“You sure? Perhaps she likes Police Officers more than Firemen.”
I watch him lose a battle of cockiness. “Shit! Motherfucking Shit!”
“Which room?” I ask for the last time.
“Presidential suite two,” he surrenders.
Not wasting a second longer, I sprint for the elevator, Derek and Will not far behind me.
“If I walk in and see that naked fucker at full mast, thrusting it in Alexis’ face, I will kill you,” I glare at Derek as I swipe my card through the security lock on the Presidential Suite’s door.
Will laughs “You’re a fool, Man,” he says sympathetically as he pats Derek on the back. “I can’t believe you thought you’d get away with this.”
“I’m glad you find this funny, Will. You just wait until you find a woman that you can’t get out of your head. A woman you will go to the ends of the earth to be with and protect. A woman that becomes your sole reason for breathing. You just wait, Mate. Your day will come, and when it does, I will laugh right back at you,” I say as I open the door.
“You’re a poetic fucker, aren’t you?” Derek teases.
I’m at the point of performing my own chokehold on my best friend, just to knock him out and shut him the hell up, when the sound of “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake sounds from within the suite.
“Fuck!” I growl, turning to my idiot best friend. Before taking off in the direction of the music and squealing women, I shove Derek so hard that his back hits the wall.
He laughs at me and starts singing along with JT.
With my heart thumping in my chest over what horrid sight I think I’m about to see, I reluctantly turn the corner. Firstly, I lay my eyes on the massive oily bastard, who is straddling Alexis’ lap as if he is some fucking rodeo star. She is sitting on a single chair in the middle of the room with her friends standing around in a circle, clapping, dancing, and raising their champagne filled glasses in the air. It really is quite ridiculous and bloody nauseating.
My vision goes back to Alexis who—thank God—has her eyes closed and her hands covering her face, clearly not wanting the dickhead treating her like a horse. My heartbeat calms a little, and all I want to do now is rescue her from her apparent distress.
“Hey! Get out!” Carly yells, pointing in my direction. “No grooms allowed...unless...” she wiggles playfully, “...you want to start removing your clothes.”
“You...” I point to her, “...You and I are gonna have some words later. “And you...” I point to the hairless, Chippendale wannabe. “Back the fuck off.”
He steps aside with a knowing expression as though this is not the first time an irate partner has stormed into the room. Alexis sits frozen with a terrified expression on her face as I stop right beside her chair and tower over her.
She starts to speak, seemingly to defend herself. “I didn’t know—“
Cutting off her unnecessary apology, I reach forward and take hold of her hand, pulling her up to my chest and pressing my lips to hers in a forceful show of ownership. My intention is to make a clear point that she is mine.
Keeping the kiss brutally short, I pull away. “Want to go home?”
She smiles and nods.
Not wanting to stay any longer and listen to JT sing about being someone’s slave, I bend down, throw her over my shoulder—making sure I cover her arse with her dress—and walk us out of the room.
When we get back to the apartment, I take the elevator all the way to the second floor, not uttering a word until we are beside the bed.
Before I place her down, I feel her fingers playing with the waistband of my jeans from behind my back.
“Are you mad?” she asks almost timidly.
“Yep,” I honestly reply, closing my eyes while trying to calm my raging fury together with my raging hard-on which is a result from her teasing touch.
She dips her finger into my jeans, along the crevice of my arse. “Are you angry with me?”
“No, not with you,” I sigh. “...with our ex-best friends.”
Straightening her back, she encourages me to slide her down my front. “Good...” she replies with a promising grin, continuing to slide all the way down to her knees. Then, unlatching my belt buckle, she doesn’t hesitate in taking me in her hands. “...because the only man I want dancing around me is you. The only man I want, period, is you.”
Smirking down at her, I caress her stunning face. “I’m all yours, Hunny.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
My breath catches when I spot her walk out onto the balcony. I can’t see her in detail as I am too far away, but her presence adorned in an ivory gown is unmistakeable. I know they say seeing the bride before the wedding is bad luck, but technically I can’t see her entirely, she is several hundred meters away in the distance.
Hoping that she has her phone with her, I pull out my mobile and send her a text:
29 minutes and 13 seconds - Bryce
I’m desperate and not able to help myself, needing some form of contact. Spending last night without her was agony, so much so, that I was highly fucking tempted to sneak into our apartment and surprise her in the middle of the night. I’m sure she wouldn’t have minded. Maryann, however, would have. My soon to be mother-in law would no doubt have physically removed me from the premises—or at least, tried.
Watching and waiting for Alexis to answer my message, I notice who looks to be Lucy join her on the balcony. She hands her what I assume is her phone, which makes me smile boldly. Damn, I adore my sister. She has been the perfect accomplice in my quest for ultimate attainment.
Lucy heads back inside, so I take the opportunity to send another text:
28 minutes, 19 seconds and counting
until you make me the happiest man alive - Bryce
I wait knowing that she is now reading it, and the fact I am watching her without her knowledge leaves me feeling somewhat cocky and powerful at the same time.
My phone beeps indicating her response:
27 minutes and 21 seconds until I become
Mrs. Alexis Clark - Alexis
As I read her reply, the smile that covers my face is enormous. Mrs. Alexis Clark. It sounds perfect.
I can’t wait. - Bryce
Neither can I - Alexis
Smiling like an impish fool, I figure I’ll play with her a little longer, loving to wind her up and watch her unleash. The fight she puts up when returning my challenges always ignites a fiery passion within me.
Well then hurry up - Bryce
I love you, you know. - Alexis
I do. - Bryce
