Page 53 of Vicious Devotion

He slides a wedding band onto my finger. I slide one onto his. And as I look down at it, I realize something else, too.

The rings he bought are part of a set. His matches mine, a perfect filigreed pattern of petals and leaves, just like the band of my engagement ring, just like the one he slipped onto my finger a second ago. My heart constricts in my chest, my eyes burning, but I don’t have time to think about what he meant by buying those before he’s picking up my veil, and his arm slides around my waist.

I didn’t hear the priest say you may kiss the bride. But he must have, because Gabriel’s mouth is on mine, warm and soft, hungry in a way that only I recognize, even though he’s kissing me almost chastely. For all its gentleness, the kiss goes on too long, though—long enough that I can hear the few gathered guests start cheering and clapping, laughter rippling through the church.

Laughter. Happiness. Feelings I’ve never associated with marriage, with weddings. But suddenly, I do. I feel it, flooding through me, and as Gabriel pulls back, his eyes meeting mine, I can almost forget why we’re here.

I can almost believe this is real.

His hand wraps around mine as we walk down the aisle. It stays linked with mine all the way until we reach the car, and he helps me up into it, sliding across from me.

“Are you okay?” Gabriel asks. I look down, and I realize that my hands are faintly trembling. My left ring finger catches my eye, and I stare at it for a moment, at the delicately filigreed gold ring nestled up against the emerald engagement ring.

A laugh bubbles up from my lips as I stare at it. I bite my lip, but another giggle slips through, and Gabriel reaches for my other hand, his thumb rubbing across my knuckles.

“Bella—”

“I never made it this far before.” The laugh turns into tears, as I knew it would, and before the first of them can fall, I’m suddenly in Gabriel’s arms, being pulled across the car into his lap.

“You’re okay.” He wraps his arms around me. “I promise.”

“The church—” I shiver. “It reminded me of?—”’

He curses under his breath. “Shit, Bella. I’m sorry. I—” He lets out a breath. “I thought it might. I should have asked you, but—it needed to be in a church. The more official and traditional it was, the better. And I thought maybe it was better to not bring it up at all.”

I nod, biting my lip. “I’m okay now. I think—” I let out a slow breath, as the tears recede and I feel a little more in control of myself. “I think maybe it helped. Maybe getting through an entire wedding ceremony was exactly what I needed.” Another hysterical giggle slips out, and before I realize it, Gabriel’s hand slides around the back of my neck, bringing my lips down to his.

I gasp. My lips part, and his tongue is in my mouth a second later, tasting the wine the priest gave us for communion. I can feel him under me, through his suit and the thin lace of my gown, instantly hard. Instinctively, I turn towards him, and his hand grips my thigh, pushing my dress up as I straddle him on the seat.

“Oh god, Bella.” He groans, sucking my lower lip into his mouth, his hand starting to slide into my hair before he stops himself. “Fuck?—”

His hips arch up into me, that thick ridge rubbing against my core, and I let out a whimpering moan. Gabriel shudders, his hand suddenly gripping my hip hard, forcing me to go still in his lap.

“We’re going to have a repeat of the library, if you keep moving,” he murmurs. “And everyone will wonder why I’ve changed out of my wedding suit.”

“Don’t you have another one?” The words slip out before I can stop them. I’m throbbing and wet, aching for him. “Or?—”

I rock against him, once, rolling my hips along the hard line of his cock. Gabriel lets out a pained moan, his head tipping back, and I lean in, running my lips down the column of his throat.

“Oh—” He moans, his hand sliding around to grip my ass. “Bella?—”

I know I should stop. We should both stop. We’re both breathing hard, the windows of the car fogging, heat building with every second. This only ends a few ways if we keep going, and all of them?—

“If you keep doing that, I’m going to come,” Gabriel whispers. “Or I’m going to end up inside of you.” His head tilts, his lips very close to my ear, brushing against the shell of it as he squeezes my hip. “I’m about two seconds away from unzipping right now and sliding into you. Filling you up the way you’re begging me to right now?—”

“Why not?” My voice sounds hoarse, hollow to my own ears, full of desire that I know I shouldn’t feel. I sink down against him, and I feel him groan.

“Because I can’t come inside of you. I don’t have a condom. And if I come anywhere else—” Gabriel chuckles roughly. “Someone’s clothes are going to be ruined, and I won’t let it be yours. And besides?—”

His hand cups the back of my neck, and he tugs me backward, leaning me back so that I have to look into his eyes. “I promised you I’d wait until our wedding night, Bella. That I’d make it special. And then you told me that you thought that was all we should have, so that we don’t accidentally end up with even more commitment than we signed up for. In case you want to walk away at the end of all of this. So if I’m only getting one more night?—”

He leans up, his mouth brushing over mine again. His lips slide to my jaw, to my ear, and his arm wraps around my waist, holding me to him. “I’m going to make sure you never forget it. And that includes making you wait until I get you upstairs tonight, alone, with nothing to interrupt us. No need to stop. Not here, in the back of the car, on the way to our wedding reception.”

“Reception?” I blink at him, curiosity cutting through my lust-fogged brain. “You didn’t say anything about?—”

“I’ve been trying to keep at least some of this a surprise.” He lifts me, adjusting me so that I’m sitting on the seat next to him, instead of in his lap. “I’ve arranged for a small reception back at the villa. It’s nothing like what we’d have if we’d gotten married at home, but?—”

“That sounds perfect,” I say softly, once again astonished by how thoughtful he is. That he planned for something I would never have expected. I feel a flutter of excitement at the idea of a small party, with just the people I care about. I wonder if there’s anything wrong with just enjoying today. It’s true that it’s not what I would have chosen, that it’s an arrangement, what I’ve been trying to avoid for so long. But it’s also Gabriel and I. Gabriel, who has been kind, gentle, and protected me. Who has made sure that I could be free of my father, who has stood up to every danger that threatened us.

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