Tara and Mindy picked up their glasses from the bar. “To the bride.”
“Yes, to the bride.” I took a sip of the champagne, glad it was cold, and smiled brightly. I had been thrown more curveballs since I moved to South Padre than I could count. What were two more?
Marin beamed and finished the rest of her bubbly. “Ok, next bar!”
I didn’t know how many places she planned to go to tonight, but I didn’t complain. I was along for the ride no matter when it stopped.
Grey must have slipped into bed long after I fell asleep. I tried every trick I knew to stay awake. Sitting straight up on my pillows, leaving both lamps on, blasting the TV while trying to read a book, but I fell asleep anyway.
He needed a guys’ night. He had either been cooped up in the house with leg recovery, or busy trying to play catch up at work. He had to be exhausted. One night of fun with the boys and beer was well-deserved medicine. I didn’t mind that we were still waiting to rip each other’s clothes off.
I smiled at the note he left for me on his pillow.
See you tonight, pretty girl.
Love,
Grey
I folded the paper and tucked it in the drawer of my nightstand. It rested on top of the one he left me the night I moved to South Padre. I liked the growing collection I had stashed there. I walked to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and took a quick shower.
Tonight was the rehearsal dinner, but I had to put in almost a full day in the office. We had two snowbird couples checking in today, and I had messages to return from others interested in rooms. Going forward, every single reservation was life or death as far as I was concerned. The rooms needed to be immaculate. I had purchased a handful of the specialty coffee pots for those rooms. It wasn’t much, but it was at least one amenity we could offer. I was still working on getting quotes to have the buildings wrapped for wifi.
The day moved along quickly. The two couples checked in right after lunch. I tried to be flexible with checkin and check-out times. None of that crazy you-can’t-be-here-until-four o’clock crap. It was something different we could do that the big chain hotels couldn’t.
I checked on the guests one last time before closing down the office at five. I was happy the two couples had gathered at the pool for early cocktail hour. They looked like they were having a good time.
Grey was going to meet me at the house, and then we’d be on our way to the rehearsal dinner.
His maroon truck was in the driveway. He didn’t usually beat me home. I noticed our outside trash bins were crammed with plastic and cardboard. I jogged up the stairs.
I couldn’t believe it. In the center of our living room was a couch. A real couch.
“You like it?” Grey smiled slyly.
“How did you know this was the one?” I walked toward it in slow motion, and rested my hand on the back.
“Because you tagged the page and circled it five times in that catalog.”
I looked at him. “I can’t believe you got it. It was more of a wish list couch. I never thought we could actually buy it.” I ran my fingers over the armrests. It was beautiful. It was perfect. It was in our living room.
“So I did ok? We don’t have to return it?” One of his eyebrows cocked higher than the other.
I shook my head. “There is no way we’re returning this.”
It might have taken almost two months, but we had living room furniture.
“How did you get it delivered without me noticing it?” I asked.
Grey chuckled. “Remember when I called and asked you to see what tools I had in the storage closet for inventory?”
I laughed. “Yes, that did seem weird and it took me forever to log all of them.”
He winked. “That’s when the truck arrived, unloaded the couch, and took off.”
Grey smiled at me as I took in the piece of furniture. He stepped closer and brushed the hair away from my neck.
“I think we need to try it out.” His lips trailed below my ear to my collarbone.
My head rocked back. My skin was already on fire. The blood in my veins thickened with heavy pulses.
The last thing I wanted to do was stop him. “Rehearsal dinner,” I managed to whisper. He was slowly unbuttoning my shirt. His eyes locked on mine like a hungry tiger.
“We can be late.” He shoved the shirt off my arms, and I gasped.
“But-but I’m a bridesmaid.” My eyes closed involuntarily as he slid the straps of my bra down my shoulders.
Grey let me know he was done with talking. His mouth descended on mine, and his lips moved with a fever I had never felt. Every part of my body burned for him—my tongue, my fingertips, my core. He had me out of my jeans before I realized it. His hands skimming along my thighs, guiding my panties to the floor. I sighed as he kissed along my legs.