Page 43 of Allison

“Yeah, I heard them coming down the hall with Leslie and Bridget chattering in their ears,” Worm tells her, moving into her personal space, backing her into her room. “Are you okay? Did they try to give you shit over us?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” she mutters. Worm can’t keep his hands to himself. She looks too damn good wrapped in the white hotel towel with her wet hair falling down her back. He’d put his hands on her shoulders to urge her into the room. Now, they slide down her arms to cup her elbows. She attempts to step back further, but he holds her in place, tugging her a little closer by her elbows.

“Russell,” she whispers his name like a prayer. Her body is pressed to his front, a couple of layers of material the only thing between them, but his body responds as if nothing is between them.

His head drops. His lips skim along the side of her neck. He breathes in her floral scent, which only increases the bulge in his pants. He lifts his head to kiss her, long and deep. She leans into him. Her hands slip around his neck and into his hair on the back of his head. His arms surround her warm body at the waist, holding her to him.

Allison suddenly pulls back, pushing on his chest. “We can’t,” she breathes. “I want to. I really, really do, but we’re already late. You need to head down so they don’t think we are up here doing what wearedoing.” She waves her hands between them.

Man, she is gorgeous. Worm studies her flushed face and swollen, bruised lips. “All right, sugar,” Worm agrees. “I’ll go wait in the hall for you, but I’m not leaving you to walk down by yourself unprotected.” Allison rolls her eyes dramatically.

“Good grief, caveman!” Allison grouses. “I’ll be fine to walk down alone.” She opens her mouth to say more. Her eyes have made their circle and come back to focus on him. Her mouth snaps shut at whatever she’d been about to say. Worm can’t keep the scowl off his face. “Fine! I’ll let you walk me down and soil my reputation. Well, what’s left of it anyway.”

“Sugar, I don’t like the way your family treats you,” Worm complains. “I understand they have strong religious beliefs, but they don’t have the right to make you feel bad about yourself. You’re an adult who can make her own decisions. I don’t want to cause you problems. So, I’ll see if Mercury, Virus, or Bull can come up and escort you down.”

“Don’t be silly, Russell. It’ll be fine.” She waves her hands dismissively. “Iama grown-ass woman. I can find my way down to the courtyard where they’re taking pictures.” Worm can’t keep from making a growling sound of frustration. He isn’t going to let her wander the hotel alone. The woman is too damn stubborn for her own good. “Fine! Give me a few minutes to get ready.”

She hurries into the bathroom, losing her towel as she goes. Worm groans when he sees her bare flesh. His chronic boner is throbbing so badly. He should have packed a jockstrap. It’s going to be impossible to hide his hard-on in these pants, which will only give her family more to gossip about.

“Sugar, I can seriously get one of the team to come up and walk you down. I don’t want your family giving you shit for the rest of your life over us showing up together.”

“Don’t worry about it. Theywillgossip about me, talk down to me to my face, but it’ll blow over after a while,” Allison calls out from inside the bathroom over the rumble of the hair dryer. Worm steps closer so he can hear her. “I’ll leave for California tomorrow. Then I will only have to deal with it when I choose to answer the phone.”

A pang of sadness hits him at her casual tone regarding her leaving tomorrow.Will she miss me at all? Will I ever see her again?

Allison peeks around the door at him, a fake grin plastered on her face. Worm studies her as she ducks back in to look in the mirror. Over the last few days, he’s seen her smiles, this one is not sincere.Is she feeling sad about leaving?

She doesn’t acknowledge him, just continues to dry her hair. She’s blow drying her hair out with a large hair brush contraption. He watches as she pulls the large brush through her hair.

“What the hell is that?” he asks, curiosity getting the better of him. She gives him a side-eye, as she turns the large roaring brush in her hair.

“It's a hair dryer hairbrush,” Allison replies. Worm shakes his head. Maybe he should get one of those for his sisters. It makes sense, saving time by drying and styling at the same time.

Allison is ready much quicker than Worm expects. She slips a burgundy dress over her head. It hugs her curves perfectly. “Damn, sugar. You’re gorgeous!” Allison’s face flushes.

“Thanks,” she murmurs. He steps closer, taking her hips in his hands, kissing her deeply. “Uh huh, we don’t have time for this. We have to get down to the lawn for pictures.” He reluctantly lets her go, knowing they had better get going.

A few minutes later, they arrive in the lobby where many of the wedding party is hanging out. “It’s about time you got here!” Leslie calls out loudly, drawing everyone’s attention. Worm stiffens in response, ready to come to Allison’s defense, but it isn’t needed. Allison shoots Leslie one of her fake smiles.

“You may all resume your lives, peasants,” Allison replies, loudly in a regal tone. “Royalty has arrived.” She makes a big display of waving and nodding to those gathered around. Susie Beth steps forward with a huge grin on her face.

“Welcome your majesty.” Susie Beth gives a deep bow, presenting Allison with the bouquet she’ll use in the ceremony. “The photographer is waiting in the south garden.” Susie Beth says with a slightly British accent, motioning toward the back of the hotel. Allison giggles which eases some of Worm’s irritation at Leslie’s bitch attitude.

“Come on Buttercup,” Worm places his hand on Allison’s bare lower back. “Let’s get these pictures taken.” They follow Susie Beth outside into the bright sunlight. The photographer is set up near some trees with sun at his back.

Allison and Worm are the last of the wedding party to have their pictures taken together. The photographer takes several pictures in a variety of poses. Then he takes some of them individually. All the while, everyone else in the wedding party is watching.

When the individual pictures are finished, they take group photos of the groomsmen with Wallace, who is sent back into the hotel to avoid seeing the bride. Emma arrives a few minutes later to take pictures with the bridesmaids.

“Why are we having all these taken now?” Worm wonders out loud. “Wallace isn’t allowed to see Emma before the ceremony, so we'll have to take more after the wedding, right?”

“We don’t want to have the guests waiting for hours while we get pictures,” Susie Beth explains. “We’ll get most of them out of the way this morning and only take ones with the bride and groom after.”I guess that makes sense.

After what seems like forever, Susie Beth announces they’re finished and a small meal is set out in the room on the second floor where they’d had the rehearsal dinner. “Everyone head up and grab a little something to eat. We don’t need anyone passing out from low blood sugar during the wedding,” Susie Beth insists. Worm leads Allison to the elevators wanting to have a few minutes alone with her, but luck isn’t on his side today. Bull and Susie Beth follow them in, along with a few others.This is going to be a long day.

29

ALLISON

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