“For Kyle and Lauren I will come down, but not for you.”
It’s kind of cute to see Sophie jealous. It shows me she cares about me and about us, which is always a relief to me, considering our more than rocky start.
“Krista, you have to knock it off,” I say firmly, once I get back downstairs and join the bridal party on the beach for wedding photos.
“Knock what off?” she asks, with a flirtatious lilt to her feminine voice.
“Stop coming onto me and flirting with me. I am one hundred percent in love with Sophie and we’re getting married before she gets away. I’m not going to let you ruin what we have. I’ve worked so hard to get her right where I want her and I’m not going to let you win. Not this time, not ever again.”
Krista is actually left speechless. She doesn’t say a word for the longest time.
“Marcus, I’m still in love with you,” she breathes out softly, for my ears only. You could knock me over with a feather. She never would admit she even loved me the first time around and now she’s telling me she “still” loves me.
“Still, I never knew that you ever loved me,” I reply in shock.
“I realized it the last time we reconnected in London a few months ago. I have always loved you, Marcus.”
“You sure didn’t seem to way back in college, you dropped me pretty quickly once that other guy came around. You didn’t give me or what we had together a second thought, so it would seem.”
“I was young and naïve back then, a young girl who followed her every whim,” she tries to defend herself.
“So are you saying you’ve grown up now?”
“Yes, don’t you think so?” she asks, pressing her whole body against mine. I look around in a panic hoping Sophie can’t see us.
“Krista, I told you to give up. I’m spoken for now, and happy about it.”
“Here comes your future bride now,” Krista says and I pull away from her quickly. Maybe too quickly, I hope it didn’t look obvious.
I glance over at Sophie and judging by the look on her face she did see us. I’m in trouble again. Damn Krista, why does she have to drop this bomb on me and claim she still loves me? It’s total bullshit. If I recall correctly, when I told her I loved her back in college, she almost laughed in my face. I never said it again, although I felt it in my heart.
We are finally done with pictures and I head over to the open bar, and Krista is stuck to me like glue. I need a drink, and I have got to shake her. After I get my cocktail, my eyes scan the reception area looking for Sophie. I finally spot her in the crowd and she’s smiling. Whew, that’s a good sign. I walk over towards her and I see that she is talking to a tall, dark and handsome stranger. Who is this guy?
I walk right up to her and wrap my arm around her possessively. “Hi babe,” I say, pulling her into me.
“Oh Marcus, this is Jordan, he works with Kyle in Los Angeles,” Sophie says, introducing me to Mr. tall, dark and handsome. I eye the guy from head to toe before I say it’s nice to meet him.
“So, you know Kyle from Harvard?” Jordan asks.
“Yes, we were roommates freshman year and have been close friends ever since,” I reply.
“Can you introduce me to that beautiful blonde you escorted down the aisle?” Jordan asks boldly. The guys got good taste. First he sidles up to my Sophie, now he wants to try his luck with Krista. Be my guest, be my guest. Take her off my hands, please distract her, I feel like saying out loud. I glance at Sophie and she gives me an encouraging smile.
“Be happy to, follow me,” I say. I take Sophie’s hand in mine and we go in search of Krista. We find her standing by the bar, flirting with the bartender of all people. She lights up when she see’s me approaching.
“Krista, I want you to meet Jordan, he works with Kyle,” I say by way of introduction. The ball is in your court now Jordan.
“Hi Krista, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jordan says smoothly.
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine,” Krista says flirtatiously.
“If you will excuse us,” I say to them, and Sophie and I walk away in search of the table we are sitting at for dinner.
“Lucky you. Jordan should be a nice distraction for Krista,” Sophie says.
“Why, do you think Jordan is good-looking?” I feel a pang of jealousy.
“What do you think?” she questions.
“That you only have eyes for me,” I say.
“True,” she says sweetly.
Chapter 12
Sophie
We’re back in London, exhausted from our trip to Hawaii. For me, it was both physically as well as emotionally draining.
Seeing Marcus with an old flame, who obviously was still in love with him, was difficult to stomach. Especially when she was so drop dead gorgeous, it brought all my insecurities to the surface. I just need to remind myself that beauty is only skin deep right?
We crawl into bed tonight, and it’s still nagging at me. What was it between Marcus and Krista anyway?
“Marcus, tell me, was Krista all that in college?”
“Sophie, that time in my life was closed years ago. I won’t discuss it,” he says. “You are the love of my life.”
“Yeah, yeah, tell me more,” I tease.
“I realized a long time ago that I actually started falling for you even before we ever slept together. That’s what made all of this so different for me, different in a good way. It’s one of the reasons why I’m so in love with you. I took the time to get to know you first. I was intrigued by you from the beginning. Of course your beauty and hot body drew my attention first, but the more I got to know you, your whole package sucked me in. Do you remember how many hours we worked together, late into the night sometimes. I saw how you performed under pressure and you were resilient, yet kept your sassy, ball busting charm.”
“You found my sass charming?”
“I did, I love your wicked sense of humor too. In the beginning I couldn’t believe the stuff that would come out of that pretty little mouth of yours. On the outside you look so classy, sophisticated and professional. But boy you really surprised me our first night together between the sheets, sweetheart.”
I let out my throaty and seductive bedroom laugh.
“Touch me, feel what your naughty laugh does to me,” Marcus says huskily, taking my hand a pressing it along his steely shaft. “I fell for you hook, line and sinker, and I’m never letting you go.”
His well-chosen words reel me back in and reassure me that he does love me, all of me. I squeeze his rigid manhood as his lips press urgently to mine as I deepen this delicious kiss from the man of my dreams.
*****
My Mom is less than enthusiastic about my pending nuptials with Marcus. In spite of the fact that he is the love of my life, she can’t get past me not marrying John.
She absolutely adored John. He was perfect for me, or so she believed. But we know when it comes to affairs of the heart, no one knows better than the person going through it. Yes, John looked good on paper, heck he looked great in person as well. Unfortunately, for my mother, my heart felt differently. It was Marcus all along, as hard as I tried to fight it.
I need to go shopping for another wedding dress soon. My mom and I went together the last time, so I don’t dare ask her to do it again. Makes me sad that she won’t be here today, but at this point I will just be happy to get her to fly all the way over to London for the wedding. She doesn’t like airplane travel. I can tell when I do talk to her on the phone that she thinks I am making a mistake marrying Marcus. Knowing this makes me feel beyond terrible inside, because I know usually mothers know what’s best for their children. She thinks his name, his money and his slick charm swayed me. In the back of my mind I know mothers are usually right, but I brush the fleeting thoughts away and remember how much I love him, and how much he loves me. Doesn’t love conquer all?