Page 141 of The Havenport Collection

Violet

I smoothed down my skirt, nervous for the night ahead. My friends had talked me into something totally out of character for me. I was a loose, sack-dress kind of woman. I was all boho style with layers, jewelry, and long, slightly wrinkled skirts.

A tight-ass dress and heels? Sleek hair and makeup? Not my style, but when I put this dress on, I couldn’t possibly wear anything else.

It’s not like I had a lot of formalwear hanging around in my closet—I ran a farm, for Christ’s sake—so it had just made sense to get something new.

I casually mentioned to Nora and Astrid that I needed to buy something for this wedding, and then it snowballed.

Soon, the entire coven plus Dante and Christian had planned a shopping trip to Portsmouth, and poor old me became a group project.

Since Havenport didn’t have many options for formalwear, we drove up to a store Nora recommended in New Hampshire.

Christian apparently knew the owner, and so we went, after hours, to try some things on.

Of course Nora couldn’t stay away, so she bossed me around, making me try on a dozen dresses before we found this one.

It was sapphire blue, deep and bright, and mermaid style.

It hugged my hips and flared at the bottom.

The top was off the shoulder, and Nora got me a crazy strapless bra that made the girls look perkier and more lush than ever.

I did a double take when I saw myself. I suddenly possessed the cleavage of a much younger woman.

Dante insisted I come to the salon for a mani, pedi, and hair and makeup.

He tamed my hair into soft waves with a deep side part and gave me the most dramatic smoky eye.

I had no idea how I was going to get these false lashes off—I think he used industrial-grade glue—but I would enjoy them for the night.

I appreciated their kindness so much. I needed it. I needed some style armor to get through this wedding and make sense of my feelings for Callum.

It wasn’t often that a single mom and farm girl got to go glam, so I was going to enjoy it.

Of course my friends insisted on taking dozens of photos of me, and we had such fun as I was getting ready.

I had forgotten what this felt like, to get all dressed up.

It felt indulgent and a bit selfish—I was a single mom after all—but the thought of a glamorous night out with Callum helped keep the guilt at bay. I felt like a sexy, sassy princess.

I was embarrassed at first. My body was not what it used to be, and I wasn’t used to being the center of attention. But they were all just so kind and supportive, I couldn’t help but have some fun.

“Besides,” Nora had argued convincingly, “you need to remember how hot you look. Someday when you’re old and gray, you can look back and say, “Damn. I was a hot-ass mama.”

I decided then and there that I was going to enjoy myself and make this a night to remember. Callum even arranged for a chauffeured town car to take us to Boston. Dave, our driver, was a kind man in his fifties who made polite chitchat as we drove.

I grasped Callum’s hand as we made our way down the highway.

He looked nervous. He had been strangely distant this week, ever since he babysat the boys.

I knew they were a lot, but I hoped he wasn’t having second thoughts about dating a single mom.

He kept adjusting his collar and running his fingers through his hair.

I wanted to gather him in my arms and kiss him stupid until he relaxed, but something told me he wouldn’t want to give Dave a show.

I leaned over, breathing in his woodsy clean scent. “Have I told you how ridiculously hot you look in that tux?”

His lips quirked.

“I mean it. I suspected you would clean up well, but this, this is like a James Bond fantasy. How does this fit you so well?” I dusted a nonexistent piece of lint off his lapel, desperate to touch him.

“I own it. It was custom,” he replied. “And clearly worth every penny just for your reaction.” He gave me a flirty wink, and I saw the playful, cocky Callum I knew was under his serious exterior.

I sighed. Of course it was custom. If I wasn’t already so stupidly in love with him, that right there would be a reason we would never work. The man owned a custom tuxedo, and I rarely even wore mascara.

But if I had learned one thing in my thirty-five years on this earth it was that the present was a gift, and I planned to remember this night for a long time.

I put my hand on his thigh. “I know this must be really weird for you. But I just want to say, we are going to have an amazing time.”

He looked up at me and smiled. “I know we will. I just have a lot of conflicting thoughts right now.”

I squeezed his thigh. “Let’s keep it simple. We’re going to a fancy party. My kids are safe at home, and you and I get to be adults for an evening.”

He nodded.

“Listen,” I continued, “it’s been a long time since I had a night out. I am going to drink and dance with my handsome date, and I don’t give a shit about what anyone thinks.”

He covered my hand with his. “I want that too. To not give a shit.”

“So don’t. It’s all mindset, Cal. Look at me right now and say it.”

“I don’t give a shit.”

I nodded in encouragement. “Louder.”

“I don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks,” he shouted.

“Yes!” I gave him a high five. “Even louder.”

He smiled, clearly having fun. “My ex-wife is a bitch who treated me like shit and then invited me to her wedding, and I can’t even be bothered to care about her because you are so distractingly beautiful and fun,” he yelled at the top of his lungs.

His eyes were bright, and his face was flushed.

Before I knew what was happening, he grabbed me and kissed me passionately.

At first I was taken by surprise, and then I decided to lean into it because backseat make-out sessions were hot.

We broke apart, a bit breathless and dazed. “Sorry, Dave,” he said to the driver, who just smiled in the rearview mirror.

“No problem, sir, I’ve seen and heard a lot worse.”

Callum smiled at me sheepishly. How had I ever pretended I wasn’t in love with him? As much as I wanted to fight it, to label this as a casual thing, it wasn’t. I had fallen head over heels for Callum Quinn, my first love, and now we were attending a black-tie wedding together.

The wedding ceremony and reception were predictably tasteful and expensive.

I wasn’t wrong about Becca. She looked like a runway model in what was probably a ten-thousand-dollar dress.

She was tall and icily beautiful, and her new husband looked like a very self-satisfied prick.

There were massive flower arrangements everywhere and dozens of uniformed waiters with champagne bottles, ready to refill glasses after the smallest sip.

The entire production screamed, “We’re rich.

” Which, hey, I guess some people enjoy, but was entirely too stuffy for my taste.

The ballroom was glitzy and filled with hundreds of well-dressed people making boring small talk and ignoring the fancy food.

Luckily, I had the world’s hottest date, who never once took his eyes off me.

I couldn’t believe I had wasted so much time being worried about Becca. Callum seemed to barely acknowledge that she existed. Instead, we hunted around for the best appetizers, laughed about funny things the boys had done recently, sipped our champagne, and danced for hours.

It wasn’t a slow song, but Callum pulled me closer, his hands caressing my hips. Our bodies were touching, and I couldn’t ignore the impressive bulge in his pants.

“Thank you, Violet. Thank you for everything.”

“Are you happy we came?” I asked playfully.

“Yes. So happy. I’m here, having a blast with my incredible girlfriend. I’m not at home drinking and being depressed. You showed me how to grab life by the balls.”

I smiled. “I didn’t do anything, Cal. You did it yourself.”

He gently cupped my face. “You make me want to be better, Violet. To be more spontaneous, more loving, more everything. I love you.”

My breath caught in my throat. I still wasn’t used to hearing him say that, and every time, it took my breath away. I kissed him gently. “I love you too.”

He twirled me around the dance floor. “How did you learn to dance like that?” I asked, changing the subject.

“My mom insisted we know how to dance. And I was in a fraternity in college. We had a lot of formal events, and most of the guys would just sit around not dancing. I found the, ahem, ladies really liked it when I spun them around the floor.”

“So you are a dance floor player?” I teased.

“Something like that. But it’s been years since I felt like dancing. But tonight? I want you in my arms all night long, Violet.”

I swooned a bit and let him spin me. “I don’t mind. I feel like a princess.”

“You look like a princess. A sexy princess with a great rack.”

I swatted at him and rolled my eyes. “Keep it in your pants, Quinn.”

He pulled me close and whispered in my ear, “That’s impossible with you in that sexy dress. Have I told you that you are the most breathtakingly beautiful woman I’ve ever seen?”

My face flushed, and my nipples hardened. We were in a ballroom with hundreds of people, and I wished we were up in the hayloft, naked and giggling right now.

“I’m just me. All of this,”—I gestured to myself—“is my glam squad.” And it was true, my friends had totally transformed me.

“Nope. It’s all you, Vi.” He spun me so we were headed in the opposite direction. “You glow from the inside out. It’s the mischievous twinkle in your eye, that gorgeous smile, your inherent goodness, that’s what makes you a fucking knockout.”

I tried to control my racing heart. He was just so sweet and handsome, and was that really how he saw me? Not as a hot mess mom, but as some beautiful goddess?

As the night wore on, I found myself drunk on champagne and the sight of my date in his tux. “Let’s take a walk.” I was tipsy and horny and overwhelmed with my love for this man. I thought I had seen what looked like some maintenance closets back by the ladies’ room.

Callum smirked at me and wrapped his arm around my waist, making sure to give my ass a firm squeeze.

We walked nonchalantly out of the reception without looking back. I didn’t know where this was going, and I didn’t care. I was going to enjoy this night and this man as much as I possibly could. I wanted to show him that he was mine, and I was his. That we belonged together.

We made it to a small hallway past the restrooms. There was a series of doors.

Looking around, I gently turned the knob and the second door opened.

I hastily pulled him inside and shut the door behind us.

It was dark and a bit cramped, but it didn’t stop me.

I launched myself at him, capturing his mouth in a passionate kiss.

My hands were in his hair and his were all over my body.

He groaned my name. “Violet. I need you so badly right now. I wish we were back home.”

He moved to my neck, nibbling at the special spot that drove me wild. “How can we get this dress off you?” He ran his hands down the length of my body, driving me absolutely wild with need.

“I have no idea. It took three people to get me into it.”

I finally got his pants unbuckled and freed his erection. I stroked it as we kissed, and he palmed my breasts through the fabric of my dress.

I leaned down and licked him, tasting the salty arousal. He groaned deeply, and my mind was made up. I slowly knelt down, careful not to rip my dress, and grabbed his cock with my hands.

Callum fisted my hair. “Oh my God, Violet,” he groaned as I took him into my mouth. “Your mouth is incredible. Everything about you is incredible.”

I worked him furiously with my hands and mouth, knowing we didn’t have much time.

“You are so fucking hot on your knees for me. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve jerked off thinking about this?” His dirty words only turned me on more, and I worried I’d soaked my Spanx. I looked up at him and met his eyes in the darkness and stared at him as I took him even deeper.

“When we get home I am going to tear that dress off your body and fuck you so thoroughly you won’t know what day it is when I’m done.” His breath was getting ragged, and I knew he was close.

“And then I’m going to feast on your delicious pussy and then fuck you again.”

I tugged his balls hard and felt him begin to climax. I kept going, never letting up the pace, until he slumped back against the wall. I swallowed and licked my lips.

“You are the woman of my dreams,” he gasped. “I am so crazily in love with you.”

I stood up and straightened my dress. “Be a good boy and put yourself back together. I am going to the ladies’ room to reapply my lipstick.” I winked at him as I peeked out the door and made a break for the restroom down the hall, leaving him breathless and orgasm drunk in my wake.