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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Rook

Honestly, the last thing I wanted was to go to a club party. And I could tell—despite her plastering on a fake smile—Tessa felt the same.

Maybe I would have felt differently if the events of the day had gone differently.

Now, though, all I wanted to do was get home with Tessa, curl up with her, and finish what I’d been about to say before the party planners showed back up.

I didn’t know what the exact words would be. But the gist of it was going to be about how I was glad the marriage wasn’t fake, that I’d been hoping it was more than just a sham since the trip to the bridal shop.

And I could tell by the way she’d been acting all day that Tessa felt the same. Even if she would never admit it.

But I reminded myself, as I left Tessa alone to answer the questions from the club girlfriends and wives, so I could dip into the bathroom and clean up—since the picnic didn’t exactly allow for that—that we had nothing but time moving forward to talk.

If she didn’t decide once again to avoid me or put all of her walls back up.

It would be harder now, I reminded myself as I made my way back out of the bathroom. She’d given me too much, showed me how deep her desire went.

As deep as my own, it seemed.

“Finally,” Nyx said when I reemerged.

“Hey, the farm didn’t have running water,” I reminded them, pressing my hand into the small of Tessa’s back.

She was as beautiful as she’d been at the courthouse. And just as nervous.

Had someone said something to upset her?

My gaze slid around the gathered people, but I didn’t see any guilt in their eyes.

“Detroit and Everleigh baked us a wedding cake,” Tessa explained.

“And we all want a slice before we have to get going,” Nyx said.

“She stole a flower off the top,” Everleigh declared, shooting small eyes at Nyx.

“It was a wonky one.”

“They were all perfect,” Everleigh insisted.

Beside me, Tessa was getting tenser with each word spoken.

I was starting to think that maybe some of that trauma she was clearly dealing with actually had to do with the women around the club, not just whoever she may or may not have been involved with there.

That would explain her being uncomfortable with Nyx and Everleigh trading little barbs. All of them with love, I might add. But Tessa didn’t know them well enough to know they were playing, that there was no animosity between any of the women in the club.

“ Any way,” Everleigh said. “Judge and Dell wanted me to pass their love on. They’ve got a cold going around and didn’t want to spread it.”

“Which leaves more cake for us,” Raff said, making his way toward the kitchen.

I led Tessa along with the others.

And there was the cake Everleigh and Detroit had likely spent all day on.

It was a three-tier white cake with golden flowers, stars, and crescent moons.

“Wow,” Tessa said, some of the tension seeping out of her body. “This is amazing. I can’t believe you made this for… us.”

My mind flashed back to the hammock, to the thickness in her voice when she said she needed a hug. She had a similar sound right then, looking at the cake.

From what she told me about her mother, she was, well, a complete fucking poor excuse for one.

But I was starting to see more examples of just how hard a childhood Tessa had experienced.

No one to take her to get a free pizza she’d earned.

No one to give her a hug.

No one to bake her a cake.

I was suddenly incredibly grateful that I could give her those things—even before genuinely understanding what it all might mean to her.

I watched her smile at Everleigh as she explained the process for making the cake, wondering what other things I could do for Tessa to help heal those old wounds.

Had she ever gotten a birthday party? An Easter egg hunt? Gifts under the tree on Christmas morning?

I didn’t know how long she was going to want to put her life on hold to be with me, to be a part of this arrangement.

But what I did know was that I was going to think of as many of those experiences as I could. Then create them for her.

“Now, I had no idea if you liked chocolate, yellow, or white cake. So… we did all the layers. And different layers of frosting,” Everleigh was saying as I tuned back into the conversation. “This way, you can kinda pick at it if there’s anything you don’t like.”

“I like it all,” Tessa assured her. “Thank you for being so thoughtful.”

“It’s nothing,” Everleigh said, waving away Tessa’s appreciation.

It wasn’t, though.

The glassy look in Tessa’s eyes said it was everything.

And true to her word, she ate every layer of her slice. Then had another for good measure.

Eventually, the married and shacked-up members of the club headed out as some of the club girls started to show up.

“Do you mind if I go up for a bit?” Tessa asked. “I’ll come back down,” she added, not wanting to be antisocial.

“Go ahead,” I said.

Though I only let her get into the freight elevator before I followed her.

“You can stay at the party, if you want,” Tessa said as I pulled the door down.

“That’s not what I want,” I told her. “This is.”

My lips crashed down on hers as I backed her against the wall of the elevator car.

There was just one shocked second of stillness before she was kissing me back. Before she was growing hungrier and needier, her hands roaming down my back, sinking into my ass, then pulling me more firmly against her.

Her soft lines melted with mine.

My own hand drifted down, pulling up her long skirt, then slipping under.

“Still have your panties in my pocket,” I murmured as my lips moved down her neck.

My fingers pressed between her thighs, finding her already wet for me.

There was no teasing.

My fingers slid right inside her and Tessa didn’t even try to muffle her moan at the sensation.

“Fuck,” I groaned as her pussy clenched around my fingers. “You have the perfect little pussy,” I said, getting a whimper out of her. “You want to come around my fingers?”

“No,” she said, surprising me enough to move back and look at her.

“No?”

“No,” she confirmed, rocking against my palm even as her hand went between us, working my belt free, then my button and zipper.

“You want to come around my cock again? So soon?” I asked, shooting her a little smirk. “Such a greedy pussy.”

Her hand went inside my slacks, closing around my cock, and stroking it several times. My hips rocked into her touch, fucking her hand as my fingers turned inside her and teased across her G-spot.

Tessa’s thumb rubbed across the head of my cock, dragging a groan out of me.

“Rook, please,” she begged, rocking her hips restlessly.

And, well, I couldn’t deny her when she was asking so nicely, could I?

With my free hand, I reached for my wallet, fumbling around for my last condom, then holding it out to her.

“Why don’t you put this on for me, so I don’t have to stop finger-fucking your sweet pussy?”

Her walls tightened at my words.

But she reached for the condom, tearing the foil, then carefully rolling it down my length.

“How do you want it?” I asked, fingers tapping against her G-spot.

To my surprise, she turned.

Then, reaching down, she pulled up her skirt, giving me a view of her perfect, round ass.

“Why don’t you spread your legs a little for me?” I suggested, moving in closer, then teasing my cock along her pussy lips.

Tessa whimpered, rocking back against the sensation. Then she spread her legs just enough for me to step closer and surged deep inside her.

A long moan escaped her as her walls tightened around me.

“Fuck, I love the sounds you make when I fuck you,” I told her, reaching up to move her hair off her neck, so I could place a kiss there.

“Rook… move,” Tessa whimpered, rocking her ass into me.

And, well, I couldn’t turn her down, now, could I?

My hand stayed between her thighs, working her clit as I started to fuck her.

I meant to try to take it slow.

But Tessa was having none of it.

She whimpered and begged and rocked against me until I was fucking her as fast as she wanted, the sounds of our bodies slapping together filling the enclosed space, drowned out only by her ever-increasing moans.

It wasn’t long before her pussy was clenching my cock as she cried out.

My name.

And, fuck, the sound of that ripped my control from me, making me slam deep and come with her.

We stayed there just like that for a long few minutes, our breaths ragged, our bodies trying to come down from the pleasure.

I leaned down, pressing a kiss to the side of her head, then slid out of her and dropped her skirt.

Tessa reached out for the elevator panel.

“Wait,” I said, hating how she jerked. “Maybe we should just head home,” I said. “I’m a little worried that Nancy might show up bright and early tomorrow. Just to be a thorn in our sides.”

“Oh, okay. Sure,” she said, hitting the down button instead as I tucked myself away.

“Just give me one minute,” I said as we stepped out of the elevator.

By the time I came back out of the bathroom, Tessa had a covered plate in her hands and was waiting for me near the front door, keeping a close eye on Cat, who looked ready to take a swipe at her.

“Ready?” I asked.

“I stole more cake,” she said, looking a bit mischievous. “It was great but I feel like it will be amazing eaten in pajamas in front of the TV.”

“Can’t argue with that,” I agreed, leading her out the door and to the car.

“Do you really think Nancy would show up the morning after our wedding?”

“Honestly? I’m almost certain she will.”

“Ugh,” Tessa grumbled. “Not bad enough that she wouldn’t approve of us being able to go on a little honeymoon.”

We’d floated the idea of traveling together to the mental health facility. Even though I couldn’t go in.

But Nancy had squashed that real quick. She claimed it was ‘kind enough’ of her to allow us to marry in the first place. She wasn’t going to ‘entertain’ any other requests.

I guess I couldn’t be too annoyed about it. The most important thing was the marriage itself that would allow Tessa to go see my mom.

That was the whole point of this whole thing, after all.

The thing was, though, as I opened the apartment door to let my wife step inside, catching sight of the ring on my finger, it suddenly didn’t feel like the only reason anymore.

Though, I had a feeling it was going to be harder to convince Tessa of that…