Blissed Out (Chelsea & Max's Wedding) Read online

  His voice is as weathered as his face and just as beautiful, lending a layer of depth and emotion to the song that I wasn’t prepared to find in a little bar like this. The patrons of Fantastic Sam’s are rapt, tapping their feet and smiling despite themselves. A few people get up to dance. I consider asking Max if he wants to join them, but dancing to something this fast and upbeat in a skirt this short while not wearing any panties seems like a bad idea. The last thing I want to be remembered for here in Bliss is as that one girl who flashed an entire bar.

  Ashley returns, a laden tray balanced on her shoulder. “He’s good, isn’t he,” she says with pride in her voice as she serves us. “That’s his wife over there. And his mom. They come every time he plays.” She points to an elegant blonde woman—her hands resting on a very pregnant belly—and an older woman sitting next to her. Each of them stare up at the man onstage, utterly rapt and pleased as could be.

  “It’s sweet, isn’t it?” asks Ashley. “Like I said, I just have a thing for a good love story.”

  We drink and talk, our conversation mostly focusing on how Dominic met Dakota and how I met Max and how we fell in love. Maya listens but doesn’t contribute much and I recognize the patented, fake London smile that stretches her face but doesn’t reach her eyes. The one we all use when we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings and we sure don’t want anyone to see our own feelings have been hurt. As far as I know, she isn’t seeing anyone and hasn’t seen anyone since high school. She’s been too busy living up to the demands of our parents, getting her medical degree and surviving her residency in pediatric surgery.

  I’m not the only one to see it and when Dominic asks Dakota to dance, Max takes a moment to catch my eye and then offers his hand to Maya. She tries to turn him down but there’s no denying Max of anything once he’s set his mind to it. Before she even knows what’s happening, she’s out on the dance floor laughing and smiling as Max spins her around like he knows what he’s doing.

  Just when I think I’ve found all the reasons I could possibly find to love this man, he goes and does something to show me that I’ve only just begun to understand how deep his heart goes.

  Thankfully, the musician switches to a slow song as Max brings Maya back to the table. After watching all the acrobatics he just put her through, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll flash each and every single person here at Fantastic Sam’s the moment Max gets me moving to an upbeat song. I wonder what Ashely would think of our love story then?

  Instead, Cole strums a lilting melody and croons into the microphone, his dusty voice the perfect back drop to the rush of Max’s breath as it whispers past my ear. He holds me tight. Presses my body to his, and we sway cheek to cheek. I close my eyes, utterly and completely in love with this moment. Determined to remember this song, this feeling, this … everything … for the rest of my life.

  Max drops a hand to my lower back and then slowly spins us so he’s hiding me from view before he slides that hand down over my ass and up under my skirt. The touch of his skin to mine is shocking in a public place. I gasp and freeze in surprise, but he’s strong enough to keep me moving. And just like that, his hand his gone and he spins us back so that I’m totally visible again. His dick hardens and presses into me and I’m so wet I don’t know how I’m going to sit down without making a mess.

  “I want to be inside you,” he whispers, his words hiding under the music. “My thick cock filling your pussy.”

  My breath catches. Max isn’t one for talking and I’ve never had anyone say something like that to me. Ever.

  And I love it.

  “I want you down on your knees,” he continues. “I want you licking and sucking my dick, pleasing me.” He rubs his hand on my back. “All for me. All of you is for me.”

  I nod, not sure how to respond.

  “Say it.” He pulls back enough to look me in the eye. The whole rest of the world disappears from around us. It’s just him and me, swaying in time to the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard.

  “Say what?” I ask.

  “Tell me that you’re mine.”

  “Oh, Max. I am so yours. I was yours before I even met you, I just didn’t know it yet. And I’ll be yours for the rest of our life.”

  “Damn straight.” His voice is thick with emotion and for the first time ever, I think of the sky when I look into his eyes.

  The song ends and Max escorts me back to our table where we have fresh drinks waiting for us.

  “Damn guys,” says Maya, waving a mostly empty margarita glass our way. “What the hell was that?”

  I take a seat, careful to keep the fabric of the skirt covering my ass. “What was what?”

  “That.” Maya gestures towards the dance floor as Dakota and Dominic join us.

  “You saw it too?” Dominic asks as he pulls back Dakota’s chair.

  Dakota nods and widens her eyes. “I know I sure did.”

  Panic strums through my body and I take a long drink of my Long Island.

  Shit.

  Shit.

  Shit.

  Please don’t let them be talking about my ass.

  “See what?” I’m pretty sure I manage to sound confused rather than terrified.

  “That wasn’t a slow dance.” Maya takes a long drink of her margarita. “That was foreplay.”

  Chapter Four

  Maya’s right of course, though I’ll never admit it. The rest of the evening is spent with Max’s hand going places it shouldn’t, and me feeling things I can’t believe I’m feeling in public, and way more Long Islands than I ever intended to drink. Apparently, Ashley saw the same thing everyone else saw, and since she’s a sucker for a good love story she decided to bring us drinks on the house for the rest of the night, whether we asked for them or not.

  By the time we get back to the house, I’m so ready to have Max to myself, I barely take the time to mutter goodnight to my sisters before I pull him down the long hallway to our bedroom. They giggle and shush each other as they head upstairs, reminding Dominic in loud whispers to be quiet so as not to wake Charlie and our parents. I close the door behind us and grab Max by the belt and pull him towards me.

  “You wanted me on my knees, didn’t you?” I ask, looking up at him as I lower myself to the floor.

  “I did.” Max undoes his buckle and slowly draws the belt from his pants. The hiss of leather against fabric sends a quiver of excitement through me. He reaches down and takes my hand, pulling me up to a standing position. “But I don’t anymore.”

  Max kisses me so tenderly I think my heart might break open, exposing all that I am to him once and for all. His fingers graze my jawline and thread up into my hair. His tongue skims my lips and I tilt my head back to let him in. We kiss for a long time, our hands exploring each other’s bodies, the rush of our breath mingling with the rush of the ocean and I can’t help the little moans and whimpers that come from me.

  I am consumed with love for him. Consumed with need. A desire to be closer and closer until there’s nothing left between us but the separate bodies we occupy.

  “I love you, Chelsea,” he says, dropping kisses on my cheek, my jaw. “I want you with me for the rest of my life. You’re so perfect for me. Everything I ever wanted wrapped up in one hell of a sexy woman.”

  Tears burn my eyes as he kisses me again. I pull at his shirt, needing to feel his skin against mine. Needing to give myself to him. Needing to take him for my own. He steps back and pulls it over his head.

  “I love you so much,” I murmur as he drops it to the floor.

  “Good,” he says. “I need you to.”

  He takes off his pants while I slip out of my clothes and finally, we’re bare to each other. He stretches me out on the bed, covering my body with his, holding himself above me with both of his hands on either side of my head. His eyes claim mine as he slides himself into me.

  I clamp my mouth shut. I want to moan, to scream, to cry out with the ecstasy of the moment, but I can’t. Not whe
n my whole family is just a few feet away. He fills me, stretching me like he promised he would and then he rolls his hips, slowly pulling himself out of me only to fill me once again.

  “You feels so good,” he says and I moan despite myself. He continues to move slowly, never once looking away from me. His eyes are windows and I see his love for me, see how much he wants me. My lips part and my breath speeds and Max changes his angle ever so slightly, the base of his shaft grazing my clit.

  I come. Exploding around him. Tiny little whimpers escaping my closed mouth. And never once do I look away from him. The compassion I see, the utter and complete joy he feels watching me come undone around him, it sets me free. As my orgasm fades, Max presses a kiss to my forehead.

  “Mine,” he says, his voice rumbling in my ear.

  “Yours.”

  He sits up. Grabs my waist with both hands and thrusts into me, in search of his own release. I watch him like he watched me. Noticing the change in his features, the need in his eyes, the pleasure that rolls over him as he draws close to his own orgasm. I come with him, as I suppose I will for the rest of forever because we are inexplicably tied. I go where he leads me.

  He shudders into me, as silent as he’s ever been and I realize I’m crying. I turn my head, desperate to hide the tears, but Max turns my face back to his.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks, worried. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No. God no.” He’s still inside me and I’m not ready to be without him yet. I grab his hips and hold him in place. “I just love you, that’s all. And that was beautiful.”

  “I agree, but only because you were involved.” He drags a finger across my cheek, wiping away a tear.

  “No.” I smile up at him and lean into his hand. “It was beautiful because we were involved.”

  * * *

  I don’t remember falling asleep, but I wake up to the sound of my mother singing in the kitchen, the scent of pancakes, bacon, and coffee wafting down the hallway. Max props himself up on an elbow and looks down at me.

  “Morning, beautiful.”

  “Morning.”

  “How’s your head?” He brushes a stray hair off my face. “I think you had your weight in Long Islands last night.”

  I crinkle my eyebrows together and take stock of how I’m feeling. “So far, so good, I think. Although I’ll hold off on judgement until I find out what’s waiting for us out there.” I wave my hand toward the door as my mom calls us for breakfast in the exact same singsong voice she’s used since I was little.

  “Is she always like this?” Max sits up and swings his legs over the edge of the bed.

  “Always.”

  He shakes his head in wonder. “Our lives couldn’t have been more different.”

  We pull on some clothes and take a moment to look halfway presentable before we shuffle down the hallway where we find everyone at the table. My sisters and Dominic are hunched over cups of coffee, looking as bleary-eyed as I feel.

  “You guys don’t look as bad as they do,” chirps Charlie, looking almost proud of us, like we won some kind of competition.

  Dakota peers up at him. “Thanks, kid.”

  We sit and mom plops a platter laden with pancakes and bacon onto the table before presenting each of us with a champagne flute filled with something orange.

  “Mimosa’s for the headaches and orange juice for the kiddo,” she says and then whisks back into the kitchen to pour Max and me some coffee. We eat and damn, it’s good. I forgot how delicious my mother’s pancakes are.

  “So,” says my dad as we finish up breakfast. “The three of us talked last night and came to a decision. We’re all going skydiving today.”

  There’s a pause as his statement makes its way into our hungover brains and then everyone explodes into conversation at once. Dakota and Dominic are thrilled. They actually high five each other and dance around the kitchen like they’ve just heard the best news ever. Maya goes white as a sheet and I can’t quite make sense of what I’m feeling yet.

  “What about Charlie? He’s too young,” I say.

  “Nope!” he says, popping the ‘p’ at the end of the word. “We asked and as long as I’m big enough to fit the equipment, I can do it. And I’m pretty big for my age…” He looks as thrilled as Dakota and Dominic. I’m surprised he hasn’t started dancing with them yet. I look at Max.

  He just shrugs. “It’d be one hell of a memory…”

  My mom claps her hands together. “That settles it. The London brood is going skydiving!”

  The rest of the morning passes in a haze of excitement and what might actually be terror. I’m not so sure I want to do this, but I feel like I’d let my family down if I said I didn’t want to go. Thanks in part to Mom’s heavy duty breakfast, we’re all feeling fine by the time we have to leave for the appointment they made for us last night. We follow Dad on a long trip out of town and by the time we pull into a long driveway with a small sign that simply says Skydiving, I might actually be looking forward to it. And who would have thought I’d ever look forward to jumping out of a plane?

  Charlie, on the other hand, has gone silent. “Maybe I’ll be too small,” he says as we park and I’m pretty sure that’s hope I hear hiding under the fear in his voice.

  We’re greeted by a small man who practically vibrates with energy as he introduces himself as Dillan. “A wedding, huh? That’s pretty badass. How’d you hear about us?” he asks as he shakes Max’s hand.

  “We’re renting a house from Ian and Juliet Moore. They told us about you.”

  Dillan grins and bobs his head. “I promise you, if they’re any indicator at all, this jump is going to bring you guys some serious good luck.”

  We spend the next couple hours learning all we need to know about what we’re doing today. Since none of us has done this before, we’re each doing a tandem dive. We’ll have a seasoned professional strapped to our back, making sure we’re safe.

  Charlie is definitely big enough for the equipment and he has the green light to jump, if he wants to. As we’re heading to the plane, Charlie holds back, walking slower and slower until he’s at the very back of the group. Max and I slow down with him.

  “What if I don’t want to?” he asks, looking up at Max with big, round eyes.

  “Then you don’t have to.” Max stops and drops a hand on his shoulder. “You can change your mind and stay on the plane and they’ll bring you right back down to us when it’s done. But listen to me. You came through some seriously tough stuff in your life and look at you. You’re totally fine. I know you’re strong enough to do this if you want to. I have faith in you.”

  Charlie nods and sets his jaw. He doesn’t say a word, but I can see him processing everything Max just told him.

  “You’re so good with him,” I say as Charlie climbs up onto the plane.

  “I used to be just like him. I just say the things my grandmother used to say to me.”

  “Then she sure was one hell of a woman.”

  Max nods his agreement as we find a place to sit next to Charlie. “That she was. You would have loved her.”

  We take off and I keep reminding myself of Max’s advice to Charlie. I don’t have to jump if I don’t want to. In fact, I’ve pretty much decided that if Charlie opts to stay on the plane, I will, too. Imagine my surprise when the boy pops right up when they ask who wants to go first.

  Max gives him a silent fist bump as they get his equipment set and strap him in with Dillan. They walk to the edge of the plane. Charlie’s blonde hair stands on end as the wind hits him in the face. His toes hang out over the edge and I hold my breath. And then, like that, they lean over and fall. My mouth drops open.

  “I knew he’d do it,” says Max, totally and completely the proud father.

  One by one, my family marches up to the edge and one by one they lean over and fall out of the plane. Even Maya, whose face is still white as a sheet and who hasn’t said one single word since we got here. Finally, there’s just me and Ma
x left on the plane.

  “Ladies first,” he says and kisses me on the lips.

  “You promise you’ll follow me?” I ask, suddenly afraid that he’s planning on staying on the plane even though I know without a doubt he’s not scared. I need him to do this with me.

  “Everywhere,” he says. “Always. For the rest of forever.”

  And with that, I find myself strapped to my instructor, toes hanging over the edge, wind whipping past my face. And we fall.

  Except it’s not like falling. It’s like floating. My body is cushioned by the air rushing up to meet it as we plummet to the earth. I scream, but the wind steals my voice and before I know it, I’m laughing as I float serenely towards the ground, the canopy open above me.

  We land and I cheer, running into the arms of my family as soon as I’m unhooked from my instructor. We hug and the looks on their faces mirror what I’m feeling inside, exhilarated and alive. I turn in time to see Max striding towards me. He swoops me up in his arms and spins me in a circle before putting me down. He reaches out for Charlie and pulls him into our embrace.

  “I love you guys,” Max says, his voice rough and raw.

  “I love you, too,” says Charlie, and I realize it’s the first time he’s ever said it to us.

  Before I know it, my family surrounds us. There’s hugs and cheers and so many damn pictures as we each talk about our own experience, comparing it to everyone else’s. There’s this moment where I catch myself smiling, Charlie’s small voice echoing in my head, just staring at this group of people. My family. A lump forms in my throat because I realize that for the first time in as long as I can remember, I’m well and truly happy with all of us together.

  Chapter Five

  That night, we’re all sitting out on the back deck watching the moon swoop down over the sea. It’s late and Charlie’s in bed, but that hasn’t stopped us from talking about how proud we all are of him. My whole family picked up on his fear at the skydiving facility and not one single person other than Max expected him to jump.