- Daniel's Point of View - 

"You're not sneaking out the window tonight then?" Dad smirks, as he leans against the bathroom door frame. I adjust the bow tie for the fifth time and curse it under my breath.

Dad raises his eyebrow and I nod. He fiddles with the bow tie and it looks better than all my attempts.

"Where are you going tonight?"

"Dustin and Claire's wedding."

"Are you drinking? Do you need a lift?"

"No, I have a date so I'm not drinking tonight."

"Oh, good choice."

I fix my hair, then spray cologne on. Mum spies me leaving the bathroom and pretends she's doing something else, to avoid the fact she'd sent my father in to inquire about my whereabouts and was trying to listen into the conversation.

"Oh, Daniel, wow, you look good!"

"Thanks, Mum."

"Is that a new tie?"

"Yes." I nod.

"Daniel's going to a wedding, so we best not make him late," Dad comments.

I slip into my bedroom to grab my car keys, but I wait by the doorway to catch their conversation.

"He has a date?" She gasps. "Why didn't you ask for her name?"

"Daniel will introduce his date to us whenever he's ready. Don't push him."

"I'm just worried about him."

I walk out of the bedroom and smile at my mother. She tugs on a bright smile to cover up their intense conversation. I kiss her cheek and give her a hug.

"Don't worry about me, I'm happy," I whisper.

Well, I'll be happy once I have Ellie in my arms.

It's not a long drive to Ellie's house, but it feels like that with how fast my heart is racing. I'm excited to see her as I've spent the last two nights with Dustin preparing for the wedding and his bucks party, beyond nervous about meeting her mother and how everyone else will react to Ellie.

I pull into the driveway and take a deep breath before jumping out of the car and heading to the door. I knock twice and adjust my suit jacket. The door swings open and Ellie's mother answers it.

"You must be Daniel, I've heard lots about you." She grins.

"All good, I hope." I nervously smile.

"Noah seems to really like you, apparently so does my daughter." She chuckles. "So perhaps all is good for now."

"I like them both, Noah's a cute kid."

"We're just in her bedroom getting ready."

"Okay." I nod.

She moves aside and I walk into the house and down to Ellie's room. Ellie's fiddling with a necklace and Noah's sitting by her feet applying blush to his cheeks.

"Daniel," he screams.

"Hi, buddy."

He runs over and jumps into my arms for a hug. I rustle his hair and he shows me the makeup brush he's playing with. His cheeks are very rosy and there's glitter on his nose.

Noah returns to the mirror and I take the necklace from Ellie and she smiles. I fasten the clip and she adjusts the necklace. I trail my fingertips down the length of her arms and gaze at her through the mirror.

She's wearing a silky silvery gray dress which hugs her curves and shows off her long legs. Her hair is tied up with just a few curly strands dangling down to frame the sides of her face.

"You're beautiful," I whisper.

She grins and a slight blush appears on her cheeks. It's really cute.

"Let's pack some of the makeup away." Ellie helps Noah pack the makeup into a cosmetic bag and then he takes it into the bathroom. She sprays a cloud of perfume on her and grabs the clutch from the bed.

Her mother appears in the doorway with a knowing look and glances between us.

"You're beautiful, hun!" She gasps.

"Thanks."

Noah runs over to Ellie and she picks him up and kisses his cheek.

"Promise you'll be good for Nana." Noah cheekily grins, which has them both laughing.

"Can I go to Nana's house for a sleepover?"

"You have to ask Nana."

Noah looks at her and she smiles, nodding her head.

"I'll see you in the morning then." She kisses his head.

"Say goodbye to Mummy, then we can pack some things for a sleepover."

"Bye Mummy." He waves before bounding out of the room.

Ellie flips the light off and I follow the trail of floral perfume. We head to the car and before she can get in, I pull her back for a kiss. I slide my hand around to her lower back and moan as my fingers trail across her soft skin.

She slides her hands up my chest and rests them on my shoulder. Ellie searches my eyes and nibbles on her lower lip.

"I'm nervous, I don't know anyone at the wedding."

"It's Dustin and Claire's wedding and you met Dustin at the bar, so you kind of know a few people. I'll be with you the entire night, but I'll tell you more about them on the way over."

* * * * *

"Can I get a glass of white wine?" The bartender pours a glass of wine and hands it to me. As I turn around, Dustin appears with a smile.

"Hey mate." Dustin bumps his arm into mine.

"Congratulations, again, on the wedding."

Dustin looks at Claire from across the room and smiles. I've known him since we were teens and it's crazy to see him all grown up and married, but it suits him well.

"Thanks! I thought Claire was going to call off the wedding towards the end, but we made it." He half laughs. "Wedding planning is very stressful."

"All worth it in the end, hey?"

He glances back at Claire and the love and adoration swirling through his eyes answer my question before he does.

"Sure is." He smiles. "Claire likes Ellie which is amazing because she's weary of new people. We should hang out after the honeymoon so they can get to know each other better."

"I think it'll be good." I nod.

"Ellie seems lovely, but everyone is surprised you stuck around after the whole kid thing."

"Why is everyone hung up about that?" I roll my eyes. "Our whole friend group is getting married and having children."

"Because he's not your child. Aren't you worried about that?"

"No."

"Have you given it any thought?"

"It really doesn't bother me."

"Hm."

"Ellie's not a gold digger if that's what you're implying." I frown.

Dustin raises his hands.

"She's more than capable of raising her own child and supporting him financially. As for parenting, we haven't discussed that yet. I've only just met Noah and her ex."

"You met the ex?"

"Yeah, they sort of co-parent Noah. Ellie makes most of the decisions because he's not very present in Noah's life."

"You should talk to Ellie before things get too serious. Know what you're getting yourself into."

"None of that scares me. She's an amazing woman and we'll work it out when it comes to it."

"You certainly look smitten." Dustin laughs.

"Hi, Daniel." Claire appears with a smile as she stands next to Dustin's side. "Thanks for coming to the wedding. Ellie is beautiful, we should organise a lunch in the future so she can meet the rest of the girls."

"Great idea." I nod.

"Also, the photograph is looking for us." Claire smiles at Dustin.

"I should get back to Ellie." I wander back to the table and give Ellie her drink. She takes a long sip and smiles.

"Thanks."

"Claire and Dustin want to catch up once they return from their honeymoon."

"I'm glad your friends like me."

* * * * *

"Please join the bride and groom on the dance floor."

Ellie's hazel eyes shimmer as she looks at me. I hold my hand out and we head to the dance floor. I wrap one arm around her waist and hold her hand in the other. We sway to the slow beat, but my heart is racing. She's a vision under this ambient light.

"You're so beautiful," I whisper. "So beautiful."

I twirl her around and she crashes into my chest and looks up, batting her long lashes. I kiss the end of her nose and she giggles. She drops my hand in favor of wrapping her arms around my neck, I don't mind because I softly trail my fingers over her lower back. She shivers under my touch.

"Can you imagine if this was us?"

Ellie tips her head back and smiles.

"It's a beautiful wedding," she comments.

The music changes to an upbeat song and Ellie giggles. She twirls around and I slide my hand over her waist and onto her stomach. She wiggles her ass and I groan into her hair. Ellie looks over her shoulder and flutters her eyelashes at me.

"Ready to go home?"

There's only so much teasing a man can handle.

* * * * *

On the drive home, Ellie places her hand on my thigh and slowly trails her fingertips up. I groan and cover her hand with mine to stop her exploration.

"You're such a tease," I groan.

She glances at me with an innocent pout and rosy cheeks from all the wine she's consumed. I pull into the driveway and race around to help her out of the car. Ellie rummages through her bag as she slowly walks to the front door.

"I can't feel two of my toes." She sighs.

"You should have taken off your shoes."

"I know." She pouts.

She unlocks the door and discards her bag and shoes on the floor. Ellie sighs with relief before wrapping her arm around my neck and pulling my lips down to hers. I pin her against the wall and run my nose down the length of her neck.

"You have no idea what your body does to me." Her breathing fastens.

Her lips capture mine and it's a hungry, passionate kiss. She pushes away from the wall and pulls me down to the bedroom. Ellie's fingers fumble with the buttons on my shirt, but I grab her wrists and spin her around so she's facing the full-length mirror.

I unzip the back of her dress and push the straps off her shoulder until the dress slips down and gathers into a pile at her feet. I groan at the sight of her beautiful body.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are."

I unclasp her bra and it falls onto the pile. I trail my fingers down her chest and across the curve of her breasts. Her nipples grow hard under my touch and a small, breathy gasp leaves her lips. I continue my exploration over her soft stomach and into the front of her silky thong. I stroke her clit and she sucks in a breath. She tilts her head back and squeezes her eyes shut.

I build a steady rhythm which makes her knees wobble. I clasp her breast in my other hand and roll her nipple between my fingers. Her legs part and I reach further down until I find her entrance. I slip a finger in and her body drops a little as she adjusts herself. She winds her fingers into the back of my hair and yanks on it to give herself some support.

I slowly pull them in and out, teasing her.

"Mm," she moans between breaths. "Don't stop."

I slide my fingers back up and her moans grow wild as I speed up.

"Say my name."

"Daniel." Her voice is barely audible.

She rocks her hips against my hand until her body slumps against mine and she moans her release. Her soft ass grinds against my erection, making it painfully throb.

I need her; I want her.

Elle drops to her knees and takes a couple of breaths before turning around and looking up at me with lust in her eyes. She unbuckles my pants and I discard my bow tie and shirt on the pile of clothes. She pulls my pants down, letting my erection spring free.

Her eyes trail down my body, drinking in every detail.

Her gaze remains locked with mine as she licks from the base to the tip. She swirls her tongue around the end and I gasp. She slowly sucks in an inch at a time

"Fuck." I hiss.

Her head bobs up and down and I remove the clip from her hair and slide my fingers through it. I wrap her hair around my hand and tug her head back so I can go deeper.

"Fuck, I'm so close."

Excitement dances in her hazel brown eyes and she goes faster. I spill into the back of her throat with a grunt. She pulls back and eagerly licks her lips. I catch her chin and run my thumb under her lower lip. I help Ellie up and she kisses me with so much hunger and passion, it almost knocks me over.

She pulls back and grins.

"You're amazing," I mumble and rest my forehead against hers. She weaves her fingers through my hair and sighs.

"I'm so happy we met. You make me so happy."

I tug her towards the bed and we slide under the covers. She curls up in my arms and I trail my fingers over her back until her breathing slows and she's fast asleep. I brush some hair behind her ear and kiss her forehead.

Dustin's comments creep into my mind. There's a lot we haven't discussed about our future and how it looks because of Noah. I'm scared because there's a lot of uncertainty.

I hope she catches me because I'm falling hard.

* * * * *