Page 31 of Savage Temptation
Everyone else is in their leather cuts over crisp, white shirts and pressed jeans, arms looped over shoulders, eyes shining with unshed tears. I spot Charli as she swipes at a smudge of mascara. There are cheers and whoops as we pass, a sound that makes me feel like I’ve made it home.
And then there’s my sister. She has the same shade of hair as me, but she has our mother’s blue eyes where I have our father’s green ones. I rush to her and take her in for a long hug.
She arrived late last night, and we stayed up all night talking. “I love you,” I tell her and hurry back to Jagger who is waiting with open arms.
Arabelle sweeps in, hugging me so tightly I laugh and almost lose my breath. “Thank you for lending me the dress,” I murmur in her ear. “Sorry to say I might have to skip book club this week. I’ve got a honeymoon.”
She wipes her eyes, kisses my cheek, and leans in. “Just bring your man next Friday. The girls will want all the dirty details.”
Angel Baby waves a silk handkerchief and blows me a kiss. For one golden moment, I am cradled in the warmth of belonging.
I glance toward Reaper. He stands at the edge of the altar, somber and strong, hand resting gently on Arabelle’s back. His gaze flickers to the shadows between the trees as if he expects Ash to materialize at any moment. Jagger’s brothers are worried about their VP who has been off the grid for days, chasing down leads on Euphoria. My heart pinches for him and I whisper to Jagger, “Maybe we should wait. Ash…he’d want to be here when you…when we…”
Jagger shakes his head, stubborn as ever. “No postponing. I’m not handing another minute back to fate, not after what we lost. Ash will be fine. He’s a survivor. You know that.” There is an iron certainty in his words.
Thunder rumbles in the far-off bayou, a promise or a warning, I don’t know which. Jagger leads me up the two steps to the gazebo. Mist curls in the amber lantern light, softening everything to a dream. The moss-draped stone altar gleams with rainwater and our reflections. I breathe in old pine, muddyearth, and the faintest drift of honeysuckle. Every sense comes alive, drinking in the home I never thought I’d return to.
Reaper steps forward, a leather-bound book in his hands and a crooked grin twisting his serious face. “Never told you I had my license, did I?” His eyes gleam with a secret mischief. “Figured it’s about time we did something right around here.”
Everyone laughs and the ripple of relief from that one unified sound washes away all the heartbreak we’ve weathered. I peek at Jagger. There’s a sense of warmth about him as if all his pain has turned into unfiltered hope just for me.
We trade vows beneath the bourbon bottle lanterns, surrounded by our family and the humming of cicadas. The Grove served as a silent witness to all our past pain once, but now sings with the promise of new beginnings. Jagger’s hands tremble as he slides the simple gold band onto my finger. My lungs feel full for the first time since the day I left him at this altar years before. And this time, I’m not turning away.
He leans in close, our foreheads brushing. “This life, this love…it is forever, Emilia. I promise. Nothing and no one will ever come between us again.” My heart shatters and heals all at once.
I whisper, “I love you, now and always. You’re my home. My whole damn world.”
Reaper declares us husband and wife to the sound of loud cheers and so much energy rushing at me, I will never feel unwanted again in my life.
Jagger kisses me as if trying to stitch us together at every seam. The Grove erupts in laughter, a wild, jubilant joy hot enough to chase every shadow away. My eyes fill as I look around at my family knowing I am finally, unequivocally home.
Jagger sweeps me up in his arms, whirling me around while everyone claps. For a moment, there’s nothing but us and the chorus of old trees, the soft tap of rain starting on the gazebo roof, the gold halo of lanterns swinging gently in the autumn wind.
Then Jagger’s phone rings, slicing through the joy.
“We need to talk about that phone,” I say with a bit of laughter and some irritation.
“I know, baby, but Ash is out there and if he needs help…”
I raise a hand. “I get it, my love.”
He hushes the crowd and puts it on speaker for Reaper. The air goes tense as we all lean in.
Ash’s voice, ragged, triumphant, and wild as ever, explodes through the silence. “So. Um…I just kidnapped a Vulture bride. Long story. Shit is about to go down.”
Well, shit.
I grip my new husband’s hand and let it all sink in. This is our forever. This is family. And it sounds like more trouble is on the way.
Ash has never met a problem he didn’t want to face head-on. Especially when it comes with a set of pretty blue eyes and lips made for kissing. Preorder the next Savage Reign novella now to follow Ash and Isa on one helluva ride. Get ready for a spicy, forbidden, love story that’ll burn up the bayou and your Kindle.
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A runaway-bride ? protector-VP MC romance with fierce “touch-her-and-die” heat
I was supposed to walk down the aisle and seal a cartel alliance with my silence.
Instead, I fled in a torn satin gown straight into the arms of the devil who has sworn to destroy my would-be groom.
