Chapter 9

ARIANA

CHAPTER NINE

After the ceremony, I'm not sure what to do with myself. I watch Tyler walk back up the aisle with a woman in a pink dress and disappear into the house.

When the crowd starts to make their way to the tent, I follow and soon I'm staring out over the water of the Long Island Sound. It's pretty with Connecticut in the distance. I watch the waves rolling in and out and think about the water in Galveston Bay. It wasn't like this and it isn't like the New Jersey Shore.

Strong arms wrap around me from behind, and Tyler's warm masculine scent makes my heart beat faster. "What are you thinking about?"

"Galveston Bay. It's not as nice as this." I sigh. "I wasn't sure where I'm supposed to go now that we're here." I gesture to the tent.

His expression is sad even though I want to make him happy. I wish I knew what to say, but I don't.

Even when he smiles, it doesn't reach his eyes. He wraps my hand through his elbow. "I'll take you to our table."

There are a dozen or more tables arranged around a wooden dance floor. One table is small and has only two chairs while the rest seat ten people. It's crowded, but the breeze is blowing in off the water, pushing away the heat of the day as the sun goes down. The tent is strung with lights that make it look very romantic.

As we sit, I realize I'll have to make conversation with strangers. I grip Tyler's hand. "I don't do well with small talk."

He kisses my cheek, then my lips. "Then don't. Be yourself, Ariana. I love you just the way you are and so will they."

Drawing a deep breath, I try to relax. "How do you know you love me?"

The way he smiles makes me wish we were alone. "Because when I'm near you, I'm happy and when you're not by my side, I'm thinking about you. Because I've never felt like this about anyone in my life."

Is that how love feels?

Before I can respond how I want to, three men in suits rush over and greet Tyler with hugs, handshakes, and a few punches in the arms.

Tyler's laughter is deep and musical.

After dinner with Tyler's cousins and their dates or spouses, they cut the cake, and the dances are announced. Tyler dances with the woman in the pink dress, and I watch how he moves and politely smiles at her. It's not the same smile he has for me, and I like that.

When the required dance is over, he comes to the table with his hand out for me to take. I do and follow him, and he wraps his arm around my waist. His other hand holds mine against his chest. It's like being cradled in a safe cocoon in his arms. He gazes down at me with a soft smile pulling at his lips. "When is your flight to Houston?"

"Monday morning at seven." I toy with the soft hair behind his ear. "There's a car coming to pick me up at five."

He nods. "I'm going to miss you."

"I won't be gone long." I have a flight booked to come home on Tuesday afternoon.

"I think they're going to make you an offer you won't want to refuse." He tightens his hold.

That's probably true. I rest my cheek on his chest and listen to his heart beat a counterpoint to the music's baseline. My mind calculates the beats per second as a default, but I force myself to be present in the moment. "I love you too," I whisper.

The only indication that he heard me is his slow inhale of breath and the extra pressure of his hand around mine.

The song ends and he leads me through the crowded tent and out to a small wooded area on the other side of the property. The music and din of partygoers is just audible over the waves and night breeze.

"Where are we going, Tyler?" I lift the hem of my dress to keep it out of the dried leaves surrounding the path.

"When I was a kid, my dad and I built a hideout for me to play in." He stops in front of a wooden shed and pulls the door open. "It's smaller than I remember."

Inside, there are two chairs and a table. One end of the shed has a wide platform that must have been a place to sleep when he was a child. "What did you play at here?"

His smile shines in the moonlight. "My friends and I would be pirates when we were little. This was our ship. Then, when I was a teenager, I came here to read and think. I planned my life here."

"Did it turn out the way you planned?" I can picture him running around with a patch over his eye, and older, reading some book while sitting on the makeshift bed.

"For the most part." He wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head. "Did you mean what you said?"

"I always mean what I say." I hold him tight and breathe in his warm scent, so male with a hint of cologne. The tuxedo shirt is soft and he's warm.

"About loving me, Ariana. Did you mean that or say it because I said it and you felt obligated?"

As much as I want to understand why he would think I'd lie, I can't fathom it. "I meant it. I miss you when you're away from me, and I'm happy when we're together. My chest hurts when I think of leaving you for a few days to go to Houston. That's probably silly and I shouldn't admit it."

"No. It's not. I'm glad you care." He takes a breath that expands, and it's as if my heart wants to burst free of my chest. "Can we leave or do you need to stay here until the very end?"

"I think at this point, we can go." He pauses without moving.

Trying to figure out if I'm supposed to say or do something, I pull back. "It's alright if you want to stay here with your family. We don't have to make love."

His eyes get soft as he cups my cheek and stares into mine. "I very much want to make love with you tonight, Ariana. I will always want more of you in every way."

"Then why did you hesitate?"

"I have to say goodnight to my parents and wondered if you would mind stopping back here in the morning, so you can get to know them." He draws in air. "I thought you might not want to do that and it caused me to pause."

It's nice the way he explains things. He's the first person outside of my family who seems to know why something they've done for emotional reasons causes me confusion. "I would like to get to know your family better." They may not like me once they realize I'm not like everyone else, but it's good to learn about where Tyler came from.

We find his parents at a back table under the tent. They're leaning against each other and Brent has his arm around Diane as if he's keeping her from total collapse.

Tyler says, "You two look done in."

Diane sighs. "We've already agreed that the catering people can finish this up. We're watching the dancing for ten more minutes and then heading to bed."

He nods. "We're heading out. We'll swing by in the morning and see you before we head back to New Jersey."

They both grin, and Brent says, "Come at nine and I'll make pancakes."

Kissing each of them on their cheeks, Tyler tells his parents he loves them and that the wedding was great.

I make my normal awkward goodbye. "Will Kathy still be here in the morning?"

"Yes. They have a hotel room for tonight but will stop in before they go to the airport. They have a late flight to Paris for their honeymoon."

I'm glad to know I'll get to meet his sister too. I don't understand why it should matter, but I believe it does. I think Tyler would want me to know her. Somehow in the last few weeks, I've changed. There are more than numbers running through my head. I care about feelings and understanding them.

The hotel is part of a fancy chain and sits on the highway. We're on a high floor looking out over the sound. I stare out into the darkness while Tyler is on the phone with his sister.

"I'll see you in the morning, Kath. Yes. It was a great day. She'll understand. Okay. Goodnight." A moment later he wraps his arms around me. "Sorry about that. Kathy is sorry she didn't get to talk to you and is looking forward to breakfast."

"That's nice of her." I lean against his body, letting his warmth envelop me. The moon's reflection on the water is soothing after so many people.

"Do you want help getting out of this dress?" He kisses where my neck meets my shoulder.

A tingle of anticipation rushes through me and settles between my legs. Turning, I caress his neck and thread my fingers through his hair. I rub my center against the bulge in his black pants. "I don't know if I can wait that long."

Leaning to the right, he presses a button on the desk and the blinds come down with a soft buzz and cover the wall of windows. Tyler captures my lips and backs me to the edge of the bed.

Kneeling in front of me, he runs his fingers along my ankles to my calves. The rough calluses tickle the backs of my knees and make me widen my stance to keep my balance as he continues upward.

He reaches my bare ass and stops, staring up at me. "No panties?"

"I had them on, but they made the gown look bad." I gasp as his thumb slides along my slit like a feather.

"If I had known you were bare under here, I wouldn't have made it through the wedding. I would've had to have a taste of you, Ariana." He eases my dress up with his arms and as the cool air of the room reaches my sensitive center, he presses his mouth against me. He slides his tongue between my folds and laps up my juices.

Gripping his head to avoid my legs collapsing, I call his name.

Spreading my lips, he sucks my clit, then licks and sucks again. He grips my ass and his fingers graze my anus, shooting pleasure through me.

I scream as my orgasm erupts and my knees give way.

Tyler catches me and helps me to fall on the mattress. He says, "I love the way you come for me. I want to always give you pleasure."

"I want that too." I barely gasp out the words as the rapture is only beginning to fade.

Reaching behind me, he unzips my dress and slides the soft material down my body until I'm lying naked in the middle of the bed.

Staring at the ceiling, I cross my ankles while my vagina contracts as if looking for Tyler to fill me up. "I need more. I need you." I press my hand hard against my pussy and another wave of pleasure cascades over me.

Gently, Tyler uncrosses my ankles and kneels between my legs. He lowers until his body covers mine.

His thick shaft splits my lips and he rocks forward and back until I'm breathless and close to coming apart.

"Ariana." It's like a prayer when he says my name. He notches the head of his cock at my slit and presses slow and steady until he's buried deep. Slipping free, he presses forward again and again.

I arch to meet every thrust, wild with pleasure building.

Wrapping me in a tight hug, he rolls so I'm on top.

I rise to my knees and slam down until his shaft touches me so deeply, my body sings for more. "Tyler." I ride him slowly and then faster. I scream out as the pleasure rises from deep inside me. Each time I take all of him, his base rubs against my clitoris. When I rise, I feel empty. Again and again, I take all of him until I'm screaming his name over and over and my body comes apart in exquisite pleasure.

Gripping my hips, he holds me above him, then pumps fast and hard into me and fills me with warm semen.

I collapse on his chest. "We forgot the condom."

"Oh, god. I'm sorry. I'm safe though. It's been some time since I was with anyone else, and I've been to the doctor."

My first thought is about pregnancy and a warm sense of desire rushes through me. "I'd like to have a baby."

He'd been rubbing my back, and he stills. "Would you?"

"I think so. I'm not sure I'd be a good mother, but I think I would like to feel our baby growing inside me." Since meeting Tyler, I've considered having children more often than I ever have in my life. I never thought that was something in my future.

Rolling me to my back, he hovers over me. His gaze is intense as he looks into my eyes. "I would move to Houston, Ariana. If you want to take that job, I would find work down there to be with you."