Page 57

His gaze flew to her panties as she toyed with the elastic. “Take them off, Macie.”

Macie sighed, though she didn’t sound upset by his demand. “Still lord of the manor? Even in Vegas?”

He nodded. It had become a running joke between them. The way she was always naked, him fully dressed. Hank wasn’t sure why that was such a turn-on for him, but he didn’t intend to change his ways anytime soon.

Macie tugged the thong down and then—because she was a quick learner and knew what request was coming next—she added the bra to the pile.

Hank took a deep breath and told himself to slow down. This was his wedding night. He wanted it to last, wanted it to be special.

Macie must have sensed his hesitance. “Hank?”

“Yeah?”

“We have forever.”

Her words set him free. He gently pressed her back onto the bed and then, as she watched, he stripped out of his tux. Within minutes, he was on top of her, inside her, sliding in slowly, deeply, as she wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands around his neck, and kissed him.

Forever.

They had forever.

Chapter 10

Hank stood at the end of the hallway waiting for Macie. Her cousin, Tyson, had offered up the use of his house for Amanda and Brandi’s wedding ceremony. It was going to be a fairly small affair, with only about forty family members and close friends in attendance.

Tyson and Caleb had set up several rows of chairs by the lake with a rose-covered arbor at the front, serving as an altar of sorts. Meanwhile, Macie and her cousins had spent the better part of the morning decorating the tent and tables they’d rented for the reception with flowers and white tulle. As far as the weather went, it was a perfect day for a wedding. Not a cloud in the sky. Macie had been grinning from ear to ear all day, delighted for her friends.

And, he hoped, still reveling in their happiness. It had been two weeks since they’d said their vows and as far as Hank was concerned, the honeymoon could last forever. He was floating on cloud nine and had no plans to jump off the thing. Ever.

The wedding was set to begin in less than an hour. Macie had gone back to one of the bedrooms to check on the brides with Adele.

He was surprised when Adele came back to the living room without Macie.

“Where’s Mace?” he asked.

Adele jerked her thumb behind her. “She must be more nervous than I thought. Either that or she’s overly excited. She just darted into a bathroom. I think she’s throwing up.”

Hank frowned. Macie hadn’t been nervous this morning. And being overly excited wasn’t exactly a new thing for her. Which meant it was something else. “I’ll go check on her.”

Adele, clearly distracted with wedding prep, just nodded and darted toward the kitchen. “Cool.”

Hank walked toward the bathroom, trying to get a handle on his sudden surge of emotions.

Two seconds ago, he’d thought himself the happiest man on the planet. That didn’t even compare to what he was feeling right now.

He knocked on the door. “Macie.”

He heard a muttered, “shit,” and a brief, quiet cough.

“Just a minute, Hank,” Macie called out.

Thirty seconds passed and he knocked again.

“Open the door, Whiskey.”

He heard the toilet flush and the sound of running water. Finally, she unlocked the door. “Damn, Coop. Can’t a girl take a minute or two alone to get pretty?”

He stepped inside, studying her face, his suspicions confirmed in the way she looked anywhere but at his eyes. “How far along are you?”