Page 130 of Crash

I blinked, stunned. “That’s … that’s incredibly generous.”

“And, Tessa?” Shelly’s eyes turned serious. “Raise your rates by at least fifty percent. You’re about to have your pick of clients.”

As I stood there, surrounded by the fairy-tale wedding I’d created and the lives I’d touched, I finally let myself believe it, that all my dreams weren’t just possible; they were coming true.

And there was one person I wanted to share them with.

66

TESSA

“Guard the door.” Holding an open champagne bottle in one hand, Blake handed a staff member a stack of hundred-dollar bills with his other.

The waiter opened his mouth to protest, but when he realized the bills in his hand were hundreds, he complied. Immediately standing in front of the ballroom’s only exit into these gardens.

“I really should be in there for the cake cutting,” I said.

That’s why this outside area was currently clear of guests. They’d all gone inside to watch the twenty-thousand-dollar cake be cut and served because who wouldn’t want a slice of twenty-thousand-dollar cake?

Answer: Blake Morrison.

After spending the entire evening undressing me with his eyes, he’d waited as long as he could to make his move.

With hunger in his gaze, Blake led me along the cobblestone path, beneath the bubble lights strung over flowers, and into a secluded garden gazebo. In here, you couldn’t even see the building, what with all the ivy and flowers draped inside the crisscross pattern of wooden walls. In the moonlight and surrounding soft light radiating from nearby bulbs, it took on afairy-tale quality, like being inside an ornament decorated with ivy and flowers.

“I’ve been dying to get you alone all night,” Blake said, nibbing on my earlobe. “The venue staff has the cake cutting covered. Your part is done until the send-off.”

I smiled. I’d casually told that to Blake a few minutes ago—that I could step away during the cake cutting since the venue staff knew exactly what to do—and he’d gotten a ravenous look in his eyes, vanished, and returned with a bottle of champagne. Bringing me out here.

“Take off your dress,” Blake said.

Good Lord. The way he commanded that shot a bolt of electricity between my legs, and my sex started to throb instantly.

The traitor.

“We’re in public.”

“Not really.” He kissed my neck again, and my damn hormones responded by making my nipples harden. “We have a highly compensated guard to ensure no one interrupts us, and no one can see us in here.”

While true, it still felt risky.

“It’s unprofessional,” I protested, even as Blake slid his free hand into the slit of my dress, drawing it closer to the space between my thighs. Which was now aching like a heartbeat.

“Two lovers in a secluded garden gazebo. Even if the bride caught you, I bet she’d find it romantic.”

She would. But that wasn’t the point. The point was, “I planned the wedding and—” My words cut off when two of his fingers slipped inside of me.

“No panties,” he groaned, pulling them out slightly. “If I knew you weren’t wearing panties, I would have taken you on the drive to the wedding. And again during the ceremony.” Hepushed them in with punishing force. “And again during the dinner.”

I could barely focus on his words though, my sex throbbing around him as he pushed deeper inside, and began slow, torturous circles of my sensitive bud with his thumb.

“We shouldn’t …” I breathed in one final, pathetic attempt at protesting.

But after quickly looking around, I realized he was right. The only opening to the ivy-and-floral-covered gazebo faced the lake, and not a soul was out here. Nor would they be, thanks to our guard. Out here, it was just the two of us.

“Want me to stop, Cupcake?”

In response, I rocked my hips, rolling myself on his hand.