“It’s about the vows and declaring our love in front of our family,” he said with a kiss on my nose. Since arriving here, he and my father have been as thick as thieves, staying up late tinkering in the garage, fishing in the early hours of the morning and napping in the recliners.
My parents are pulling out all the stops for this, and even though Josh offered to pay, they said they wanted to do this for us. Caterers have arrived and are setting up tables with an assortment of foods, veggies, and most importantly cake.
“I see you licking your lips,” Josh whispers in my ear, pressing his chest to my back. I sag against him without taking my focus off the two-tier cake that sits not more than a few feet from me.
“It has buttery frosting.”
“Hmm, maybe we should save an outside piece for later,” he whispers into my ear. “I know a few places where I could lick some frosting off of you.”
I squeeze his arms, hoping to convey that I’m game if he is. The last few days have been challenging. My bed is old and rickety, and even rolling over sounds like you’re about to put dents into the wall, so sex on there has been out of the question. My parents never leave, therefore there is zero privacy in the house. The garage and the backseat of the car have been our preferred locations. We tried the woods, but I was afraid I’d get a critter in my cooter so I vetoed that idea.
“I almost wish we stayed in a hotel.”
“Are you that horny, Joey?”
I nod, letting my head fall back into his shoulder.
“We just have to be more creative. I mean, we had sex in a house full of cameras. How hard could it be to hide from your parents?”
Turning in his arms, I raise an eyebrow at the smirk he’s giving me. He thinks he’s so damn smooth when in actuality he’s not. Josh tells me all the time that I’m the one who has to be quiet, when in fact this man has the sexiest moans I have ever heard.
“You and my dad seem to be best friends, can’t you convince him to take my mother out on a date?” I give Josh my best puppy dogs eyes while leaning into him. I even jut out my bottom lip for full effect. He tugs it with his teeth, making the growing ache inside of me stronger.
“All in due time, my sweet wife. Believe me, watching you strut around in your bikini has been no picnic for me either. The quickies aren’t cutting it. My balls are turning as blue as that first condom we used.”
I try to play it off, but I think he sees right through me. His eyes go wide while I look anywhere but at him.
“You,” he says, almost seething yet he’s still playful. “You lied to me.”
“Not really.”
Josh pulls me away from the hubbub that is surrounding us and into the woods, far from prying eyes and open ears.
“Admit it.”
“Admit what?” I play stupid. I know full well what he’s talking about.
“Tell me that we had sex.”
“Duh.” I can’t contain my laughter. Josh closes his eyes as if he’s trying to keep his temper in check.
“In the house, we were drinking and the next morning I woke up with a blue condom stuck to my leg. You and I had sex that night,
didn’t we? I’ve asked you this before, but you haven’t come out and confirmed it. Why not?”
This time I look away. I remember the night clearly. Tequila did him in and he got frisky. I didn’t stop him because I wanted it, wanted him. It was selfish of me, and when he didn’t remember in the morning I thought it was easier to play it off than confirm we had sex. I didn’t want to hear him say it was a mistake or that it should’ve never happened.
His fingers gently tug my chin, lifting it toward him. The sincerity in his eyes makes my heart swim.
“Yes.” The word is muttered and barely audible above the sounds of nature that surround us.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want to see the regret in your eyes, or hear that being with me was as mistake.”
“I wouldn’t—”
“You would’ve. You reminded me daily that we weren’t going to consummate our marriage … that after the ninety days was up, we were going our separate ways. I took advantage of you and didn’t want to suffer the consequences. I figured if you knew, you’d hate me.”