THE BENNETTS' WEDDING (The Bennett Family and the Masters Family Book 5) Read online

  “Do you want to take your own clothes off or do you want me to help you?”

  She swallowed past the lump in her throat. She wasn’t sure why, but she wanted him to do it. She didn’t want to turn into a nervous, jittery mess and ruin everything. Besides, she’d read in a magazine that men enjoyed undressing the women they were about to sleep with. It gave them the sense that they were unwrapping a naughty but nice package.

  “I’m putting myself in your hands, Cort.”

  He smiled down at her. “It will be my pleasure.” And then he pulled her into his arms and was kissing her again.

  Victoria was beginning to feel dizzy again at the way his mouth was taking hers and not letting up. In fact, she was so caught up that she hadn’t noticed that he’d walked her backward to the bed. Then he suddenly released her mouth, and before she could blink, with surefire swiftness, he pulled her blouse over her head before quickly undoing her bra. Cool air from the room’s AC unit began drifting across her skin. She was tempted to reach up and use her arms to cover her breasts from his view, but it was too late. He leaned in and latched onto a nipple, sucking in earnest.

  The moan that escaped from her lips was automatic. His mouth and tongue were now doing the same thing to her breasts that they’d been doing to her mouth earlier. It was driving her nearly over the edge. Her breasts had never been in any man’s mouth before, yet it definitely seemed that they belonged in his.

  The next thing she knew, he was tumbling her back on the bed while, at the same time, easing both her shorts and her panties down her legs, then quickly removed her sandals to complete the task.

  “Beautiful. You are beautiful, Adele.”

  Adele. The only person who’d ever called her that had been the maternal grandmother she’d been named after. But even then, it had been ‘Victoria Adele’ and not just ‘Adele’. Yet when Cort said her middle name, in his deep, husky voice, it sent pleasurable goosebumps all over her body. She looked up at him and saw the appreciation in his gaze as his eyes roamed over her naked body. She felt heat touching every spot his gaze stopped on. A part of her wanted to quickly get under the sheets to shield herself from him — or to at least cover the area between her legs with her hands since that was the place he seemed most interested in. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She was on fire, and he was her only hope for relief.

  She watched as he stepped away from the bed and quickly stripped off his own clothes. This was the first time she’d ever seen a man strip, and she was fascinated by his confident, sexual movements. And as much as she tried, she couldn’t take her eyes off what was between his legs, transfixed by its size, until he picked up his shorts to retrieve a condom packet out of his wallet. That’s when she quickly spoke up. “No.”

  He gave her a quizzical look, holding the silver condom packet in his hand. “No?”

  She nervously licked her lips, and not wanting him to get the wrong idea, she quickly said, “I prefer to use my own.”

  He frowned, likely thinking that if she didn’t trust his condoms, why should he trust hers? And it was a good question. But would he deny them both what they wanted over a disagreement about whose condom to use?

  She figured that just might be the case when he said, “And what if I told you that I prefer to use mine?”

  She chewed on her bottom lip, wondering what to say. She was so close to getting what she wanted. And she was on the pill, so did it really matter? It shouldn’t, but she hated giving up control. She couldn’t lose now. If she gave in over a condom today, what would it be tomorrow?

  They stared at each other for long moments, and a charged silence seemed to surround them. Finally, as if he knew she wasn’t going to give in, he tossed his condom aside and asked, “Where’s yours?”

  Leaning toward the nightstand to grab her purse, she unzipped one of the compartments and pulled a condom out. He took the packet she offered him, then opened it with his teeth and proceeded to sheath himself. As she watched, she couldn’t help wondering if the condom she’d given him would be big enough.

  “Does it fit?” she couldn’t help asking when he’d finished. Maybe they came in different sizes…

  His gaze shifted to her face and he smiled. “Yes, it fits.”

  And before she could say anything else, a stark naked Cort moved back toward the bed.

  Cortez couldn’t figure out what the condom deal was all about. He’d been having sex since high school, and Adele was the first girl who ever had a problem with the condom he’d been prepared to use. But right now, he was too far gone to care. A condom was a condom, and as long as it did its job, it didn’t matter if they used his or hers.

  He joined her on the bed, and she moved into his arms. It was hard to believe they’d met just that day. Already, they seemed to move as one, in both mind and body. Automatically, his mouth sought out hers, and while their tongues entangled, his hands touched her everywhere. He loved the feel of her soft skin and the sound of those little moans she was making.

  When she shifted on her back, his legs straddled hers, and he released her mouth just long enough to gaze into her eyes. For a quick second, he thought he saw something flash in their dark depths. Anxiousness? Uneasiness? Maybe even a touch of fear? He figured since she didn’t know him, she had no idea what kind of lover he was. But she had nothing to worry about. He was not the type of man who would treat a woman roughly. His parents had raised him and his brothers to respect all women, and they did.

  Reaching out, he gently stroked the side of her face. “I’m going to make sure you enjoy this as much as I do. I promise.”

  She didn’t say anything, but just nodded. Then he leaned in and kissed her as she opened herself to him. He released her mouth long enough to whisper, “Wrap your legs around me, baby.” When she did, he placed his hands on her bottom, lifting her to him. His manhood found its mark and he entered her.

  He felt the moment she tensed and drew in a sharp breath. Cortez went completely still as he glanced down at her. Her eyes were closed, and she was biting hard on her lower lip. They were body to body. Flesh to flesh. He was buried deep inside of her, but still, he knew the signs. He’d never bedded a virgin before, but he knew, without a doubt, she’d been one.

  “Adele? Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, as a range of emotions rushed through him. Concern. Anger. Gentleness. When he saw her tears, he panicked. “I hurt you. Why didn’t you tell me this was your first time?”

  She opened her eyes and met his gaze. “You didn’t hurt me, Cort. And I didn’t want you to change your mind. I wanted you.”

  He didn’t say anything, thinking about what she’d said. He had wanted her, too, and if even if he’d known she was a virgin, he doubted he would have changed his mind. But he knew for certain he would have taken better care of her. There were lubricants he would have used. He didn’t have any in his hotel room, but there was a pharmacy practically on every corner in Paris.

  He reached out and used the pad of his thumb to wipe away her tears. “Are you sure I didn’t hurt you?”

  “I’m sure.”

  “You should have told me,” he said, fighting to stay still when his entire body was urging him to move. The feel of being so deeply embedded inside of her was getting to him. It was a tight fit, and he could feel her muscles gripping him.

  As if she’d decided not to argue that point, she said, “Do you have to stop? I still want you.”

  And he still wanted her. For some reason, he wanted her even more so now. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine. Really.”

  He was glad to hear that. When he felt her muscles hold him even tighter, as if to lock him inside of her, he said, “Stop that.”

  “I can’t. Please finish what we started, Cort. I want you to make love to me.”

  A war was going on inside of him. He wanted her so damn much, yet he knew he had to be careful. Perspiration was forming near his brow as he began moving, gently at first, determined to keep
his promise and make sure she enjoyed it.

  He leaned in and captured her lips, kissing her with a passion he felt all through his body. When he heard her moan, he broke off the kiss and moved to her breasts, sliding a nipple into his mouth. He could tell her breasts were sensitive, and he enjoyed giving her pleasure. He was still moving inside her, slowly, and the sensations of her inner muscles, contracting and clamping tightly to him, drove him almost over the edge.

  “Cort…”

  He released her breasts to reclaim her mouth. Closing his eyes, he took kissing her to another level. Unable to hold back any longer, he increased the pace of his strokes.

  Suddenly, an orgasm struck and she nearly bucked off the bed. He released her mouth, needing to look at her, wanting to make sure she was experiencing more pleasure than pain.

  Seeing the look of intense satisfaction in her eyes, he kept moving, gently yet thoroughly, and when she screamed out another orgasm, waves of intense pleasure overtook him, as well.

  Cort shifted his body off of her and eased out of the bed. Never had he felt such sensual satisfaction with a woman. Going into the bathroom, he dispensed with the condom and grabbed a couple of washcloths to clean her up. After running warm water over them, he returned to the bed. Throwing back the covers, he placed the warm cloths between her legs.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, trying to close her legs. It was obvious she felt embarrassed that he would look after her in such an intimate way.

  “Taking care of you,” he said, holding tight to her thighs to keep the cloths in place. “Doing this now will make it better the next time.”

  “I’m fine, Cort.”

  He tightened his hold on her thigh. “Let me do this. Please.”

  She didn’t say anything and finally laid back and allowed his ministrations. After a while, he removed the cloths and went into the bathroom again. When he returned, he got back in bed and eased her into his arms. “You want to talk about it?”

  She shook her head. “No, not tonight,” she said, cuddling close to him. “Later. Tomorrow. I want to sleep now.”

  He didn’t say anything, just held her tight. They would talk tomorrow. He would make sure of it.

  For him, the fact that she was a virgin made tonight different, a game changer, even. He wanted to know all there was to know about her…especially why she’d chosen him to be her first? Why hadn’t she been with a man before tonight?

  “Okay, Adele, but we will talk about it. In the morning, over breakfast.” He heard her mumble a few words, then realized she had drifted off to sleep.

  At some point he fell asleep, as well.

  He slept through the night, and unhurriedly opened his eyes when the sunlight shining through the window shone on his face. It took a minute for him to come fully awake, and the first thing he noticed was that the spot beside him in the bed was empty.

  Cort figured Adele was simply using the bathroom, and fought against drifting back to sleep. But when several minutes ticked by and she didn’t return to bed, and he didn’t hear any sounds in the bathroom, he sat up in bed and glanced around. “Adele?”

  When he got no response, he eased out of bed and went to the bathroom and knocked. When he still didn’t get any response, he gradually opened the door. The room was empty. Going back to the bedroom, he looked around, his gaze immediately going to where he’d thrown her clothes across the chair, then to the nightstand, where she’d left her purse. Everything was gone.

  He moved to sit on the edge of the bed as a feeling of panic consumed him. Hopefully, she’d just gone out for breakfast and would be back. That had to be it. After looking around for a note and not finding one, he decided to get dressed. When even more time passed, and she hadn’t returned, a sinking feeling that she wouldn’t started to grow in his stomach.

  Fully dressed, he left his hotel room, intent on finding her. There wasn’t a trace of her anywhere, and some of those same emotions he’d felt when he’d discovered she’d been a virgin began to consume him again. Especially anger.

  He left the hotel and spent hours walking up and down streets, searching for any sign of her. He even went back to the café where they’d met yesterday, but she wasn’t there. The longer he looked, the angrier he became. She’d had no reason to run out on him. Adele had a lot of explaining to do when he found her. And he was determined to find her.

  He had to.

  Present day

  CORTEZ NOTICED VICTORIA THE moment she walked into the restaurant. Seeing her made him wonder…when, exactly, had he realized he had fallen in love with her? Had it been that first moment he’d seen her at that café in Paris, sitting alone? Or the moment he’d realized he was her first? Or even when he’d woken up alone in that hotel room and his panic almost suffocated him?

  After searching for her for days, he’d discovered plenty of Adele’s in Paris, but none of them had been her. He’d felt like Prince Charming, looking for his Cinderella the day after the ball. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out his Adele didn’t exist. However, he’d refused to give up the search, even when it was clear he wasn’t going to find her.

  So, no one had been more shocked than him when, two years later, he and his brothers had flown to Los Angeles to attend Alexia’s fortieth birthday party. He had met a number of Alexia’s family members over the years, but since the Bennett family was so large, there were still a few he hadn’t met.

  The minute he’d walked into the party, he’d felt something different. Quickly glancing around the room, his gaze collided with Victoria’s. He’d recognized her immediately, and knew she’d recognized him, too. Shock had been obvious on both of their faces. But when he started toward her, she’d deliberately gone in another direction, making it obvious she hadn’t wanted to have anything to do with him. And that had made him angry.

  And when Quinn and Alexis had introduced them to each other later, it was clear that she hadn’t wanted anyone to know of their previous connection. He’d gone along with it because, like her, it seemed, a part of him had wished they’d never met. He couldn’t get over how she’d used him, then left him, and now was acting as if she didn’t know him.

  He had left the party early that night and caught a flight back to Savannah the next day, claiming he had an important case to prepare for. And though Quinn and Alexia might have believed that lie, his brothers had not. Mainly because they’d already agreed to hang around L.A. for a few days after the party and take in the sights.

  At first, he’d refused to tell them the reason, but finally, he’d leveled with them. They had known about the woman he’d met in Paris, but they couldn’t believe that woman had been Victoria. Although he hadn’t met Victoria before, his brothers had met her while visiting Quinn and Alexis on other occasions. They liked Victoria, and thought she was a nice person. That wasn’t what he’d wanted to hear because she definitely hadn’t been nice to him.

  After that night at the party, their paths crossed often — more often than he appreciated. And when he’d moved from Savannah to L.A. to join Quinn’s law firm, it was a given that they’d see each other from time to time. Victoria owned a nursery and landscaping business whose clients included major corporations on the west coast. That meant she traveled to L.A. a lot. And they always seemed to find themselves in the same place at the same time. Was it awkward? Definitely. They had yet to talk about what happened between them in Paris.

  However, tonight they would discuss it, whether she wanted to or not.

  He stood when she approached the table. “Glad you could make it, Victoria.” In a way it was hard to think of her as Victoria when he’d only thought of her as Adele for so long.

  She took her seat and looked over at him. “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t, Cortez? You were right, it’s time for us to move on.”

  Was she admitting they hadn’t? That she hadn’t? It was too early to ask, but he would use the rest of the evening to feel her out. He needed to know if he still affected her the way she di
d him.

  A waiter approached the table with a water decanter. When he left, she glanced around. “Nice place. How did you know about it?”

  “I’ve been to St. Paul before. I have a friend here whom I visit on occasion,” he said.

  “Oh.”

  The waiter returned with menus, and she took a few minutes to check out the restaurant’s offerings. He hesitated a minute, studying her, instead. When she glanced up and caught him staring, he couldn’t help but ask the one question that had plagued him for years. He needed an answer, and he wanted it now. “Why did you run out on me in Paris?”

  Victoria drew in a deep breath. At least he hadn’t asked why she hadn’t given him her real name, or what she’d been doing in Paris in the first place. He was only interested in knowing why she’d disappeared when she’d promised to stay the entire weekend.

  She knew he deserved an answer. It had been simple — he’d taken what he wanted from her, and she had taken what she’d wanted from him. Only she hadn’t counted on the situation between them being so sinfully erotic. Or him to be so sensuously powerful.

  She’d never dreamed he’d rock her world the way he had, or that her need for him would hammer her senses, making her lose the control she’d kept such a tight rein on when it came to men. That night, she’d practically drowned in the taste, scent, and feel of him. There was no way she could hang around for two more nights of his lovemaking, when after just one night in his bed sexual energy had consumed her, and her common sense had flown out the window. Any more time with him would weaken her even more. She’d known Cortez was special, that he could be the one to make her reconsider her thoughts on men. After their night together, he’d been so loving and caring with her, two traits she’d never associated with the men she knew.

  But still, she often thought about that night, about the way she’d run off that morning without a trace… And she knew if the shoe had been on the other foot — and she’d awakened to find him gone — she would have been just as upset, as well.