Page 59 of Theirs to Treasure

Then, when he steps aside, she meets my gaze.

Primal hunger consumes me, and I’m a beast who needs his woman to recognize who she belongs to. No argument.

I take hold of her, devouring her mouth, taking, demanding.

When I end the kiss—before insisting on something much, much more—I remind her, “I meant it at the hotel.”

Her lips are a little swollen, but she doesn’t try to run, and that tells me all I need to know. She may fight me, but deep down, even she knows. “You remember.”

Her cheeks turn scarlet.

“Yours,” she whispers.

For once, we’re in agreement. “Yes. You are.” I also meant my earlier words with the same kind of ferocity.

We will be married.

The entire world will know how much she means to me because I will have legally claimed her before God and man.

Nothing will stand in my way.

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

Harper

For the secondtime in less than six weeks, I’m slipping into a wedding gown.

This time, the only one with me is my friend Amelia Clarke, whose cabin I borrowed in Idaho.

Since I escaped from Edward and my mother, my life has been a whirlwind.

Forrest Donnelly is a force of nature, one I am powerless to stop.

If it weren’t for Zev, I’m not sure how I would cope at all.

Which is why I am in the in the bridal room of a small chapel in outside of Houston.

The place has some meaning to Forrest. From what his brother said this is where they held a small memorial for their father, and it’s a place of comfort for them.

I would have preferred to just go to the courthouse and scrawl my name on the bottom of the certificate. Forrest will not hear of that, even though I’ve had enough of weddings to last me a lifetime.

As he pointed out, this is the first time for him, and they’ve been involved in every single decision.

The two of them took me shopping for my wedding gown at Haustest Bridal Couture, the most expensive shop in the city.

Then they dragged me to an exclusive jeweler to select an engagement ring. I have no interest in that. I’ve still got money from selling the previous one to Forrest. Even though I insisted that a plain band was fine with me, he refused to listen.

My diamond catches the overhead light and refracts it everywhere.

In Las Vegas, Forrest had been scathing about the gemstone that Edward picked out.

I’m not sure if he wanted to back up his words, or whether it’s simply a show of his money and success, but the rock on my hand is stupidly big, and I keep bumping it into everything.

As I was trying on different settings at the store, I couldn’t help but remember the way my sister had used Edward’s ring as a ploy to run back to the room so she could hook up with my groom.

“Are you okay?” Amelia asks, bringing me back to the present.

I shake my head.

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