A REASON FOR MARRIAGE

“The cars are coming up the street now,” she announced, glad they wouldn’t cause any hitch in the arrangements. She wanted everything to be perfect for Scott and Vivian. Her brother’s wedding.

It might be the only one her family would have. She couldn’t see herself ever getting married. For some women there was only ever one man, and Sara was starting to suspect that hers had been Simon Hamilton.

____________© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Simon Hamilton had never found himself nervous about any woman in his life. Women threw themselves at him and he’d never cared much whenever his relationship with any of them ended. Until he met Sara McCall.

After three weeks, he’d be seeing her again and he had no idea why he was so damn nervous. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her for three fucking weeks. Their last conversation had been horrible and he blamed himself for it. Out of jealousy he’d said some horrible things to her, including accusing her of sneaking around with her ex, and for that he was truly sorry. All he’d wanted to do for days was apologize, but Sara wouldn’t give him a chance. It seemed like she’d been looking for a way to cut him out of her life, and when he’d given her a reason, she’d not hesitated to do so.

His feelings had gradually moved from remorse, to sadness and then anger. He was remorseful about what he had said, but he was angry that she’d found it so easy to get rid of him, while he’d been stuck for three weeks thinking about her, unable to concentrate on anything else. He was going to see her again today, but he didn’t care, at least that was what he told himself. He was here for Scott and he’d do everything in his power to stay out of her way since that was what she wanted.

“Wait for me to help. Mom!”

Simon closed his eyes and counted to three before he opened them again. The seductive lilt of Sara’s voice tempted him, but he wasn’t going to look, he told himself. He didn’t want to look.

“Now, Sara, I’m the mother of the groom. Don’t do me out of my job,”

She laughed.

That did it.

He stopped and looked.

She’d taken a couple of steps towards the lead car and was swinging towards him, looking at the ground to be covered from the bride’s car to the church. For some reason, she glanced in his direction at that same time. Her head jerked in shock at her first sight of him, and a look he couldn’t understand chased across her face.

Now was the time to nod or wave and move right on by, Simon told himself. But his body didn’t obey that dictate. She stared at him and he stared at her, both of them totally immobile. It was as if they were caught in a time-warp where only they existed, bonded together by memories that were uniquely theirs.

She was vividly, vibrantly, and undeniably stunning… so beautiful he couldn’t tear his gaze away. Her hair was piled on top of her head and he remembered it sprawled on his pillow, inadvertently showing off the long graceful curve of her neck which he’d kissed many times. She had a red flower in her hair. The same dark red as the dress she was wearing, a strapless dress that bared her shoulders and arms, the hollow at the base of her neck, and the slight swell of flesh that hinted at the lush fullness of her breasts.

Simon’s mouth went dry, remembering the tight texture of her nipples, and the amazing taste of them. His hands itched to span her provocatively small waist, to run them over the voluptuous curve of her hips, down the long silky line of her thighs. He could feel himself stirring, the desire she evoked zinging through his bloodstream, pumping up an urgent need to have her again.

“Simon!” The call of his name snapped the dangerous thrall. It came from one of the groomsmen, who Scott had introduced him to weeks before. Simon nodded, smiled and shook hands with the man, but It felt as though he was reacting in slow motion. Words finally came.

He had a brief conversation with the man and turned away. He didn’t risk another look at Sara because he couldn’t bring himself to. His legs took him where he had to go. A church was supposed to be a safe haven, but today it felt like a trap but there was no escape from it. He was here for Scott, not anyone else… Not Sara… And it didn’t matter how devastatingly beautiful she looked.

Sara gave herself a mental shake. Simon Hamilton was here! Of course he was here, she scolded herself. It hadn’t been a hallucination. He was the best man for God’s sake. He’d come for the wedding, was in the church right now, waiting for it to begin.

The way he’d looked at her… her whole body was still tingling. Despite the weeks having passed since their time together, it had felt as though time had stood still and the intimate connection was just as immediate and powerful as it had been then. No difference at all. And her heart was skittering all over the place at the thought of having another night with him.

But he wasn’t her partner tonight. Her mind trembled at the enormity of what she was thinking and feeling. He hadn’t made any contact with her. He’d was here for her brother. Sara didn’t bring a date, but she could hang out and spend time with anyone she wanted today, but yet given the chance, she would choose to be with Simon Hamilton. All night.

_________

Sara ached from the tension of waiting for Simon to make some move on her. She couldn’t bring herself to accept that he wasn’t going to, yet how else could she explain the distance he had kept from her.

He was with some blond woman who was making no effort to hide the fact that she found him attractive. She wore a dark green gown which Sara deemed inappropriate for a wedding and Sara couldn’t deny the stab of jealousy that went through her when she saw Simon whisper something into the woman’s ears. The blond laughed gleefully, as if whatever Scott said was the funniest thing she’d ever heard, and Sara fought the urge to roll her eyes.