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  “Clever.”

  “I think we need to take pictures with our parents next.”

  “And that magically cured the erection problem.” He kissed her smiling mouth once more, then took her hand and they slowly walked back up the beach.

  Chapter Twenty

  9:00 am

  Wedding Ceremony

  Nathan had volunteered to play the guitar for her walk down the aisle, so once everyone had gathered in the white chairs on the lawn, he started playing “Marry Me” by Train.

  Jason stepped into view at the head of the aisle, next to the officiant, and Julie took her first step toward getting married. Then her next, and even though they’d practiced it, and she’d seen many of her friends make the same walk, the slow procession was still surreal. Step, pause, step, pause, step…

  And with each foot covered, Jason’s smile grew.

  Her heart pounded in her chest.

  The ocean stretched endlessly behind him. The sun did in fact light up his face just as the staff had promised. Emotions welled up inside her, impossibly big feelings, but she didn’t cry.

  She would, no doubt, but not right now.

  She couldn’t cry. Couldn’t miss a second of this wonder.

  Nathan slowed the song as she came to a stop next to her beloved, then he slowly sang the refrain once more, quieter, as they took hands.

  The officiant gave her a kind look, then raised his voice. “Who presents themselves to be married this morning?”

  “We do,” they said in unison.

  “And do you come to this joyous event of your own free will?”

  “We do.”

  “Then let’s get you married.” That got him a chuckle from the guests, and he turned his attention to them. “Friends and family, today we are gathered here…”

  As he talked, Jason looked at Julie. She looked right back.

  I love you, he mouthed.

  I know, she teased.

  That’s my line. They were going to Disneyland for a one day honeymoon on Monday before they had to head back to San Diego so Jason could do his final wave of packing for his tour. She’d bought them matching Han and Leia t-shirts to wear to the theme park.

  “…And Jason and Julie are ready to make this kind of pledge to one another today.”

  She swallowed a laugh because they’d totally gotten distracted with their private moment. But yes, they were ready.

  “Do you, Jason, take Julie to be your lawful wedded wife?”

  Jason squeezed her hand, and his voice rang out strong and sure. “I do.”

  “Will you love, respect, and honor her for the rest of your life together?”

  “I will. With all my heart.”

  She blinked back tears. He’d ad-libbed that bit.

  “Do you, Julie, take Jason to be your lawful wedded husband?”

  She nodded like a bobble head. “I do.”

  “Will you love, respect, and honor him for the rest of your life together?”

  “I will,” she said. “With all my heart.”

  Jason grinned.

  “Do we have the rings?” The officiant turned first to Nathan, who pointed to the other side, where Emme was holding her baby, who had the ring bag in his tight little fist. She wrestled it free and handed it over.

  Julie handed her bouquet to Annie, who’d leapt forward from the front row when she realized Emme had her hands full, then Jason took her left hand in his and set her wedding band at the tip of her left finger.

  The officiant didn’t really need to prompt him, she was sure, but he waited still to be polite. And then once he got his cue, he said in the warmest, sexiest voice she’d ever heard, “With this ring I thee wed.”

  The ring slid right into place. She’d move her engagement ring over to nestle on top of it after the ceremony.

  Wow. That felt…different and the same. The slim gold band glinted up at her in the morning sunlight and she realized the tears had started falling, but she shook them away.

  It was her turn. She reached out with shaking fingers and accepted Jason’s ring from the officiant. Then she repeated the same words as she slid it onto his left hand. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

  Everyone started cheering as the officiant made it legal. “By the authority vested in me by the State of California and witnessed by your gathered friends and family, I am happy to now pronounce you husband and wife.”

  Jason was already hauling her into his arms, but he stopped short of actually kissing her until everyone had settled down, and the officiant made a little wave with his hand.

  “You may now kiss the bride.”

  And he did.

  He dipped her low, and he kissed her until she was breathless.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  10:00 am

  Reception

  The staff at the hotel knew what they were doing. They effortlessly placed Julie and Jason in a spot that naturally moved their guests through an organic receiving line, giving everyone a chance to hug them and say their good wishes before moving onto the terrace and taking a seat at one of the tables there.

  They’d done away with a seating chart. It was breakfast, casual enough to encourage people to mingle and sit with a stranger, and the meal itself wouldn’t last that long, although Julie was excited about the food stations they’d set up. An Eggs Benedict bar, a cappuccino station, the most amazing fresh fruit and chocolate fountain she’d ever seen, and mouthwatering pastries.

  There was even a wedding cake.

  It wasn’t the lavish one she’d originally arranged for in Napa, but that baker had arranged for a smaller version to be carefully transported south for the same cost. They stopped in front of the cake to cut it before they sat, so it could be served to anyone that wanted some wedding cake with their cappuccino. That included Julie, because if you can’t have cake for breakfast on your wedding day, when can you? And as she breathed in that magical scent of sugar and vanilla, somehow just as incredible in this smaller version, she realized she’d had the wedding of her dreams after all.

  “Ready? On one, two, three…” the photographer cued them, and with her hand on top of Jason’s, they did the ceremonial first cut. Instead of feeding each other pieces of cake, Jason just swiped a bit of the icing, then held out his finger for her to taste.

  Any other day, she’d have blushed and told him not to be silly.

  Today she blushed, then licked his finger. Slowly, her eyes on him the entire time.

  He kissed her, and they both got the first taste of the icing after all.

  Then Nathan picked up his guitar and played another song for their first dance, “All of Me” by John Legend. Jason pulled her close and started turning her around the center of the terrace. This was their song. How many times had they danced to it in his kitchen? She’d played it over and over again before moving down to San Diego. She had a love-hate relationship with the way it tugged at her insides, made her achy and sad when Jason wasn’t around.

  She’d probably play it a lot over the next six months. God.

  She wrapped her arms tighter around his big, broad shoulders. Stay safe, she thought. He squeezed her. I will, his body promised.

  When the song finally ended, everyone applauded, and someone from the hotel turned on an outdoor music system so Nathan could sit down and eat with them.

  But the sweet gifts from their best man weren’t over. Once everyone had feasted, and most people were on to cake or the fruit, Nathan stood and picked up the wireless microphone for the speeches. Then he held out his hand for his wife, and Emme shifted their baby to her other hip as she nestled into Nathan’s side.

  Jason’s best friend cleared his throat. “We’ve had a lot of weddings lately in our circle of friends, and my own aside, I think this one might just be my favorite yet.”

  “That have anything to do with the pretty boy music?” Miles Dumbrowski called out, and everyone laughed.

  Nathan didn’t deny it. He just winked. “What an amazing
morning, and an incredible weekend to celebrate my man Jason and his beautiful bride.”

  Hot tears popped into Julie’s eyes as everyone cheered.

  “Now as most of you know, I met Jason through work. And as far as officers go, he’s not bad.” That got the chuckle he was looking for, and he grinned. “Actually, as far as bosses go, he’s the absolute best, and I’m looking forward to returning to his team at the end of the year. Jase is the kind of guy who always has your back. He’s always up for whatever you need to do, even if it’s just a diaper run in the middle of the night. Seriously, that happened when he came for a visit. We wandered Walmart in the middle of the night, and he made me bust a gut laughing.”

  He handed the mic to Emme, who took a deep, shaky breath, and Julie pinched herself to keep from crying. “I also met Julie through work, in a way. We met through the flight attendant network, and over the last two years, we’ve become friends. She always has a funny story when you need a distraction, and nobody does a faster plane turnover. But it’s in the little things that she’s shown her true colors, and they’re beautiful.”

  Nathan leaned in. “Same. Jason has been there for me over and over again.”

  Emme nodded. “You guys have been the best of friends to us both.”

  “But in the last year,” Nathan said, “we’ve had to learn to share our best friends, because one night at our house in Monterey, Jason met Julie.”

  “And he hasn’t had eyes for anyone else, ever since. He didn’t just find his soulmate that night, but he found his best friend, too.”

  The tears were falling now, and there was nothing to be done about that. She smiled through them and squeezed Jason’s hand when he reached for her.

  “We get it, of course,” Nathan said. Their baby took that moment to squeal, so he reached for the kidlet and distracted him while Emme finished.

  “Love is amazing, especially when it comes partnered with the sweetest friendship,” she whispered, and Julie heard a few sniffles from the crowd. “And we’re so happy for you guys. That you’ve found each other, and you complete each other in so many ways.”

  “So we just want to say,” Nathan added before they looked at each other and said at the same time, “welcome to the old married-people club!”

  Jason started laughing, and everyone else joined in. Then they both pushed to their feet and were applauding as their friends circled around the table to give them hugs.

  “That was really cute,” Julie whispered as Emme gave her a tight squeeze.

  “And true,” her friend whispered back. “Congratulations.”

  She took a deep breath and stayed standing. Jason took her hand, and together they walked around the table, so they were in front of all of their guests. He lifted the mic, not that he needed it. His voice could command the entire space if he wanted it to.

  “Thank you all for changing your travel plans and being so flexible about sharing this morning with Julie and myself.” He turned toward her. “There aren’t enough words in the world to capture how much I love this woman. How happy she makes me, every single day. My wife.” His voice caught on the last word and she leaned into him, taking the mic.

  “We should also thank…” She listed the photographer, the cake company, the other vendors they’d used, and finished with a round of personalized thanks for the hotel staff she could see hovering at the back of the terrace. “And last, but most definitely not least…my husband.” Oh man, those were emotional words to say.

  When she paused, Jason reached for the mic, but she shook her head. She wanted to get through this.

  “As Nathan and Emme shared, I met Jason at their place late one night, and we hit it off right away. I have never in my life seen a more handsome man. And he just had the easiest smile. It lit up his entire face. I fell for him so easy. In a split second, really. So I…” She cleared her throat. “Sorry, Mom. But when we found out we were staying at the same hotel, one thing led to another, and…”

  Jason started laughing, because he knew where this story was going.

  “And you’d think this story would be dirty, but come on, people. My parents are right there. And what happened next was Jason got a call from work.”

  He leaned in. “Her virtue was left intact, Mr. Collins.”

  She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “So I’ve known from day one what it would be like to love this man. I knew from minute one that I would share him with his duty. It’s not always easy, I’ll admit. But it’s always worth it. Every single day. I love you so ridiculously much, Mr. Steyner.”

  He pumped his fist in the air. “And I adore you in kind, Mrs. Steyner.” He winked. “Now do you think we could have another dance?”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  1:00 pm

  The Consummation Nap

  “I don’t think anyone believes we’re taking a nap,” Julie said breathlessly as Jason shut the door to their suite and pressed her against it.

  “Probably not, but I don’t care.” He kissed her neck, wet and open-mouthed. God, she tasted good. Like sun-warmed strawberries. Her mouth would taste even more strongly of them, because for the last hour of the reception, she’d been slowly eating a bowl of the ripe, red fruit. She’d slide one into her mouth and catch his eye as she worked her lips around it. Then she’d set the bowl aside and talk to someone like she didn’t have a care in the world.

  Rinse and repeat.

  He’d finally lost his mind and dragged her back to their room, because that kind of erotic torture was inhumane.

  They had the afternoon to themselves. Then there was a casual dinner planned in town, something Julie’s parents were hosting. He had five hours to explore every inch of his wife’s body and he planned to make the most of that time.

  “My wife,” he growled, trying it on again. He liked it.

  “Yes, husband?” He liked that even more.

  He pressed one hand against the door and hitched up her skirts with the other. Silky stockings, then those suspenders, pulled taught over lush, bare skin… His eyes closed as he traced the lines of her lingerie. “I want you out of this dress,” he finally answered. “Turn around.”

  She spun fast, giggling as he worked at the top button, then the zipper, revealing the laced-up corset beneath. The dress fell into a puddle of silk and satin at her feet and he swung her into his arms, carrying her to the bed. Somewhere along the way, she lost her heels. He heard them clatter to the floor and didn’t care. He was a man on a mission.

  He set her down on the bed and she grabbed his tie. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to peel you out of those lace panties and make you come.”

  She bit her lip and tugged on the tie again. “You should take this off first.”

  He grinned as he pushed back off the bed. “Just the tie?”

  “Start with that.” She pushed up on her elbows. She was a pinup goddess, a wet dream come to life. His wife. His everything. Endless legs and perfect curves, her breasts full and her waist tight. She wanted a show? He’d give her the best striptease of her life.

  He loosened the tie, then tugged it off, trailing it over her silk-clad legs. Then his jacket, leaving him in his dress shirt and pants. Instead of taking those off, he just rolled up his sleeves, one at a time.

  Slow. He flexed his forearms for her as well, not missing how she moved restlessly on the bed.

  And then he prowled toward her again, a panther on the hunt. She lifted her hips, aiding him in his pursuit of the secret arousal between her legs. “Hi,” he said quietly as he peeled off her panties.

  She grinned. “Hi.”

  “I’ve wanted you all day.”

  “Same.”

  He breathed her in. “I can tell.”

  She shrieked and he lowered his mouth to her core, chasing away her protests with one sure lick followed by another. He loved the heady taste of her, still sweet, but hotter, sexier than her mouth. And the sounds she made when he circled his tongue around her clit
were pure heaven. Low, trembling moans that made him hard, made him hungry. Higher, breathier gasps that came with little pulses of her hips. Begging for him inside her, and oh, baby, he wanted that, too.

  “You like that?”

  “I love that.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Mmm…a little slower. Yeah, like that.” Her voice softened into a sigh and he repeated the soft swipe of his tongue.

  Up and down he licked until she started shaking, and then he pressed harder, breaking away from his ministrations only to give her some dirty talk to shove her over the edge. “Come for me, Jules. Come for me, hard, and I’ll be inside you so fast…”

  She shattered, her thighs squeezing around his head, her sex pulsing against his mouth, and he kept kissing her until she fell back against the bed, boneless and satisfied.

  Not bad for round one.

  He quickly stripped and rolled her over. Her gorgeous red hair was spilling out of her updo now, and the tumble of waves trailed over her creamy skin and onto the white satin ribbon he’d laced her up with that morning.

  He traced that back and forth pattern down her spine, and when he reached the ribbon tails at the bottom of the corset, he picked them up and teased them over the full swell of her bare ass.

  She shivered.

  “Ready for round two?”

  “Always,” she said, pressing up onto all fours. “Like this?”

  Oh, shit yeah. He kissed her hip before rising behind her. “My dirty, slutty wife. I love you.”

  She wiggled her bottom in response.

  He notched his erection against her and slid in, slow and sure. She was tight and hot, a perfect fit for him, and she started fisting the pillow on the second thrust. Good. This first one could be fast and hard.

  He pulled at the ribbon. He loved the lingerie, but he wanted—no, needed—to press his body against hers, to be flesh to flesh together. The corset loosened as he worked his fingers up the ribbons, fucking her and unwrapping her at the same time. And when it popped loose at the top, he reached around and cupped her breasts, squeezing harder when she moaned.