Page 25 of Bound and Blitzed

Valentina winces and gestures toward the courthouse. “We’re going to have to kiss,” she hisses.

“Okay,” I say slowly.

She shakes off my touch and wrings her hands together. “I don’t—” She looks at me and frowns. “I’m not good at?—”

Leaning over the center console, I slide my hand to the back of her neck and tug her closer. “Do you trust me?”

Her eyes jump to mine, wide and so damn blue, they nearly glow. But she doesn’t look scared. “Yes.” It’s a whisper. It’s permission to my unasked question.

“Good.” I arc my mouth over hers and kiss her.

It’s meant to be sweet and gentle.

Instead, it’s wild and desperate.

The second I taste her sugar, I want more. My hand slides up from her neck to cradle the back of her head, before slipping to her cheek. Valentina parts her lips and presses into me.

And I don’t waste a second taking more. I want her on a level that is purely molecular. Lust and passion and need.

Valentina whimpers and the sound hits me like a shot of adrenaline. I deepen our kiss, my other hand gripping her hip.

We’re making out like two teenagers on a freaking scenic pass instead of a bride and groom about to be wed.

A loud knock sounds on the passenger side window, and I rip my mouth away from Lena’s to see who the fuck is interrupting us.

A man I don’t recognize, his hand loosely linked with a woman wearing white, grins at me. “Plenty of time for that, mate. Don’t miss your appointment. Make an honest woman of her!” He laughs and his fiancée grins, waving at us.

“Shit,” I mutter, closing my eyes and dropping my forehead to Valentina’s.

The engaged couple, here for the same reason as us, wanders off.

I expect to feel Valentina’s embarrassment. Instead, she laughs. “That was…wow.”

I pull away from her and smirk. “Yeah?”

She nods, blushing.

“That was just the beginning, babe,” I promise, wincing at how fucking lame I sound. “Come on, let’s get in there.”

We exit the car and walk into the courthouse.

It’s a stately building and I exchange a knowing chin tilt with the dude that knocked on the window. Valentina and I watch as he marries his love and then, it’s our turn.

The ceremony promises to be simple. Quick. Efficient.

We stand in front of a judge and hold hands, our palms pressed together in promise. I stare into Valentina’s blue-green, bottomless eyes and feel like my future is opening in ways I never anticipated. I never thought I was capable of this, of being a husband, but in this moment, it feels like it’s the only thing I was ever meant to be.

I feel a thousand fucking feet tall.

We say our vows. Valentina slides a simple, gold band onto my ring finger and with the weight of it, something significant shifts in my chest.

I kept thinking about this agreement with her as an arrangement. But right now, looking into her eyes, exchanging vows and rings, the depth of it hits me. I’m marrying Valentina Garcia.

When I slip a diamond eternity band on Valentina’s ring finger, she gasps. Her eyes fly to mine—surprised and happy—and I hold her gaze, letting her see that I’m just as happy about our marriage. Even if it will never be real in the traditional sense, right now, it sure as hell feels that way.

“You may kiss the bride,” the judge says.

A smirk plays over Valentina’s mouth as she bites her bottom lip. I grin back, close the space between us, and kiss the hell out of her.

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