“You’ll pay for this one, Sunshine,” he whispered to himself with a small smile as he pulled open the door.
Sam had waited forever for Maddie, but suddenly, he just couldn’t wait any longer. He was being given a second chance, and this time he wasn’t letting her go, because nobody else in the world needed her as much as he did. And nobody would treasure her as much as he would.
His resolve and his cock hard as steel, he smiled broadly as he greeted Simon and Kara.
Chapter 6
Maddie cried at the wedding. She couldn’t help herself. It wasn’t possible to watch Simon and Kara exchange vows without tears of joy cascading from her eyes, her happiness for her friend nearly painful. As the couple faced each other, Maddie watched Simon’s face, Kara’s back to her as she recited her vows to her almost-husband. Every emotion was raw and unguarded on Simon’s face as he repeated his vows gruffly, but with tender emotion.
She and Sam were the only attendants, the small audience made up of friends and family. The weather had cooperated so everything had been set up outdoors, and the decorations were exquisite. Kara had opted for a small ceremony, although there was a lavish reception planned for after the wedding when hundreds of people would gather in Sam’s elegant home to give their best wishes to the happy couple.
Kara looked like a princess in her ivory Victorian gown of silk and the finest lace. The style suited Kara, who was tall and svelte; the gown was fitted until it reached her hips and then flared in a bell to the floor.
Maddie adored her own emerald green, tea-length dress with its off-the-shoulder, short bell-sleeves and plunging neckline, a daring bodice that had made her shudder when she’d first seen it. But after she had tried it on, she’d fallen in love with the fitted waist and billowy skirt that hit her below the knee. The outfit was accented with a black silky tie belt that floated behind her in shimmering waves. The ensemble was finished with black, strappy heels, and Maddie knew she looked as good as she could manage when standing next to a tall and stunning woman like Kara.
Maddie looked across the happy couple at Sam, who was absolutely breathtaking. Simon was in an identical black tux, but Simon was wearing a bow tie. Sam was wearing a thin black tie with tiny stripes of emerald green that matched her dress...and his gorgeous eyes. Everything about him looked urbane and sophisticated, right down to his stance and expression, a man obviously completely comfortable in his surroundings and attire.
Forcing herself to tear her eyes away from Sam, Maddie returned her gaze to Simon, watching him pledge himself to Kara.
When the minister reached the part of the ceremony where he asked if anyone had any objections, Simon scowled.
Turning his head briefly toward the man of the cloth, Simon informed the minister irritably, “She’s mine. Move on.”
Maddie bit her lip to keep from giggling. Simon Hudson was far from subtle about his possessiveness of Kara. Her eyes met Sam’s and her heart skittered. She could tell he was stifling a grin and his eyes were dancing with amusement. Their eyes locked and held, sharing a brief moment of silent communication, of shared mirth.
Finally, as she wrenched her gaze from Sam, she felt a cold shiver run down her spine, the sense of another set of eyes on her. She was at a wedding with at least fifty guests. People were watching. But she turned her head and her eyes clashed with a man in the first row, a dangerous-looking man in an expensive suit staring directly at her, his eyes never leaving her face. The man was handsome in a rugged, intense sort of way, with auburn hair and laser-sharp eyes, eyes that bored into her with a look of intense concentration. Unable to look away, compelled to keep her eyes on him, Maddie was startled when his lips suddenly broke into a grin and he winked, actually winked…at her. Really, there was something so magnetic about him that she couldn’t help smiling back.
Turning her attention back to Simon and Kara, she watched through eyes blurred with tears as the minister pronounced them man and wife. Simon kissed his bride…and kissed his bride again…and finally stopped when Sam slapped him on the back in congratulations, but Maddie knew it was really to keep Simon from devouring his new wife in front of the guests. Kara’s eyes were sparkling with tears as she hugged Maddie and took back her bouquet. Sam offered his arm and Maddie clenched it, following the newly-married couple down the aisle.
“I saw Max fucking you with his eyes. Don’t even think about it,” Sam rumbled under his breath, smiling broadly for the crowd while he said it.
“Who’s Max?” she asked, confused, as she took his escort behind Kara and Simon.
“Maxwell Hamilton. The bastard who was checking you out in the front row. He couldn’t take his eyes off you. Not that I blame him. But he better stay the fuck away from you or I’ll kill him,” Sam growled as they reached the end of the aisle. He wrapped a possessive arm around her waist, pulling her into his body.