Page 124 of Born into Mayhem
When it’s time to exchange the rings, she slips the gold band back on my finger where it belongs, and I slide the very simple, thin gold band onto hers. Before we finish that part of the ceremony, I give her a wink and pull a gold chain from my pocket. I’ve already attached the diamond ring to it, and she gives me a big, beautiful smile when she sees it. Leaning closer, I put the necklace on her so the large diamond rests right between her breasts.
“Now you won’t hurt your hand when you throw a punch,amore,” I tell her.
She rests her hand on the diamond ring and smiles up at me. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
I nod to the priest, who then pronounces us husband and wife, telling me I can kiss my bride. The smile she gives me lights up her whole face as I lean down to kiss her. I’m all set to be a gentleman, but as soon as she gives a soft moan and swipes her tongue over mine, all bets are off. With a groan I kiss her hard, surprised when she grabs the back of my neck, pulling me tighter against her. I laugh against her lips when our families start cheering, and she gives one more sexy moan before I force myself to pull back.
“You’re terrible,” I whisper against her lips. “And I can’t believe I let myself get hard in front of both our families.”
She laughs and pats my face. “Yeah, that really sucks for you.”
When she tries to turn towards everyone, I quickly say, “Oh, no you don’t, little viper,” and scoop her into my arms bridal style.
“I can’t believe you’re using me to hide your hard-on,” she whispers near my ear.
“You bet your sweet ass I am, and I doubt it’ll be the last time.” I swing her around to face everyone, laughing when her dress lifts up enough to reveal what she’s wearing on her feet. “Did you seriously marry me in your green Converse?”
Not missing a beat, she pats my cheek and says, “You bet your sweet ass I did. Those heels were fun, but they hurt my feet. Besides, I like how much taller you are than me.”
I smile down at her, feeling like the luckiest bastard alive. “Me too,amore.”
When I’ve gotten myself under control, I set her down so she can start hugging everyone. My brother quickly pulls me in for a hug, and then Mia and I are both passed around while everyone congratulates us. Even though there are several bodies in between us, I know where my wife is at all times, and I’m guessing that’s never going to change. Some part of me will always be aware of her, and when she looks over, I give her a wink and smile at the way it makes her blush. When she turns back around to hug Evgeny, I see the dragon tattoo that’s exposed on her back and shoulder, and it drives me crazy, just like it always does.
“Welcome to the family,” I hear Sasha say before he surprises me with a hug. Chort is in his room since there are so many kids here, but I’m sure he’ll bring him out on a leash later because it’s obvious he doesn’t like to be separated from him.
“Thanks, Sasha,” I tell him, returning the hug to the unhinged man who’s now my brother-in-law.
He smacks my back and says, “Don’t worry. She’s been assigned to work with me when we get back to the city, and you know I won’t let anything happen to her.”
Relieved, I step back and give him a grin. “Thank fuck.”
“Thank fuck for what?”
I turn at the sound of my wife’s voice. Wrapping an arm around her, I pull her closer for the simple pleasure of having her body next to mine. I crave the feel of her in a way that defies logic. I can’t ever seem to get my fill of her, and I know I never will. I’ll always needmore, always want more, so that means I’ll use any excuse to get my hands on her, any reason to feel her skin against mine.
“Your brother was just telling me that you’ve been assigned to work with him,” I tell her.
Her smile is beautiful when she looks up at us and says, “I know. It’s going to be awesome.”
Sasha grins and gives her a hug before walking back to the house to check on his dog. Val and Yel come over to tell us congratulations, and I grin when I see how big her pregnant belly is getting. Val’s like me, always wanting to touch his wife, so I’m not at all surprised to see that his arm is wrapped around her, resting on her stomach.
“Thanks for flying in,” I tell them. “I know you’re getting close to the point where you shouldn’t be on a plane.”
Yel laughs and pats Val’s hand. “I’m fine, but he still worried the whole flight and made Tony sit next to us.”
“Max was the same way,” Talia says, slowly making her way over with her stomach leading the way.
“I will never apologize for that,svetik moy,” he says before wrapping his arms around her from behind so she can lean her head back against his chest.
I’d been so worried that Mia would be sad being around all her pregnant cousins, but my little viper is stronger than I gave her credit for. She smiles and laughs at the stories they’re telling her, and when Sveta and Vitya walk over with their twins, Mia reaches out and grabs the closest one. My mom grabbed their daughter as soon as the ceremony ended, and when I look across the yard, I can see her holding Samantha’s little hand while she shows her the flowers near the house. I grin when I see Isabella run over to join them.
“You’re getting so big, Jake,” Mia says. The baby in her arms smiles up at her while I try not to be what she callsan annoying, hovering nursemaidby reminding her that she’s not supposed to lift anything heavy.
As if she can read my mind, she looks up and grins. “He’s not very heavy at all, barely weighs anything.”
“That’s not for lack of trying,” Sveta says. “These two would be happy to nurse 24/7 if they could.”
“She’s not lying,” Vitya says. “I don’t know how she does it.”
