Always & Forever Read online

  Since we got engaged, Nikolaj and Martin have tripled their business. My god of sex has been too busy to even fuel up his private jet and come to me while I was in Germany. As a result of his stellar business growth, and mine, I haven’t seen his handsome face in so long. I can’t wait for him to claim my pussy again.

  “Girls. Please behave. You’re too old for me to police you. Sofia, be reasonable. Let’s all get ready so your little sister can go and sit on her billionaire’s lap.” My mom flashes me a smile of cocky glee that surprises me. Since she’s allowed herself to fully and openly love Diego, she’s really not the same woman. Good.

  “Mom, why do you always pick her side?” I dramatically put my hands on my hips and pout, but even I know I’m defeated by reality.

  We all laugh.

  It’s true I miss Nik like crazy, but I wouldn’t rush this moment. After the hectic few months we’ve had as a family, it’s so heartwarming for all three of us to bond like this. We’re giggling as we slip into our party dresses, swap our high heels for more sensible dancing shoes, reapply our makeup and touch up our hair.

  “My God, I’ll never be able to pull my hair out of this complicated updo. Mom, your stylist Juan Carlo must have sprayed half a bottle of hair spray on my hair,” I lament, running the palm of my hand over my stiff hair, which is coiled tightly at the back of my head in a French twist.

  “Yeah, but think about it, we can dance our faces off and still look amazing.”

  “Touché.”

  “Considering how much I bawled my eyes out during the ceremony, I think I still look good.” Sofia leans in, inspecting her flawless features.

  “Yeah, you fared way better than I did,” I say. “I had to do some major damage control when I went to the bathroom earlier.”

  “Mom, how come you didn’t shed a tear?” Sofia asks. “I mean Diego was so emotional at one point.”

  “Yeah, Sofia’s right,” I say.

  “I’ve shed so many tears throughout the years, honey, there wasn’t anything more to cry about. I’ve stopped feeling guilty. Today was about finally being able to be with the love of my life. I was way too blissfully content to even think about messing up my makeup.” Our mom winks and my sister and I roar in laughter.

  We’re still kidding around and having light-hearted fun when we hear a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” I declare, running as best as I can on my gold three-inch heels. When I open the door, a handsome young man stands before me.

  My God, he’s Diego’s spitting image—from the height to the blue eyes. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get over how much my half-brother looks like my father.

  “Alejandro, don’t tell me someone is too impatient to wait for his bride to come out sent you?” I tilt my head back and squint my eyes at him.

  The twenty-year-old stares down at me with eyes as wide as saucers. “Ciara, your fiancé is going to have a heart attack when he sees you. I know you’re my big sister and all, but damn, you look hot.”

  “Alex, you’re as dangerously charming as your father.” I smile.

  Diego has three sons from his first marriage. Alejandro stands six-four and although he’s the youngest, he’s the most daring of them all.

  “They do say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Alejandro grins proudly.

  Diego sent all of his sons to New York to study. My half-brothers speak English flawlessly. The slight Spanish accent only makes them that much more adorable.

  I open my mouth to answer, but my mom jumps in.

  “You’re right, Alex. You’re as suave as your father.” She smiles as she strides towards the door. “Tell my husband he shouldn’t rush beauty. We’ll be out in fifteen minutes. Now, off you go. Oh, and one more thing, watch your language,” she says, waving a motherly finger at him. “Remember, Ciara is your older sister. No more of this ‘you look hot’ stuff. Keep that for girls your age.” My mom grins before shooing her step-son with her hands and gesturing for me to close the door behind him.

  “So much has changed in the last few months.” I shake my head, unable to believe I’ve not only gained a father and three siblings but a whole new extended family. This year has been a series of epic and delightful moments.

  My mom locks eyes with me as she closes the gap between us. “And I expect more exciting changes to come, baby.” She smiles with complicity. “After all, I’m not the only one getting married this year.”

  She’s right.

  “It’s still all a dream to me,” I confess, hugging her back.

  As we embrace each other, Sofia chimes in. “Who would have thunk? My little sister will finally walk down the aisle and marry her Prince Charming.” Sofia runs to join us and wraps her arms around our mom and I.

  “I still can’t believe it either.” I’m choking with emotions.

  Only three more months to go.

  * * *

  When my mom, Sofia and I walk into the ballroom, the celebrations are already in full swing. The dance floor is packed with family members showing off their best moves to the latest hip-shaking salsa music. Although there are bodies crammed everywhere, I do my best to find my fiancé in the crowd. I even get up on my toes, eager to gaze at Nik’s handsome face, but to no avail. When I turn my head to the right, I lock eyes with my sister. We burst out laughing when we realize we’re both desperately trying to find the men we love.

  Suddenly, a sea of dancers parts and I’m finally able to see him. My excitement turns to worry when I catch sight of my new aunt Carmelita leaning intimately into Nikolaj while caressing the lapel of his tailored jacket with her bejeweled hands. Huh? The words slip out of my mouth before I even have time to catch myself. “What the hell is she doing?”

  My mom looks up at me, perplexed. “What are you talking about, Ciara?”

  Instead of answering, I extend my arm and point a manicured finger to the bar where Carmelita is sandwiched between my sister’s husband and my fiancé. The two billionaires are sitting on high stools, but my aunt is standing alert like an African Crowned Eagle salivating before the kill.

  “Oh, her,” my mother says, rolling her eyes.

  My sister extends her neck to see what I’m talking about. “Gosh, you’re worried for no good reason. I’m sure she’s harmless. It’s actually pretty adorable to see Carmelita hitting on Nik.” She giggles. “I mean, really, she’s your father’s cousin. How old is she anyways? Like early sixties or something?”

  “I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be saying the same thing if she was all over your husband,” I respond, unimpressed. “Have you seen the predatory look in her eyes?”

  What the fuck is going on?

  I met Carmelita Echevarria-Buchinsky a few days ago during my parents’ rehearsal dinner. I’ve been to Barcelona so many times in the last few months to visit since my mom moved there to live with Diego, but I’ve never had a chance to meet Aunt Carmelita because she was always on one of her world tours. She divides her time between her home in Barcelona and her flat in London. Since money isn’t an issue, Aunt Carmelita has made it her mission to visit as many countries on this planet as humanly possible.

  “Honey, your sister is right. Carmelita’s roar is more threatening than her bite.” Both my mom and Sofia chuckle as I keep my eyes glued on the action. “Not to mention your fiancé is way too old for her.”

  “What are you talking about?” I ask, offended. “I agree, he’s older than I am but I wouldn’t call him old.”

  “Carmelita likes them young.” My mother raises an eyebrow, bouncing her gaze from Sofia’s to mine.

  “How young?” I take a step forward to make sure I can watch over my man.

  “She prefers to date men your age.”

  “What?” both my sister and I scream out.

  “That’s preposterous.” Sofia’s outraged expression brings me comfort.

  “Is that even legal? I mean, she’s older than Diego.”

  My mom flashes me an incredulous stare.

/>   Although I haven’t missed one word my mom and Sofia shared, I’m still glued to the bar area, unable to look away. I don’t care what my mom says. Aunt or not, I’m not about to let my fiancé out of my sight.

  “Oh, no, she didn’t.” I put my hand on my waist. “Did she just tap her finger against Nik’s chin?”

  “For the love of God, she’s such an attention-seeker.” My mom shakes her head disapprovingly. “You’d think with age she’d learn, but no. She refuses to change her ways.”

  “I guess you’ve known Aunt Carmelita longer than we have?” I ask.

  “I’ve known her forever. We’ve had a long-standing feud.”

  “What brought on the quarrel?”

  “She’s always hated my guts despite the fact she’s married rich four times and she’s ended up with four eye-popping divorce settlements. In fact, she inherited the hyphen in her name courtesy of her last husband, über-rich Ukrainian-British retail king Douglas Buchinsky. Even with a formidable pre-nup agreement, Carmelita made out very nicely.”

  “So why does she dislike you so much?” Sofia asks.

  “I’ve always had something she never was able to find—no matter how hard she tried. Love.”

  “I still don’t get it,” I say.

  “She can travel the world and she can buy anything her heart desires without ever worrying about the price tag, but she’s never been able to find a man who loves her half as much as Diego loves me. My husband has confessed that many times throughout the years his cousin pushed him to forget about me and to renounce you, since I was living on the other side of the Atlantic and I was married to Sofia’s father. Thank God Diego is a stubborn man. He refused to listen to her and he butted heads with her more than once. Things became so bad between the two of them right after you were born, they stopped talking for a while. Sure, Diego married in the end, but it was to quiet his family—not for love. Carmelita’s marriages were all short-lived. Now that she’s single again, she’s living it up, as she says. Although she claims to be happy jumping into the bed of any young thing who winks at her, she’s never been loved and I doubt she’s ever allowed herself to open her heart enough to be vulnerable to a man.”

  “Well, that sucks and that’s totally sad. Everyone deserves love. Maybe if she dated men her own age, she’d get luckier?” Sofia is always the romantic.

  “Maybe she got her heart crushed and she’s never been able to trust again,” I add.

  Before my mom can even answer, Aunt Carmelita turns her attention to my sister’s husband. When she slides her hand up Bryce’s leg towards his cock, all three of us jerk our heads back. He jumps off his chair, surprised. My mom, Sofia and I all gasp in horror. What the hell?

  “Did she just grope my husband? I’m sure as hell she’s not blind and she sees the platinum band on his left hand.”

  “Oh, big sister, you don’t have to worry. I’m sure she’s harmless.” I turn Sofia’s words against her.

  “It’s not the same thing.” Sofia protests, but it only makes me grin from ear to ear.

  “Enough. Carmelita will not make a mockery of my big day. I’m not going to allow her to dismiss my daughters like she’s disregarded me for so many years.” I’ve rarely seen my mother this upset. “She knows full well Bryce is Sofia’s husband since she met him a few days ago. As for Nikolaj, this might be the first time she’s met him, but his body language screams, ‘Back off.’” My mom takes a defensive stance like a boxer in the middle of Madison Square Garden. “Sofia, go save your husband from her evil claws. Ciara, make sure to drag your fiancé far away from her and don’t you dare let him out of your sight for the rest of the evening. Carmelita and I need to have a little chat—this is long overdue.”

  My mom is already marching towards the bar before Sofia and I even have a chance to agree to her commands.

  * * *

  Thank God Mom pulled my cougar aunt away from Nikolaj and Bryce. The poor men looked helpless because they were both so afraid of making a faux pas by pushing the overbearing woman away. After all four of us have a good chuckle over Carmelita’s attempt at seducing the only two billionaires in the room, Sofia drags her husband kicking and screaming to the dance floor. I nearly hurt myself laughing watching Bryce contort his body uncomfortably to the spicy rhythms of salsa. The man might be brilliant in business, but his dancing skills, just like his cooking skills, are lamentable.

  After what seems like an eternity, Nik and I are finally alone. We’re so into each other, you’d never know we’re sitting at an empty table in the middle of a room filled with partygoers. He lovingly caresses my cheek with the back of his right hand as he gazes at me. His piercing blue eyes are so intense it’s as if they’re hypnotizing me. I truly would do whatever he asks of me.

  “It’s so good to kiss your lips again. These last three weeks seemed like a lifetime.”

  “It’s been a struggle for me too.”

  “Do you know how much I love you, sweetness?”

  I lose myself in the fire burning in his gaze. “No. Tell me again and again and again.” I’m so giddy when he says things like that.

  “I’d rather show you.”

  “Bad boy.” I swat his hand.

  “But I thought that’s what you loved about me.” His deep voice vibrates throughout my body.

  “Mr. von Henningsen, are you trying to seduce me in the middle of my parents’ wedding?”

  “Nah, soon-to-be Mrs. von Henningsen, I got that one down pat a while ago.”

  And he does.

  Aware of the fiery buildup between us, I attempt to find a feeble solution to help us both forget he hasn’t been inside me for nearly a month. “Shouldn’t we go out on the dance floor and join everybody else?”

  “As tempting as that sounds, I’m going to have to pass, love,” he answers, rubbing his finger over my engagement ring.

  “Why? You like dancing and I know you can hold your own to any salsa beat.”

  “Mm-hmm,” he grunts, nodding.

  Well, that’s not much of an answer. Maybe he needs a little incentive?

  “Just in case you haven’t noticed, I’m wearing my party dress,” I add, smoothing down the silky fabric of my couture.

  “I’d have to be blind not to have noticed.”

  I flash a mischievous look before folding my lower lip into my mouth. “You like the dress, I gather?”

  “I like the woman in the dress, to be precise.”

  “You flatter me.”

  He rolls his eyes before answering. “Please, Ciara, surely you didn’t choose that cock-hardening show-stopper that accentuates every arousing sway of your hips without expecting a reaction from me.”

  Jesus. Well, if you put it like that.

  My mom wanted all three of us to wear a red dress. I scored when Kayla Ellison, co-owner of the boutique hotels that awarded me the contract responsible for me meeting the love of my life nine months ago, couldn’t make it to an exclusive shopping party in New York and I ended up with her coveted ticket. I’m not sure I’d call us best friends, but after working on so many projects together we’ve definitely grown close. She loves my work ethic and the fact that my team and I consistently hit it out of the ballpark, and I love the way she never haggles over my fees. I’ve been to many exclusive and private sales in my life, but I have to say this one topped them all. The second I laid eyes on this little Blumarine number, I knew Nikolaj would take one look at me and want to rip it off before devouring me. When I slipped on the Italian design in the fitting room, I had to concede it screamed sex. Of course, the fact that Nik and I have been celibate for so many weeks only fuels the sexual tension playing between us.

  “We’ve already talked about this. It’s a family tradition.”

  “Right.” He nods. “Are you seriously going to look me in the eyes and tell me there were no other choices?”

  “I thought you’d like this one,” I answer, flashing him a devious look from under my eyelashes. “If you’re not in t
he mood to dance just say so, but don’t use my fashion selection as an excuse.” I’m faking being upset.

  “Love, if I get up and walk onto the dance floor, the bulge between my legs will betray me and everyone in this room will know how desperate I am to fuck the hell out of you.”

  “Oh.” My cheeks turn red and my pussy tingles at his rawness. You’d think that after so many months of living together I’d get used to his naughty banter by now, but his dirty mouth and panty-melting British accent get to me every single time. “You’ve always had a way with words that leaves me helpless.”

  “I was going for dripping wet, but I’ll take helpless—for now.” His calculated stare suggests he’s already plotting.

  “It won’t take me much to get there.”

  “Good.” He grins from ear to ear.

  “I’ve been counting the days until your hands are all over me again.”

  “Same here, baby. Damn, I’ve missed everything about you. But you know what cuts the most?”

  “No.”

  “Not hearing the beat of your heart when I wake up with my head resting against your chest, my love.” Nikolaj trails a finger along my collarbone and down my shoulders.

  “God, I’ve missed you so much.” His sweet words pull at my core.

  But with Nikolaj, sweet is always a prelude to something raunchier. “Seriously, you’re delectable. You were gorgeous in that little flirty number you wore at church for the ceremony earlier today, but this red form-fitting jaw-dropper is dangerous.”

  One of the most alluring elements of this dress is the fact that the fabric falls flirtatiously to reveal my shoulders, exposing them and begging for his touch.

  “What are you going to do about it?”

  He locks eyes with me, searing me with his gaze, before leaning into me. “How long do we have to stay here?” He raises his eyebrows suggestively.

  “Well, I am one of the maids of honor…”

  “That wasn’t my question, love.”

  “It’s only proper for me to stay until the end. You know, decorum and all… and knowing my family, we might be here until the wee hours of the morning.”