“You are. Just not out loud.”
And knowing I shouldn’t only made it harder to stop. “She just wants to snuggle her hero.”
“I don’t snuggle.”
“You snuggle me.”
“I’m a man. Men don’t snuggle.” Exhaling heavily, he rose from the bed, scooped her up, and disappeared into the closet again, lecturing her the entire time as if she could understand every word.
I rolled over and checked I’d put my phone on silent mode. The mattress dipped behind me as Dane returned and spooned me. I might have pointed out that he was pretty much snuggling me, but then he would have moved. Plus, I wasn’t sure it counted, since he was cupping my breast.
Blue leapt onto the bed in front of me and tilted her head.
I felt my mouth quirk. “Um, Dane? We have company. Again.”
“Tell me you’re kidding.” He lifted his head and cursed. “We’re just going to have to shut her in the closet, because I’m not doing this dance with her all night long. Do you get me, cat? You’re not staying in here.”
Blue sat back, hiked up one leg, and began licking her ass hole.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
The morning of the reception, I placed my pouch of bridal jewelry on the vanity dresser in one of the guest rooms. Satisfied that I could now tick the final item off the checklist, I let out a sigh. After breakfast, I’d moved my dress, shoes, and other garments in there, along with all the bits and bobs I’d need while getting ready.
I didn’t want to dress in my room because several people would be with me this morning—all of whom were due to arrive any minute now. It wouldn’t have bothered me to have them in my room if Dane hadn’t officially moved his things in there the previous day. Now that it was also his space, I knew he wouldn’t want other people entering it.
Putting a hand on my queasy stomach, I blew out a breath. I’d thought my nerves would be calm by now, but there was apparently no such luck.
Filled with last minute preparations for the reception, the previous day had gone past in a blur. I’d tried relaxing myself with a manicure, pedicure, and feel-good movie. Maybe it worked, or maybe I was just tired, but I slept surprisingly well. Then again, Dane had fucked me so hard and long last night that he’d sapped a lot of my energy, so that could have been the reason.
Now, I felt somewhat jumpy with anticipation. The reception was no longer simply a party, no longer part of a fake marriage routine. It would be meaningful. Special.
I wasn’t just Dane’s wife on paper now. I was his wife in every sense of the word. The marriage was officially real. And the reception was our chance to celebrate that.
“Everything ready in here?”
I whirled around to find Dane in the doorway. “Yes. I’ve gathered everything that Chris listed for me. If it turns out that something else is needed, I can blame him for the oversight.”
Dane crossed to me. “Nervous?”
“My stomach’s all fluttery, but in a good way. I can’t quite believe the day is finally here. The past week has whizzed by.” I eyed him. “You don’t look in the least bit jittery.”
He shrugged. “What is there to be stressed about? You’re fine. I’m fine. Chris and Miley have all the details covered. No last-minute emergencies have cropped up.” He stepped a little closer. “The only thing I’m worried about is you having one of your migraines. But you only have them in the evenings, so that’s not something we need to watch out for until later.”
I hadn’t even considered that I might have a migraine. It was warming that he had.
He cupped my hip. “You’re still not going to give me a peek of your dress?”
“Nope. You’ll have to wait.” I snickered at the petulant look on his face. “God, you are so spoiled.”
He grunted. “You know I don’t like to wait.”
The buzzer sounded.
He whipped his phone out of his pocket and brought up the security app. “It’s Chris and a few of his people.” He pocketed his cell and then squeezed my hip. “I’ll escort them up here to you and then I’ll go get dressed in our room. Once I’m ready, I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
He gave me a soft, languid, toe-curling kiss. “Breathe. Relax. Smile. All is fine.” With that, he left the room.
He returned a minute later with Chris, the hairstylist, and the makeup artists. Chris gently ushered him away, insisting Dane not see me again until I was dressed and ready to leave. Dane shot him an unimpressed look but obligingly exited the room.
Chris crossed to me, smiling brightly. “How are you feeling, darling? Nervous?”
“A little. I can’t quite shake it off.”
“Oh, worry not, my dear girl. I know of something that will settle your nerves. First, you remember Phoebe, Jewel, and Sheena, right?”
“I do.” I exchanged hellos with the three women, who then promptly set up their styling tools and cosmetic trolley.
The photographer, Floyd, turned up shortly after that. He was quickly followed by Melinda, Ashley, and Hanna, who brought their outfits with them. The three women greeted me with tight hugs, all smiley and giggly.
Hanna studied my face closely and then nodded in satisfaction. “There are no unsightly spots. Excellent.”
“Unsightly spots?” I echoed.
“Hey, it happens to some brides,” said Ashley. “I know you’ve already had your ceremony, but you’re technically a bride again today. You don’t want to have a crater on the tip of your nose on a day like this.”
I snorted and turned to Melinda, both relieved and surprised to see that her smile didn’t look strained. I knew she was hurting over Heather’s behavior, so I’d expected that to have dimmed her excitement about the reception. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so giddy.”
“I’ve been looking forward to this for months,” said Melinda. “I’m so happy the day is finally here. I missed your ceremony, so this means a lot to me. And it’s just fantastic that Junior will be at the reception.”
I felt my brows lower. “Junior?”
“Heather called last night, told us about the blackmail situation, apologized for her behavior the other day, and said that she’d allow Junior to attend the reception. She’s hoping it’ll make up for some of the things she’s done. Not only to me and Wyatt, but to you and Dane.”
I barely bit back a pfft sound. Heather didn’t make things up to people, and she wouldn’t give a tinker’s shit if I was upset about the crap she pulled. But it was possible that, now knowing Dane would stick to his word about threatening to fuck with her life, she’d done this as a gesture of peace. Either that or she simply refused to let me have her parents all to myself—that was how Heather would see it.
“Well that’s great,” was all I said.
“It is,” agreed Melinda. “And I’m rather excited about having my hair and makeup done by professionals.”
Chris did a little clap. “On that note, ladies, let’s begin, shall we? Give me your outfits; I’ll hang them in the closet. We don’t want them getting creased.”