The Right Bride

Chapter Thirty-Six


CAMERON FOUND HER on a flat bench in a hidden part of the garden. She sat alone, face tilted up to view the dark clouds as the rain pelted her face and body. Beautiful in her black dress, her arms stretched out behind her, supporting her as she gazed up at the sky. Hard and throbbing, he scanned her body, outlined by the wet dress.

He walked over to her, ignoring the rain, focused on Marti. Her grief so palpable, he felt it to his own soul.

He came to her, picked her up, and sat her on his lap and held her. Just held her to him with his arms locked tightly around her.

She lay against him and accepted his comfort. “How could he do this to me?”

“I don’t know what he was thinking. He didn’t tell me you were the other owner. It’s a big house. We’ll work it out.”

“He asked me to try, but he never told me about this. How am I going to try when he makes it impossible?” She cried harder.

Cameron held her tighter. He couldn’t stand to see her so upset. He kissed her hair and the flowery scent filled his senses. He kissed her temple and her cheek and tasted her tears and the rain. He couldn’t stop himself. He wanted her so bad, and she was in his arms. He wanted to take away her pain and show her nothing but pleasure. Touching her, being with her like this, felt so good, so right. He didn’t want to feel this sadness and grief anymore. He only wanted the desire, passion, closeness, love, only she made him feel.

He took her mouth and kissed her. When she opened her mouth to him, welcomed him in, he lost all conscious thought to reality. He lost himself in her. He didn’t notice the rain or remember Emma was inside the house with Shelly. He kissed Marti and pushed his tongue into her mouth and slid it over hers, savoring her taste and texture. Something inside him tilted back to right and he felt lighter, unburdened.

He lay her down on the wide bench and held her and kissed her. He kissed her neck and her hands moved under his suit jacket and over his back.

She held him to her, and he kissed her neck and down the V of her dress to her cleavage. The tips of his fingers explored the exposed flesh.

He undid the buttons down the front of her dress, and each new patch of skin he uncovered, he laid a trail of kisses. He spread the dress wide to her sides and looked down at her tanned skin and the black lace bra and panties covering what he wanted most right now. Rain pelted her skin and made it glisten. So beautiful. He leaned over her and kissed the swell of her breasts. They seemed larger, fuller. They spilled over the top of her bra, and he licked and traced the line of lace. She gasped and dug her fingers into his wet hair. He undid the front clasp and pushed the barrier out of his way. Her nipples were hard, beckoning his mouth. He took one breast in his hand and the other in his mouth and she arched off the bench and offered herself to him with a soft sigh.

She moaned his name and loved the feel of his tongue on her nipple and the soft pull as he sucked. She covered his hand on her other breast and squeezed. Her breasts were swollen and extremely sensitive with the pregnancy. The more Cameron kissed and sucked the more heat spread through her system.

One of his strong hands moved down her stomach and traced the outside of her hip before returning to her lace panties. He pulled them down her legs, tossed them to the sodden ground, before his hand came back to her heated center. Without warning, he thrust his finger deep inside her. She exploded and pressed her hips up to his cupped hand. His mouth devoured her breast. Relentless, he suckled her breast and used his finger to drive her back up the crest. Each time she came close to release, he slowed down and took her back up. His thumb found the bundle of nerves vibrating to life and rubbed over the slick sensitive flesh, sparking another wave of heat to wash over her. She moaned and pulled his hair, holding his head to her breast, begging for more.

Her release building, he undid his pants and came down on top of her, his mouth taking her in a devouring kiss. He used his legs to spread her thighs wide and thrust into her hard and fast to the hilt. He had to have her, all of her. He buried himself deep, felt her heat surround him. Tight, hot, wet, she fit him so perfectly.

She burned for him. The rain poured down on them, but all she felt was his warmth and fire. The flames spread out from her center where she was joined with Cameron and burned and consumed. She pressed her hips up to him as he came down on her again and again.

Completely lost in her, he kissed her cheek, her ear and neck, and took her mouth with his and smoothed his tongue over hers to the pace of their hips moving together. She tightened around him, and he gave himself over to her. She shattered in his arms with a soft cry and moan. He surrendered his own release and spilled himself into her fire.

When his mind cleared and his brain started thinking of things other than possessing her, he gazed down at her. Eyes closed, the rain came down and drop-by-drop slid over her beautiful face. Her hands rested on his chest as he held himself above her on his elbows.

“Oh, God. What the hell am I doing?”

He pressed his forehead to hers. He couldn’t believe he’d made love to her. He wanted her all day, every day, but he’d made a commitment to Shelly. What the hell was he doing?

He hadn’t even taken off his clothes. He’d opened her dress, tore off her panties, unzipped his pants and taken her right there in the garden on a bench. It was pouring rain, for God’s sake. Her silky, soft skin puckered with goose bumps. She shivered with the cold. The rain soaked her, and her skin glistened in the moonlight. She was beautiful and he was an idiot.

You are a supreme jackass. You love her. Why do you treat her so badly?

He got off her and redid his pants. He grabbed the lapels of his jacket and shook out the wet material uselessly. He rubbed the back of his neck.

Marti sat up and pulled her dress closed to cover herself. He didn’t know what to say, how to explain or say how sorry he was for doing this to her, so he went with mundane details. “I promised Knight I would move into the house the day after his death. We’ll be here tomorrow.”

“You will?” Surprised and happy, she smiled. He and Emma would be moving into the house. They’d all be together.

Tell him. Tell him you’re pregnant. Now is your chance.

“Yeah. George told me we have the east wing and you have the west wing. Since the other spare room in the east wing isn’t furnished, Shelly will stay in the west wing until the wedding. I hope that’s okay. We’ll hold the wedding here on Saturday.”

Shocked, the smile died on her face and everything inside her froze. He just made love to her and he was talking about moving in with Emma and Shelly and marrying her here at the house. She’d almost told him the truth.

One minute he made her feel like the most precious gift in the world and the next he made her feel like the biggest idiot ever born.

“Wait. You’re moving in with Shelly. You’re getting married here—on Saturday.”

“Yes.”

She dropped her hands to her sides. Her dress fell open down the front unnoticed. She gripped the edge of the bench and held tight, because if she didn’t, she’d explode into a million tiny pieces of pain. “You just made love to me. You grabbed me and practically ripped off my clothes to have me. We shared something beautiful, powerful, and wonderful, and you’re telling me you’re still marrying her.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. He’d put that hurt look on her face again.

“The last time you made love to me, you turned your back on me and chose her. Now you make love to me again and you still choose her. I love you, Cameron. Doesn’t it mean anything to you?” she yelled over the rain.

“It means everything to me,” he yelled back.

“No, it doesn’t because time and again you choose her over me.”

“I have to give my family what I think they need, a father and a mother.”

“You have other options. George has shown you, you have other options. I love Emma. I’d be the very best mother I can to her.”

“This is what I want,” he said angrily.

The blow from those words sent her back a step, knocked her on her mental ass. She stood and faced him determinedly. “I’ll be gone before the end of the week.”

“You don’t have to leave. This is your home. It’s what George wanted you to have.”

“I told him I’d try. I’d try for Emma. I said I would stay here and watch over her for two months. I won’t be here and watch you marry that lying, gold-digging bitch. I won’t stay here and watch you make the second biggest mistake of your life. I’ll come back and watch over Emma like George wanted, but you make it so damn hard for me to keep my word. I’d rather you take a knife and stab me in the back, it would hurt a lot less than you shredding my heart every time I see you.” She turned to walk away.

“What was my first mistake?” He thought she’d say not choosing her. He was wrong. So very wrong. Marti never thought about herself first. Should have been his first clue as to who she really was, the kind of person she really was.

She didn’t turn around to face him, just said, “Continuing to blame yourself for Caroline’s death. It wasn’t your fault.”

She turned back. His shoulders sagged. He did what he always did when he was stressed out and frustrated, he rubbed the back of his neck. She smiled. She’d seen him do it often. She hoped one day she wouldn’t see him do it quite so much. She wouldn’t be here to see it. She had to put an end to this.

“George asked me to watch over Emma because he knows the minute you say your vows and the ring is on Shelly’s hand, she’ll turn on you and Emma and make your lives a living hell.

“I’d give you and Emma so much, and you turn your back on me and the love I offer to you, freely, no strings attached. No more, Cameron. I can’t do this anymore. It hurts too much to have you choose her over me, to have you put me last, to have you not even consider life with me as a possibility.

“She lied, Cameron.”

“She’s pregnant.”

With a shake of her head and a very heavy heart, she gave up. “I can’t take you making love to me like I’m your whole world, only to watch you turn your back on me when we’re done. Let me go. Say the words, Cameron, and let me go.”

“I can’t.” He wanted her to be happy. He wanted to be the one to make her happy. He couldn’t say the words. Nothing could make him say those words. Not when everything inside him wanted to hold onto her.

“Then you leave me no choice.” She walked away, up the back steps, leading into the west wing of the house.

He didn’t know exactly what she meant, except that he’d lost her forever. He sat on the bench, rain pouring over him, his hands on his knees and his head down between his shoulders, and wondered how he’d screwed up his life so badly he’d made the woman he loved hate him.