If Ruby hadn't asked her to be her maid of honor, Emma would have definitely found an excuse the moment she heard who would have the same honor for Ruby's wife.

Because Killian Jones?

Really?

The most arrogant, cocky, and infuriating man she'd ever met in her whole life?

What was Mulan thinking?

Granted, Killian was one of Mulan's best friends, something she'd never understood. They might have all done some questionable stuff when they were in college. But Killian's actions were more questionable than others. Seriously, the first time she met him was … she didn't even want to think about it.

It had been seared into her brain for weeks. And not in a good way.

Because it hadn't really made a good first impression, catching him with his pants down around his ankles and his cock thrusting frantically into another man's mouth. Especially when he didn't seem to feel even a little bit embarrassed about being caught in such a compromising position. No, all he did when his eyes met hers was giving her a lopsided smirk while he tightened his grip in the other man's hair. He didn't falter for one measly second. He fucked the other guy's mouth as if his life depended on it, and then he let out the most indecent groan ever as he clearly spilled his release down the guy's throat. The only thing in his favor was that the other man clearly enjoyed sucking him off and gulping down his cum. Even from a few feet away she could see the guy on his knees moving his arm frantically as he jerked himself off, even heard the muffled groan as his whole body shuddered when he also came.

She had been far from a prude herself back in college. It was college, after all. She didn't really pass up many opportunities to get frisky with a good-looking guy. But at least she had the decency to do it behind closed doors.

And catching him getting a blow-job in public where everyone could see them wasn't even the worst part. The worst part had been when she saw him only one day later making out with a woman in a dark corner of the campus. His pants were shoved just down far enough so that the woman could jerk him off while his arm disappeared under her way-too-short skirt. The high pitched squeal of the woman when she came haunted her for months afterwards.

At that point she'd wondered if the man even had a room for himself, or if he was just such a big exhibitionist that he needed to have the additional kick of doing it in public to get off.

So no, she didn't really want to see him at the wedding. But of course it was inevitable. He was Mulan's man of honor, after all.

But she was a grown woman. She just needed to put on her big girl panties and suffer through it. She could do it.

Killian Jones would not ruin the wedding for her.


"Okay, Jones. I've waited long enough for an explanation. It's time for you to spill."

"What are you talking about?" Killian asked, turning away from studying Emma from afar to face the bride-to-be.

"Emma ... and you. What happened there?"

For a split second he contemplated brushing it off, telling Mulan a story he'd pull out of his ass to satisfy her curiosity. But it was Mulan, after all. One of his best friends since middle school. And he couldn't do it.

"Remember Paul?" he asked her, his eyes darting back to Emma for a split second before meeting Mulan's gaze again.

"One of your best friends? That Paul?" Mulan replied, arching an eyebrow at him, her mouth twitching as she tried not to grin like a loon.

He chuckled, knowing damn well that Mulan knew all about what had happened between him and Paul in the early days. "Yes, that Paul."

"What does he have to do with the tension between you and Emma, though?"

"She saw us together," Killian said, letting out a groan when he remembered what Emma had seen. "In our early days. You know how often I had my cock shoved down his throat back then."

"Oh, okay." Mulan bit her bottom lip to keep herself from grinning, and he shook his head at her. Of course she knew what he'd been up to back then. "But I don't know why that would bother Emma. She wasn't exactly innocent back in college."

"Maybe, but a day later she caught me fingering Kate to an orgasm while Kate was jacking me off."

"Hmm, I see."

"I didn't make the best first impression, I guess. And taking her past into account ..." he trailed off, his heart squeezing in his chest when he thought about what Emma had been through in her childhood and teenage years. "She never warmed up to me after that."

"Does she know about your past?"

"Depends on how much you told Ruby, I guess."

"I didn't say anything to her. It wasn't my story to tell."

"Then I assume she doesn't know about my past." He inhaled sharply, forcing himself to look away from Emma, from the woman who had fascinated him from the first moment he saw her. "It probably wouldn't have made a difference anyways."

"You know I hate it when you talk like that, Killian."

"Talk like what?"

"As if you're not allowed to act out when you're hurt," Mulan chided, her hand curling around his forearm while her eyes darkened with compassion. "You lost your brother and your girlfriend that year. I know you escaped into mindless sexual escapades to not drown into your grief. I would have tried to pull you out of it. But it seemed to work, so I didn't ..."

"It worked. Sort of. Especially Paul and Kate. They were both supposed to be a one-night-stand. But I ran into them a few weeks later, and one thing lead to another and we spent the night together."

"All three of you?"

"Aye, they saved me from myself. It was crazy, but also extremely hot. Somehow one night became two, and before I knew it we were practically living together."

"Why didn't I know about that?"

"It was the time you've met Ruby. You were practically blind to anything else."

"You know I'd have always found the time to listen to your problems."

"I know," Killian said softly, putting his arm around Mulan's shoulders and pulling her close to press his lips against her forehead. "But I was happy with the way my life was, and you were practically glowing with love."

"But it didn't work out?"

"We grew apart. That's all." He shrugged his shoulders, knowing it had been better that way. "But we managed to stay good friends. I'll be forever grateful that they're both still in my life."

"But what about love, Killian?" Mulan asked, her voice going soft when she let her gaze sweep over the room until she found Ruby. "Aren't you eager to find the one? Or ones?"

His eyes drifted back to Emma, his heart squeezing in his chest as he watched her throwing her head back as she laughed loudly about something. The words almost spilled from his lips. The words he'd never said aloud. The words he only acknowledged in the deepest corners of his brain when he felt vulnerable.

I think I've already found the one.

But instead he said, "Not everyone is as lucky as you are."

"That I am," Mulan replied, her eyes glinting brightly with happiness as she once again searched out her wife-to-be in the room. Her mouth curled up into a smile when Ruby locked gazes with her. "Just looking at her reminds me every single day what a lucky woman I am to have found her."

"And I'm so happy for you," Killian said, his eyes flitting back to Emma. He shot Mulan a big grin, ignoring the ache in his heart as he wondered if he'd ever be as happy as Mulan or if he'd missed out on the chance to find the same kind of happiness all those years ago.


"I'm glad you haven't killed him yet."

"It could still happen," Emma mumbled under her breath, wondering if she could get away with calling it an accident when she stabbed the man of honor with her fork.

"Maybe you should give him a second chance?"

"What?"

"He isn't as bad as you think he is," Ruby said, rolling her eyes when Emma just cocked her eyebrow in disbelief. "Mulan never told me, but I put two and two together after we've met. The story was still told from time to time on campus. I just caught a few conversations and put the pieces together."

"You've always been an excellent eavesdropper."

"Wanna know what I found out?"

"All right, you won't stop pestering me otherwise," Emma huffed out an annoyed breath, knowing that Ruby would tell her anyway. "Tell me the story."

"Liam Jones was his brother."

"Liam ..." Emma started, confused about who Ruby was talking about, but then the headlines from back then jumped into her brain. A horrible accident on the highway. "Oh, that ... his brother was in the car?"

Ruby just nodded, her expression turning grave when she continued, "And do you remember Milah Gold's story?"

It took Emma a few seconds before the story came back to her. A completely deranged father killed his daughter with a Samurai sword, because he wanted her to stop seeing her boyfriend. Something about him being beneath her station. The boyfriend had apparently been in the same room at the time, trying to save her from the mad rage of her father. But he couldn't keep her father from piercing the sword through her heart. He almost lost his hand trying, apparently.

Emma couldn't keep a gasp from escaping as she connected the dots. "That was Killian?" she asked, her eyes searching him out. When she found him in the crowd, her gaze automatically dropped down to his left hand. The scars were even visible from this far away.

"It happened two weeks after his brother died."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"I always thought it wasn't my story to tell. But it's time for you two to bury the hatchet." Ruby's smile turned wicked for a moment, before it turned soft again the moment she locked eyes with her fiancée. "And maybe it's my upcoming nuptials, but I can't stop spreading the love."

Knowing about his past shouldn't have made a difference, but knowing about what had happened in his life back then ... she now saw their first meeting under another light. Hadn't she done almost the exact same thing after Neal almost got her arrested for a crime she didn't commit? She'd also tried to drown the pain of a broken heart in meaningless sexual encounters. Apparently Killian had done the same.

Suddenly, he turned his head as though he felt her eyes on him. Their gazes collided and heat surged through her body when neither of them were able to break eye contact.

Was hating him for so long just a wall she'd hidden behind so that she didn't have to be honest with herself? Because a part of her had always been fascinated by him. A part of her had longed to see where the sparks that lit up between them every time they met could lead.

Maybe Ruby was right. Maybe it was time for them to bury the hatchet.


Why the hell did every winter coat had to be a dark color? How was she supposed to find her coat in that sea of black, dark brown, and dark blue coats that all looked the same?

She was seconds away from just giving up the search and heading out to catch her Uber without a coat when the door opened behind her and smacked hard into her back, causing her to tumble forward into the pile of dark coats. She tried to grip anything that could break her fall, but her fingers weren't able to get a hold on something solid. She had already succumbed to her fate of painfully crashing to the floor when a strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back until she hit a hard solid wall of flesh. A familiar cologne hit her nostrils a moment later, but part of her hoped it was just a weird coincidence. Her hope was shattered when an as familiar voice reached her ears, "Easy, love. We don't want you to break anything, do we?"

It had to be the three cocktails she'd downed in the last hour, because there was no other explanation for the fact that his voice alone turned her on, made her weak in the knees. She wanted nothing more than to swirl around, press herself against his hard body and kiss him as though her life depended on it. But that was a bad idea. A really, really bad idea. Right?

Before she had the chance to pull back her wayward thoughts she was turned around and his finger was under her chin, pulling her head up.

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you, lov..." His eyes narrowed as he recognized who he was holding in his arms. Since she wasn't the only blond woman wearing a burgundy dress tonight, his obliviousness might be excused. "Sorry, Swan. I didn't know it was you."

He pulled his arm back, his fingers lingering just long enough around her waist to steady her on her feet before he took two steps back.

"So you would have let me fall if you knew it was me?" she asked him, unable to keep the venom out of her voice. She knew they weren't on the best of terms, but he would seriously let her fall before touching her?

"What? No!" he blurted out, stepping closer again, his hand touching her elbow. "Of course not, Emma." Her name almost rolled of his tongue with his accent. And damn it, it shouldn't have any effect on her whatsoever. Damn his accent. "I just thought you'd have preferred to be rescued by anyone other than me."

"Is that so, Jones?" she drawled, stepping closer until their bodies almost brushed together.

"Emma, what are you ..."

"Shut up, Killian," she interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. His eyebrows drew up as he looked down at her, and he opened his mouth, probably to give her a scathing retort. She just couldn't let him do it. She would blame the alcohol in a few minutes, but right now she just needed him to stop talking. So she did the only thing she hoped would leave him speechless. She grabbed the lapels of his suit jacket and yanked him forward, crashing her lips to his.

She apparently took him by surprise because he didn't react at first, but then he groaned into her mouth, a sound that made her even wetter than she already was, and he kissed her back. And what a kiss it was. It made her head spin and her knees weak. Not to mention the way it made her body light up with lust, all synapses firing on overload as he devoured her mouth.

Unfortunately, they needed to come up for air eventually. The moment his lips left hers, reality crashed into the bubble that had been one bone-melting make-out session with a man she supposedly despised only a few hours ago.

"That was ..." He licked his lips, red color sweeping over his cheekbones as he looked at her with a dumbstruck expression on his face.

That wouldn't do at all. This expression on his face had to go away. Like right now.

"A one-time thing," she said before he could say something that would make it impossible for her to leave. And she needed to leave. Desperately. She should have left the moment she realized that her rescuer was one Killian Jones. The man she loathed. The man she wanted from the moment she saw him. And finally kissing him ... no, it hadn't been great at all. He was a bad kisser. A very, very bad kisser. She didn't even feel the slightest twinge of desire. No twinge at all. "I have to go."


Of course she'd run out of the coat room without her coat. Now her toes were icy blocks in her beautiful Louboutins that weren't the least bit suitable for this kind of weather, while her whole body was shivering like crazy. And to top it all off, she had just gone and made the biggest mistake of her life.

"Never kiss the man of honor," she mumbled under her breath. "Stupid, Swan. Really stupid. But this is all Ruby's fault, with her bridal cheerfulness twisting my head around."

"Talking to yourself there, love?"

She groaned, rolling her eyes as she turned around to him. "Are you stalking me?" she asked him, her voice sharper than she intended.

"Easy, Swan," he replied, holding his hands out and taking a step back as if he feared she might attack him. "I'm just waiting for my Uber."

"Whatever," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest to dry to keep herself as warm as possible. It seemed to take forever until finally a car stopped at the curb and she took a step forward, eager to get in.

"Killian Jones?" the Uber driver asked the moment he'd rolled down the passenger window a crack.

"Aye, that's me," Killian replied, opening the back door. But before he stepped in, he turned around and asked her, "Are you staying at the Sheraton, too?"

"Yes," she replied curtly, gritting her teeth together to keep them from shattering together.

"Let's share the Uber then, Swan. There's no reason for you to freeze yourself to death out here."

A few reasons sprang to mind, but all of them were kind of childish, considering that she could hardly feel her fingers and toes anymore. Her Uber driver was apparently a no-show, and none of those reasons would keep her warm in the frigid weather.

"Fine," she grumbled, slipping past him into the Uber, suppressing a relieved sigh when the warmth of the car immediately seeped into her chilled body.

"Take this," Killian said, holding his coat out to her.

She had a sharp denial already on the tip of her tongue, but as another shiver racked through her body, she gulped it down. Grabbing his coat instead, she slipped into it, suppressing a groan when she pulled the warm coat around her.

"Thanks," she mumbled, shifting until she could lean her head against the door. Closing her eyes, she refused to keep up a conversation with him.

A hand shaking her gently brought her back to the present what felt like seconds later. Apparently she had fallen asleep without really intending to. "We're here, Swan."

She righted herself and stumbled out of the car while Killian stayed back to thank the driver. For a few seconds she contemplated getting after him about paying her share of the Uber, but she was just too tired to start an argument, knowing damn well that he would insist on paying since it had been his Uber. She wouldn't be surprised if he said something about always being a gentleman, too. That would be totally typical Killian Jones behavior, and she just wasn't up for that right now.

At least her brain woke up enough for her to remember to slip his coat off her shoulders and hand it to him before she reached the stairs, opting to avoid the elevator to not spend more time with him.

"Night, Jones."

"Have a good night, Swan," his voice followed her up the stairs. "And sweet dreams."


She should have drunk more water at the rehearsal dinner. Then the hangover might have been not that bad. Not that it was unbearable, since she'd only had a few vodka martini and two glasses of wine, maybe three. That wouldn't have been that bad if she'd actually forgotten what happened last night. But no such luck. She remembered her attack. Why did she think it was a good idea to kiss the man of honor? And why the hell couldn't she forget the kiss?

Because it was a good kiss, baby.

"No, it wasn't," she muttered, hating her inner devil voice more than ever.

Her inner devil always showed up at the most inopportune moments. When she was in college she actually listened to it very frequently, but everyone let loose a little at college, right? At least the man of honor had. Which she'd seen with her own eyes. But now that she knew the most likely reason for him acting so slutty ... well, she couldn't fault him for doing it. She just couldn't.

Which made the day lying ahead of her not easier.

But this was Ruby's day. Hers and Mulan's. She was the maid of honor; she had a ton of responsibilities today. She needed to make sure that Ruby always remembered the day as one of the best days of her life.

That her distaste of one Killian Jones had suddenly turned into something different, something much more potent ... that was her problem. She wasn't a college student anymore. She didn't act on her impulses anymore. Her wild days were over.

And not even the man of honor could change that.


He'd been attracted to her right from the beginning, but never really let himself think about it. Her obvious disgust with him wasn't something he could overcome by charming her pants off. He had tried at the beginning, but gave up very soon to keep the peace. Since it was clear that Ruby and Mulan were in it for the long haul, they were bound to see each other often. He didn't want to go into a full-scale war with Emma. So he'd kind of accepted her thinly veiled hostility towards him, and buried the fascination he had with her in as deep a place he could find in his brain.

But that kiss ... bloody hell. The moment her lips had touched his it was as if the feelings he'd hidden in the darkest corner just jumped right out of hiding and smacked him square in the chest. He'd tried to shove them back, but all he achieved was that his dreams, after he'd tossed and turned in bed until the wee hours of morning, were full of her. Full of soft lips pressing against his, wandering down his body until they closed around his cock, her tongue doing the most wicked things until he couldn't keep back any longer and spilled his seed down her throat. He'd woken up with his pants wet with his cum, as if he'd been back in his teenage years. He hadn't come in a dream for years.

"Bloody hell, Swan."

He rubbed a hand over his face and took a few deep breaths. He didn't have the time to think about what happened with Emma yesterday. Mulan needed him to be at the top of his game today.

And no blonde vixen would keep him off track.


The ceremony had been beautiful, leaving her all teary-eyed and struggling to keep her eyes off the man of honor. Emma didn't know what she'd have done in that moment when her emotions were on an all high. Unfortunately, she still remembered last night's kiss vividly. She wanted a repeat performance. Very, very badly. And that wouldn't do. At all.

So she had avoided him all through the reception. She was about to pat herself on the back for managing to not speak to him for hours when his voice right beside her ear erased all her victorious feelings in a heartbeat.

"May I have this dance, Swan?"

For a brief moment she thought about refusing, but then she remembered that not dancing with him would seem strange. Not to mention that Ruby would pester her if she didn't. Ruby had told her weeks ago that she expected Emma to dance with the man of honor. Tradition and all. She wasn't prepared for the interrogation if she didn't. One dance wouldn't kill her.

"Of course, Jones."

But all her sound reasoning vanished into thin air when his fingers closed around hers. She could feel the surge of electricity down to her toes. Frazzled, her eyes snapped up to his. The smug expression on his face faltered as they just stared at each other for a few seconds before his fingers tightened around hers and he pulled her onto the dance floor. She knew she shouldn't keep eye contact, but she couldn't look away, ensnared in the heat that burned in his eyes.

His arm came around her waist, drawing her impossibly close. She knew they were dancing too close, but she couldn't put more distance between them. Being so close to him just felt right. And for a few minutes she just let herself feel without questioning it. The press of his fingers against her lower back, the brush of his thigh against hers. His breath blowing over the curls at the nape of her neck, making a shiver run down her spine and right between her legs, leaving her aching and wet for him.

When the music ended they just stopped in the middle of the dance floor, the air around them reverberating with the kind of tension that was so thick you could cut it with a knife. She leaned back and met his gaze, the intensity of his stare making her knees threaten to buckle out under her. She wanted to kiss him, right then and there. A part of her didn't care that anyone could see them. She just wanted to have his lips on hers again. To forget everything around them. To just be.

But of course, this wasn't a fairy tale. She wasn't Cinderella, dancing with her prince. She was only Emma Swan. A girl who'd been left on the side of the road as a baby. A girl who never really fit in this world.

The voice of the DJ interrupted their moment, and she was glad he did. He kept her from falling into the spell Killian Jones was weaving around her. He kept her from getting hurt in the end.

"You've done your duty, Jones," she said brusquely, pushing out of his arms and waving her hand as if she was a princess and dismissing one of her servants haughtily. "See you around."

And without looking back at him, she left him standing on the dance floor, snapped a flute of champagne from a tray a waiter carried by, and walked onto the patio before anyone could stop her.


Killian could only stand there and blink. She'd just dismissed him. As if he was some kind of lowly servant who should be glad to kiss the ground she was walking on.

He groaned out loud as he realized that he actually would kiss the ground she was walking on if she would just give them a chance. And how pathetic was that?

"Go after her," Mulan's voice snapped him out of his pity party.

"I don't think she wants to see me right now."

"Do I have to repeat the words you told me all those years ago when I wanted to give up on Ruby? When I was too much of a coward to go after her ... or do you remember what you said?"

He let out a harsh breath that sounded more like a sigh then a chuckle. Of course he remembered what he'd said to Mulan to kick her ass and keep her from making the biggest mistake of her life.

"A man not willing to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets."

"You've wanted her for years, haven't you?"

"More than you can imagine."

"Than go after her. Don't let her get away."


Emma thought she would have a few minutes to herself inside the pool house. After all, hardly anyone had a key for it. Of course, she forgot about the fact that as the man of honor, Killian did have one.

When the door opened behind her and let in a cold breeze she didn't have to turn around to know who it was. She wondered if she should feel annoyed that she recognized him without seeing him. Maybe it was his cologne that wrapped around her the moment he was in her vicinity. Or the tread of his feet on the wooden planks. And maybe she was just totally losing her mind here.

Before she could let out the laugh that tickled her throat, a hand appeared in her peripheral vision. A hand holding a glass that looked suspiciously like her favorite drink, a vodka martini.

"I hope it's shaken," she said, taking the drink without waiting for his answer. She didn't really care if it was stirred or shaken. She just wanted a drink, hoping that the alcohol would keep her from grabbing hold of him again.

"I'd never let a bartender commit the travesty of stirring a vodka martini," he replied, stepping so close to her that his shirt sleeve brushed against her bare forearm. The contact definitely didn't shoot goosebumps all over her body. That had to have been the cool air he'd let into the pool house when he entered.

"Is it bad to feel jealous of what they have?" His soft voice washed over her, eliciting another round of goosebumps to run over her skin.

She looked at him then, following his gaze when he saw him looking out of the window facing the room the reception was in. "Ruby and Mulan?"

"Aye." His voice got even softer, barely above a whisper. She had to lean closer to him to even hear what he was saying. At least that was the reason she went with. It had nothing to do with the fact that she wanted to be closer to him. "Mulan is one of my best friends. I'm happy for her. But ..."

"You just wish you could find the same?" she asked, her heart slamming hard against her ribcage when he turned his head to meet her gaze. The emotions that swirled in his too blue eyes matched the ones she'd had all day.

"Yeah," he whispered, putting his glass down on the windowsill. His fingers brushed against hers when he straightened himself again. She should have taken a step back, should have put more distance between them. But she didn't. "Maybe it has all to do with the bloody number thirty. Makes you start to think too much about the future."

"Why is that, by the way?" She moved her fingers just a fraction, holding her breath when his slipped between hers for a moment. "As if turning thirty means you're getting old, all of a sudden."

"I mean, it's kind of a turning point, if you think about it. Like turning eighteen, or twenty-one. It seems like thirty is the year you need to have everything under control. With thirty you have to have the job you will have the rest of your life, you should be with the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. Probably be already married with a child on the way."

"Right?" This time she moved her hand with purpose, slipping it around his and threading their fingers together. He took hold of her without missing a beat, making her heart jump into her throat. It was a wonder she could speak in a normal tone while her body started to go up in flames with that innocent contact. "I mean, why? Why does it have to be that way?"

"I'm just not there yet. I love my job, but the rest ..." His fingers tightened around hers, his body swaying closer to hers. "Mulan always tells me that my past is what holds me back in the love department. She says it's understandable, but I need to find a way to leave it all behind. I've tried to heed her advice for the last ten years. But I'm just not there yet."

"I understand. Ruby told me about it."

"I didn't think she knew."

"She's excellent at putting snippets of conversation together to get the whole picture." Emma leaned forward, her head coming to rest on his shoulder as if it was totally normal for her to be so close to him. The close proximity made it just easier for her to say, "You know about Neal, right?"

"Aye, I do."

"I guess we're not that different," she mumbled against his chest, slipping one arm around his waist. "Neither of us able to trust another person completely after what we've been through."

"Swan?" He pulled their entwined hands behind her back while his other hand found its way into her hair, brushing the wayward strands out of her face, before his fingers cradled her cheek. "How about jumping together?"

"What do you mean?"

"You and me?" His thumb shifted on her cheek, sweeping carefully over her bottom lip. He moved even closer so that his whole body brushed against hers, making her tingle all over. "I don't want to waste my time anymore. I'm getting old."

She scoffed at that comment, but part of what he said still resonated with her. They definitely weren't getting any younger. She didn't want to have any regrets. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was time to risk her heart again and just jump. He would catch her on the other side, wouldn't he?

"All right," she said with a shaky voice. "Let's jump together."

The magnitude of that decision robbed her off breath. She was really doing this? Putting her faith into a man again, hoping he wouldn't crush her heart?

"All right, then." He leaned down until his lips were almost on hers. "Swan?"

"Yeah, Jones?"

"Shouldn't we celebrate the start of our relationship somehow?"

He pulled back a little again so that he could look her in the eyes. She didn't feel a pang of disappointment with that move. Definitely not.

"What do you have in mind?"

"You and me ... and a bed?" he replied with a salacious grin pulling at the corner of his mouth. Waggling his eyebrows at her, he said, "I'd already be happy with any room with a lock."

"And what would you do to me behind closed doors?"

"Everything you want me to do to you." His hand shifted again, his fingers threading through her hair until he cupped her neck and pulled her closer. "I want you so bad, Swan. Want to bury myself between your legs and taste you. Want to lick and fuck you with my tongue until you scream my name."

She couldn't help herself, she let out a soft groan. Tilting her hips just right, he felt his growing erection against her stomach and bit her tongue to keep herself from letting out another moan. "We still have to stay for at least another three hours. Until Ruby and Mulan will drive off to their honeymoon. We can't forget about our duties."

"We can't?" he growled, pushing his hips forward. As if she needed another reminder of how much he apparently wanted her. His hands were busy pulling her dress up, wandering close to the place she wanted him most. "How about taking the edge of, then?"

"That sounds reasonable," she told him, gasping into his mouth when he slipped one hand between her thighs. Shoving her panties aside, he found her clit with scary accuracy.

Their duties could go to hell for just a few minutes. She reached for his belt and undid it swiftly. A jolt of lust shot through her when he groaned out loud as she finally freed him and curled her fingers around him.

"God, Swan. You can't imagine how often I've dreamed about this."

"Yeah?" She tightened her fingers around his length, gathering the pre-cum spilling out of him on the upstroke to smooth her way back down.

His fingers had only teased her entrance so far, but when she brushed her thumb over the sensitive spot right under the head of his cock, she was rewarded with two thick fingers pushing into her without warning and she bit her lip to keep herself from crying out loud.

His fingers pumped into her in a fast rhythm, his thumb finding her clit and drawing circles over it while his hips rocked forward, fucking her hand while he was fucking her with his fingers.

"I've had a lot of dreams about you, Emma," he rasped into her ear, another finger pushing into her, spreading her wide. "How you would feel wrapped around my cock. How wet you would be for me. How amazing it would be to push into your mouth and hit the back of your throat. Spilling my release into you and you swallowing everything down greedily." Three fingers were now pumping into her, making it hard for her to keep her grip on his cock. "Your honey on my tongue while I'm licking and sucking you to an earth-shattering climax. Your fingers fisting my hair while I'm fucking you with my tongue until you couldn't think straight anymore." His breath was coming out in harsh bursts now, his cock swelling in her hand as she pumped him harder and faster. His thumb pressed hard against her clit, his fingers slamming deep into her. His cock pulsed in her hand and then his seed shot out, splashing over her fingers. She came so hard that dark spots clouded her vision. Her knees buckled out from under her, only Killian's strong arms keeping her upright while his thumb still played with her clit, prolonging her climax until she could hardly breathe anymore.

"Stop," she whispered, closing her hand over his to stop him. "I can't take anymore."

"You sure?" he rasped against her neck, stilling his fingers but not withdrawing them. "I could stay like this forever."

She bit her tongue and focused all her willpower on not squeezing her walls around his fingers. She knew if she did, they wouldn't be able to stop right there.

"Duties, Jones," she told him, hoping her voice was stern enough as she took hold of his wrist and forced him to pull his fingers out of her.

"Aye," he replied, lifting his hand to his mouth and cleaning his fingers with his tongue, almost making her climax once again. "Duties."

He tucked himself away and left the pool house without saying anything else. She was still so keyed up that she didn't know how to get back to the party without anyone noticing that she'd just had one earth-shattering orgasm.

And whose fault was that?

Killian Jones would pay for that later.


"Finally," Ruby exclaimed, and Emma felt the blush creep over her cheeks. Then she realized that her best friend couldn't possible know what had just happened in the pool house. She wasn't psychic, after all. "Where have you been? I'm about to throw the bouquet."

"Just needed a bit of fresh air."

Inwardly, she wanted to jump up and down with joy that Ruby and Mulan had decided to end the celebration of their wedding a little sooner than scheduled. But it would look strange if she had a giddy fit about the reception ending earlier, wouldn't it?

She could hardly restrain herself for the next hour. Finally, the bouquet had been thrown ... of course it had landed right in her hands. But no one cared about insignificant things like that when one Killian Jones would be sharing her bed the moment they'd fulfilled all their duties.

It seemed to take the married couple forever until they finally climbed into their car that would take them to the airport. But then they drove off, and Mary Margaret and David would oversee the clean-up and everything else that needed to be taken care of. So she and Killian were free to go.

Their eyes met over the crowd and the man had the audacity to lick over his bottom lip before pulling it between his teeth. The move caused her core to clench almost painfully. She hoped the look she threw his way told him how much he would pay for all the lascivious looks and innocent touches he'd pulled on her over the last hour. Of course the man just answered with one of his 'come hither' smiles. She rolled her eyes and turned around so that he couldn't see her grin like a loon.

Thirty minutes later the bridal bouquet was lying on the floor of her hotel room, buried under a pile of their discarded clothes. Killian hadn't wasted any time. She was hardly on the bed when he was buried between her legs and his skilled mouth went to town on her. Moments later she shattered underneath him. But he didn't even give her the time to recover. Her heart still hammered in her chest and her walls still fluttered from her climax as he towered over her after donning a condom in record time.

She bowed her back off the mattress, digging her nails into his lower back as she waited for him to finally join her. But his tip barely nudged against her entrance, his eyes burning with lust as he just stared down at her.

"You're so beautiful, Swan", he whispered, leaning down to brush his lips over hers.

She shivered under him, needed him to fill her more than anything else. He could sweet-talk her into oblivion tomorrow, but right now she needed something else.

"Get on with the celebration, Jones."

"You're an impatient lass, aren't you?"

"Jones," she gritted out through clenched teeth, tempted to show him how impatient she was by slugging the smug grin right off his face.

"As you wish, love."

And then he finally pushed in, filling her in one long stroke. Tears sprang to her eyes as he started to move. He just felt so perfect. They had wasted so much time.

"Emma?" He stopped every movement when he was buried deep inside of her. She forced herself to open her eyes after a few seconds, wondering what he was waiting for. When she met his gaze all the air left her lungs. "You know that this is it, right?"

"I ..." He shifted atop of her, his pelvis rubbing over her clit just the right way. She couldn't form another coherent thought. "What?"

"You and me," he murmured, pulling out slowly before pushing back in. "We're it."

She was about to ask what he meant with 'it', but then he drew back again, hovering with only his tip inside of her and just looked down at her. It hit her right in the chest, the love shining out of his eyes. She didn't need to ask him what he meant anymore, she just knew. Her heart just leapt from her chest and right into his hands.

"Yes, Killian" she whispered, wrapping her legs around his waist and forcing him forward until he was buried until the hilt into her again. "We're it."

Words weren't needed after that anymore. He took her hard and fast until she tumbled over the edge, pulling him right with her.

When she was lying in his arms afterwards, his chest rising and falling steadily under her ear while his fingers were drawing lazy patterns over her spine, she couldn't keep a huge grin from spreading over her face.

She'd been wrong yesterday.

You should always kiss the man of honor.

He might turn out to be it.