Page 145 of Blush Crush

I shouldn't like it, I shouldn't be enjoying the taboo nature of a man eating his cum out of me, but clearly my body thinks otherwise.

"We taste good together, baby."

I lift my head enough to see Cole's steely blue eyes gleaming at me from between my legs.

This man is wicked, and I think I'm addicted to him.

I can hear his tongue's languid flicks, and slowly a second release is coaxed out of me. This one not nearly as striking as the last, but still satisfying.

He licks me some more before voyaging up my body and hovering his face over mine. My mouth drops open without thought and he spits our cum in my mouth.

The entire act is so sensually filthy, so wrong I'm practically giddy.

After pausing a moment so the fog can clear, we pull ourselves together. Despite Cole's attempt at cleaning me up, I look properly disheveled. There's just no way to recover smoothly from an encounter like that.

I shoo Cole to head back to the reception while I make a pit stop to the women's restroom so I can attempt to straighten up more.

I feel immediately relieved when I notice there isn't a line, but my luck runs short when I step inside and see Whitney touching up her makeup.

I move to spin on my heels, not wanting to interrupt the bride, rushing out an apology for intruding, when her voice stops me.

"Wait," Whitney calls out.

I turn back around, fingers crossed this isn't about to be some weird interaction with Cole's ex. "Yes?" I smile brightly.

She extends her hand. "I'm Whitney."

"Ariana," I say as my hand meets hers.

"I was wondering if I'd get a chance to meet you, or if Cole would keep us apart the whole wedding." There isn't even a hint of a bite in her tone. She seems genuinely happy to have run into me, which I wasn't expecting.

"I'm sure Cole's mentioned some of our history," she says.

"He has. Not a ton, but I know you two go way back."

She laughs. "All the way back to diapers." Her smile eases into something more reflective. "At one point I really did think this day would be me and Cole. I was kind of mad at him for a long time for messing up the picture I had in my head of what my life would look like. And then I met Jacob, and I realized I wasn't actually mad at Cole at all. I was just holding onto an idea that was never really ours to begin with."

"You two seem like a really good fit," I offer.

"We are. In all the ways Cole and I never were." She studies me for a moment. "I'm sure you're thinking I'm some crazy ex, but I promise I'm not. I've just been sneaking glances at you two all evening, and I needed to tell you—I've known Cole a long time. I know how guarded he is. How hard it is to get past all of that." She looks at me directly. "Whatever you did to unlock that fortress he keeps everyone out of, don't let go of it. Because I tried for years and never got close to what I saw tonight just watching him look at you."

My throat tightens unexpectedly.

"I just think you deserve to know that what you have with him is something really rare," she adds softly. "I'm really glad he finally let someone in."

"Thank you," I manage. "Really. And congratulations—you and Jacob seem wonderful together."

Her whole face softens. "We really are." She picks up her clutch. "We both found the right people in the end. Just not each other."

She slips out and I stand at the mirror for a moment, looking at my reflection.

All the insecurities that had been quietly gnawing at me all day feel a little smaller now.

I straighten my dress, smooth my hair one last time, and head back out.

I rejoin the table just in time for dinner to be served, a small portion of chicken marsala.

Cole's eyes find me the second I sit down, moving over my face with a quick, private assessment. His hand finds mine under the table without a word.