One More Kiss (Forsaken Sons Book 1) by Elizabeth Lennox (summer beach reads .txt) 📗

purse she carried.  Pulling out a pair of plain, platinum bands, each with a simple diamond, she gazed up at him.  “I was never in love with Carl, Lincoln.  I didn’t know that until I met you and realized what real love was like.  When I stepped into your warehouse, I couldn’t believe what a magnificent man you were.  From that moment on, I never stopped thinking about you.” She emphasized that last word.  “I broke up with Carl because I couldn’t stop thinking about you.  I never agreed to have sex with you in order to get you out of my system and go back to Carl.  I never meant to have sex with you at all!” Because he didn’t laugh, she inched closer, reminding herself that she had to be different.  She had to be bold.

“I love you, Lincoln.  I love you with all of my heart.”

Lincoln stared down at her, his heart pounding in his chest.  “That dress isn’t covered with pearls,” he commented.

Kinsley stepped back, one hand reaching out to smooth down the soft white dress.  It had a V neck, halter top style bodice which flowed out and around her body, stopping right above her knees.  She also wore white satin heels. Plain.  No pearls.  No embellishments.  No veil.

And her flowers were… “Bitterroot?” he asked, remembering that morning in Montana when he’d picked the flowers for her.  She’d been so fresh and alive, so sensuously glorious!

“Yes.  I love them,” she said, gently touching one of the pink flowers that were wrapped with a blue ribbon.

“This isn’t the wedding you imagined.”

She stepped closer still.  “No.  It’s not the wedding I imagined.  But it’s the wedding of my dreams because I’m marrying the man I’m madly in love with.”  She swallowed hard, her eyes shimmering with tears.  “As long as you are willing to marry me.”

He muttered a curse, shaking his head.  “Kinsley, I…”

“I love you!” she whispered, emphasizing that last word.  “Not Carl.  Just you!  I love you!”

He groaned, and pulled her into his arms.  “Damn it, Kinsley! What have you done to me?” he muttered, burying his face against the sweet scent of her hair.

She laughed and hiccupped at the same time as her arms went around his neck.  “Hopefully, the same thing that you’ve done to me!”

“I love you so damn much!” He blurted, squeezing her tight.  “This past week, I couldn’t stop imagining you with…him.”

“Never!” she told him.  “I missed you!  I missed you so much!”

He lifted her off of her feet, closing his eyes as he held her close.  “Why are you here though?” He asked.  “Why Las Vegas?  This isn’t anything like what you planned.”

“Because I didn’t need all of those things.  I need you, Lincoln.  Just you!”

He kissed her then.  A deep, passionate kiss that sent shivers down her spine.

Someone clearing his throat interrupted them and Lincoln pulled away, but kept his arms around her waist as he looked at the man standing in the doorway.

“If you’d like to proceed,” the man said with a friendly smile to his cherubic features, “I can make this moment official.”

Kinsley beamed up at him, tears sliding down her cheeks as she lifted her eyebrows.  “What do you think?  Want to marry me?” she asked, holding out her hand with the matching platinum bands in them.

“Hell yes!”

Epilogue

Kinsley beamed as the room in front of her erupted into cheers!  Ducking, she laughed when someone threw a handful of rose petals and she reached back, clasping Lincoln’s hand as they made their way towards the hotel ballroom.

“You didn’t have to do this,” she said when they entered the room and she saw her friends and family all standing there, clapping and grinning.

“I wanted to,” he replied, kissing her again.  Once for the crowd, and again for himself.  “Have I mentioned that you look beautiful?” he added, holding her hands out to admire the dress.  Her wedding dress.  Not the pearl encrusted dress, but the V neck number she’d worn on their wedding day.  The only difference this time around was that he had shaved and he was wearing a charcoal suit instead of a Motley Crew tee shirt.

“You look shockingly handsome as well,” she returned.  Then laughed when her mother and father hurried over to give her a huge hug.  At which point, she introduced her husband to her parents, both of whom smiled with delight at their new son-in-law.

She spent a few more minutes introducing Lincoln to the others, but then the DJ turned up the music and a soft, romantic song came on.  She took his hand and leaned into him, at which point, he spun her around so that they were dancing together.

“I love you,” she whispered up to him, sliding her hand up his chest.

“I love you too,” he replied.  “And you’re ignoring our guests.”

She stared up at him, unblinking.  “What guests?” she whispered.

At which point, he lowered his head to kiss her again, showing her how much he loved her.

Edward Meyers glared at the couple swaying to the sappy music under the ridiculous lights.

Frankie came out of the bathroom, tucking her lipstick into the small clutch purse that matched her cocktail dress.  “Mr. Meyers?” she asked, recognizing the elderly man who still didn’t seem to be dying of cancer.  He didn’t look healthy, but after four months, the man didn’t look the worse for wear.  “What are you doing here?”

He turned and glared at the private investigator.  “You told me that one of my sons is getting married.  What you didn’t bother to mention was that he’s a stupid fool!  There was no prenup!”

Frankie blinked, then looked at the couple that were in their own world, barely aware of others dancing around them.  “Well, I don’t think that Lincoln needs to worry about Kinsley.  They seem