I slide along his cheekbone with my fingers, studying his face. “I thought I was the only one struggling out of the two of us. You’re always so quick to silence my quickie-wedding suggestions.”

He shakes his head slightly, leaning into my palm that’s resting flat against his cheek. And then I see it: the shift in his eyes, the possessive, hungry glare he does so well. “It fucking kills me to wait, but I want this to be perfect for you. I don’t ever want you to regret the way you gave yourself to me, and I’ll have no problem moving that preacher along. That ceremony will be brief.”

I laugh softly before planting a kiss on his jaw. “I love you,” I murmur against his skin. 

He drops his forehead to mine and closes his eyes. “I love you.”

He always says it like that when I say it first. It’s never I love you, too. Never. It’s as if he’s stating it as a fact, not giving me an automated response to my declaration. The way Reese says ‘I love you’, I feel it more than I hear it.

He lets his weight press me firmly into the mattress as he collapses down on top of me, tucking his head next to mine. “Seven days,” he whispers, and I barely make it out. It’s as if those words are just for him, the reassurance he gives himself.

I kiss his shoulder and hold him against me, not wanting him to move. I could wake up with the worst cramp in the morning, but this closeness would be worth it. I press my lips to his ear. “We got this. Seven days is nothing.”

And with those final words, I feel his body relax.

6

I feel the bed move and hear the soft creaking sound of the mattress. Peeking one eye open, I see the back of Reese as he sits on the end of the bed, facing the bathroom. He’s shirtless, his broad back covered in tiny water droplets. His hair is wet and fuckably messy and his scent is overwhelming me, blanketing me and causing me to purr as I stretch. At the sound of my noise, he turns his head and lets his eyes roam freely over my body, which is barely covered in the white sheet.

“You are impossibly beautiful. Do you know that?”

I hold my hands out, reaching for him. He drops the towel he is holding and crawls toward me in a pair of shorts, settling on his side and pulling me against his chest.

“You showered without me,” I state as I press soft kisses to his chest.

“I had to. Ian and I went for a run.”

I lean back to look into his face. “You’re that disciplined to work out on vacation?” My eyes take in his hard body, and I realize the absurdity of that question. “Never mind. Look at you. The term ‘rest day’ is not a part of your vocabulary.” A knock on the door prompts Reese to grab the sheet and cover me up to my neck.

“Hold on,” he yells over his shoulder.

He shifts quickly and straddles my waist, moving his hands along the side of my body and tucking me in burrito style. I squirm underneath him. “Reese, I could’ve just grabbed a T-shirt.”

He smirks at me before turning toward the door. “All right, you can come in.”

The door opens and Joey pops his head through. He smiles at the sight of the two of us on the bed. “Well, look who’s finally awake.”

Finally awake? I quickly turn toward the alarm clock. “Oh, my God. It’s after twelve o’clock already?”  I gaze up at Reese. “You tried to wake me, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did. Multiple times.”

I shake my head at myself with a grimace; I’m in New Orleans, and I’m spending my time here in bed. Of course, if Reese promised to stay with me, I’d never leave this bed. What girl would?

“The party bus is leaving at three o’clock. And no boys allowed,” Joey says with a smile. He looks almost devious in my doorway, no doubt thinking of everything he and Juls have planned for the evening. “And I have two rules for you, cupcake: wear the sexiest outfit you have in that suitcase, and hand over the cell phone.”

“What? No way. I’m not giving you my phone.” Reese shifts above me and grabs my phone off the nightstand before getting out of bed. “What are you doing?”

“He took my phone, too. Let him have it; I don’t need a phone to get to you.”

I watch him hand my cell over and Joey takes it with a smile. “Thank you. And don’t even think about getting to her.”

I don’t see Reese’s reaction to what Joey’s just said, but I do see Joey’s reaction to the look he is getting from Reese, and that look makes my dear assistant straighten up in the doorway. I hide my giggle underneath the sheet as Joey exhales loudly.

“If I see your gorgeous face at any of the places we go to tonight, you and I will be having words.”

“Joey,” Reese says, placing one hand on the doorframe and gripping the edge of the door with the other. Even though he and Joey are roughly the same height, Reese seems to tower over any opponent with his body language alone. “Nothing stands in my way of Dylan. Not even you.”

Joey sighs heavily and glances in my direction. “Three o’clock, cupcake.”

“Got it.”

The door closes and I immediately flail my arms and legs, breaking free of the cocoon I’ve been wrapped in. I slide off the bed and grab my T-shirt, pulling it over my head. When I brush my wild bed-hair out of my eyes, I see Reese staring at me in the way only he does, like he’s committing me to memory. I sit on the edge of the bed and tap the spot next to me. He smiles, sitting down and placing his hand on my thigh.

“So, what are your plans for tonight? Naked girls? Lap dances?” I ask as I twirl my engagement ring around my finger.

His forehead creases with concern. “Do you think I have any desire to see another naked woman when I have this waiting for me?” He tugs at my T-shirt, exposing my bare hip. His finger trails along my skin. “I love this spot right here. Do you know why?” I watch as his finger glides over my hipbone toward the taut skin of my inner thigh. When he turns his head up and locks onto my eyes, I shake my head. The corner of his mouth curls up into a smile. “When I kiss you here, you shake against my lips. You always have.” His finger trails lower, dipping between my legs. I gasp when he feels how wet his words have made me. “Mine.”

“Yours,” I answer breathlessly. I let my head fall against his shoulder. “I need to start getting ready. Joey will freak out if I make us late to wherever the hell we’re going.”

He kisses the corner of my mouth before sliding his hand out and sucking on his finger. “I need to get ready, too. But you will be sitting on my face later.”

“Promise?” I tease, standing and making my way to the bathroom. I turn when I don’t get a response just in time to see him drop his shorts, displaying his massive erection. I stumble a bit. “Wow. I mean, we have a little time, right?”

He arches his brow. “Get in there before I pin you against the wall. You know I hate rushing when it comes to you.” I pull my shirt over my head, flashing him and pairing it with my best flirtatious smile. He shakes his head. “Go, love.”

“Yes, Mr. Carroll.”

7

By the time I reemerge from the bathroom, ready to get this night over with, Reese has already dressed and left the room. I walk over to my suitcase and grab the black high heels I packed. They are dangerously high, buckle around my ankle, and scream sex kitten. I might actually kill myself wearing these tonight, but when the hell else am I going to wear them? Besides to bed with Reese, which will definitely be happening very soon. I strap them on and walk over to the floor-length mirror hanging on the wall. My blonde hair is falling over my bare shoulders. My makeup is looking on point and very sexy, thanks to my false eyelashes, and my dress is short, black, and practically a second skin. It’s probably a good thing Reese has left the room already because I seriously doubt he’d let me walk out of here in this. He took it upon himself months ago to categorize the majority of my wardrobe as for his eyes only, leaving me with only a few dresses deemed fit for public outings, according to his standards. And none of those dresses would do tonight. This is my bachelorette party; I’m supposed to look sinful. Besides, he can rip this off my body later and do whatever the hell he wants with it. And by it, I mean my dress and my body.