ungrateful his brother was, and always had been. Before he knew it, Rick stood sweating in front of a bunch of people he didn’t know, waiting to marry a woman he didn’t know.
All of Jade’s hooker friends and their dates, who might be johns or pimps for all he knew, gathered around. The minister, looking like he’d be more comfortable at a Grateful Dead concert than a wedding, began his soliloquy about love and marriage, devotion and commitment. Who was it that likened love to a grave mental disorder? Plato . His mind wandered when he should have been paying close attention to what he was agreeing to.
His gaze glanced to his arm when Jade butted up against him, quite by accident, he guessed. Her warmth seared his skin through the tux, branding him with a sizzle of desire. He pulled at the collar of his shirt with his index finger and regretted not having a pre-wedding drink. Or three.
“Rick,” his brother whispered.
Jade elbowed him.
“What? Oh. I will.” I will live to regret this . “I do.” I do feel like throwing up .
The baby fussed and both he and Jade turned toward the soft cries. Jade took a step back and held out her hands. Candy passed Coral to her. She calmed right down in her mother’s arms.
“Go on,” she said to the minister.
“Jade Li, do you take Richard Jette to be—”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Do you think you could use my real name?”
The minister sputtered, paused, and waited.
“Jillian.” Rick cleared his throat. “Horowitz.”
She glared at him.
“What? It was on the pre-nup,” he whispered.
She rolled her eyes and swayed the baby in her arms. The minister droned on. Rick stopped listening again. Coral reached for a corkscrew curl trailing down her mother’s cheek. Her little hand missed the target, making him smile in spite of his grave concerns.
He was vaguely aware Jade said something akin to I do . The words sounded sweet and lyrical, like a lovely lie should. He reached over and let the baby wrap her tiny fingers around his big finger and Coral grinned, or passed gas. He wanted to believe she smiled at him. More likely she laughed at him for being such a patsy.
Jade glanced sideways at him, her lashes closing slowly over her eyes. His throat went bone dry and his cock thickened. Somehow, despite his fumbling, they managed to exchange thin gold bands, which symbolized something important. The minister had said so. He couldn’t recall what, exactly. He did distinctly hear the man give him permission from God to kiss his bride.
She leaned in and turned slightly, as if he should kiss her cheek. Fuck that . Baby between them or not, he cupped his palm around the back of her elegant neck. With lips already parted, he tilted his head right and covered her mouth with his. She didn’t fight his hold on her, or his lips pressing against hers. If anything, she rode the wave of their kiss like a champ. She’d probably slap him later, which made his dick twitch.
He shifted his head to the left, deepening the kiss. She went along with him like they’d choreographed the scene. Everyone clapped and whistled. His tongue dipped into her mouth and she danced the tongue tango right along with him. No bungling. No hesitation. No regret.
Best wedding he’d ever been to.
They broke apart as the clapping died down. She took her thumb and wiped the lipstick from his lower lip, sending a jolt of electricity down the length of his spine. She wasn’t smiling, except in her eyes. Since he sensed he had her charmed for a split second, he placed a kiss on Coral’s forehead, leaving a small trace of Jade’s red lipstick. She followed suit. Everyone clapped except his mother.
Chapter Five
“You never told me your brother-in-law had such mad kissing skills,” Jade muttered to Candy.
“I’m sure I didn’t know.” She giggled. “But Bob does, too.”
Ew . She liked Bob. He was sexy in a courtroom when he went in for the kill, barracuda-style. To