CHAPTER FOURTEEN

      ‘DO YOU THINK I’m doing the right thing?’

      Jess almost shook her head at the bride in exasperation. After all, why ask her? She knew next to nothing of Catherine’s relationship with Andy. It was also rather late to have second thoughts with the bridal party about to make its way over to the rose garden where the groom would be impatiently waiting. They were already twenty minutes behind schedule. At the same time, Jess did feel some sympathy for the girl. Her mother was not the most reassuring of mothers—the woman had spent the last two hours in tears—and marriage was a big step, especially in this day and age when divorce was rife and the ‘for ever’ kind of love seemed like a pipe dream. But, as they said in the classics, better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all!

      ‘Do you love Andy, Catherine?’ Jess asked quickly.

      ‘Yes, of course.’

      ‘There is no of course about it. Lots of girls marry for reasons other than love.’

      ‘Not me.’

      ‘Nor me. And does Andy love you?’

      ‘Yes, I’m sure he does.’

      A sudden thought crossed Jess’s mind. ‘You’re not pregnant, are you?’

      ‘Lord, no. No. But we do plan on having children.’

      ‘Sounds like you don’t have any reason for last-minute doubts, Catherine. Now, come on, girl, we’re already running late. Though, before you go, let me say you look absolutely gorgeous!’ Which was true. Her dress was a bit OTT in Jess’s opinion, but it suited Catherine’s feminine blonde beauty.

      ‘Oh.’ The bride fairly beamed. ‘You look gorgeous as well. And you too, Leanne.’

      Leanne preened whilst Jess just smiled. Yes, they did all look very nice.

      ‘Aren’t you girls ready yet?’ Catherine’s father snarled at them.

      Jess had disliked the man within seconds of having met him. He was one of those larger than life men who was absolutely full of himself. Jess decided with sudden insight that his bombast could explain why Catherine’s mother was a nervous wreck and why perhaps Catherine was afraid of marriage. If Andy had been anything like her father in character—which fortunately he didn’t seem to be—then she would have every right to be hesitant.

      Jess decided to put him on the spot. ‘Don’t you think your daughter looks absolutely divine?’

      ‘What? Oh, yes, yes. Very nice. Now, let’s go.’

      Jess and Leanne exchanged rolling eyes which told it all. Jess decided if her father ever said she just looked nice on her wedding day she would throttle him.

      Thinking of her own future wedding day thoroughly distracted Jess as they made their way from the house over to the rose garden, making her only dimly aware of her surrounds. She’d done her best to put a halt to her escalating feelings for Ben during the hours she’d spent with him earlier on, focusing on the physical and not the emotional. But her heart had been as impossible to control as her body. It had soared every time she’d touched him. But it had been performing oral sex on him which had been the killer. She had loved the way he’d lost control under her mouth and hands. He hadn’t wanted to, she was sure. But he’d seemed as powerless to stop himself as she’d been. Not that that meant anything. She wasn’t that naïve.

      They’d used the only remaining condom in no time, with a still turned-on Jess eventually offering to go and get the condom she kept in her bag which was in the other bedroom. Ben had followed her there, pulling her down onto the rug by the bed where he’d taken her on all fours, squeezing her nipples as she came. It was the first time in her life that she’d had sex that way and she’d loved it, giving rise to the hope that she wasn’t falling in love, just suffering from an intense case of lust.

      Ben had been wrong about their not actually sleeping. When he’d carried her back to bed after that rather rough mating on the floor, she’d passed out, not waking till Ben had started shaking her shoulder.

      ‘Oh, Lord!’ she’d exclaimed, sitting bolt upright and pushing her tangled hair out of her eyes. ‘What time is it?’ Ben was dressed, she’d immediately noted. Not in what he would be wearing at the wedding. Just jeans and a top.

      ‘Shortly before two-thirty. Andy will be here any moment. You said you had to do your hair.’

      Jess had grimaced. ‘I’ll have to shampoo it again. It’s a mess.’

      Just then there’d been a knock on the front door, Andy calling out as he’d opened it and walked into the hallway. Panicked, Jess had grabbed a sheet to cover herself, Ben unable to get to the open doorway in time before Andy had been standing in it.

      ‘Oh, sorry,’ Andy had said hurriedly on seeing an obviously naked Jess in the bed. ‘I’ll…er…wait for you outside, Ben.’

      ‘No sweat.’ He’d turned to throw Jess an apologetic glance. ‘Sorry about that, my darling. See you at the wedding.’

      Jess recalled that her heart had turned over at his calling her his darling. It turned over again when she caught sight of him standing with Andy at the end of the strip of red carpet which had been rolled out between the rows of decorated seats. No doubt the groom and the other groomsman looked almost as good as Ben in their black dinner suits. But Jess didn’t see anyone or anything else but him, smiling at her. Talk about tunnel vision!

      Some taped wedding music started up and she floated down the makeshift aisle, unaware of the admiring whispers from the guests, aware of nothing but Ben’s eyes upon her.

      Bloody hell, Ben thought as Jess walked slowly towards them. She is just so damned desirable!

      ‘You are one lucky guy, mate,’ Andy murmured out of the side of his mouth. ‘That is one hot babe.’

      ‘You