Page 149 of The Sinner's Bargain

“That’s not it, sweetheart. You’ve been so quiet on the drive. I thought maybe you had something else in mind.”

Naya shook her head. “It’s going to sound ridiculous, but...” she lowered her chin. “I feel like I can feel your mom.” She stole a peek up at me. Hesitant. “Like she’s still connected to the rings.”

“And that bothers you,” I thought slowly.

Again, she rocked her head. “Not at all. It makes me sad because I think I would have liked her.” She gave a small chuckle. “You probably think you married a crazy person.”

“I think I married someone I really don’t deserve,” I corrected.

Naya wrinkled her nose. “That’s silly. Why—?”

I kissed her long and hard and desperate. Trying to convey everything I wished I could put into words.

“She would have loved you,” I said against her mouth. “She always wanted a daughter. She would have spoiled you.” I pressed kisses to her chin. Her throat. Then back up to her lips. “Same with my dad. You never would have wanted for anything again.”

She gave me a lazy smile, her head back against the headrest, her eyes misty with desire. “I don’t want anything, except my husband.”

I knew what I was. The ink wasn’t even dry on the license, but...

Jesus, she was mine.

She was my wife.

I had a whole person who I was going to grow old with and have babies with and wake up with every morning.

Tingling with the realization, I kissed her again, but quick and short because I needed to get her inside and on my ... our bed.

“Get inside,” I growled against her lips.

She offered me a lopsided grin but said nothing as I rolled out of the vehicle first and rounded to her side. She slipped her hand with her rings into my offered palm and let me guide her down. Her beautiful eyes never wavered from mine even as I led her up the porch.

I stopped just outside the door and faced her. “Last chance, Blue. You can still run.”

She blinked up at me. “Shouldn’t you have said that before we got to the courthouse?”

I smirked. “Why would I do that?”

She stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “In case I changed my mind.”

I leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. “That’s why I didn’t say anything.”

She laughed and I grinned as I bent and scooped her up into my arms. I kicked the bottom of the door three times with the toe of my shoe.

Cyrus opened it and I carried Naya over the threshold. Her lips whispered along the jagged lines of my scars, lighting little fires beneath my skin as I marched us to the stairs.

“No one is to bother us tonight.” I told my best friend in passing.

“Sir—”

I shot a warning glare over my shoulder. “I don’t care.”

But I was aware of Cyrus following my path to the top. His annoyance and need to interrupt burning between my shoulder blades. I knew whatever it was must have been important enough to risk getting shot when he stopped just behind me outside Naya’s bedroom ... her closet, I corrected, because she was never fucking sleeping in that bed again.

I drew in a breath to calm my impatience. Naya must have felt it because she kissed my nose and smiled.

“I have to change anyway,” she said softly. “You have twenty minutes.”

I didn’t need twenty minutes.

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