Branded (Strand Brothers Series Book 1) (23 page)

She giggled. And it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. I stared in awe. She reached up to stroke my face and answered, “Sure it is.”

I murmured, “Are we permitted to have phone sex?”

She smacked me. “No!”

I pouted. She pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. There was nothing I wanted more than to deepen the kiss, but I knew if I started, I wouldn’t stop. I replied, “You better go.”

She grinned, “Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said while backing out of my embrace.

“I’ll be the guy in a tux, standing at the altar.” I winked.

Over her shoulder she called, “I’ll be the girl in a white frilly dress.” Then she blew me a kiss on the way out.

How will I ever make it through the night?

When I turned around, my brothers stood there eyeing me with an expression on their faces I couldn’t quite name. “What?”

They shook their heads as Alex clapped my back. “Nothing.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Bullshit.”

E chuckled, “It’s just nice to see. That’s all.”

“Speak English,” I demanded.

Alex elaborated, “To see you happy. Relaxed. More yourself than you’ve been in years.”

Oh.
Well, I was all those things, and so much more. Chagrined, I responded, “Look, I know I’ve been a real hard-ass. I really am sorry—for all of it.”

E replied, “Over and done, my brother.”

Alex nodded, “Yes, it is.” Then he added, “No more apologies, okay?”

I shook my head as I wrapped an arm around each of them. “Fair enough. I’ll stop, for now.”

E asked, “You ready to blow this Popsicle stand?”

“Hell yeah, I am.” I stepped back. “Let me go say goodbye to Aimee’s parents. I’ll meet you by the car.”

Alex called, “sounds good,” over his shoulder.

After a little chitchat, I said my farewells to Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell.
Down to earth
was what went through my mind as I turned to leave. They really were wonderful people. Aimee came from a great family. I strode outside and thought;
now, she’ll be part of mine.
She had already wormed her way not just into my heart, but my brothers as well. Somewhere deep down I knew my parents would’ve loved her, too. Not knowing how or when I did anything worthy of such an amazing woman. But I did know, I’d move heaven and earth to deserve a fraction of her love. Yeah, I wanted to be a better man. She needed that. And if I were being truthful, so did I. E was right, the past was over and done. No amount of could’ve, would’ve, or should’ve was going to change that fact. Time to move on. Something told me, the best was yet to come. Damn, I could really use that. So could Aimee.

*****

Actually excited about tomorrow, I was concerned I wouldn’t get much sleep. Then I saw my brothers standing outside of a stretch limo. Ah, shit. As I approached, the laughter grew more raucous.

E handed me a bottle of Heineken. He tapped his against mine and said, “Let’s get this bachelor party started.”

Alex hooted and then boisterously yelled, “Damn straight.”

Once I climbed inside I saw the “ladies” that were waiting. My eyes widened in surprise as I looked over at my brothers, crawling among the
entertainment
. “Fuck a duck,” I exclaimed.

E wiggled his eyebrows in a devious way. “You can say that again, Nik.”

Alex leaned over with his hand on a taut female ass. “We don’t expect you to partake in the festivities. Enjoy your beer.”

At that moment, E lifted his head from a bouncy breast. How he had managed to tie her wrists with her bra straps, I would never know.
Kinky bastard
. He smirked, “Don’t worry. We’ll enjoy these lovelies for you.” There was nothing more said for a while. His mouth was a bit occupied.

I rolled my eyes heavenward. I had only
thought
I was horny earlier. As I sat there watching live porn, I realized this would test my self-control in ways I’d never imagined. But then, Aimee’s beautiful face and delectable body came to mind. After that, all I could think of was how spectacular making love to my wife was going to be the next evening. Yeah, those desirous images would hold me. She was well worth the sacrifice. I leaned back, closed my eyes, and fantasized of
only
Aimee.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Aimee

In front of the lighted mirror, I sat in the chair and watched the stylist work my hair in an intricate up-do. Wow, if only I could ever copy such artistry. Not going to happen. But a girl could dream, right?

Renée pulled me from my reverie when she said, “Seriously, your hair looks incredible.”

I winked at her in the mirror. There was no way I was turning my head to look at her. So I could see the back of her hair as well, I motioned for her to turn around and then replied, “Yours is pretty spectacular, too.”

She grinned, “And look”—bending down in front of me so we were eye level, she pointed to her face—“all evidence of my bruising is gone!” she exclaimed.

Really, there wasn’t a trace of a mark anywhere. “Too bad Keshaun had a game today. He’d be speechless if he could see you now.”

“Oh, he’s seen it. I sent a pic a lil’ while ago.” She waggled her eyebrows at me mischievously.

I shook my head imperceptibly. “I don’t even wanna know when you did that.”

As she sashayed over to the coffee bar, she answered coyly, “Couldn’t’ve been when I was in the changing room, now could it?”

One thing about it, she was a flirtatious Domme. Not sure if that was the norm, because I didn’t know any other ones. Thank God for that! Renée and her antics were all I could handle. I did my best to ignore the visual which came to mind every time I thought of her penchant for BDSM and replied, “You’re incorrigible.”

“Yeah, I am that.” She sultrily added, “And then some.”

While I was happy she felt more herself, it was not what I needed when my stomach was tied in knots. Still unsure if the wedding was truly in my best interest.

Eventually, I heard Renée talking. “Hello. You in there, Aims?” She stood in front of me waving her hand.

Gee, how long had I been caught up in my musings? I cleared my throat and responded, “Yeah, I’m here. Sorry.”

She shook her head. “You’re still worried about this, aren’t you?”

I sighed heavily. “How could I not be?” I bit my lip and then continued, “I mean, theoretically, you say ‘I do’ forever.”

“You’re right. But I thought we settled that.”

“So did I.”

She nodded, “You’ll see. He’s completely beguiled by you.” She grasped my shoulders. “Didn’t you see it yesterday?”

I shrugged timidly. “I saw something different. But what if…”

She interrupted, “Uh-huh. No you don’t.” Then she sternly commanded, “You will not second guess him, yourself, or this wedding. We clear, here?”

Ah, Ms. Take-Charge had spoken. “If only it were that easy, Ren.”

“It is.” She tugged on my hands to pull me out of the chair. “Now, let’s go finish getting ready.”

I smiled, “Alrighty. I’m sure Mom’s wondering where we are.”

*****

The church was already halfway filled when we arrived.
Oh, crap
.

Renée wrapped a reassuring arm around my waist. “Come on. Everything’s going to be okay.”

I nodded as we went in through a side door to enter the bridal dressing room. Not convinced she was right about that, but knew it was too late to back out now. Was Nik this nervous? I wanted to speak to him, but tried to keep with the tradition of not seeing my groom before the ceremony. I inquired, “Do you think the guys are here yet?”

She chortled, “Let me check.”

I squeezed her hand. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” She winked on her way out.

I began to strip out of my clothes and then wrapped a silk robe around me. As I sat in front of the mirror, I decided to put my make-up on. Most brides would’ve let the ladies at the salon do it, but I like to do my own. I found it relaxing in its own way, plus, I enjoyed watching the subtle transformation. Me, only better. There was a light rapping on the door. Without forethought about who was on the other side, I answered, “Come in.”

I heard a male clear his throat. Then a deep, raspy voice replied, “I’m not sure that’s allowed.”

“Nik?” I queried shyly.

“Yes, Aimee,” he confirmed. I was standing by the door to hear him better when he asked, “You doing all right in there?”

Unable to hold it back, I confessed, “I am, now.”

A low chuckle responded. “I’m glad to hear that.”

I bit my lip. “You are?”

He assured, “Yeah, I am. You ready for this?”

“As long as you’re sure, then, yes, I’m ready.”

“No cold feet on this side.”

I giggled, “That’s a good thing.” Then I proclaimed, “None on this side, either.”

He took a deep breath and exhaled, “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

To clear the fog of joy from my head, I shook it and answered, “See you soon.” I leaned against the door for support. Just the sound of his voice did things to me—like make me giddy. And then there were the
other
things. Oh, my. I fanned myself. Someday I would put my theory to the test. I was going to learn if he could make me come just by talking to me. I went back to finish putting my face on when Renée and my mom entered.

Mom directed, “Renée you get dressed first. Then you can help me get Aimee together.”

Renée grinned, “Yes, ma’am.”

That in itself was funny, because usually she didn’t take orders. From anyone. Mom continued, “Come over here, Aimee. You can leave your robe on the chair.”

I smiled, “Okay.”

She gazed at me. “Am I doing it again?”

“Yeah. But it doesn’t bother me.”

Renée called out, “Me, neither.”

We all laughed as I dropped the robe. My mom gasped, “Oh dear. Those are some really fancy undergarments you have on.”

I blushed. “It’s only silk and lace, Mom.”

She shook her head. “Still, with those garters and stockings it’s quite a package.”

I stepped into the dress she was holding for me. “I just want to look nice for him. Know what I mean?”

She grinned, “He’ll be very pleased,” and then added, “No need to worry.”

I licked my lips. “I hope so.”

As she did up the back of my gown, Renée stepped out. I whistled. “Look at you!” I exclaimed. “Grape is definitely your color.”

She spun in a circle so I could see it from every angle. The dress was simple: off the shoulder and form fitting. And she looked lovely. She began to adjust the sweetheart neckline on me—not an easy task with my ample chichis—while Mom continued with the back.

When they finally finished, both of them oohed and aahed for a couple of moments. I decided to take a peek and walked over to the full length mirror. The dress was extraordinary with the high, low look. The corset torso with the organza skirt looked amazing, sliming my waist while it showed off my legs. And the intricate jeweled belt, sitting at my natural waist, completed the effect.

Mom gushed, “You look like a million bucks.”

Renée commented, “I haven’t seen you look this gorgeous since that masquerade years back.”

At the mention of that charity ball, my stomach did a little flip. Not like I would
ever
forget that evening. Again, I had to wonder, what happened to Mr. Mysterious? Mom pulled me back in the moment. “Well, I didn’t see that dress. But this gown is absolutely breathtaking.”

I smiled and hugged her, hard, then whispered, “Thanks, Mom, for everything.”

We were interrupted by a knock at the door. Renée answered it. After a beat, my dad entered. He looked so spiffy in his suit. Such a handsome man, even with all the chemo had put him through. He embraced me, and I could hear the emotion in his voice when he spoke, “You look beautiful, Aimee.”

Again, my face flushed with color. “Thanks, Dad.”

Mom was dabbing a tissue under her eyes with a huge smile on her face.

Renée took control. “All right, folks. If we don’t get moving, there won’t be a wedding.”

I mouthed, “Thanks.”

She winked. “Are we good to go?”

We replied, “Yes.”

*****

While Renée walked down the aisle, I waited for my turn in the foyer and listened to the beautiful, classical music that played. It relaxed me in ways I couldn’t put into words. Dad came over and escorted me to the doors. “Ready?”

Unable to speak due to the emotions racing through me, I nodded.

The music changed when the double doors opened. I was not sure I heard it clearly. Was that Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey singing “Endless Love?” I blinked back tears as I asked, “Dad, who picked this song?”

His eyes were a little teary when he answered, “Nik.”

“Oh,” I gasped.

Then Nik came into my line of sight, and I could no longer hold back the waterworks. Once we reached the altar, dad placed my hand in Nik’s. I leaned in so only he could hear me and whispered, “Nik, you picked this?”

“Yeah, I did.”

I bit my lip. He gently tugged on my chin, so I would release it. Meanwhile, he brushed away my tears with the pad of his thumb. It was such an intimate gesture. And suddenly everything and everyone ceased to exist. There was only us, lost in one another’s gaze. Renée had been right; love
did
shine in his eyes. He leaned down and murmured, “You ready?”

I breathlessly replied, “I am.”

Although our song was not the traditional “Wedding March,” our vows were. I was still processing Nik actually loved me. No, he hadn’t said the words. But it was in the song, as well as written all over his chiseled, masculine face. Our kiss was far too short and, once again, chaste. Afterwards, we were bombarded with hugs and kisses—a bit overwhelming, and yet so wonderful. We had to step into the office to sign our marriage certificate. E and Renée were there as well to sign as our witnesses. I looked over at Nik.

“E spells his name E-v-e-n, not E-v-a-n?”

He chuckled, “It’s the Norwegian spelling.”

I glanced down again, and that was when I noticed Nik’s given name was not Nicholas like I had thought. I whispered, “Nikko?”