This takes place after Esmarie and Cordelia go wedding dress shopping.

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POV : CORDELIA

Esmarie and her driver dropped me off at the penthouse. When I get back, Kai isn’t there, so I figure he’s probably getting his workout or practice done. We’ll be off to Louisiana in about forty-eight hours before we get married. Then I’ll have to get used to my husband flying in the air, hoping he catches the bike and lands in time.
   I was able to take a nap and then ordered a snack from room service. I grab my phone, about to call Kai, and he walks in wearing his riding pants and sweaty t-shirt. My eyes immediately eat him up and warmth floods my body. “Hey, gem,” he grunts, leaning over the couch and pecking me on the lips. 
   “Hi,” I sigh. 
   “How was shopping?” he asks. 
   “It was good. Your mom was quite helpful,” I tell him. He nods and grabs a bottle of water from the minibar. 
   “Good,” he says, a little breathless.
   “Mhmm. Did you have a good ride?” I ask, still staring at him as he lifts the hem of his t-shirt and wipes his forehead. I stare at his abs, and then his shirt drops, obscuring them from view. 
   “Do you want me to wait for you to get your camera?” he asks with a smug look on his face. I roll my eyes and lean back on the sofa, overheated. 
   “Smartass,” I grumble. He chuckles. 
   “Everything ready for tomorrow? Do you need me to do anything else?” he asks. 
   “No, your mom literally took care of everything. We just have to show up,” I sigh. 
   “Isn’t that a good thing?” he asks. I nod and bite into a strawberry. They’ve been my latest craving along with chicken nuggets. I couldn’t stomach chicken last week, this pregnancy thing is weird. 
   “Yeah, I’d say so. It took all the stress off, and she seemed to enjoy doing it,” I tell him, looking up from my strawberry. He’s watching me take a bite of my strawberry, so I do it again, letting the juice run down the side of my mouth. He grunts and takes another swig of water. Now that I can mess with Kai so openly, I take every chance I get. He reacts so quickly to me, and I love that about him. I’ll add it to the list of things that I love about Kai.
   “Enjoying those strawberries?” I nod and take a bite of another one. He nods, grabs the back neck of his t-shirt, and whips it off. My mouth pauses around the berry. He grins at me and wiggles his eyebrows. “Two can play this game, baby,” he says with a smoky lilt to his voice. 
   “I like living dangerously, daredevil,” I say.
   Kai stalks over to me, and I sit up while he plops down next to me. He grabs my shoulders and positions me over his lap while he reaches for a strawberry. I open my mouth so he can feed it to me. Instead, he drags it around the edges of my lips. My tongue dips out, gathering the flavor, and then he rests it between my teeth. I bite down, and a bit of juice runs down my lower lip. I feel his thumb wipe it off my lip and then suck the juice off his thumb. My stomach clenches, and my thighs squeeze together. “I’m going to ask you this one more time, and I won’t ask you again, okay?” 
   “Okay,” I say, drawing out the word.
   “Are you sure?” he asks. I blink up at him and chew the strawberry. The three words are a loaded question, and there are so many answers in mine. But I only need one word to answer them all.
   “Yes,” I tell him, locking my eyes onto his so he knows I mean every single letter. 
   He leans over and kisses my nose. “Good.” I lift up off his lap so I can kiss him because I need to feel his lips on mine. Yes, I’m scared, but I know he will make it all better. He always does. 
   I rearrange myself on his lap, and he smiles, helping me straddle him. I lean forward, grabbing his lips with mine, and then he snakes his hand to the back of my neck and claims me. He steals my breath like it’s his to take, and as far as I’m concerned, it is. He groans, and his hips jolt into mine. I whimper into his mouth as he swallows it. “Don’t you think we should at least wait until tomorrow?” He asks between laying kisses on my neck. I tilt my head back, short of breath. 
   “Yes? No? Maybe?” I breathe. He chuckles and stops but kisses me one more time before tossing me off his lap and gently resting my back on the couch.  
   “I’m going to get a shower.” I sigh and watch him walk out of sight into the other suite with a bathroom. 
   I look over my shoulder at the garment bag with my dress and smile. I can’t wait to put it on tomorrow. Wait. It’s my wedding, it’s my dress, I can put it on now. I hop up and grab it off the hook. 
   I noticed the pattern was really unique. Not that I have extensive knowledge of crochet patterns, but there are little flowers around the neckline, and they are littered throughout the bodice. It hugs my hips just right and lays over my back and butt like it was made just for me. The split in the back of the skirt stops an inch or two above the back of my knee. I like the subtle peekaboo. The back is my favorite, though. I like the way it laces up my spine and pulls together. 
   “Damn, baby.” I gasp, using my hands to cover myself, knowing it won’t work. 
   “Kai! No!” I look around for a towel or a blanket, but there’s nothing within reach. “You’re not supposed to see! I told you!!” Kai saunters into the room, freshly showered and shirtless. 
   “Maybe you shouldn’t have been strutting around like you were waiting for me to find you. Plus, I did tell you I don’t like surprises.” He grins. My stomach flutters, and it’s not because I’m hungry. “You look amazing, gem. This dress is…wow,” he says as his eyes dance around my body. I drop my hands and let him get his fill, even though it’s supposedly bad luck. But I don’t know how anything could be bad luck when your man is staring you down like that.
   I shake myself out of it and run into the bathroom. “I wish you stayed a little bit longer. I was working on how to get it off you!” Kai yells as I slam the door closed behind me. I take a deep breath, slowing my pulse, and smile at myself in the mirror.

 

Tomorrow cannot come soon enough.   

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