Holiday Games

Chapter Eight

“I can’t believe Jenna and Ty are getting married tomorrow,” Liz said. “It seems a little surreal to me that it’s here already.”

Gavin turned the car off and pocketed the keys, then turned to her. “Do you remember when we got married? How fast the time crept up on us?”

Liz shot him a sexy smile. God, he looked good tonight dressed in a suit. At the church earlier when they’d rehearsed for the wedding they were coupled up. Walking down the aisle with him reminded her of their wedding, which hadn’t been so long ago. She still remembered each moment of it so vividly, of how nervous she had felt walking down the aisle, and how calm she became as soon as she’d seen Gavin’s face at the end of the aisle.

He’d looked gorgeous in his tux, so tall and sexy. Just like tonight in his suit. She wanted to crawl all over him in the car, but she suppressed the urge since they were due inside the restaurant for dinner. And besides, the valet was standing right there to collect the keys from Gavin, so that might be slightly inappropriate. “Yes. It was a whirlwind. But I still remember every moment of it.”

He crooked a grin at her. “Me, too. Especially our wedding night.”

She laughed and pulled her coat tighter against the cold wind. Gavin came around and opened the door and they hurried inside.

It was beautiful inside the Hyatt. With Tara’s help, Jenna and Ty had chosen a perfect location not only for their wedding reception, but also for the rehearsal dinner. They checked their coats and found Gavin’s dad at the coat check.

“Your mom is already inside with Tara and Mick,” Jimmy said.

“I think we’re going to need to feed Jenna oxygen,” Tara said, pulling Liz away from Gavin.

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“No particular reason. And for every reason.”

“Ah.” Liz nodded. “Pre-wedding jitters.”

“Exactly.”

They found Jenna talking to the catering manager. “This is not the food I ordered.”

Clyde looked confused. He opened a binder. “Ma’am, if you’d like to go over the forms you filled out, I can assure you it is.”

“It can’t be. I hate salmon. Who would order salmon?”

“Clyde. Let’s go over a few things,” Tara said, motioning him away from a near frantic Jenna, who then turned to Liz.

“The food isn’t right. Look at this.”

Liz blinked as Jenna fanned the paper in front of her.

Liz took the menu. “Jenna. Calm down. Tara will take care of everything. Remember, this is what she does for a living.”

Jenna fell into a chair. “I’m not going to make it until tomorrow. Mick had a game on Thursday, so he just got back in the nick of time. Cole has a bye this weekend. Ty at least has a couple of days off, as do his two friends and teammates, who are ushers. And Gavin is off season. Do you have any idea what it was like trying to plan my wedding around the schedules of athletes in three sports, one that’s off season, and two that are in season?”

“Actually, yes, I do.”

“Oh, of course you do. Anyway, a fucking nightmare. And Christmas is next week. What the hell was I thinking getting married the week before Christmas? No one has time for this shit. No one’s going to show up. I just know it.”

Yeah, Jenna was on the first-class express to meltdown city. Direct flight, no stopovers.

Liz signaled for a waiter. “Bring me a shot of tequila. And make it a double.”

The waiter nodded and Jenna lifted her head. “Oh, no. I’m not drinking tonight. I’m going to be calm and rational and not drunk and crazy.”

“Okay.” Liz leveled a direct look at her.

“I’m already crazy, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re stressed and nervous. It’s normal. I was a spewing volcano the night before Gavin and I got married.”

Jenna’s lips curved. “I remember that. You suddenly decided the venue couldn’t possibly be big enough for all the people who were invited, and we needed to move it somewhere else.”

Liz laughed. “Yes. So trust me, I was a much bigger basket case than you could ever hope to be. This is just pre-wedding nervousness that all brides have. Tara calmed me down the day before mine, so now I’m going to do the same for you and tell you that your wedding is going to be perfect.”

“We should have eloped. Or just had family at Riley’s bar.”

“You are not having your wedding at Riley’s. You are not working the bar on your wedding day.” When the waiter came back, Liz handed Jenna the shot glass. “But you are going to take the edge off by taking a shot of tequila.”

Jenna sighed. “You’re right. I need this.” Jenna downed the shot, grimaced, then blew out a breath. “Whew. That’s better.”

“Good. Now let’s join the family, where you’re going to be calm and happy and enjoy the night before your wedding.”

“You’re so bossy.”

“I know. That’s why you love me.”

They joined the family in the private room that had been set up for them.

Jenna squeezed her arm. “You’re right. This is lovely. And I’m not even going to think about tomorrow, because I know it’s going to be perfect.”

“Of course it’s going to be perfect. Tara is in charge of event planning, and you know she’s a genius.”

“Did I hear my name?”

Tara moved in between them and Jenna hugged her.

“Sorry for the craziness earlier,” Jenna said.

“You’re entitled. We’ve been there and we know all about the stress. But trust me, everything is exactly as you wanted it for tomorrow. And for tonight.”

“I know it is, and I haven’t even thanked you for taking the time to arrange it all.”

Tara smiled. “It’s what I do.”

“And you do it beautifully.” Jenna gave Tara a tight squeeze and Liz sighed in relief.

Meltdown over.

The dinner was perfect, just as Liz knew it would be. And then the speeches started.

Ty’s friend Eddie Wolkowski gave a great speech about love and hockey, friendship and relationships that made absolutely no sense at all but still brought everyone to their feet because Eddie was just that kind of guy you couldn’t help but adore.

As matron of honor, Tara talked about friendship between two people who were there for each other. She talked about watching Ty and Jenna fall in love, and how she couldn’t imagine any two people who were more perfectly matched. It was a beautiful speech and she wished them well.

Ty’s parents were there, so Ty’s father, Sean, gave a short speech about how proud he was of his son and how he welcomed Jenna into the family. Ty’s mother, Louise, also said she didn’t think there’d ever be a woman good enough for her son, until she’d met Jenna. And that she wasn’t losing her son, she was gaining the daughter she’d always wanted and she looked forward to the two of them visiting Chicago, hopefully soon. It was sweet and emotional and everyone clapped.

Jenna’s dad was the last to toast by saying there was always room for another guy in the Riley family, and Ty had settled in just fine. He said he hadn’t known about Jenna’s dreams, but Ty had and he’d helped her achieve them. And then he’d gone on to say that he couldn’t think of anyone who was better equipped to take care of his little girl than Tyler. He wished the two of them well, and said he knew his daughter was going to live her happily ever after with Ty.

Liz blinked back tears and Gavin squeezed her hand.

“Emotional, huh?”

Liz nodded and dabbed the corners of her eyes with her napkin. “Seems to be a lot of emotion where weddings are concerned. Especially this one. I’m so happy for Ty and Jenna and I can’t wait for the wedding tomorrow.”

“And here I thought you were so tough.”

She laughed. “Yeah, well, don’t tell anyone. It could affect my business.”

After dinner, no one lingered. They’d be back here tomorrow night for the reception anyway, and tomorrow was going to be a big day.

Liz and Gavin headed home. She slipped off her heels, hung her dress in the closet, and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

“I’m shocked you didn’t try to seduce me in the hotel,” Gavin said as he came in to brush his teeth.

She smiled as she combed her hair. “I’m saving that one for tomorrow night when there are more people. Everyone will be relaxed, drinking, and not paying attention to us. Tonight, though, we’re going to have to do it in the bed like a normal, boring married couple.”

She walked out of the bathroom.

He followed, turning off the light. “How unfortunate.”

She slipped under the covers. It was cold tonight, and snow was expected for tomorrow. “I hope it doesn’t snow for Jenna and Ty’s wedding. That could be a big mess.”

He shrugged, crawled under the covers, and pulled her next to him. “It’s a Saturday night, so it shouldn’t be too bad traffic-wise.”

“Unless we get a lot of snow.”

He pulled her on top of him, his body already warming hers. “Quit worrying about the wedding. It’s going to be fine.”

“You’re so sure about that.”

“Positive.”

Thoughts about the wedding fled as soon as Gavin put his hands on her ass. “Mmm, I like that.”

“Which part? Your gorgeous breasts rubbing against my chest, or my hands on your ass?”

“Yes to both.” She kissed him, and then he was the only thought in her head as his tongue slid over hers, expertly obliterating any thought but that of his cock hardening between her legs.

She rose up and rubbed a nipple between his lips. He grasped her breast and flicked the bud with his tongue, making her gasp. He knew what she wanted, that she needed him to take her nipple and suck, but still, he teased her by licking the areola and laying his tongue against it.

“Gavin.”

He lifted his gaze to hers. “Yeah, babe.”

“You know what I want.”

He plumped her breast with his hand. “Not psychic here. You’re going to have to tell me.”

Such an obstinate man. “Suck my nipple into your mouth.”

He brought her forward and took her nipple into his mouth, drawing it in deep.

“Yes, that’s what I needed.” She held on to his head while he sucked the bud, flattening it in between the roof of his mouth and his tongue. Her nipples were sensitive and the sensation shot straight to her core, making her swell with need for his cock.

She pulled her nipple out of his mouth, watched him stare at it.

“I wasn’t finished with that.”

She let out a low laugh. “You can come back to it. In the meantime, there’s something I want to do.”

She eased down his chest, stopping to lick and suck at his nipples, rewarded when he emitted a groan. She kissed her way down his abs, snaking her body over his, stopping to nip at his hip bone.

“I like where you’re going,” he said, tangling his fingers in her hair as she nuzzled the hairs on his lower belly.

She loved the way he smelled, so crisp and clean, and yet a musky scent that never failed to turn her on. His cock was hard and pointing toward his stomach. She wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft and stroked upward, slow and easy, then got up on her knees so she could put her lips around the crest.

“Elizabeth.”

Hearing him say her full name in a deep whisper like that made her skin tingle. It spoke of need and desire, his voice on the edge of control.

Just where she wanted him as she swirled her tongue around the head of his cock and eased his shaft into her mouth. At this angle, with her above his cock, he could see it disappearing into her mouth inch by inch, could feel what he saw.

His hold on her hair tightened and he arched his hips, sliding his cock along her tongue. She closed her mouth around him and gave him pressure, hearing him groan as his cockhead hit the back of her throat. Giving Gavin this pleasure made her nipples tighten, her clit and pussy tingling with the need to have him pumping inside her just as he pumped his cock in her mouth.

And when he pulled out and dragged her up, kissing her until she was delirious, she knew he wanted the same thing.

He shifted her onto her back and slid inside her with one hard thrust. She moaned against his lips and arched into him, pulling him deeper inside her.

He rose up and looked at her. “I love the feel of you when I’m inside you, the way your pussy grips me and sucks me in.”

The way he looked at her, his features tight with strain as he moved within her, never failed to make every nerve ending in her body come alive. She reached up and swept her hand across his face, rubbing her thumb along his bottom lip. He nipped at her thumb and she wrapped her hand around the nape of his neck to draw him down for a kiss. Kissing him while he made love to her was like dual pleasure, his tongue sliding along hers as his cock thrust within her, making her senseless as she climbed each peak toward the very pinnacle.

And when he ground his hips against her, brushing her clit again and again, she broke, crying out and raking her nails down his arms as she came. Gavin let go, then, shuddering as he climaxed, his body lifting over hers as he emptied into her.

He dropped down on top of her and pressed kisses to her cheek and neck.

“You’re killing me, Liz,” he said.

She stroked his back and arms, smoothing the spots where she’d dug her nails into him. “I hope not. I need you around for at least a few more years.”

He laughed and rolled to his side, pulling her against him. “All this sex. I’m not sure I’m up for it.”

“Oh, you’re up for it. I know your stamina level.”

“Good thing you feed me vitamins.”

She snuggled closer. “Good thing, huh?”