Society Weddings (Corrigan & Co. Book 11) Read online

  Society Weddings

  A Corrigan & Co. novella

  By Crystal Perkins

  Copyright © 2015 by Crystal Perkins

  Cover Design by Helen Williams

  www.allbookedout.com

  Ebook Formatting by Jesse Gordon

  adarnedgoodbook.com

  All trademarks are owned by their respective companies and are denoted by the use of proper capitalization of the company and/or brand. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This contemporary erotic romance is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with, especially if you enjoy sexy, emotional, romance novels with alpha males. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  About Society Weddings

  Other books by Crystal Perkins

  Ainsley & Zack

  Faith & Gavin

  Stella & Kace

  Isa & Jake

  Tegan & Caleb

  Jade & Nate

  Darcy & Brayden

  Ellie & Aiden

  Audrey & Blake

  Reina & Matt

  The Beginning

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  About Society Weddings

  Behind every great spy is the sexy man who loves her...

  The women of the Society invite you to join them as they finally walk down the aisle. Whether it's the first or second time they're saying "I Do" to the man they love, these weddings are the ones they've always dreamed of.

  Planning a mission and planning a wedding are two different things...

  You've shared their struggles, triumphs, and SECRETS, and now it's time to share the celebrations of their love. Mishaps, murders, misunderstandings, and general mayhem will ensue before they get their happily ever after, but that will make them even more special.

  Ten female spies + ten equally strong men = ten weddings full of romance, weapons, tears, and lots of sexy times. RSVP at your own risk.

  Other books by Crystal Perkins

  The Griffin Brothers series

  Gaming For Love (The Griffin Brothers #1)

  Building Our Love (The Griffin Brothers #2)

  Creating A Love (The Griffin Brothers #3)

  Learning To Love (The Griffin Brothers #4)

  Designing The Love (The Griffin Brothers #5)

  Working On Love (The Griffin Brothers #6)

  Keeping Their Love (The Griffin Brothers #7)

  Corrigan & Co. series

  Fielding Her SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #1)

  Devouring the SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #2)

  Rocking a SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #3)

  Lessons in SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #4)

  Uncovering His SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #5)

  Training the SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #6)

  Inheriting a SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #7)

  Tending Their SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #8)

  Playing in SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #9)

  Loving My SECRET (Corrigan & Co., #10)

  Other books

  Never Fear-Phobias Horror Anthology

  (Chronophobia short story)

  Never Fear-Christmas Terrors Anthology

  (Silent Fright short story)

  For everyone who took the journey with these ten

  women along with me. Thanks for loving them!

  Ainsley & Zack

  Ainsley

  “Stop fidgeting, or I’m going to end up stabbing you with these damn pins,” Stella tells me, as she works on altering my wedding dress.

  Most brides would just have it done by the bridal shop, or the designer. I’m not most brides, though. I’m a member of the Society, a secret group of women who right as many of the wrongs in the world as we can. And my good friend, Stella, is our stylist. She’s also a perfectionist, hence the alterations she’s doing on my dress right now.

  “I still don’t know how I let you talk me into a pink wedding gown.”

  “Just because you’re a tomboy, doesn’t mean you should be wearing blue.”

  “I normally lean towards purple, and not blue, and you know it.”

  “Purple is a little out there for a wedding gown, even for me. The blush pink looks beautiful on you, especially with all of the swirling fabric on the bottom.”

  There is a lot of fabric curling around to make what looks like giant roses—or frosting—on the bottom. Actually, frosting is probably a better metaphor since I feel like a cupcake in this dress. Not that it’s a bad thing. My fiancé, Zack Taylor, loves sweets, and looking like a cupcake might get me a few extra licks in the honeymoon suite. That isn’t me complaining—I’m well taken care of when he’s not off on a road trip with his football team—but a little extra time with Zack and his tongue is not something I’d turn down.

  “Is the dress too much?” I have to ask.

  “Too much what? Money? No. You can afford it. Too much fabric? On someone else, maybe. But you look so beautiful, Ainsley. I wouldn’t tell you that if it wasn’t true. Zack is going to fall to his knees when he sees you walking towards him.”

  “If I ever find a place for us to get married,” I mumble.

  “You will. I can’t believe he wouldn’t get married on the football field. I thought that was a perfect idea.”

  “Me too. He says it’s too clichéd.”

  “It is, but who cares? You both love the game. You wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for football. Can’t you change his mind?”

  “If I really pushed it, he’d do whatever I wanted. I don’t want this to be just my wedding, though. It should be about both of us, and what makes us happy.”

  “Is he not happy with football anymore?”

  “What? No. That’s not it. He loves football more than anything except for his family and me. I think it’s more that, during the season, he spends more time on that field than he spends with me, and he wants this to be just for us.”

  “Football is the main thing you have in common, so what else would be “just for you”?”

  “I don’t know,” I admit.

  That’s the problem. Zack and I are perfect for each other. We fit together. But I’m sure no one on the outside sees it that way. When you strip away football, you have a sexy god, and a sexy nerd. We’re both sexy—it took me some time to believe that, but we are—but I know our relationship is still a shock to many people. While our sex life is spectacular, what we have is so much more.

  We have lazy Tuesdays, spending most of his day off cuddling on the couch, while we marathon some of the TV shows we missed the week before. We have late night dinners after the games. Win or lose, we eat alone, just the two of us, once he comes home. We have the secret
signal he gives me before each game, and the kiss I give to his helmet every week. Either in the tunnel here in Vegas, or before he leaves for his away games. I go to as many away games as I can, but I have an important job. A job he appreciates as much as I do.

  When I met my man, I thought he was just a shallow manwhore. Over time, I came to realize that he just put up that front to protect himself. Don’t get me wrong, he slept with plenty of women, and let plenty more get on their knees for him. But I’m the only one who got to see the real him. Gets to see it still. Once we got past all of the jealousy, and childish behavior, we exposed our real selves to each other, and only then did I truly know how lucky I am.

  He’s as cocky as ever in public, but in private, he’s self-deprecating and sweet. He would lay his life down for his family, his close friends, and yeah, me. When my friends have gotten in some dangerous or sticky situations, he was right there, offering to do whatever he could to help. From the moment he put this football shaped ring on my finger, he has never wavered in his devotion to me. Sure, we still fight sometimes—we’re only human. But I never worry that he’ll walk away because I’m insecure, or because he’ll find someone else. He’s mine forever, and that’s why this wedding has to be perfect. For both of us.

  * * *

  Zack

  It’s the first weekend of the off-season, and I couldn’t be happier. Well, I guess I could—we didn’t win the Super Bowl, or even make it there—but now I get to spend more time with my wife-to-be. I have some endorsement photo shoots and commercials, and I’ll train a little every day, but other than that, it’s just me and Ains. She’s still got work, and I know she’s stressed about our wedding in two weeks, but every spare moment she has belongs to me. Hell, I may just go hang out in her lair at the Foundation when she’s working, just so I can have those moments, too. The house is too empty without her here.

  The doorbell rings, and I jump up to answer it. No one buzzed at the gate, so it has to be family or a friend. I open the door to see Stella on the other side, and if looks could kill, I’d be dead at the moment. It takes me a moment to realize that Reina’s with her, too, because I’m still trying to resist the urge to cover my dick with my hands. If I’ve learned one thing from the Society women, it’s that you don’t show fear. Like ever. You embrace your fear, and then put on a brave front.

  “Hi ladies, what’s up?”

  “What’s up? Seriously, Football?” Stella asks, stepping towards me. I’m so damn proud of myself for not stepping back.

  “Calm down, Stell. We came here to talk to him, not hurt him,” Reina says, putting a hand on her arm.

  “Fine. Talk first, but if he continues to fuck-up, can I hurt him?”

  “Just a little. Ainsley loves him.”

  “Um, while I’m totally loving this conversation—not—what that hell is going on?”

  “You’re breaking Ainsley’s heart,” Stella tells me, walking into the living room, and sitting on one of the couches.

  “What? How?” We went two rounds before she left for work this morning, and she was definitely happy when she left. Or at least I thought she was.

  “Sit down, Zack,” Reina says with a sigh. I sit, and she continues. “I had a wedding in a casino. It was beautiful, and exactly what most people would’ve dreamed of. It wasn’t what I wanted, I never even thought about what I wanted.”

  “I’m really sorry for that, Reina, but what does that have to do with me and Ains? She picked the casino for our wedding.”

  “Because you won’t let her have a football wedding.”

  “She doesn’t really want that.” Does she?

  “Of course she wants that. Ainsley isn’t about flowers and bling. She wants to get married on the football field you fell in love on, and have that parking lot food thing,” Stella says.

  “Tailgating?” I ask with a smile.

  “Yeah, that.”

  “I thought she just wanted that for me.”

  “And she thinks you don’t want it at all. She’s doing the casino for you,” Reina tells me.

  “Well, fuck. I just wanted her to have the fairytale.”

  “Which fairytale is that, Zack? Because while Ainsley is drop dead gorgeous, she’ll never be a princess in a castle,” Stella reminds me.

  Shit. I shouldn’t need to be reminded of that. “No, she won’t. I’ve been trying to fit her into a mold, haven’t I?”

  “In life, no. We all see how much you love her just the way she is. She’s never been happier,” Reina tells me. “As far as the wedding, well, yes. You were trying to give her a dream wedding that’s not her dream.”

  “She also thinks you’d hate to get married on the field,” Stella says.

  I shake my head. “I wouldn’t. I only said that to let her off the hook. Which apparently, she was never on. She really wants this?”

  “Yes, you idiot,” Stella tells me.

  I nod. I am an idiot. I should’ve known that Ainsley didn’t want a banquet room, or a fancy dinner. My girl’s happiest when she’s eating stadium food in her jeans and my jersey. I mean, she can rock a gown like nobody’s business, but she prefers casual. Now I just need to give it to her.

  “Can we do this?”

  “We’re the Society,” Reina says with a smirk.

  That’s all she really needs to say. “I have something I’d like to do. I didn’t think it would work well in a ballroom, but on the field, yeah.”

  “I’ll take care of the stadium, and all that’s needed. Faith and Gavin will make sure the food is insane. The cake will come from Drago Sisters, like planned,” Stella tells me.

  “And the guests?”

  “Not a problem.”

  “Thanks. For coming here and looking out for Ains.”

  “We did this for you, too, Zack. You have a wonderful family, but you’re also part of our chosen one. Don’t forget that,” Reina reminds me.

  “I won’t.”

  I walk them out, and then pull up the number I need on my phone. He answers on the second ring. “Hey, Scott. I need your help. Again.”

  * * *

  Ainsley

  “Where are we going?” I ask, panicking a little. It’s my wedding day, but we’re not heading in the right direction. The casino is the other way.

  “Plans have changed,” Sierra tells me with a smile. She’s Zack’s sister and one of my ten bridesmaids.

  “What do you mean? How could things have changed?”

  “I think it’s time to give her the letter,” Isa says to my mom.

  She nods, and then hands me an envelope. It has my name on it in Zack’s handwriting. I look around to see all of my friends smiling at me. Jade hands me some tissues, and I know that if she’s offering them, I’m definitely going to need them. I open the envelope, and pull out the page inside.

  Hi Ains,

  I’m not a formal guy, so this isn’t going to be a formal letter, and we’re not going to have a formal wedding. I’m sorry I made you think that’s what I wanted. It’s not. I was just being stupid, and forgot that you’re not some fairytale princess who would want something fancy for us. I pretended that I didn’t absolutely love the idea of marrying you on the field. Now that I’ve pulled my head out of my ass, I realize you really do want that, too. So that’s what we’re doing, baby. I’ll see you in the End Zone as we begin the rest of our lives together.

  I love you,

  Zack

  “We’re going to the stadium?” I ask, smiling so wide I think I think my lips might crack.

  “We are indeed,” Tegan tells me.

  I look over at my mom, who did so much work for my casino wedding. “You’re okay with this?”

  “I’m more than okay with this. I’ve always known that you wouldn’t want the princess treatment. I had fun planning everything with you, but I was also worried. Today should be perfect for you. This is going to be perfect for you, and I had a big hand in it as well.”

  “Thank you. All of you.”

>   And yeah, I’m using those damn tissues now. It only gets worse when we pull up to the stadium, and I see the parking lot turned into a giant tailgate party. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen, or could imagine.

  There’s a sea of trucks with their tires removed. All of them are painted purple, and round banquet tables are sitting in their beds. As I walk around, I see the centerpieces are like mini works of art. There are both candid and casual pictures of us, taken by Candi Griffin. Mixed in are computer parts, and roses made out of pigskin, complete with laces, all flowing out of overturned helmets in custom holders so they don’t roll.

  Food stations are being set up all over, and I can already tell that Faith and Gavin have outdone themselves. Trust the two of them to give me all of my favorite junk foods with just enough of a twist to please everyone else. There are vegan options, but not a salad in sight. I can’t wait to try all of it.

  “Come on, you can drool over the food later. Stella will kill us if we don’t get you inside,” Ellie tells me, pulling on my arm.

  I follow her into the building, and up to one of the Skyboxes. The curtains are drawn, and the inside looks like a beauty salon. Stella waves everyone but me over to one side of the room, and then pulls me into a big hug.

  “Surprise.”

  “You did this.”

  “Me and Rei might have paid a visit to the groom.”

  “He really wants this? You didn’t make him say it?”

  “No. I was ready to use some force, but it wasn’t necessary.”