Page 73 of Flynn
His breath caught inside his throat, and with a groan, he crushed her against him as he seized her lips in a rapacious kiss.
Chapter 16
It was their wedding day. Staring at himself in the full-length mirror, Flynn adjusted his bow tie and realized, to his amusement, that he was trembling. Nerves, he thought, dismissing the flashback to the past when one woman had thrown him over for another. This was different; it felt different, too.
Ryleigh Andrea Bogle was different, enticingly so, wonderfully seductive and beautiful, and she was also blunt and forthright. She said exactly what was on her mind.
He had finally forgiven his uncle and invited him over to meet the love of his life. The man had oozed charm, taking her hand in his eyes and wandering over Ryleigh’s exquisite face.
Flynn had felt the familiar insecurity tearing through his gut, but it had been for nothing. She had simply regarded him with that amused look of hers and pulled her hand away.
Later that night, she confessed that he reminded her of an oily salesman and an insincere one. “Your ex must have been a colossal idiot. Oh well, her loss, my gain.”
“I am not a damn prize.” he had growled, wholly disarmed by her words.
“Are you not?” She had climbed on top of him and claimed her prize.
He stood in front of the mirror, fiddling with his tie. He was getting married, and this time, the woman was for real. He knew she would never step out on him and that she would love him until they were no longer on this earth.
A sudden movement in the doorway made him turn around.
“Your mother said I should come and fetch you.” Lionel still regarded him with some caution as if expecting him to clout him one. But Flynn felt generous and forgiving. He could afford to be; he was marrying the woman who meant the world to him.
“I am ready,” he told him briefly. Picking up the carnation, he tucked it through his lapel and rechecked his hair before heading for the door.
“Can we talk for a minute?”
Hiding his impatience, Flynn spared the older man a glance. Jerking his head, he gave his attention. “You have five minutes.”
“I only need three.” Shoving his hands into the pockets of his well-tailored ash-gray dress pants. He had been invited to the ceremony but was not part of the wedding party. Flynn’s forgiveness has extended to so far and is no longer.
“I screwed up.”
“Yes.”
Rocking back on his heels, Lionel eyed his nephew warily. He had been welcomed back into the fold, but a coolness between him and the younger man was apparent.
“I wanted to prove something to myself. I was selfish and stupid. You made a fortune single-handedly and had women eating out of your hands. I was offered a position in the company because of nepotism-”
“If you believe that, you do not know me.” The coolness in Flynn’s voice had turned icy.
“I always wondered if you felt sorry for me-”
“Why the hell would I do that? I run a business and did not get where I am by doling out jobs because I feel sorry for an individual. I hired you because you have so-called charms and a certain way with people. You had been doing very well before you made a mess of things.”
“And now I am back. Where am I going to be placed? Or is this a trial basis? If you are afraid, I am going to repeat history-”
His nephew’s genuine laughter had him stopping.
“You are not Ryleigh’s type or ever will be. She loves me completely, and I have learned to believe that.” Flicking a dismissive look at his uncle, he turned towards the door. “My bride awaits.”
*****
The manor had been the chosen venue for the ceremony. Landscapers had worked feverishly to bring the already immaculate landscape, the rolling grounds, to one of a fairytale ambiance.
Julia had been given carte blanche and took her role seriously by hiring the best. It was mid-June, a perfect time for a wedding, with the weather not too hot.
A pleasant chill in the air allowed the more than one hundred guests to remain comfortably seated on the lush green lawn to the east of the manor. A dais was erected, and a live band was playing something jazzy.