Sister Of The Groom: A BBW Billionaire Sweet & Steamy Romance (Once Upon A Wedding Book 2) Read online

  Sister of the groom

  Kara Kross

  Copyright © 2019 by Kara Kross

  All Rights Reserved

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  No part of this book can be reproduced, redistributed, or used for any commercial purposes, in any form or by any electronic or manual means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written specific written permission from the author.

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  Chapter 1

  Mary-Lou

  As I looked at the sea of traffic before me, I realized I had made an error in judgment. It was definitely a bad idea to book a flight this close to the wedding. What was I thinking?

  “Is there a short cut or something?” I asked the uber driver.

  He half snickered half laughed before answering. “Afraid not. Nothing we can do but sit in traffic and hope it doesn’t get any worse.”

  I grabbed the bottle of water he’d offered me when I entered the car and drank about a quarter of it. If I missed Simon’s wedding he would kill me.

  I looked at the time flashing on my phone screen and sighed. I was stuck. There was nothing I could do. My job taught me there were two types of situations, or better yet two types of reactions. Either I could be patient or I could be proactive. As I sat there and looked at the other cars around me I knew that patience was my only option. It was too far to get out and run the rest of the way. Not that me running would be any fast than sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. Being proactive would only result in me arriving to my brother’s wedding a sweaty, red-in-the-face mess. Close to the point of collapse, no earlier than my current estimated time of arrival, and probably on the brink of throwing up the borderline disgusting airline meal I’d eaten only a few hours earlier.

  Still, the patient approach didn’t feel good. I opened the route on Google Maps and watched the little blue dot that was me make its way through the angry red line which was every man and his dog getting in the way.

  I looked at the map, then the clock, then I asked the driver if there wasn’t a better way. Over and over again until even I found myself unbearable.

  Eventually, we hit clear road and started driving at a speed less associated with snails. Another hour passed and finally, we were driving through the gates and making our way down the long winding entrance path to the venue itself. Charlotte had chosen a beautiful hotel with breathtaking views of the ocean. Huge sprawling grounds with perfectly manicured flower gardens and ornamental ponds led to cliffs overlooking the water. Well-to-do women in expensive hats were wandering about with handsome men on their arms. Little children dressed up like grown-ups were running about the place having fun.

  My driver pulled up outside the entrance and I said thank you and I said I was sorry about being a pain in the ass and I gave him a twenty-dollar tip for his troubles. He looked genuinely pleased, but I wasn’t sure if that was because of the money or because he was finally getting rid of me. I didn’t have very high hopes in regards to receiving a good review from him, but I had bigger things on my mind. The wedding was set to start in a little less than twenty minutes and I was still dressed for the jungle and smelling like a college football locker room.

  Luckily, as one of the bridesmaids, my dress was already there and I had access to a hotel room to freshen up.

  I ran up the stairs leading to the foyer and headed straight to reception. “I’m here for the Lindsay wedding,” I said to the pretty young girl working behind the counter. She greeted me with a smile and asked for my name. She knew I was in a rush so she got a porter to show me to the room where the bridesmaids were getting ready. We raced through a maze of corridors, elevators, and stairwells until arriving at a nice, but unassuming door, behind which was a scene of controlled pandemonium the likes of which I’d never seen.

  “You made it!” Charlotte said as I burst through the door. Her green eyes alight with joy and her arms reaching out to give me a hug. I fell into her embrace, careful not to squeeze her bulging belly too hard or mess up her makeup and hair. She was glowing in that way only a pregnant woman can.

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I said, giving her belly a gentle rub. “How late am I?”

  “Well, they can’t start without me,” she said, “go on and get changed while I find something sweet and delicious to eat.”

  I smiled at her and gave her another big hug, hoping my brother knew how lucky he was. I really was happy to see her and all the stress I’d felt just minutes before had been washed away. I remembered there were other people in the room, gave everyone a quick greeting and made my way to the bathroom to jump in the shower and slip into my dress.

  I was hardly ever body-conscious but I couldn’t help looking at myself in the mirror and feeling anxious. The dress was a beautiful aquamarine color. Simple and elegant and totally gorgeous, but not the most flattering cut for a woman of my size and shape. I was far more used to jeans and a t-shirt and a pair of hiking boots. I tried telling myself it was just because I wasn’t used to wearing this kind of thing, but I’d just seen all the other bridesmaids and I didn’t like the idea of standing next to them during the ceremony.

  Put me in the middle of a warzone with my camera in my hand and I felt at home, as weird as that might sound. But put me in a dress and tell me over a hundred people would be looking at me and all of a sudden I was a bundle of nerves.

  “You ready Mary-Lou?”

  I opened the door, not wanting to delay Charlotte anymore, and stepped into the room. Everyone smiled at me and told me how good I looked. The little voice in the back of my head told me they were just being nice. Compared to them I looked l looked like an elephant pretending to be a peacock.

  The wedding was beautiful. The Gazebo overlooked the ocean, almost at the edge of the cliff and the weather was calm. I knew Simon was not much of an outdoorsman but he loved Charlotte enough to give in to whatever she’d wanted. A lot of people thought she was out of his league, for most men she would easily be a ten. She was tall, blonde, fit and shapely. I tried not to focus on the fact she was skinny, but she was. Simon was very dorky and she was nothing like that by all appearances, but she was a scientist too. The couple met in college and had been practically inseparable ever since. Now they were starting a family and I was as happy as a clam about it. My big brother was going to be a father.

  Throughout the ceremony, my eyes kept drifting to the best man. Aaron Meade had grown up into a man that showed no trace of the nerdy teenager he once was. Our eyes met for a second and I looked away quickly as I felt my cheeks get warm. I focused on standing still and not embarrassing myself.

  At the wedding reception, I was forced to converse with my parents for a while, but they kept trying to find out about my dating life so I made an excuse and escaped to go find my table. Strangely I was not seated with my parents and I smiled as I realized that Simon was looking out for me. Just like he’d been doing all my life.

  Taking a seat, I was offered champagne from a passing waiter. I downed one glass and took another two and I told him to keep them coming. He smiled back at me and said, “certainly, madame,” in a conspira
torial kind of way. “It’s important to stay hydrated in this kind of weather.”

  I decided I liked that waiter, and I was just starting on the second glass when I felt a hand on my shoulder, turned around and almost spat it straight back out again.

  “Mary-Lou Lindsay,” said the deep, velvety voice of Aaron Meade, “you look beautiful.”

  I looked into his deep blue eyes, which I knew so well, but were now somehow so different from the last time I’d seen them, and tried my hardest to ignore my racing heartbeat and the burning feeling in my cheeks.

  “Don’t clean up too bad yourself,” I said.

  “Looks like we’re sitting next to each other,” he said, pulling out his chair, sitting down and taking one of the champagne glasses on the table in front of me for himself.

  I had seen his smile as he stood across from me during the wedding ceremony. He was my brother’s best friend and for today, his best man. Up close his smile was magnetic. Sexy. It was doing things to me I hadn’t expected. Turning me into a schoolgirl all over again.

  “So, where’ve you flown in from this time?” he asked.

  My favorite waiter passed by and I got another glass of the good stuff to calm the nerves that were building up inside me.

  “I just got back from Venezuela,” I said. “Before that was Mexico, before that I was in Iran, Syria, Yemen. Covering wars and conflicts, drug cartels, human slavery. You name it. Something terrible’s going on and I’m there with my camera taking pictures of it.”

  “I always knew you’d lead an extraordinary life,” he said, smiling at me again with those pearly whites and his rugged, masculine jawline which made me weak in the knees even though I was sitting down.

  “You did?” I stuttered.

  “Of course,” he said, suddenly serious. Then, before I knew what was happening he was standing up, offering me his hand, and asking me to dance with him.

  Aaron was no longer the geeky kid I knew from childhood. As I stood up and allowed him to lead me to the dancefloor, I couldn’t help but notice how tall he was. Surprised I’d forgotten this.

  “How tall are you?” I asked, not realizing I said it out loud until I saw a smile spread across his chiseled face, his lips pink and kissable.

  “Six feet three inches. Anything else you want to know?”

  He was teasing me.

  The song was a bit upbeat when we started on our way to the dancefloor, but as soon as we got there it changed to something slow. He reached for my hand and as I slipped it into his and took a step closer to him, placing my other hand on his shoulder, I felt his muscles flex and there was a flutter in my chest.

  “We’ve never danced together before, have we?” he asked as we started moving slowly to the music.

  I shook my head because I didn’t trust my voice. He was having an effect on me I hadn’t experienced before. It was easy to think it was because I’d been without a man for some while, almost a whole year. But the feeling I had was indescribable.

  “I think the last time I touched you was when you fell from my skateboard.”

  “Maybe,” I croaked. Remembering how kind and gentle he’d been with me, even then. Taking me into his house and cleaning my cuts and scrapes before carefully bandaging my injured knee.

  “You feel nice in my arms.”

  I swallowed. We definitely never touched like that before. The hand on my back started to move gently, it stilled right above my ass and I wanted it to go lower.

  “Your touch feels nice too,” I said.

  Aaron’s smile turned into a grin and he pulled me closer to him. I almost missed a step, I was so distracted. It was like we were the only two people on the dancefloor. His touch felt like a drug and I assumed the drinks I had earlier were no help.

  “I’ve always had a crush on you. Ever since we were children.”

  I had no idea how to respond to that.

  “Of course, Simon would have killed me.”

  That made me chuckle. My brother couldn’t hurt a fly even if he tried.

  “Luckily, we are no longer children and we can do what we want, right?”

  Aaron stopped and I heard the song change. He looked deep into my eyes and then his lips touched mine. They were as soft as I’d imagined and even more delicious. I was about to open my mouth to allow him access when his phone rang. It was then I remembered we were in the middle of the dancefloor. Surrounded by family and friends.

  He gave me an apologetic look as he pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’m sorry,” he said, “it’s work and they wouldn’t be calling today unless it’s an emergency.”

  “I understand. Go, take it. We’ll catch up again later.”

  Aaron took my hand and looked me in the eyes and said, “I’d like that very much.”

  Then he was gone and I was standing by myself. I caught a look from my mother which I really didn’t like and then I caught a look from the server with the champagne. He pointed at his tray of drinks and tilted his head in a way that asked if I wanted one. I put my hands together in mock prayer and headed his way. Still not quite sure what had just happened. The feeling of his lips on mine still present in my mind like a good dream.

  Chapter 2

  Aaron

  Every time something good happens to me it always has to get ruined. I was upset about the call but I had to take it because getting a call from my second in command meant it was important. The emergency was greater than I’d expected and even though it was the last thing I wanted to be doing, I had to make my way to the airport and get on a plane to go take care of it personally.

  I spent the entire trip to the corporate office thinking about Mary-Lou and all the other women that had passed through my life.

  When I turned eleven, I discovered that I liked girls. More specifically, I liked Mary-Lou. Of course, I didn’t act on it. At first, I was scared she would reject me and then I decided my friendship with Simon was too important. But maybe I was just making excuses. We spent quite a lot of time together, but always just as friends and when I went away to college we lost touch. There weren’t many reasons for me to call her. I was Simon’s friend, and although we’d always gotten on well, calling her out the blue would have seemed weird. Not to mention a serious breach of friendship with Simon.

  I thought I’d gotten over my little crush. I’d had my fair share of women and I was completely unprepared for the feelings that came flooding back the moment I saw her again. There was no stopping it. When I saw her standing across from me at the wedding I was completely floored. I didn’t even focus on the ceremony, just her. Searching for something to distract me, Simon being distracted already by the excitement of his wedding, I went in search of my table and there she was. As beautiful and radiant as ever.

  I had never felt anything like this before, not for anyone else anyway. All the women I had been with, all the relationships I had attempted, none of them had worked out. There was always something missing. Either that or all they cared about was my money.

  Simon and Charlotte were in love, I could tell from the way they spoke about each other when the other wasn’t in the room and the steps they had taken to express their love. Some people may have thought they were getting married because there was a baby on the way, but that was just an excuse to get married sooner rather than later.

  It is great being a billionaire, but money can’t buy you happiness or love or stop me from struggling to make a deep, meaningful personal connection with a woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. Someone to share my successes and my failures. Someone who inspires me to be a better person. Someone I’d be happy to lay down my life for. To start a family with. Make little people who we could love together and guide through life. Create a legacy that is based on more than just money. Because all my money in the world was worthless without someone to share it with. Without love.

  Maybe I was getting ahead of himself. We’d drifted so far apart. Led such different lives. I wasn’t even sure what had happened at the
wedding. It was all one big crazy blur. Ever present in my mind, but more like I was watching someone else’s memories rather than my own. We didn’t even know each other anymore.

  She was a busy and successful woman who tackled hardcore issues and took pictures I was in awe to look at. She was nothing like the women I usually dated; models, actresses, and heiresses.

  Was it just a drunken slip of the mind... of the lips? Or was it something more?

  I shook my head and tried to focus on the ever-increasing list of things to do in front of me. There was a lot to catch up on and since I was already at the office dealing with the emergency, I decided it was the perfect time to knuckle down and be productive.

  But no matter how much I worked, there was still a voice in the back of my head telling me to call Mary-Lou. After much debate, I decided I’d go for it. I was a billionaire, for God’s sake. A legitimate eligible bachelor with five percent body fat, a six-pack, and a big, fat cock hungry for the only woman I now realized I’d ever loved. Besides, we weren’t children anymore, and for once in my life, I actually had a good reason to phone her.

  I picked up the phone from my desk and dialed her number. I didn’t have it yesterday, but after seeing her again and having all those feelings stirred up, I’d made a series of phone calls and found a way to get it.

  “Hello?” she answered, her voice soft and gentle like she was lying in bed.

  “Hi, Mary-Lou,” I said. Trying to get the mental image of her naked and laying in a pile of sheets and pillows from my head.

  I heard her gasp and then there was some banging sounds and the sound of things clattering to the floor. I imagined her all flustered and cute and being clumsy and it brought a big smile to my face knowing I could have that kind of effect on her.

  “Hi, Aaron.”