Page 131 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

They exchanged rings—Ryker’s was a thicker version of the delicate onyx band he slid onto Brynleigh’s finger—and they signed the legal documents officially binding them as husband and wife.

Then came the moment Ryker had been waiting for.

The pair stood before Plyana; their hands joined in the space between them.

“You may kiss the bride,” the priestess declared.

She may have said more after that, but Ryker stopped paying attention. He was utterly focused on his gorgeous vampire.

Ryker stepped towards Brynleigh, closing the space between them as he tightened his grip on her fingers. Their eyes met once again, and the crowd faded away.

Brynleigh breathed his name as he lowered his head. His lips descended on hers, anxious and eager to taste what was his.

The moment their mouths met, Ryker groaned. Slipping one hand behind Brynleigh’s neck, he gently cupped the back of her head. With the other hand, he held her close.

Every single inch that separated them was far too much.

Ryker had gone six weeks without seeing, touching, or holding Brynleigh.

Never again.

She was his, and he was hers.

Brynleigh’s lips were soft beneath his as they kissed. He’d intended for this to be a peck, a promise of what would come, but now that they were in the moment, he couldn’t stop.

A soft moan slipped from her, and he tightened his grip on her neck. He held her close, angling her head as they embraced. His tongue swept the seam of her lips, intent on tasting her.

She was his everything.

His other half.

His Chosen partner.

His wife.

CHAPTER 33

Chocolate Cake, Happiness, and Suspicions

Brynleigh should’ve known that her new husband’s kiss would blow her mind. After all, everything else about the fae had thrown her world off its axis, so why not this, too?

And this was far more than she’d ever expected.

Ryker’s mouth fused to hers. It wasn’t just a kiss. It was a claiming. A declaration to the entire world that he had Chosen her, and now, she belonged to him.

Brynleigh always thought something like that would bother her. After all, she wasn’t a possession but a person. It turned out it didn’t bother her at all. There was something about Ryker that had made her feel safe and loved, even as he asserted that she was his.

She let him kiss her like he owned her because maybe he did.

Her heart was his.

Tomorrow, she would finally tell Ryker she loved him. The time was right.

Gods, it felt good to be married to this man. He was intelligent, kindhearted, and protective in a way that she hadn’t known she wanted in a partner. Yesterday at the winery, Ryker was attentive but not overbearing while she and Hallie chatted like schoolgirls about their upcoming nuptials. It was sweet, the way he kept checking on her, and Brynleigh couldn’t believe she’d gotten so lucky.

Ryker’s tongue probed her lips, and she opened her mouth. He tasted her. With each powerful sweep of his tongue against hers, she melted more into him. She gripped his suit jacket, holding on as they passionately embraced. Heat flooded her core, and she lost herself in him.

This was the only thing that mattered.

---