Free Groomless - Part 2 by Sierra Rose Page B

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    After we kissed for a bit, things got more adventurous and sensually aggressive. Between even deeper kisses, he gently bit my lower lip, letting his teeth graze it as he pulled away. His lips glided down my neck, and the way his tongue felt on my skin was nothing short of amazing. He placed slow, gentle kisses from my chin all the way down my neck, stopping at the nape to nibble gently on my moist skin. I shivered as his hand roamed down my back, pressing the wet fabric of my shirt against me. His lips brushed mine again, and he softly stroked my hair. The warmth and weight of his hard, muscular body against mine, along with the sound of his heartbeat, was like no other experience.
    My cell phone interrupted our interlude, and I wasn’t going to answer it, but I was waiting on an important call from my dad’s doctor. “I’ve got to take this,” I said.
    “Hello. Is this Julia? I hope so. This is Shelly, with Live with Kelly and Michael ,” a woman said, excitedly chirping like a chipmunk on speed.
    “Oh. Hi. I’ve seen the show. How can I help you?” I asked, trying to push Luke off me but having little success.
    “Well, our show tapes live, and we were wondering if…” Her voice drifted off as I tried to make sense of all she was saying at a million miles a minute.
    “Let me talk to my father,” I said.
    “I already have,” Shelly said. “How do you think I got your number?”
    “Oh. Well, okay. I, uh…”
    Without letting me get another word in edgewise, she rattled off a date and several other details. I really didn’t catch much of it, except something about not wearing plaid or stripes or “any weird patters that will blur on TV.”
    After the hyper production assistant hung up, I stared at my phone, then looked at Luke, blinking in shock. Not only had the story of my fake, groomless reception gone from newspaper to national television, but I was also making out in a limousine with the ex who’d turned my heart into a damn smoothie.
    When Kate called a minute later, I was even more floored. “You’re getting all kinds of messages,” she said, “and some flowers showed up, with all these sweet cards. A magazine even wants to do a feature on you. I’m getting writer’s cramp writing all this down. You’re going to have to start paying me to be your secretary!”
    “I know. This is getting out of control,” I said.
    “Well, I understand. It’s, like, the most beautiful love story ever.”
    “A groomless wedding reception is a love story? It sounds kind of the opposite to me,” I said, trying not to make eye contact with Luke.
    “No, silly. I mean the love between a father and daughter. It’s just…touching.”
    “I never knew such a simple act of love could turn into such a media frenzy. I mean, what kid wouldn’t do something nice for her dad?”
    “Quit being so damn humble, Julia. This isn’t just buying him some gaudy tie or mowing the lawn for him. This is a big thing, a big deal, a unique idea. There are so many bad things in the news, and this is positive and inspiring. Give the good people of New York City something to smile about. Love is stronger than anything.”
    I smiled. “Well, there’s really no stronger bond than the one between a daddy and her daughter.”
    “Tell your story then. Show them that love and happiness still exist.”
    “I think I will.”
    I looked at Luke, and he shot me the most seductive look. I smiled as his lips touched mine.
    Suddenly, the limo driver announced that we were at my house, and I was glad to hear it. If he had taken any longer to get me home, I would have been sitting naked in the back of the limo, making memories I was not prepared to make.
    I wiped the lipstick off his face with my thumb. “I’d invite you up, but Kate is home.”
    “You haven’t seen my place yet.”
    I stared into those intense eyes, knowing full well that it was an invitation. The possibilities ran through my mind. What woman in New York City