Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen
“You’re a beautiful bride.”
Mav’s intimate words, feathered against her ear, made Charlotte soar.
“The gown is wonderful.”
“It is.”
He pressed his palm on her bare back.
“Your mom made an excellent choice.”
Her mother had visited a store known as one of the best in town. The owner, Randy, had spent hours with her, looking at dresses. They’d linked Charlotte in by video, but she’d been so overwhelmed and distracted with school and having Mav living with her that she hadn’t been able to decide. So they’d proceed on their own. The gown flattered her figure and flared out at the bottom. She loved it.
“But it’s the woman who makes the dress,”
Mav finished.
The evening couldn’t be more magical. She was in his arms on the dance floor of the rooftop atrium of Houston’s Sterling Downtown Hotel. The area had been lit with twinkling lights, and a nearly full moon radiated in the sky above. A jazz quartet serenaded them. Despite the fifty or so people watching from the sidelines, Mav stared at her as if she were the center of the universe.
“How long do we have to stay?”
“The cocktail hour ends in about twenty minutes. Then we need to eat. We’ll be expected to share a few dances, have some cake, and then my dad is planning a toast.”
“I know what I want to eat.”
Scandalized, she blushed.
“It was you who decided we shouldn’t have sex until after the wedding.”
No matter what she’d tried, from vamp to vixen, to naughty schoolgirl, he hadn’t relented. He’d given her the BDSM scenes she wanted, but he’d insisted they take time to get to know each other, and since she’d said all he thought about was sex, he was determined that they should develop a friendship and give themselves unfettered freedom to fall in love.
During the last few months, he’d been amazing. He’d scaled back his work hours, made sure she ate more than pizza for dinner, and they’d brainstormed the foundation he was going to establish. The more time they spent together, the deeper she fell for him. He was still brash on his show, shouting that people should drag their asses out of bed an hour earlier to chase their dreams, but he’d tempered it somewhat. Last month, he’d done a show for high school students, and he’d listened more than he’d talked. She’d accepted his challenge and watched the video of him speaking at the high school graduation that he’d mentioned. He was more complex than she’d originally believed. And he’d admitted that being with her was helping him grow.
All that was wonderful, but she was ready to crawl out of her skin from sexual need. Once she’d suggested they elope just so he’d take her to bed.
The dance ended, and a few other couples joined them for a more up-tempo tune.
Shortly after, she and Mav left the floor to mingle. Her father shook Mav’s hand, then took her shoulders and met her eyes.
“I hope he makes you happy. If he doesn’t, I have a shotgun.”
Her mother was all smiles as she kissed Charlotte’s cheeks.
“I can’t wait for your big ceremony! This was so much fun that I’m thinking of becoming a wedding planner.”
“You’d be perfect, Mrs. Hendry,”
Mav said.
“I’ll do a few promo spots for you and give you some social media pointers.”
“No. No, no, no.”
Charlotte scowled at him.
“I’ll give you the pointers, Mom.”
He shrugged.
“You have your hands full, my boy,”
Ryan said.
“I consider myself lucky.”
He stroked the length of her spine as he spoke.
Rafe Sterling, owner of the hotel, exited the private elevator and walked over to join them.
“I wanted to be among the first to offer my congratulations.”
She’d known Rafe for several years, and stress lines were now grooved next to his eyes. Rumor had it that his father had abandoned his family and the business, leaving Rafe to sort out the mess.
“And I wanted to thank you for comping the Honeymoon Suite,”
Mav replied.
“That wasn’t necessary.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
“So when are you finally going to come on my show? I stayed at the Maison Sterling recently. Exceptional service,”
Mav said.
“My viewers want to hear your philosophies on hospitality, what you do differently, and how you consistently win top marks in the industry. They want to hear from winners.”
“We’ll set something up.”
For the remainder of the cocktail hour, they chatted with guests, including Rykker King, whom she’d met in New Orleans.
Later, during dinner, Mav leaned toward her. Against her ear, he said,
“Dinner is taking too damn long.”
“It was your idea for us to be celibate until tonight.”
She tried to hide her smile.
“I’m having a fantasy. About fucking you while you’re wearing the gown.”
Her new husband’s words made her blush. The realization that she was his forever made her shiver anew. Every time she looked at him, tingles jumped through her. She wondered if that sensation would ever go away.
“Just pull it up and take you from behind.”
She dropped her fork.
From the other side of the table, her mother cast her a concerned glance.
Mav chuckled.
“Smile, princess.”
She gave her mother a reassuring nod.
Mav stayed by her side the entire evening, and after her father gave his toast, Mav stood.
“I hope it’s okay if I say something.”
The crowd laughed. No one expected that Maverick Pierce would have resisted the siren’s call of an open microphone.
He faced her, as did everyone else in the room.
“In a man’s life, if he’s lucky, he meets a woman who completes his heart.”
Her eyes filled with tears and her mother patted her arm.
“He finally understands why no other relationship worked out, because there’s only one person for him.”
Charlotte reached for her champagne and took a drink to swallow the lump in her throat, but it refused to budge.
When the room fell silent, he finished.
“You’re my one, Charlotte. The more I know you, what a good person you are, the more I love you. You’ve made me the happiest man on the planet.”
With that, he tossed the mic onto the table.
To prevent tears from escaping, she pressed her hands to her face. With purpose in each step, he strode toward her.
In front of everyone gathered to celebrate their union, Mav tugged her to her feet. Then, making her gasp with shock, he swept her off the floor and into his arms.
“You’ll have to excuse us,”
He said to the crowd.
“I’m taking my wife upstairs.”
“Mav!”
She kicked her legs helplessly.
“You can’t do this.”
“Darling wife, I’ve waited long enough. If you want me to keep my hands off you until we’re alone, you might want to stay still.”
His eyes were dark with promise.
She stopped squirming.
“Excellent choice.”
He summoned the elevator.
“I meant what I said back there, Charlotte. I love you.”
She exhaled. Part of her thought it was too soon. But the truth was, she felt it, too. And she knew that their commitment to each other would deepen their emotional connection.
“I love you, too, Mav.”
His smile melted her heart.
“Let’s consummate this marriage.”
About time.
“Yes, Sir.”
The guests cheered as Mav carried her into the waiting compartment and took her to their suite to claim her as his wife.