Page 48 of Wretched Heart
It’s not the usual declaration of love from a groom to his bride, but it’s more than I could have hoped as he leads me down the aisle. The ceremony rushes by in a blur. We exchange vows and wedding bands, and it’s only when the pastor declares us married that I realize one particular line had been skipped over, and it’s the one that brought my last wedding to a complete halt.
“You told him not to ask if there were any objections, didn’t you?” I ask, turning to Hunter.
There’s a smirk on his face. “No one is allowed to interrupt our wedding.”
“And no one did,” I say with a rush of relief.
My husband presses his lips against mine, and with a swipe of his tongue, I open up for him. When our kiss deepens. I hear an ear-splitting wolf whistle. That’s Melissa.
“Go girl!” she shouts.
“So much for no disruptions,” Hunter mumbles when we come up for air.
I grin at him. This beautiful man is depriving the female population of something special by vowing never to marry – officially. I should be grateful that I have some small piece of him. He cares. It’s more than I’ve had before and it has to be enough.
“Let’s get the paperwork sorted,” I say to let him know that I understand the assignment. And I’m OK with it.
A shadow flickers across Hunter’s face, as if he didn’t want to be reminded so soon. It’s probably wishful thinking on my part, I tell myself, as we conclude our business withthe pastor before making our way out of the chapel where Melissa flings confetti into the air.
We hug like old friends. “I have no idea what Groom Number 1 looked like, but Groom Number 2 gets my vote every time,” she says in a conspiratorial tone that I know is loud enough for Hunter to hear.
I pull confetti out of my hair. “We don’t talk about Groom Number 1,” I say with a grin.
“We’re about to hit the Strip if you want to join us,” Melissa offers. “We plan on making the most of our all-expenses trip, and I’d love to hear more about how you ended up here.” She squeezes my arm. “I love this dress, by the way. You’ve upgraded ineverysense.”
“Well, the bar was set very low,” I reply. “And I would love to catch up while you’re here…”
“But we have other plans,” Hunter interrupts. He takes my elbow and eases me away. “We’re just glad you were able to share in our special day, Melissa. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip.”
“Make sure you give Maddie my number,” she says, then turns to me. “We will catch up at some point. And in the meantime, I hope you enjoy your wedding present.”
She gives Hunter an exaggerated wink before her plus one pulls her away.
As we’re climbing into the limo, Levi and James appear from wherever they’ve been secreted. They nod their heads to me before sitting up front with the driver, which I presume is the nearest I’m going to get to an acknowledgement from Hunter’s bodyguards that I’m now Mrs. Griffin.
“Wedding present?” I ask Hunter as we make our way back to the hotel.
“That woman is deranged.”
“I imagine she’s thinking the same about me,” I replywith more truth than I’d like. “But I’m still glad you went to the trouble of tracking her down.”
Hunter leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees while he plays with the plain gold band on his wedding finger. “I hate to do this,” he says as we approach our hotel, “but I’m going to drop you off with Levi while I go to this meeting I’ve set up.”
“I could come with you,” I suggest. Being abandoned immediately after my wedding is only marginally better than running away before the vows.
Hunter rakes his gaze over my dress. “You’d only be a distraction. Besides, there are certain people I don’t want to know about my marriage just yet. And there are others like Killian, who I’m meeting tonight, who I’d rather never knew.”
I tilt my head. “Is he one of the bad guys?”
“He’s actually not the worst, but his father is someone I definitely wouldn’t want hearing about you.” He’s still twiddling his wedding ring. “I need you to look after this,” he says as he slips off the ring and hands it to me. “I don’t want to risk Killian finding it in my pocket.”
“Would he search you?” I ask, doing my damnedest not to take it personally. This was not a real wedding, and taking the ring off is not a rejection.
“It’s been known.”
“My god, Hunter. Is it safe for you to meet him?”
“As safe as it can be, and this meeting is for our mutual benefit,” he tries to reassure me. “Barrett’s been overstretching his reach in the last couple of years, and his list of enemies is growing. We’re not the only ones wanting to know his next move.”
