Page 125 of Royal Caleva: Luis

Carmen opened the door wide with an encouraging nod, and Eve stepped out onto the red carpet overlaying the mosaic aisle of Finca de Bruma’s medieval chapel. Stone arches soared over her head, and stained-glass windows threw brilliant colors across the pews and the guests.

Eve took a deep breath and started forward, smiling tremulously as she scanned the faces turned toward her. Mikel, in a dark suit as always, but accompanied by his teenage daughter, the irrepressible Serena. Luis’s right-hand man, Bruno, with his lovely blond wife. Grace’s two best friends from college and vet school, who had spent many a night studying at Eve’s dining room table. Eve’s closest friend from the clinic, Dr. Pam Baker. The Iowans had been lured to Caleva on the pretext of a post-graduation vacation, all expenses paid.

There were Luis’s brother, Lorenzo, and his wife, Hélène. The brilliantly talented Gabriel and his fiancée, Quinn, who had helped Grace and Eve with their induction into the royal family.

Handsome, hardworking Raul, whom she was coming to love as a son. Darling, wonderful Grace, now officially Dr. Grace Howard Dragón, her face beaming with delight.

Beyond them, in front of the altar, stood two men. The archbishop, dressed in sweeping ceremonial robes and pointed hat.

But Eve’s focus locked on Luis, standing tall, straight, and magnificent in his dark red uniform jacket loaded with medals and gold braid over his teal-green trousers with their red stripes. The window above him threw a splash of bright gold over his face and hair so he appeared to glow from within.

The aisle seemed so long when she just wanted to be beside him, but she forced herself to process slowly, as a queen-to-be should. She would enjoy unfastening all his gold buttons later.

As she reached the apse, Luis stepped forward to take her right hand. His expression was solemn, but his ice-blue eyes were brimming with his love. It washed through her like the warm water of the caldera. She hoped he could see the same emotion in her face.

He smiled and tucked her hand into his elbow, turning them both toward the priest. As the archbishop intoned the beautiful words of the marriage service, Eve felt every tiny shift in Luis’s body. Even the air brushing her skin was permeated with his presence.

Luis spoke the simple, formal vows first. She had expected him to do his magic voice-projection trick, but instead he stated them in a low, intimate timbre that was almost a caress, his eyes blazing down at her. When he came to the phrase “until death do us part,” they held each other’s gazes at the memory of what might have happened.

It was her turn, and she made sure every wedding guest could hear what she said. It took a couple of hard swallows before she could begin, but once she got going, the words rang out loud and clear.

“The rings, if you please,” the priest said.

Eve placed her bouquet on the small table Carmen had positioned for this purpose. She slipped Luis’s simple gold wedding band off her thumb and placed it on the velvet cushion held by the archbishop.

After he blessed the rings, the archbishop offered the cushion to Eve. Picking up the ring and taking Luis’s left hand, she said, “With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you my love, now and forever.” Such simple words to contain a promise for the rest of their lives.

She slid the ring down his long, elegant finger and squeezed his hand before letting go.

Luis picked up her matching gold band and took her hand, repeating the same vow. He lifted the ring to his lips for a kiss before easing it onto her finger.

They turned back to the archbishop, who solemnly pronounced them husband and wife before breaking into a smile. “You may kiss each other.”

Luis wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him from shoulder to knee before he bent to kiss her, long and with carnal intensity, while she clung to his shoulders to keep her knees from buckling.

The church erupted into whistles and hoots.

Eve pulled back a few inches from Luis’s marauding mouth. “You’re not supposed to kiss like that in church.”

“I’m the king,” he said, those gorgeous, sculpted lips curving in a wicked smile. “I can kiss my bride any way I want to.”

And he did.

---