“Cheers to that, bud,” Jones says, and smiles.

I turn back to the room, and raise my glass of non-alcoholic champagne, which I know will taste like arse. “Would you please raise your glass, and help me cheers to Spencer and April.”

The room erupts with cries of “to Spencer and April!”

****

The happy couple have their first dance, and Nathan announces it’s time for the bridal party to join them on the dance floor. Suds offers me a mega-watt smile as I take her hand and lead her to the side of the room. I’d rather have her all to myself somewhere. Fucking formalities.

“I thought you’d have two left feet,” she says, as I hold my arm up and twirl her around. The hem of her dress floats around her thighs, flashing me enough extra flesh to cause my dick to stiffen. It’s not the most convenient timing with this many people gawking at us.

I grind my hips into her, letting her feel what she’s caused in a matter of moments. I’m not holding back today. Not anymore.

“You look good enough to eat,” I growl in her ear.

She laughs softly and stares deep into my eyes as we continue to move to the slow beat. “Hungry, are we?” she says with a raised brow. Tease.

“Starved.”

The song ends, and Suds lowers her hands to her sides and takes a step back.

“Not so fast, Suds. I’m not done dancing with you yet,” I growl, grabbing her hand and bringing her body against mine.

“What’re you playing at, De Luca?” she asks as she boldly glides her hips against mine and my growing hard-on.

“What. No De Loser anymore?” I challenge.

She brushes her finger along my jawline and then presses her finger to my lips. “No. Not anymore.”

“Must’ve done something right,” I joke.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she says, and tilts her head to the side. Her green eyes bore into mine, as if she’s searching for something. “Did you mean what you said in your speech?”

“Every word.”

She nods and her throat bobs as she swallows. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” she says, her voice wavering.

“Spit it out then.”

There’s an awkward pause between us.

“I found a place,” she finally says.

My feet freeze. She’s leaving? Whoa.

“A place, huh?” I say, trying not to show how much it hurts. It’s gonna be one lonely place without her. “Cool,” I add, shrugging one shoulder. I say it more to convince myself to be that way. I knew this day would come, but each passing week gave me the hope that maybe she’d stay … permanently.

“Are you okay?” she asks. “You seemed kind of distant at the church.”

I can’t tell her what the cop told me today and spoil what’s happening here. I don’t want her to stay because she feels sorry for me. No one should hold her back after the shit she’s been through. Not even my selfish arse.

Suds could have made a move to leave before now because she had the money. I adore her for not turning her back on me. She put me before herself, and the only person who’s ever done that for me is my own mother.

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Good.”

“You know, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” I whisper.

“What?” Suds wraps her arms around my neck and draws our chests against each other.

I squeeze my arms around her waist and drink in her sweet, blossomy scent. “I want you in my bed, Suds.”

She melts into my embrace and a sweet sigh falls from her lips. “We’ve been practically in the same bed since, well, you know.”

Yeah, I know. Since he died.

“Not to sleep,” I say, my voice deeper this time.

“Oh,” she says quietly.

“Not quite the answer I was lookin’ for.”

She worries at her bottom lip, but her lust-filled gaze is telling me a yes.

“Is it poor form to leave before the bride and groom?” she says, and allows a smile to spread wide across her face.

And there it is. I’ve got her. Small fucking miracle.

I laugh softly and rest my forehead against hers. “Not in my book, but I think we have to hang in here for at least another couple of hours.”

“You keep rubbing that lizard against me and I won’t last a couple of minutes.”

Fuck me. I’ve a right mind to drag her arse out of here and drive into her until she’s a screaming hot mess. I won’t though, because I’m a selfish man. I don’t want it quick. I wanna be greedy. The first time we do it, it’s gonna mean something. I won’t cheapen it. Holding out until we can leave the celebrations is gonna be some fucking test of my manhood and willpower, but it’ll be worth it.

“I have a room here. That’ll save some time.”

She scrunches her brow. “You do?”

“Yup.” I paid for a room for one reason. You. My way of kicking my arse into action. There’s no way I’m spending the night in that room alone.

“But it’s only twenty minutes in a cab home.”

“I know this. I can do a fuckin’ lot in twenty minutes, Suds.”

“I bet you can.”

A couple brushes past us, followed by a hushed giggle. Billy and Vicky dance close, trapped in their own world as their eyes greedily eat each other up. Billy whispers something in her ear, causing her to sigh and fall farther into his arms. My prediction is that Billy will be dicking Jones’s baby sister tonight.

Guaranteed.

“Looks like we won’t be the only ones bumping uglies tonight,” I whisper to Suds, and jut my chin towards them.

“I’ll have you know there’s nothing ugly about my puss,” she says, her tone clipped. If it wasn’t for the challenge in the raise of her eyebrows, I’d be worried about her reaching for the nearest piece of silverware to carve me with.

“And I can’t wait for you to prove it, Suds.”

****

My fingers fumble with the buttons. Do you think I can do a simple thing like undo my shirt? Fuck no. Not when the woman of my wet dreams is stripping off layers like her skin is on fire.

I end up ripping the fabric open, causing buttons to skitter onto the bedside table and bounce on the floor. My shirt gets caught on my cufflinks, and it takes some fucking effort to get it off. When my hands are free, my belt isn’t too difficult to undo, thank fuck, and I’m down to my boxers in seconds, with my pants and shoes kicked across the room.

“You move fast,” Suds says, with a soft laugh.

Suds’s dress is pooled at her feet, and she’s standing there in a white strapless bra, a matching G-banger and those fuckin’ hot heels. Her hair is wild, her cheeks flushed pink, and her chest is expanding in time to her quick breaths. Holy testicles, I need to preserve this image.

“Stop. Wait.”

I’m stone-cold sober. There’ll be no haze surrounding tonight. I wanna remember every second. It doesn’t help that I’m as nervous as I was my first time. I don’t know what the hell is happening to me.

Her body freezes in place, and she swallows hard. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s just … don’t rush.”

Suds gives me a wry smile and then presses the toe of her shoe onto the soft edge of the bed beside my knee. With her legs parted like that, I’ve got a prime view of her pussy. The sheer fabric provokes me as it blocks my view.

She leans over, teasing me with her knockout cleavage as she toys with the ankle strap.

“Leave ’em on,” I tell her, gripping her raised ankle beside me.

With my other hand I tug the G-string aside and bury my face between her legs, sucking long and hard on her clit. The salty taste of her on my tongue has my cock painfully hard.

Her nails graze over my temples, and she tugs at my hair. She opens her legs wider and thrusts her hips against my face.

“That mouth,” she chokes out.

The grunting noises that break from her lips have me wondering how loud she’ll be when I’m balls’ deep inside her. I appreciate a woman who isn’t afraid to be vocal about their pleasure, but this girl? I wanna hear every sweet sigh, whimper and scream.