Saturday Night Special (17 page)

BOOK: Saturday Night Special
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He laughed, the action rocking him even deeper and she gasped. She’d never had a full-blown conversation in the midst of sex, but with Aaron, it seemed so natural…and hot.

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Saturday Night Special

He ran his hand through her hair. “I remember,” he said. “But I’m standing by what I said, you’ve made my life better. Look at me, Riley. I’m not exactly the world’s most spontaneous person.”

She raised her eyebrows, her grin showing she agreed with his assessment.

“If not for you, I’d never have bought my motorcycle.”

She tightened her legs around his waist and pushed her hips toward him. “Mmm, have I told you lately how hot I think that bike is?”

He met her push with a quick, hard thrust of his own. “You’ve told me. Daily.

You’re still not driving it.”

She stuck out her tongue. He bent forward and sucked it into his mouth, kissing her once more. She’d never been a huge fan of kissing, but Aaron was damn good at it.

He pulled back after several moments and she could see he wasn’t finished. “You were the one who convinced me to get my tattoo.”

Her hand instinctively went to his right shoulder blade, fingering the tiny Celtic knot she knew was there. Interwoven with the knot was the name of Aaron’s twin sister, Alise, who died in childbirth.

She stroked it gently and he moved into her once more. She’d asked him to make love to her, but this felt like so much more. While his body took hers, his words claimed her heart, her mind, her soul. He was inside every part of her, deeper than anyone had ever been and she felt like the most cherished person on earth.

“I’m not even sure I would have gone into the Police Academy if not for you. You make me laugh every day, Riley. I could have the shittiest day in history and you would still find a way to make everything okay. So enough of this
I don’t deserve you
garbage.”

Obviously he was finished trying to convince her with words. Before she could respond, he started moving, slowly at first, but soon his thrusts grew harder, faster, deeper. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, simply to find something to anchor her to this place, this time, this man.

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Mari Carr

Her climax hit her hard and fast, then lingered. “I love you,” she yelled as she came.

It felt like Aaron absorbed her trembling with his own body as he took each pleasurable shiver and enhanced it.

“One more,” he demanded, the husky timber of his voice setting her off again.

“God, yes!” He drove her to the peak once more and they dove over the cliff together.

Lying on their backs, they were quiet for several moments, both of them obviously lost in thought. The silence was broken by Aaron’s stomach growling loudly.

“Guess man cannot live on sex alone,” she teased.

“God knows I’ve tried these past couple of days.”

“Are you sure you don’t wanna try the all-you-can-eat again? I’ll give you yellow.”

He groaned. “I don’t think I’m ever doing one of those buffet bars again.”

She laughed. “Never say never. Room service?”

He turned to face her and nodded. “Yep. I’ll call.” Moving forward, he placed a brief kiss on her lips.

“I love you, Aaron Dung,” she said.

Aaron chuckled. “I love you too, Metal Mouth.”

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Saturday Night Special

Epilogue

“Okay. Quiet down everybody.” Sean waited while his family settled into their seats. “That was Riley on the phone. They’ve just landed at BWI, so if we’ve timed it right, she and Aaron should be here right about the time the wedding DVD ends. Then we can do this wedding reception thing in style.”

A loud cheer accompanied his announcement. Aaron and Riley stayed in Vegas only a week after their initial elopement, and Sean still marveled that somehow that had been enough time for his sisters and sisters-in-law to throw together an impromptu reception. They’d closed the pub and restaurant for the day, decorated the place with white bells, balloons and lots of flowers, rearranged the chairs so they were organized in rows in front of the big-screen TV in the corner. Sean grinned. The flat screen generally broadcast sporting events. This was the first time it had ever been used to show a wedding.

When Sean told Riley what they were organizing, she’d overnighted the wedding DVD and asked him to show it to everyone just prior to the reception. She insisted it would make up for the fact she’d gotten married without the family being present.

He pushed play and then opened the letter Riley had attached. “Riley sent a letter with the video,” he explained. “She figures you’ll have a lot of questions while you watch. The answers are all in here.” He picked up the karaoke microphone and added in a deep, sportscaster-like voice. “I’m Sean Collins, your wedding announcer.”

They all laughed. Sean looked around the room, pleased to see that everyone had arrived for the party. He loved the times when the whole family got together. Pop was front and center and beaming from ear to ear. As was becoming a family tradition, there was an empty seat with a white rose on it to mark their mother Sunday’s spot.

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Mari Carr

Keira, Will and their daughter Caitlyn were sitting in the front row with Pop. Keira had just found out last week the baby she was carrying was a boy. Teagan and Sky had flown in from LA late last night and were sharing the second row with Tris and Lane, who were each holding one of their twin sons on their laps. Lily, Justin and Killian were in the third row with Ewan and Natalie, while Chad, Sean’s best friend, was sitting next to Sean’s girlfriend Lauren in the back row. Both of them were grinning at him and giving him the thumbs-up.

“Who are all those people?” Keira asked as the wedding procession started. “Is that Jo and Trev?”

Sean picked up Riley’s letter. “Here. Let me read what she wrote. She says this is her
second
wedding to Aaron. She wanted us to see the DVD of the ceremony she actually remembers.”

Pop crossed himself and muttered, “Lord preserve me,” as the rest of the family laughed.

“That sounds like our Riley,” Tris shouted.

Sean continued reading. “Apparently this was a triple wedding, and just before Aaron and Riley renewed their vows they stood up for Trev and Jo, who renewed theirs also.”

“Is that Wayne Newton?” Pop asked excitedly. “She got Wayne Newton to attend her wedding?”

Sean shook her head. “No, Riley knew you’d think that, Pop, so she’s written here in all caps THAT’S NOT WAYNE. It’s a taxi driver by the name of Johnny Sparks. The third wedding was this Johnny guy marrying some stripper named Bella.”

Sean turned and looked at the video. He’d watched it last night so he’d be able to explain who was who to the rest of them. He pointed to the screen. “The blonde woman is the stripper.”

“Well, does the taxi driver at least sing?” Pop asked. “I wouldn’t mind hearing
Danke Schoen
.”

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Saturday Night Special

“Nope. Riley says he’s tone deaf.”

Teagan and Sky burst into laughter at that announcement. “I’ll sing
Danke Schoen
for you later, Pat,” Sky promised.

“Who’s the woman with the purple hair?” Killian asked.

Sean grinned widely. “That’s our new kitchen assistant and part-time waitress, Bubbles, the ex-hooker.”

Pop leaned closer, trying to get a better look at the woman Riley had talked him into letting work at the restaurant until she got her feet under her. “She looks nice enough. Don’t know what the deal is with all that hair.”

“Oh Pop,” Keira said with a giggle. “I still can’t believe you agreed to let her work here.”

Pop shrugged. “I dare any of you to say no to Riley once she’s made her mind up about something. Besides, she needed to pick her own assistant. God willing she won’t fly off the handle and fire her. Ewan’s been pulling his hair out trying to find someone to work with her in that kitchen.”

“Here, here,” Ewan chimed in.

“You know your sister. That girl talked my ear off for nearly half an hour on the phone the other night. In the end, it was just easier to agree.”

Riley walked down the aisle in blue jeans and a white T-shirt that said
Viva Las
Vegas
, fitting considering they’d gone back to the Elvis Chapel to renew their vows.

Aaron was dressed in jeans as well, but his T-shirt said
What Happens in Vegas Stays in
Vegas
. The irony of that wasn’t lost on Sean as he read Riley’s extremely detailed letter regarding their adventures in the neon city.

Bubbles stood beside Riley as maid of honor and Trev was Aaron’s best man. Ewan chuckled when he saw that. “Bet Aaron was thrilled to have Trevor Blankenship as his best man.”

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Mari Carr

Tris grinned. “Guess Trev was a better choice than that Wayne Newton character.

Why’s Trev so red?”

Sean consulted the letter. “The mob left him in the desert to die without sunscreen.”

“Well, that sucks,” Tris joked.

Justin leaned forward, squinting at the TV. “Does Aaron have a black eye?”

Sean nodded, loving his role as announcer. He’d always admired his sister’s skill for storytelling and it was fun to assume that role in her absence. He had the entire family eating out of his hand, anxious for all the gory details. “Yep, that’s a black eye the groom is sporting. He had a run-in with the back of Jo’s head during a food fight at the all-you-can-eat.”

Natalie looked at Ewan. “You know, I’ve been to Vegas at least a dozen times and never had any of that shit happen to me.”

Ewan shrugged and grinned. “Just another day in my sister’s life.”

Aaron and Riley said their vows. From the corner of his eye, Sean saw Pop try to discreetly wipe away a tear. When Aaron kissed the bride, Elvis, the minister, started crooning
Teddy Bear
and everyone in the bar applauded. Even with the unusual cast of characters, Sean couldn’t help thinking that his sister’s wedding had been perfect.

“Is it safe to come in?” Riley asked from the doorway.

Pop led the parade of hugs as the family congratulated Aaron and Riley and they, in turn, introduced Bubbles. The evening passed quickly as they ate and drank and danced until the wee hours of morning. Sky sang a montage of Wayne Newton songs in honor of the newlyweds and Riley kept everyone entertained with stories of her Vegas adventure. Trevor and Johanna showed up shortly after they cut the cake and joined the dancing.

The highlight of the party was when Sean carried out the groom’s cake Riley had specifically told him to order. Everyone laughed at the cake, which was shaped like two 140

Saturday Night Special

enormous boobs. They all cheered when Aaron bent down to suck the cherry nipple off the top of one.

As the evening began to wear down, Sean sat with his back against the bar, watching as the couples slow-danced. His best friend Chad sat down next to him on one of the barstools. “Another awesome Collins event. Hard to believe the wild-child sister is married.”

Sean nodded. “I know. But I have to admit, Aaron is the perfect husband for her.”

“He must love the hell out of her to sign on for a lifetime of Riley’s quirkiness.”

He laughed. “They’re gonna be great together,” he said as he watched Aaron holding Riley close on the dance floor. It was clear they only had eyes for each other and Sean wasn’t sure he’d ever seen his sister look happier.

“You know, this may go down in history as Riley’s greatest Saturday Night Special ever.

The End

141

About the Author

Some people fall apart on their 30th birthday, others on their 40th. For Mari Carr, 34

was the year that took her down. After she spent the day crying and saying, “I haven’t done anything I thought I would,” her husband finally asked what was left undone.

Her answer was simple—she hadn’t written a book or decorated her house. “So do it,”

he said.

Five years later, the house is sparkling with fresh paint and new furniture and her computer is jammed full of stories—novels, novellas, short stories and dead-ends. The lesson: It’s never too late to achieve a goal or two!

High school librarian and English teacher by day and mother of two busy teenagers, Mari Carr finds time for writing by squeezing it into the hours between 3

a.m. and daybreak when her family is asleep and the house is quiet.

With the publication of her first book, her latest goal—publishing before 40—has been achieved with a couple of years to spare. Phew!

Mari welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her
author bio page at
www.ellorascave.com.

Tell Us What You Think

We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at

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Also by
Mari Carr

Cougar Challenge: Assume the Positions

Covert Lessons

Everything Nice

Kiss Me, Kate

Rekindled

Retreat

Scoring

Spitfire

Sugar and Spice

Wild Irish 1: Come Monday

Wild Irish 2: Ruby Tuesday

Wild Irish 3: Waiting for Wednesday

Wild Irish 4: Sweet Thursday

Wild Irish 5: Friday I’m in Love

BOOK: Saturday Night Special
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