Attainment (The Temptation Series) (16 page)

CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN

Our reception celebrations are a small affair which we
decided to have in one of the function rooms at City Towers. Alexis wanted our
entire wedding celebration to be at
our
hotel complex
.

As much as I pride myself in our establishment, if Alexis
had said that our first night as husband and wife was also going to be in the
hotel, I would have probably gagged her—I drew the line at that. Little does
she know, we are flying directly to Paris after the wedding reception, and I
have a few secrets up my sleeve that I can’t wait to surprise her with.

“Excuse me ladies and gentleman,” Derek announces through
the microphone. “Can I ask the groom to bring his bride to the dance floor for
their first dance as husband and wife?”

Alexis has her head on my shoulder while we sit at our table
having a quiet moment to ourselves. As she lifts it up and hits me with yet
again, another dazzling smile, I notice something change in her expression—a
look I have seen many times before.

“I hope you are wearing that red G-string, Husband,” she
drawls.

My eyes widen at her suggestion, and I laugh loudly as I
pull her to her feet, leading her to the dance floor. “That was a one-off,
Wife. I happily destroyed the uncomfortable piece of arse-floss.”

Placing her hands around my neck, she stands up on her tippy
toes to kiss my lips. “You once told me that nothing was absolute.”

“Some things are,” I say with complete reaffirmation as I
return her kiss and wrap my arms around her waist.

A familiar sound filters my ears when the music begins, as
Derek starts to sing the song I wrote for Alexis, “Thief of My Heart.”

Pressing her head against my shoulder, she squeezes me
tightly. “Loving you is absolute.”

“It better be,” I say with a smirk.

Alexis pulls away and wipes a tear which has begun to slide down
her happy face. “Bryce, I just want you to know that deciding to go back to
work three years ago was one of the best decisions I have ever made.”

Another tear leaves her eye, heading on a journey south.

“I can’t argue with you there,” I agree, wiping it away.

“Giving you permission to kiss me was another.”

“I married a smart woman.”

She scoffs and drops her head for a second then looks back
into my eyes. “Spending that week with you and allowing myself to believe that
what we had was real, well...that was another.”

I hug her tightly, thankful that she took that very leap of
faith. Because when I look back on it now, that decision must’ve have been
extremely difficult for her.

Derek picks up the pace, singing the lyrics to the bridge of
the song. I too, mouth them to Alexis:

‘Let go and feel it.

Just let go and feel it.

You and I, we are it.

Please let go.’

The timing of those lyrics couldn’t be more perfect,
emphasising what we had just been talking about.  Alexis smiles and sings the
chorus back to me:

‘You’re all that I want and nothing else.

I’ve fallen hard and will never get up.’

I swear that if I die in this very moment, I will die a
happy man. Not that dying is an option at this particular point in time, we
have a marriage to consummate, and I have some pretty good ideas about how I
plan on doing that.

As visions of our honeymoon start to dance across my mind, I
feel that all too familiar movement in my pants. Alexis feels it, too.

“Your feet are not the only thing dancing right now, are
they?”

I laugh and press her harder to my front. “No, they are
not.”

She stretches up, her face now level with my own, prompting
me to lift her off the ground. I don’t hesitate, gripping her tighter and
raising her like her body suggests—her feet now dangling centimetres from the
floor. She kisses me hard, and during that kiss it’s as though we are the only
two people in the room. We move across the floor to the music, her feet
dangling, her arms wrapped around my neck, my lips and tongue still connected
to hers—I’m the happiest I have ever been.

Hearing the song subside and Derek’s voice no longer
singing, we both open our eyes and come back to the moment.

“Mrs. Clark?” I ask, completely transfixed by her radiant
aura.

“Yes?” she answers with a giggle.

“Nothing, I just wanted to say your name.”

Alexis blushes.
I fucking love it when she does that.

“Did you just blush, Mrs. Clark?”

Her blush and smile disappear. “No, I don’t blush.”

“Oh, yes you do.” I chuckle at her obvious denial.

“I do not,” she states tersely, affirmation assisting her
stubborn tone.

“Do you want me to prove you wrong, right here, right now?”

She blushes.
I rest my case.

Derek interrupts our moment and asks if anyone else would
like to join us on the dance floor. He then hands over the microphone to the
lead singer of a band that we often play gigs with, and then makes his way
toward Carly.

Before I know it, we are joined by our family and friends,
even Arthur and Geraldine, Arthur giving me a fatherly slap on the back and
kissing Alexis on the cheek with congratulations.

Once again, swaying with Alexis still happily content in my
arms, I feel a tap on my shoulder.

“Do you mind if I cut in,” Rick asks, indicating that he
wishes to dance with Alexis.

I give him a nod. “Sure, I need to find that sister of mine
anyway.” I lift Alexis’ chin with my finger and press a quick kiss to her lips
before leaving her to dance with her ex-husband.

***

Moments later, I find Lucy sitting with Nik and Alexander,
Al driving his toy cars on top of the table. I pick up a car and perform a high
speed manoeuvrer then crash it into the one Al is holding. He laughs and yells
‘Boom’.

 “Luce, come and dance with me,” I request, gesturing toward
the dance floor.

“Where’s your wife? Your wife!” she squeals “How does that feel?”
She stands up and gives me a quick hug.

I lean in closer. “Fucking perfect. And, she’s over there,
dancing with Rick.”

Lucy looks over my shoulder. “Oh. Well, come on then, let’s
go and keep an eye on them.”

“I don’t need to keep an eye on my wife,” I reassure her,
knowing deep down that I will
always
keep an eye on my wife.

“Fine, don’t. I’ll keep my eye on her.”

I know damn well that she will.

Shaking my head at my devoted sister as we start to sway to
“With or Without You” by U2, I tell her that she can finally stop looking out
for me. “You can stop with the creepy research now.”

“Never,” she cackles like an evil witch.

Knowing this request is falling on deaf ears, I change the
tone of the conversation and squeeze her tight. “Thank you.”

“For what?” she asks with incredulity as she tilts her head
up.

“For always being there for me.”

“Bryce, it’s the other way around,” she scoffs.

I pull her back to my body and spin us both around. “That’s
what you think.”

 “Okay, you don’t have to convince me twice,” she answers
nonchalantly but in a teasing tone.
Cheeky shit.

I smile into Lucy’s hair, and just as we are about to settle
in, the music changes and I hear Alexis groan.

“You did this on purpose, Rick!” she exclaims with
frustration.

I’m just about to head over there and see what fuck is going
on when Rick laughs.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he fires back,
feigning surprise. Then, with a grin on his face he pulls Alexis to him and
they both began to Jive to “Jailhouse Rock”.

My tension alleviates.

“It’s like riding a bike,” Rick teases.

“Have you ever tried ridin’ a freakin’ bike with a wedding
dress and heels on?”

I laugh.

“She’s got an answer for everything, hasn’t she?” Lucy
mutters with a smile while shaking her head.

“She sure has.”

“I’m so happy for the two of you. Mum and Dad would’ve loved
her.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Especially Mum.”

I pull Lucy in for another tight hug, when I notice Brayden
spot the wedding cake. “Shit! Gotta go.”

I take off and catch him right before Jake does.

“Jesus, he’s quick,” Jake complains, slightly breathy.

“Of course he is. He’s gonna play football for the Cats
aren’t you, Bray?” I declare proudly, picking him up and placing him on my hip.

Brayden looks from the cake then to me and makes a ‘meow’
noise.

I laugh.

Screwing up his face, Jake smiles like the cheeky fuck that
is. “Not if Lex has anything to do with it. According to her, he was born a
Bomber like his siblings.”

“She won’t have anything to do with it. Brayden
will
support the Cats.”

Jake belly-laughs, “Bryce, you are fucked,” he says, right
before slapping me on the back and walking off.
Fucking smartarse!

I like my brother-in law, but he is a cocky son of a bitch
at the best of times.

***

 Not before long, Alexis and I are cutting our cake. My lips
are deliberately pressed to hers, so that she cannot see what I have coming.
“Remember when you told me how much you loved cake and cream?” I whisper, still
keeping her attention fixated on me.

“Yeah,” she blushes.

“Is this just as good?”

I quickly move my hand to her face and mush a bit of cake
into her mouth, cream smearing on her nose and chin.

The room fills with laughter and shocked gasps, together
with Tash’s unmistakable bellow. “Bout time someone gagged you, Lex.”

Alexis stumbles back in surprise, her eyes wide open, her
mouth agape with cake and cream filling it. “You didn’t just do that,” she
mumbles as she closes her eyes and swallows her mouthful.

Laughing and somewhat surprised that I actually went through
with it, I reply. “Yeah...I did.”

Her eyes flick open again, a renewed sense of retribution
covering her face.
Crap! I’m gonna fucking regret this.
She raises an
eyebrow and forcefully ploughs her hand into the top of the cake, grabbing a
fist full before taking a step closer to me. I know what she is going to
do—obviously, I deserve it—but she looks so damn sexy, so I’m willing to let
her.

Standing my ground and waiting for the cake to make contact
with my face, I refuse to remove my stare from hers. She stops directly in
front of me, now only mere centimetres away, her eyes searing me with lust.
Then, like the tempting seductress that she is, she lifts her hand and licks
the cake off her fingers...slowly.

“Mmm,” she moans quietly. “This cake and cream is the
best
I’ve ever had.”

I watch her sexually devour her cream filled digits with her
tongue.
Fuck! Why are we in a room full of fucking people right now?

“Mrs. Clark,” I warn, my voice now gravelly from the lack of
moisture that Alexis so easily strips me of.

“Yes?” she mumbles, swallowing her cake and smiling at me
victoriously.

“I fucking love you,” I whisper aggressively, grabbing her
neck and pressing her cake-smeared mouth to mine, the taste of her mixing with
the vanilla sponge and cream.

The room breaks into applause, Tash’s wolf whistle
dominating the sounds that follow, Nate also voicing his opinion that our
cake-mushed kiss is ‘gross’.

I couldn’t care less though, wanting nothing more than to
taste my wife, and considering I am not currently in a position to taste other
parts of her body, I am more than happy to continue tasting her mouth.

***

 As the evening progresses, Alexis switches between mingling
with our guests and occupying the dance floor. I, on the other hand, switch
between the mingling and watching her.

Alexis, Nate, Charli, and Brayden, are all dancing in a
circle, encouraging Brayden to bring his moves, moves he got from me. I especially
like to take responsibility for the little hip and slide action he is currently
performing. I let out a laugh and take a swig of my beer.

“Little tacker dances like his uncle,” Jake says proudly,
snapping me out of my loving gaze.

I raise my eyebrow at him. “You dance?”

“I put Patrick Swayze to shame.”

Coughing then choking on my beer, I call his bluff.
“Bullshit! You look like you have two left feet.”

“Don’t bait me, Clark. I wouldn’t want to show you up on
your big day.”

This time I laugh loudly. “Not gonna happen, Jakey Snakey,”
I taunt him, Jakey Snakey being Alexis’ pet name for her brother, the same pet
name Brayden now uses for his uncle. And a pet name I know Jake hates.

He slams his beer down on the nearest table. “I fucking
warned you,” he smiles, then takes off toward the band. I watch with curiosity
as he says something to Simon—the lead singer.

Seconds later, the unmistakable sound of drums in “Need You
Tonight” by INXS sound throughout the room. Alexis and Jen’s heads both prick
up like meerkats, spotting Jake head toward the centre of the dance floor. The
smile that then spreads across my wife’s face indicates she knows what is about
to happen.

Jen wolf-whistles and shouts, “Lexi, get over here.”

Squealing, Alexis meets my eyes and gives Brayden a gentle
push on the bum, steering him toward me. And, without further encouragement, he
launches himself in my direction at full speed.
I swear to God, one and a
half year-olds do not know how to walk. Run...yes, walk...no.

I gather him up and throw him into the air before catching
him again, the sound leaving his mouth as he soars above my head the best
fucking sound in the world—I could listen to my son giggle 24/7.

“What are Mummy, Aunty Jen, and Uncle Snakey up to?” I ask
as I walk closer to the dance floor which is now circled by our family and
friends.