Page 87 of Married to Lies

Her fingers twitched, reached for mine, and my large hands enveloped hers. The softness of her skin made me long to touch other soft parts of her. And when I looked up to meet her stare, I wondered if she felt it too. The sparks that flamed every time we touched.

I ran my thumb over the back of her hand, and she gripped my fingers tighter. When I met her eyes again, there was a small tilt to her lips. A conspiratorial smile saying, We’re in this together.

Maybe that’s what marriage was all about. When the excitement of new love fades and lust is long forgotten, a partnership that remains so strong you don’t have to face the world alone.

I hoped that’s what Rei and I could have together, what we could create together.

She tilted her head toward the officiant, and I realized that I hadn’t processed a word that had been said. I was too lost in her.

“Repeat after me,” the officiant said to me.

I nodded and listened for my lines.

The words flowed off my lips, carrying a weight all their own as I slipped the wedding band onto Rei’s finger. She pressed a matching one onto mine, and then, we were asked to kiss.

My mom let out a sound somewhere between a sob and an excited squeak, making a small laugh ripple through the party. Rei smiled at me, but there was a question in her eyes. Are we really doing this?

We’d said all the vows. We’d signed the agreements. But this kiss, this final part of the ceremony in front of our people, made it all real in a way that printed words and drying signatures hadn’t.

In answer, I reached for her, cupping the base of her neck and drawing her to me. Her fingers gripped my lapel just before our lips met. Her kiss was everything I’d longed for since the last one we shared. Soft, sweet, and full of a promise for more.

A smattering of applause was the only thing that had me parting from her. But not completely. My palm slid down her neck, over the bare gap at the back of her dress, and paused at her lower waist, where I held her close.

Everything happened in a blur after that. We ate a meal together in a tent set up near the replica Eiffel Tower. Rei charmed my mom and even made a brooding Jude crack a laugh.

Then a server, one carefully vetted and background checked by our security company, brought a cake to a cocktail table near where everyone was seated. It was time to cut our wedding cake. We walked to the cocktail table, and he handed Rei a decorative knife. Our hands touched as we cut into the mocha-flavored sponge cake topped in chocolate hazelnut buttercream.

We each took a small piece, following the tradition of feeding each other. She went first, gingerly passing me the piece of cake. Flavor flooded my tongue as her fingers brushed over my lips.

My hand was shaking when I reached for the piece to feed her. Noticing my tremor, she took hold of my hand and brought it to her mouth. Holding my gaze, she drew the tip of my thumb into between her lips, sucking lightly to get all the frosting off.

I nearly doubled over. “Fuck, Rei,” I hissed while everyone around us cheered.

A devious smile lit her eyes before she shifted into a falsely innocent look. “Yes, husband?”

She was trying to kill me. I swore it.

I leaned in closer, speaking low in her ear. “Have that line ready to say when we get to the bedroom.”

She jerked back to read my expression, and when she saw I was serious, heat crept up her neck and flooded her cheeks with color.

God, she was a masterpiece. Back at our table, I put my hand on her thigh beneath the slit of her dress. She didn’t flinch, only took my hand and drew it farther up the bare skin of her thigh.

She casually took another bite of her cake, slowly dragging the fork from her lips. This was a game to her, and I was more than ready to play.

I drew my hand even farther up her thigh, cock thickening in my pants at the feel of her soft skin under my palm. The edge of my hand butted up against her stomach, covered in some type of lace, and my mouth went dry.

Aaric approached the table, smiling at us. “Wanted to say congratulations to the both of you before heading out. I need to prepare for our retreat.”

I tried to pull my hand away from her leg, but she held it in place. Drew it closer to where her thighs pressed together. Her poker face was flawless as she grinned up at Aaric. “Thank you for coming. It was so nice to meet you. I can’t wait to try The Greenhouse with you!”

Aaric seemed genuinely flattered as he brushed a lock of blond hair away from his face. “You’ll love it there; I just know it.”

Rei drew my hand to the edge of her panties. “It sounds like a great spot.”

Fuck me.

“It really is,” Aaric said. “And the variety of plants in the nursery there is incredible. Everything from carnivorous to rare and tropical.”