One Night Bride by Marika Ray
5
Esme
“Dammit, Izzy,” I muttered under my breath, reading the text on the screen of my cell phone.
Amelia: I saw Ashley at Coffee…is there something you need to tell me? I can be over later this afternoon…
Esme: I’m working.
Amelia: I am too, beyotch. But I’m never too busy to hear about my favorite sister getting nailed by a cowboy in Tahoe.
Esme: Sounds like you already got the details. And since when am I your favorite?
Amelia: SO IT’S TRUE??? Now I really am coming over. The guests can feed themselves today.
I rolled my eyes and finished brushing a setting powder over my face. I had a video to make for the new course I’d be launching soon, and several back-to-back client sessions today. Shiny skin could not happen.
I’d gotten home yesterday from Tahoe, tired, cranky, and in no mood to deal with my sisters. However, Izzy lived with me, so avoiding her was impossible. Plus, my twin could read my mood like a mind reader. She made me dinner and poured an extra-large glass of wine, so I spilled everything in between bites and sips. Her eyes had gone round when I described Remy and the bathroom scene. Then she’d frowned when I told her I couldn’t remember his name, only that I’d called him Remy at some point. She agreed Remy was an odd name for a cowboy.
But Vacation Remy was in my past. Today I had work to do.
I was halfway through the video recording when my front door banged open, loud enough to be heard on the video. I shut the camera off, irritated I’d have to do more editing later. One take was how I liked to do my trainings, as they sounded more genuine than a perfectly spliced together recording.
“Whoever you’re on a call with needs to be rescheduled!” Amelia’s voice rang out from downstairs.
I stomped out of my office and headed down to deal with her. Why didn’t my sisters respect the fact that I worked from home? If I worked in an office, they wouldn’t have barged in like that. I had exactly half an hour until my first client of the day, which meant I’d have to finish the video recording later today. Already rearranging my schedule in my head, I nearly bumped into her belly as she came around the corner of the living room.
“Oof!” she bellowed, grabbing her belly and holding her coffee cup high in the air.
“Sorry!” I reached for her and gently pushed her over to the couch to have a seat. “Did I hurt you or the baby?”
She looked up at me with one eyebrow raised, which for anyone who knew her, meant trouble. “If I say yes, will you feel guilty enough to spill all your whore-ish ways?”
I huffed and sat down next to her, kicking off my heels. “First of all, you just insulted me, which won’t move the needle. Secondly, if I hurt the baby for real, you’d have punched me in the face and called 911 already, so I’m pretty sure we’re good. Thirdly, are you supposed to be drinking coffee?”
Amelia pouted for a second. “It’s decaf, which past me would have sworn I’d never drink, so cut me some slack.” Then her face cleared. “Tell me all about this mystery man with the magical dick.”
My cheeks heated without my permission. “Not much to tell except I scratched the itch.”
Amelia’s shoulders danced. “And? Come on! I’m a pregnant woman with an oversized bush because I can’t shave anymore and I can’t even tie my own shoes. I want to feel sexy living vicariously through you. Don’t you love me at all, sister dear?”
I scoffed. “Wow, laying it on thick, sister dear. And also wow, that’s way too much information on your personal hygiene.”
Amelia shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee and waving her hand through the air for me to get on with the story. I snuck another glance at my watch, realizing resistance was futile and would only derail my schedule further.
“Fine. I met a beefy guy at the bar the first night. We flirted and then I said I had to go to the restroom, to which he insisted on accompanying me there. And well, he came inside.”
Amelia was frozen, hanging on my every word. “Like, came inside the bathroom or came inside you?”
I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling at the memory of his hot body in front of me and the cool tile against my back. “Both.”
Amelia squealed. “Tell me more. Was he good? How many orgasms? How big was his dick?”
I did laugh at that. “Whoa. Slow your roll. I’m getting to the deep dive.” I settled into the cushions. “Fantastic, two—at least in the bathroom—and so big I wanted to pull out a tape measure for proof.”
Amelia leaned toward me, eyes snapping with energy. “So what happened after the bathroom incident?”
I searched my memory, trying to piece together snippets that I actually remembered, though most of them seemed like a dream, flimsy and not quite in full color. I’d been wracking my brain to patch up the holes in my memory ever since I snuck out of his room at some point early the next morning.
“He told off Ashley for interrupting us in the bathroom and we left the hotel laughing our asses off at the look on her face. We drank our way through Tahoe. I can’t even remember where all we went, but I remember it being so much fun. He was hilarious, and gentlemanly, and ridiculously hot. At some point we ended up back at the hotel in his room and I’m pretty sure there were two more orgasms, but everything was pretty hazy by then.”
Amelia sighed and sat back against the cushions of the couch. “Sounds magical.”
I almost caught myself sighing too. “It was.”
Amelia’s arms and legs flailed in the air, and before I could figure out what she was doing, she got herself sitting upright again.
“So, are you going to see him again?” she asked.
I shook my head, heart taking a nosedive. “No. I didn’t get his full name or even his phone number. Hell, I don’t even know where he lives, but for some reason I have it in the back of my head that he lives in Wyoming. But then again, maybe I just think that because he wore Levi’s and cowboy boots.”
Amelia frowned at me. “You do know people wear that in states other than Wyoming, right?”
I smacked her on the arm, careful to be gentle. She was pregnant with my niece, after all. “I know! But I was drinking and have no idea if this information is based on truth or some drunken idea I got in my head.”
Amelia shook her head. “I miss those days…”
“Also,” I continued, wanting to get this off my chest where it had kept a damper on all my excitement over my night with Remy. “I saw him the next day at the hotel when we were all coming back from the ridiculous scavenger hunt Ashley put together. He was in the lobby, his hand on the back of a blonde woman, heading into the restaurant.” I shrugged, ignoring the ache in my chest that had no right to be there. “Guess he found a different girl for his second night in Tahoe.”
Amelia’s face went soft around the edges, making me regret saying anything. The last thing I wanted was pity from the sister who had it all: the husband, the business, and a baby on the way.
“Well, listen. You wanted one night to be wild and reckless on vacation, and you got that. Sounds to me like you’re doing just fine.” Amelia patted my arm. “Now help me off this couch. I need to go make sure my guests haven’t blown up the B and B.”
I got up to give Amelia a powerful tug off the couch. “Thanks for derailing my schedule.” I said it with a smile, so she knew I was teasing. Mostly.
She winked and headed to the front door, her pregnant waddle cracking me up. “That’s what sisters are for.”
I got back to my office in time to start my coaching calls, which kept me busy all day. The protein bar I’d eaten between calls was long gone when I signed off with my last client. I needed to grab something to eat, but I couldn’t help eyeing the camera, knowing I needed to finish that training video too.
The doorbell rang, pulling me from my deliberation on hunger versus job duty. Izzy still wasn’t home, so I’d have to get that. With my luck today, I’d ignore the person on my doorstep, start my video, and have them continue to ring the doorbell, ruining the recording anyway.
My heels clacked on the tile downstairs as I made my way to the door. The sound reminded me of how I’d scrambled to stay on my feet in that bathroom with Remy. Just like clockwork, my cheeks heated and I could have sworn I broke out into a mild sweat just remembering that man and what he could do with his appendages.
I swung open the door, ready to get rid of the sales person as quickly as possible.
A man stood there, his arm propped above his head, leaning on my doorframe. The blue jeans fit him snuggly, and the T-shirt straining across his chest made the breath whoosh out of my lungs. It was the bright blue eyes shining out of a gloriously tanned, handsome face that made the blood freeze in my veins.
“Remy?” I whispered.
“It’s Remington, actually,” he said, the low grumble of his voice kick-starting my heart and instantly turning me on. Was I dreaming?
He smirked while he handed a piece of paper to me. “And this is yours, sweetheart.”
Why would this man come all the way from Tahoe to give me a piece of paper? Unless…
A grin grew on my face and I ignored the paper entirely. Remington must not have scratched the itch with one night. Maybe, like me, he wanted to lean in, do a deep dive, circle the wagons. He wanted a do-over. With me.
Hell yes, cowboy. Hell. Yes.