to?”

“I went to look for Amy.”

“She’s at the bar.”

“Now she is, but she was MIA for a while.”

“Okay…so where was she?”

“Screwing your brother in a coat closet, that’s where.”

His eyes go wide and he rocks on his heels. “Which one?”

“Which one? You only have one single brother.”

He shrugs. “Hey, I’m just making sure.”

“I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”

“Weddings make people feel all love crazy.”

I straighten his tie, which is crooked from our rush in getting dressed. “Love? This has nothing to do with love. This is Mikah.”

He nods his head and grins. “Well, yeah. True. I got all the awesome love genes. Mikah got scraps.”

“You have to talk to him.”

“About what?”

“I don’t want him screwing my best friend. He’ll hurt her.”

“She might like it.”

“I mean her heart, Storm.”

“What do you want me to do, Evie? I can’t put his dick on a leash. He does what he wants. He gives zero fucks about anything.” He reaches out and caresses my cheek. “Stop worrying about everyone else, baby. I know what you’re doing and you better stop.”

I turn my face to kiss his palm. “What am I doing?”

“You have nothing to worry about in your own life right now, so you’re worrying about everyone else.”

“I am not doing th—”

He pulls me in for a kiss and smiles down at me. “Evie. Be happy. You don’t have to be worrying all the time. It’s okay to just relax, be happy, be loved.”

Chapter Eleven

Evie falls asleep snuggled up into my side in the back of the limo on the way to Maine, where we’ll be spending our week-long honeymoon.

Sure, we could have flown to Paris or Hawaii or any number of exotic destinations, but that’s not us. Fuck all those hours of plane trips, jet lag, and food we can’t pronounce. Everything I need for a honeymoon is right next to me.

Pulling the fleece blanket up around us, it reminds me of the first time we snuggled under Niko’s blanket in the back of my truck. The moment she lay against me—her curvy body fitting so perfectly against mine, our hands linked together—I was hooked.

Done.

Captured.

She was oblivious to the fact that she had me, and in total denial that I had her too. Her cluelessness and resistance only made me love her and want her even more.

It’s two a.m. when the limo pulls into the driveway of the inn, and I gently nudge her awake.

“Evie, we’re here,” I say softly. Her eyes open and she smiles sleepily at me, exhausted from the wedding. Being in a relationship with someone who has social anxiety has been a real eye opener to how hard it is for her to be around people. Me? I’m used to being surrounded by people wanting attention because I grew up in a celebrity environment. It can be annoying at times, but it doesn’t freak me out. Crowds of people make Evie nervous, and her anxiety goes warp speed to the point of mentally exhausting her. I’ve accepted that this is a part of who she is, but that doesn’t mean I won’t continue to figure out fun and sometimes annoying ways to help ease her anxiety. Being in a relationship with someone like me and dealing with my career are huge-ass triggers for her.

“I’m sorry I fell asleep on our wedding night,” she says, folding the blanket. “I suck as a wife already.”

“Our wedding night hasn’t even started yet, baby.”

We climb out of the limo, and the driver unloads our suitcases from the trunk. Evie and I each grab two and carry them up the front stairs to the wraparound porch of the Victorian inn. Katherine, the owner, opens the door when she hears us and steps out to hug us hello.

“Congratulations on your big day!”

“Thanks for waiting up for us to get here,” I say. “Katherine, this is Evelyn. Ev, this is Katherine, Asher’s sister-in-law. We’ve known each other since high school.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Evie says. “I’ve heard so many good things about your inn and your cooking.”

We follow her into the foyer. “I want you two to have an amazing time. You’re our only guests for the entire week, so we’re going to spoil you both.”

I grin at her. “You’ll probably hear us a lot more than you’ll see us.”

“Storm…” Evie blushes beside me.

Katherine laughs. “Trust me, I’m used to newlyweds. Just come out for air and food once in a while so I feel like I’m doing my job.” She picks up two of the suitcases. “Let’s go, I’ll take you to your suite.”

On our way up the stairs, Asher’s daughter Kenzi appears at the top of the stairs. She hugs us as soon as we get to the top.

“Uncle Storm, I’m sorry I couldn’t be at your wedding. I wanted to, but I knew Tor would be there and my Dad isn’t ready to see us together… yet. We’re trying to give him time to get his head together about everything. I didn’t want to cause any tension.”

“It’s okay. We knew we’d get to see you here since you’re working with Katherine. And I talked to Tor at the wedding…he said to tell you he’s still wishing.”

She smiles, her bottom lip quivering. “I am, too,” she says softly.

When I found out my brother’s best friend and my niece had fallen in love, I was pissed at first, too. She’s fifteen years

younger than him. But they’re the real deal. They love each other. As long as they’re happy and he treats her right, that’s all I give a shit about.

“I’ll bring you guys breakfast in the morning,” she says. “Just call when you’re ready.”

Once the door clicks closed behind Katherine and Kenzi and I’ve finally got my wife all to myself, I pick her up and carry her to the king-sized bed, plop her down on the soft gray comforter, and crawl on top of her. Leaning on my elbow, I stare down into her sleepy, smiling face.

“I told ya you were stuck with me forever. No turning back now, baby.”

Her arms wrap around my neck. “I don’t ever, ever want to turn back.”

I kiss her softly, tasting her lips and caressing her tongue with mine. I stretch her arm over her head, and my hand glides up her flesh until our fingers meet and curl around each other. We’re tired, but the last thing I’m wanting is sleep. The only thing I want is to make this night last forever.

We move to the bathroom, where I slowly remove the yoga pants and sweater she changed into after the reception. I kneel in front of her and move my lips across her stomach and down to her thighs while my hands run up the back of her legs. I’ll never get enough of the softness of her skin and the hint of her perfume. She gazes down at me with that woozy love in her eyes that fucking rocks me every time.

Standing, I keep my eyes riveted to hers as I yank off my own clothes, reach into the shower to turn the water on, and pull her in with me under the hot spray. We wash each other with almond-scented soap, and I get hard as a rock moving my hands over her slippery, soapy breasts. I kiss her hungrily, sliding my hands around to her back then down to cup her round ass cheeks, grinding my cock against her.

“I want you so fuckin’ bad, Evie,” I groan when we break for air. Smiling seductively, she goes down on her knees in front of me, with the water raining down on her back, and wraps her lips around the head of my cock. I watch her, with my hand cradling the back of her head, as she takes me into her mouth with hot wet suction, her tongue flattening against my length and lapping the tip before she impales her mouth on my shaft again, deeper each time.