"Renmen se vre." The Amalian guests at my wedding sang a rich, melodic song, filling the air with rising notes.

"Renmen pout tout tan." The second refrain echoed the first verse, but lilted lightly down.

Rogan and I sat side by side on our knees. Gwen draped a purple cord loosely from my neck to Rogan's, lassoing us together.

She bent to kiss my cheek. "What does it mean?" I asked her.

"Renmen se vre." The crowd sang the words in haunting unity.

"Love is true," she answered softly in my ear.

"Renmen pout tout tan."

"Love forever."

"It's beautiful."

"So are you, my love." She hugged me and returned to Bastien's side.

Chantal approached Rogan and me on the raised dais at the center of the reception hall. She sang, "Renmen se vre," as she added a royal blue cord over the purple one.

"Renmen pout tout tan." She squeezed Rogan's hand where it rested over mine. "Welcome, sister."

One by one, the guests approached and added a new cord to the collection of bands tying me to Rogan. The golden one Savannah slipped over our shoulders strapped our torsos together. Each new cable forced us closer until my back pressed against his chest and he supported my weight.

"Bo, bo, bo, bo!"

I arched my neck to peer over my shoulder at Rogan. "What do they want?"

"They want us to kiss."

"Oh."

I twisted in my bindings, and Rogan bent his neck until our lips touched. The guests cheered, and I laughed into the kiss. The ropes hid most of our bodies and the long train of my dress covered my bottom half. I'd chosen a mermaid gown in eggshell white that was covered in thousands of small crystals. Rogan ran a hand furtively up my leg under my dress. He stared at me with wide eyes while his fingers explored the garter belt clips at the tops of my stockings. "What the everlovin' hell?"

"Cyan's idea."

"Holy shit." With a whoosh, he flipped me around on his lap. His tongue probed deep in my mouth, and his fingers caressed the curve of my ass. Thank goodness for all these sashes giving us some privacy.

The cheers got louder and perhaps someone whistled, but I didn't hear it. I was lost in my husband, his massive hands placing my body where he wanted it, his luscious lips kissing me.

When his fingertips snuck between my butt cheeks, I pulled away. "Um, Rogan, these panties are kinda thin and…"

He growled and ran his hand lower. I gasped as he dipped his finger in my wetness. "Lick it, Sunshine." He tapped his finger on my lower lip. I angled my head so no one could see and sucked it in, tasting myself on him. His eyes heated, and his arm around my back tugged me closer, arching my chest against him. "Mmm." He hummed in my ear.

"We should uh… People are watching."

His groan thundered deep in his chest. He freed us from our tangled cords and lowered me back to my spot next to him.

Rogan watched me straighten my tiara and, after I'd wiped my lipstick from my bottom lip, his gaze darted back up to the crown. "Still crooked."

I glared at the zipper of his tuxedo pants. "Still hard."

He chuckled.

"Can we leave now?" I asked him.

"No. Guinevere Foor wouldn't let us leave the wedding early. I have a surprise anyway."

"Another one? The tiara was more than enough."

Rogan had the gems he'd given me worked into a shining platinum tiara. Rectangular baguettes of black tourmaline lined the headband at the bottom. Sharp spinels rose from the base, topped with flowers made of white diamonds. The yellow sapphire swung from the peak of the crown like a sundrop over a field of flowers. I'd given him a thick sterling silver wedding band engraved with one word. Forever.

As I resecured the pin holding my tiara in my hair, Falcon approached us carrying two guitars. He handed one to Rogan and stood behind us holding the other one. Blaze followed Falcon with a square amplifier and some cables. He connected the speakers and set up microphones for Rogan and Falcon.

"Can we get some chairs?" Rogan asked.

Diesel brought us three chairs. Rogan sat opposite me on the dais. Falcon took a seat behind Rogan's left shoulder.

As the sun was setting behind him over the Amalian coast, Rogan strummed an intro on an acoustic guitar, and Falcon chimed in with bass guitar playing backup behind him. Rogan sang that I'm his whole world and how our love would grow from this day forward. His voice was smooth as velvet and filled with heartfelt emotion. His version of the song was a million times better than the original.

Through my blurred vision, I saw the female wedding guests dabbing at their eyes. Rogan’s Army buddies didn’t cry, but their strong jaws were meaningful with pride. Rogan rose from his chair, handed the guitar to Falcon, and offered me his hand. "Dance with me."

We joined hands and stepped off the platform, making our way to the middle of the dance floor. He kissed me, and we danced for the first time as a married couple to a sweet Carrie Underwood song about a mother trusting her daughter's choice in a husband.

I gazed up into Rogan's loving eyes. "You are good." He shook his head. "You are. Salt of the earth."

"Thank you. I'm glad you see me that way. Makes me wanna be that for you."

"My momma would've loved you," I said to him. "She'd think you're gorgeous, and she'd be happy for me that I got out and found a solid man who would let me fly."

"And you will soar. I guarantee it."

"With you by my side, I will."

I tucked my forehead into his chest and inhaled the scent of my rugged man's crisp white dress shirt.

"My father would adore you like I do," he said to the top of my head.

I nodded and blinked away tears. I didn't look up when I asked him, "Would Eden be happy for you?"

He bent down and dipped his chin to whisper in my ear. "She would."

He wrapped his palm behind my neck and kissed me. I closed my eyes and savored the goodness of knowing our lost loved ones were smiling down on us tonight. His tongue probed deeper and his hand moved lower on my back.

Please, Rogan. Let's leave now.

He pulled back and touched his finger to my lips. "In due time, love." And he used the same finger from earlier, so it didn't calm me down at all.

Other couples joined us on the dance floor, and I took a deep breath to center myself.

Dallas in a tuxedo and Cyan in her sequined bridesmaid's dress stole the show. I averted my gaze when he kissed her because it seemed like a private moment between them.

Rogan's mother swayed gracefully in her gown and tiara as she danced with Prime Minister Foor, and the Amalian guests watched with appreciation.

Savannah danced with her husband, and Milo and the other kids stared at them with the same wonder on their faces I'd worn on mine at Diesel's wedding.

Brock swayed to the music with Jasmine in his arms, his hand drifting lower over the open back of her bridesmaid's dress. Oh no. Brock would not be good for her. I'd warn her after the dance.

The slinky silk dress Chantal chose to wear had caught the attention of both Blaze and Diesel, and the three of them chatted at the bar. Blaze dropped a cherry down Chantal's dress and dove his face in to retrieve it.

She threw her head back on Diesel's shoulder behind her and laughed as Blaze took his time coming out of her cleavage with the cherry. He chewed on the cherry and tied the stem with his tongue before handing it to her.

Lord have mercy, Chantal was going to gorge on commandos tonight. And from the glare Bastien was sending over to them, he did not approve. I imagine if he didn't want Rogan and I to share a room before we were married, he wouldn't want his daughter flirting with two guys at his stepson's wedding.

Rogan had invited two other men from his Delta Force team. Ruger and Oz mingled with the Amalian guests. I didn't remember them from the night they rescued me. After I talked to Jasmine about Brock, I'd ask Rogan to introduce me to them again.

My gaze flitted over to Falcon sitting at an empty table. "Falcon doesn't have anyone?" I asked Rogan.

"What do you mean?"

"He seems like he's always alone."

"His choice."

"And were you always alone before me?"

"Probably. Or with Falcon."

"He's too nice to be alone."

"I tried to convince him about love once a long time ago. The last four years, I've been sitting on his side of the fence. Wasn't till you came along, I even considered jumping."

"So he just needs the right woman?"

"It'd have to be one hell of a woman to break down Falcon's fortress. It's covered in explosives and barbed wire. And hundreds of ornery guard dogs."

I laughed. "Well, Takoda is supposedly a mean guard dog and look how she melted for me."

"Yep, Takoda loved you first. I was right behind her."

He bent down and kissed my ear as his arm around my waist pulled me up against his chest.

As the song changed, Bastien and Gwen walked over to us. "Shall we trade?" Bastien held Gwen's hand in Rogan's direction.

"Only for a minute, then I want my bride back," Rogan replied.

Bastien took my hand and guided me in circles next to Rogan and his mother. "You make a resplendent bride, Tessa."

"Thank you." I felt like a princess from head to toe. My dress and jewel-encrusted heels flashed when the light hit them. The amethyst sash made of Amalian silk tied around my waist made a decadent bow that flowed along with the train of my dress. The fact Gwen had worn it at her wedding made it extra special as my something borrowed.

Bastien twirled me and Rogan's appreciative gaze drank me in. Gwen spoke to him, and he turned his attention back to her as they danced. Hopefully, she was telling him she was happy for him and she approved of me. He bent down to hug her at the end of the song. As soon as he straightened, he zipped straight to me. His hand found its place on my lower back, and he leaned in to kiss my ear.

"We're going to our room now."

"You said Gwen wouldn't let us leave early."

One corner of his mouth quirked up. "I convinced her."

"Is that what you were talking about with her? Not sharing a poignant mother-son moment?"

"We did that too. But at the end, she told me we should go make whoopee."

***

Rogan and I ran hand in hand down the corridor of the five-star resort hotel. He swiped his key card and scooped me up behind my knees. I laughed as he carried me through the door and launched me onto the bed.

"Dress off." He placed his hands on his hips to watch.

"You carry me."

"What?" He climbed up the bed and poled his arms to support his weight over me.

"So many times. From the terrorists to the helicopter, from my dad's clutches to an escape hatch, over the threshold of this room. From captivity to freedom each time." I trailed my fingers from his temple to his shoulder.

His eyes softened. "I'd carry you across the Sahara if that's where you wanted to go." He kissed my nose. "But make no mistake, you rescued me. You're stronger than me. You carry the weight of my ruck and your own."

"Rogan…"

"Till death do us part."

"If there is a heaven, I'd like to believe we'd find each other there too."

"Yeah. Now let's knock boots."

I rolled to my stomach. "Help me."

He paused. "There's a million buttons on this damn thing."

"Those are faux buttons. There's a zipper hidden beneath them."

"Thank fuck."

Rogan removed my dress and his tuxedo. He stared at the garter and stockings for a long time. "I'm not even going to attempt taking those off."

I peeked up at him over my shoulder. "You have to remove them to get my panties off."

He set his brow and grinned. He yanked the sides of my bridal underwear and tore it off. We laughed and made love for the first time as husband and wife. I didn't feel any other presence between us. He'd let Eden's ghost go. His sole focus was on every inch of me and pleasuring me, his only wife.