Page 75 of No Questions Asked

“Did I tell you how much I love Nonna?” I closed my eyes to keep the ceiling from jumping around. “She doesn’t take crap from anyone. Plus, the way she cooks is mystical. Seriously, she is a cooking shaman. Ha, ha. Did you see how I tied that in to our current situation?”

“Oh, aren’t you the clever one? So, what would your mother have thought of that ceremony?”

I laughed, perhaps a bit too loudly because there was a weird ringing in my ears. “She would have passed out as soon as she saw me in the loincloth and fishnet bra. Trust me, that wasn’t one of the options for a wedding gown she emailed me.” I started giggling. “What about your mother, Juliette? What would she think of us?”

“I think she would have loved it. She’ll definitely enjoy hearing the story.” I felt his hand on my arm, inspecting the bandage that hid the mark of the ring. “How’s your wrist feel?”

“Strangely, it doesn’t hurt at all. Not one little teeny tiny bit. In fact, I can’t even feel my arms. They’re still attached to my body, right?”

“Right.”

“Thank goodness. What about my feet?”

I heard him chuckle. “Yes, arms and legs are all attached. I just took off your boots, though.” He slipped his arms around me, pulling me in tight against him. It felt good to be snuggled up against the hard length of his body. I put the hand with my bandaged wrist on his chest, feeling his heart beat.

“I missed you, Slash. A lot. I never expected this level of loneliness without you. Did you know you have an amazing body? All strong and manly. But you also smell good. Even when you’re in the jungle and have oil of unknown origin smeared all over you.”

“Do I now?”

“Yes, you do. But in case you were wondering, I married you for your mind. I really did. You’re one smart cookie. Did I ever mention how amazingly attractive that is?”

“I’m glad you mentioned that, because for a minute there, I was starting to feel really cheap.”

“Happy Wedding Day,” I yawned. “I don’t even know what day it is.”

“Me neither. Does it matter?”

“Not really as long as you’re with me. I love you, Slash. Especially because you love me. I’m not sure a lot of men would have come after me like you did.”

“I’llalwayscome for you. I’llalwayslove you, too.”

Safe in his arms, I felt as if I were drifting through the night sky with a hundred brilliant stars twinkling and shining, blinding me with their warmth and brightness. I let myself float upward, buoyed by a happiness I’d never experienced before.

That’s when I heard him whisper.

“My belovedcara, I vow to always protect you from harm. To not only listen, but to hear what you say and respect it, whether I agree or not. To always be honest and to trust you. To trustus. But most of all, I’ll allow myself to be loved by you. You’re in my heart forever.”

It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard. I wanted to say that, to tell him how much I loved him for trusting me with his heart—a man who had gone through so much pain and disappointment in his life. Did he realize how much he’d changed me and bettered my life by bringing me out of my shell? How much he’d become my real-life hero?

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t speak. A sparkling star drifted by, so I reached out to catch it. The star was hot, but I held on and flew into a dazzling bright light, hoping I’d brought him with me.

Chapter Forty-Three

Lexi

I wished the construction guys would stop all the hammering and banging that was going on outside. It was really annoying.

I felt Slash sit up beside me, so I opened my eyes. It took me a minute to process the light, the hut, and the fact that we weren’t at home in Silver Spring, Maryland, but in the middle of the rainforest in Brazil. I sat up, but the pounding in my head turned into a jackhammer and I had to squeeze my eyes shut and press a hand to my forehead until it passed. When I finally managed to open my eyes, I saw Vicente standing in the doorway.

“Good morning,” he said. “I’m afraid we have a problem.”

“What kind of problem?” Slash asked, coming to his feet.

I glanced up, shading my eyes with my hand. Even in the covered hut, the sun was too bright. Slash looked like he’d just slept at a five-star resort, his eyes bright and hair tousled to perfection. Even his stubbled chin looked sexy. It was unfair that he could be instantly awake the moment he opened his eyes when I needed a gigantic cup of coffee and a freaking hour to feel human. Neither of which I was going to get this morning.

“I don’t know. But they’re asking for Lexi.” Vicente squinted, looking at me closer. “You feeling okay, Lexi?”

Okay was a gross overstatement, but I’d live. I hoped. “I’m fine, Vicente. Can you give us a minute, please?”

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