“This is not how I imagined my wedding,” Victoria mused, watching Anna dash back into the dining room with the book her father had requested.
Marty squeezed her hand. “Do you want to wait?”
“Hell, no.”
Her soon to be husband flashed her a devastating smile. “Good, because I don’t want to wait either.”
Eagle had a pained expression on his face. “How am I going to explain this to dad?”
“You won’t have to,” Victoria assured him. “I will explain.”
“We will explain,” Marty amended.
The mayor interrupted. “Let’s get started. Cayla and Anna, beside me. Bride and groom in front of me. Everyone else, behind the bride and groom.”
They all scrambled to take their places, pushing chairs close to the table to make more room. Victoria resisted the urge to pinch herself. Her uncles and cousins were being oddly complaisant. She wasn’t dreaming, was she? Captain Erickson stayed by the door with an impassive face that probably hid impatience. No, this wasn’t a dream. She was full of joy, but the mayor and the captain were grim. The threat to Omaha was real. Maybe she shouldn’t be so happy when Nebraska was under such a threat.
Marty squeezed her hand. “Look happy,” he whispered. “It’s our wedding day.”
She was happy. Just the warmth of Marty’s hand around hers made her happiness grow. “I love you,” she murmured quietly.
Not quietly enough. Eagle groaned. She ignored him.
The mayor opened his book and ran his finger down the page to find his place. He looked up from his book to give them an encouraging smile. “This is the short ceremony. Ready?”
Marty pulled her hand through the crook of his arm and nodded.
“Alrighty, then.” The mayor cleared his voice and his tone became formal. “We are gathered together here today to witness this man and this woman join their lives as one in the bonds of marriage. Um, I guess we’ll skip that next part.” He paused, running his finger little further down the page in his book. “Okay, here we go. Do you, Martin Madison, take this woman to be your wife? Will you love her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? Do you promise to be true to her, loving only her as long as she lives?”
Marty’s voice was strong. “I do.”
“Do you, Victoria Wolfe, take this man to be your husband? Will you love him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? Do you promise to be true to him, loving only him as long as he lives?”
“I do.” Her voice cracked so she cleared her throat and spoke more loudly. “I do!”
The mayor snapped his book closed. “I pronounce you man and wife.” He jabbed a finger at the small rectangle of paper on the table. “All we need to do is sign our names, and it’s legal.”
The marriage certificate had no fancy borders or pretty illustrations, but it had a place for their names and the date, and it said that they were married. That was all Victoria cared about. She signed her name and waited as Marty bent to sign his.
Rock grinned. “That was the quickest marriage ceremony I ever heard,” he said approvingly.
Anna looked a little disappointed. “Dad, you didn’t tell him to kiss the bride.”
Victoria had noticed that too. The mayor signed his name at the bottom of the certificate with a flourish. “No time for that now,” he said. “We—”
He broke off at the sound of running feet in the hallway outside. Captain Erickson put a hand inside his jacket and pulled out a revolver. Marty hastily stepped in front of her. She was tall enough to see that the person who burst into the dining room was a man in his late teens. He clutched a white envelope in his hand. He passed it over to Captain Erickson before bending over with his hands on his knees, trying to suck in air.
“A letter from President Todd,” he panted.
Rye McGrath stuck out a long arm and snatched the envelope. “Is he here already?” he demanded.
“No, sir. This came from a messenger riding a motorized bicycle. The president and his people are still more than an hour away.”
McGrath tore it open and read. Everyone in the room watched him with varying degrees of anxiety. After what seemed like a long time, the mayor looked around.
“President Todd would like to meet with me and members of the city council tomorrow morning at ten o’clock.” His mouth curled in a mirthless smile. “He apologizes for the short notice. He meant to send a letter before he left Kansas City, but he forgot.”
Another man in the uniform of the City Guard entered the dining room. It’s getting crowded in here, Victoria thought, moving a little closer to Marty to make room for the mayor to step past her.
“Lieutenant,” he said shortly. “Report.”
The lieutenant saluted smartly. “We cabled the train as you requested. It will arrive a little past five tomorrow morning. Dennis Black, the engineer, wants to know if he can continue on his eastern route.”
A small smile, which looked genuinely pleased, quirked McGrath’s lips. “No. Once it’s here, have the train get itself turned around and ready to head back west. I want it ready to leave Omaha by seven tomorrow morning.”
He turned to the man who had brought Todd’s message. “Don’t talk about this to anyone.”
“No, sir,” the young man said with another salute.
“Dismissed.” The mayor leaned toward the captain of the Omaha City Guard. “Dean, arrange for the representatives and their parties to be notified quietly about the situation and inform them that the train will be leaving Omaha for the west promptly at seven tomorrow morning. If they wish to be on it, they’d better get to the station on time. It won’t wait for them.”
Tears shimmered in Anna’s brown eyes. She blinked rapidly, but when her father turned to her they fell, rolling in fat drops down her cheeks. McGrath’s face softened slightly and his voice went gentle.
“Anna, you need to get packed. The train will probably be very full, so only take what you need. I’m sure the Wolfes will provide you with anything you can’t bring with you.”
Renee gave the girl a bracing smile. “We will. Have you ever thought of becoming a pastry chef?”
Anna’s face contorted with tears even though she obviously tried to control herself. “Daddy,” she began.
Her mother put an arm around her. “You’re not leaving this second. Let’s go upstairs and start packing.”
The room seemed slightly less congested after they left. The mayor watched his wife and daughter leave with a strained look on his face. The expression vanished immediately as he faced Marty.
“She’ll be at the train station well before seven. I’m putting her in your hands for the journey.”
“I promise to take good care of her. She will be delivered safely to the Plane Women’s House. You have my word of honor.”
The mayor nodded. “Okay, then. Will you notify the representatives at the Limit? Keep it quiet. I don’t want a panic in Omaha.”
“I will,” Marty said.
Hawk gave him a curled lip, not quite amused, not quite grumpy. “I will do that. You might have other plans for the evening.”
Marty looked down at her, eyes intense. “Oh, yes,” he purred. “I have plans.”
Marty held his new bride’s hand and didn’t plan to let go of her until they were finally behind closed doors. Thing is, that might be a little while. Of course, the rapid, low-voiced discussion McGrath was holding with Hawk and Quill was important, but Marty knew his responsibilities for tomorrow: to be at the train station with his wife and aunt-in-law before seven in the morning, and take charge of Miss Anna there. But that was still eleven hours away, and he had things to do in the next eleven hours. Glorious things. He drew a breath, leaned a shoulder against the dining room wall, and dug for patience. Victoria’s thumb, gliding over the back of his hand, didn’t help him maintain his patience, but he gave her a slow smile, silently urging her to continue.
It was a huge relief when a knock on the door cut the conversation off. The voices of John Case and Charles Beauregard were heard in the foyer. They were here for the meeting to discuss the delegates’ questions.
Those questions, Marty said to himself, are pointless now. I think it will be a different topic under discussion tonight.
McGrath lifted his head, obviously having heard Beauregard and Case heading back to his office. “I’m sorry, gentlemen, my time is up.”
Hawk nodded and stuck out his hand for the mayor to shake. “We’ll talk to the delegates at the Limit about Todd, and the train. If you want us with you tomorrow when you meet Todd, send word. We’ll be at the Limit.”
McGrath shook Hawk’s hand and then reached out to Marty. “My daughter will be at the station tomorrow morning.”
With great reluctance, Marty let go of Victoria’s hand so he could shake with the mayor. “I’ll see to it that she gets safely to Kearney.”
It was a relief to get outside. The sun was down and the air had a definite chill. He wanted to be sure his wife was warm. Victoria’s soft cheeks were pink. Was she cold? The wind had a sharp edge. Well, he would see to it that she was warm once they got back to the Limit. Warmer than warm, he amended. He would see to it that she was hot.
Colby stopped them at the bottom of the walk. “I’ve got to find Georgina,” he said in a hard, intense voice. “I want her on that train tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll go with you,” said Ray.
Rock nodded. “Me, too.”
Eagle shifted his weight. “Me —”
“No!”
Hawk, Quill, and Sand all said the word at the same time.
“No,” said Hawk again. “Rock, go ahead with Colby. I have no authority over Ray, so he can go or not as he pleases, but Eagle needs to stay with us.”
Eagle pinned Marty with a glare. “Are you going to stay in the upstairs room Vic is in?” his new brother-in-law demanded.
“Yeah.” Marty nodded. “Can’t take her to the room I’m in now, not with Ray and a couple of other men there.” He lifted a brow at Victoria. “Your room okay?”
Her smile was dreamy. “Yeah. It’s more private up there.”
“Ugh!” Eagle’s expression was morose. “I’m not sleeping in that room upstairs across the hall from the lovebirds tonight.” He shot a peeved glance between Marty and Victoria and Stone. “You’re on your own tonight, Stone. It’s bad enough hearing all that ruckus from mom and dad. I don’t want to hear it from my sister, too.”
A clear peel of laughter rose from Victoria. “You’d think that at their age they would have slowed down by now,” she said with a gurgle of more laughter.
“Why?” Marty squeezed her hand and gave her a small, wicked smile. “Do you think we will have slowed down when we’re their age?”
Eagle grabbed fistfuls of his thick black hair and moaned. “Kill me now,” he muttered.
Hawk shook his head, not smiling. “Colby, Rock, get moving. You can bring Miss Georgina back to the Limit. She can stay alone in the room across from Victoria and Marty. The rest of us had better get moving. We got a lot to do before morning.” He shot Marty a glance, and continued in a dry voice. “That is, most of us have things to do before morning that don’t include–”
“Uncle Hawk!” Victoria’s voice was primly shocked.
Mrs. Renee gave her husband a deeply disappointed look. “Hawk, I might not see you for a long while. Don’t you think tonight we need to—”
“Yes!” Hawk barked, and then gave a small, self-conscious cough. “Now is not the time to talk about, uh, it, love.” He waved his hand. “Let’s go."
All of them were silent on the walk back to the Limit. Marty didn’t know what the others were thinking about, but the frequent glances Victoria sent his way told him what she was thinking, and it was the same thing on his mind. Eagle, walking behind them, made occasional low growling noises. Marty suppressed a grin. His new brother-in-law didn’t seem to be entirely happy with his sister’s marriage, but if all he did was growl a little bit, Marty wouldn’t complain.
They passed through the gate at the Limit and paused halfway up the walk. Hawk waved them all into a cluster. “Stone, Eagle, get your gear and put it in Marty’s room. Marty’s old room,” he clarified. “Then we need to notify the other delegates about the new circumstances. Quill, you talk to Brother Saul and his boys.”
Hawk appointed each of them tasks for the next few hours. Only Victoria and Marty were spared any chores. Hawk only glanced at them and waved a dismissive hand toward the back of the house. Victoria showed off the dimple at the corner of her mouth.
“Good night, everybody,” she sang out with a cheery smile. “See you in the morning.”
Eagle straightened with something like alarm. “You just wait a minute,” he said. “I need a minute to get my stuff before the … festivities begin.”
Victoria giggled and squeezed Marty’s hand. “Festivities. I like that word.”
“Me, too.” As Marty leaned toward her, he heard Eagle groan and take off at a run. “We can take our time going up to our room,” he suggested.
Disappointment filled Victoria’s face, but a smile cleared it. “Okay. That will give Eagle time to get his stuff together.” She waved at the others. “Good night.”
Once the others had gone off to fulfill their assignments, Marty put an arm around his newly-married mate. She felt impossibly good against him., even through her thick coat. He didn’t have the ultra-sharp sense of smell that the wolves did, but she smelled divine to him.
“Let’s walk slowly toward the house,” he whispered in her ear. He didn’t have to bend to do that. Just one more thing to love about Victoria. “We wouldn’t want to make your brother blush.”
Her chuckle was throaty. “He’s not a prude. Really.”
“But you’re his sister.” He thought about it. “My sister is much older than I am and her husband is nearly ten years older than she is. I don’t think they’re the romantic type. I’ve never even seen them kiss.”
“Well, they must have,” Vic pointed out. “They have four children.”
“True.” He opened the back door for them to slip into the mudroom. “Upstairs?”
“Follow me.”
The staircase was narrow enough that they couldn’t climb side by side. Walking a couple of steps below her gave him a fine view of her perfect ass. Soft and curvy, it moved with an alluringly feminine sway. Marty almost reached to caress it. Not here, he told himself. Soon. Soon you can touch all of her, every stunning, heart-stopping inch.
At the top of the stairs, Victoria turned right and opened a door. She clicked on the light and stepped into the room. Heart suddenly jumping into his throat, he followed her in. The room was small, and made to look even smaller by the slanting ceiling. Only here, in the center of the room, could he and Victoria stand straight. His gaze went to the neatly made double bed. Of course, standing wasn’t a particularly large part of his plan for tonight. Victoria’s cheeks were brightly pink, her eyes wide and staring at him with an expression he wasn’t sure of. Was it fear? Bridal nerves?
She launched herself at him and her kiss was almost an attack. No, it wasn’t fear. He buried his hands in her hair and clenched the thick locks in his fingers. They had kissed before. Gentle, respectful kisses. This was entirely different. Her mouth devoured his. Her enthusiasm made up for her lack of expertise. He took control of the kiss, slowing it down to something more exploratory. Not quite gentle, but leisurely. He used his tongue to stroke along hers, demonstrating what he liked in a kiss. Thorough. Deep. Hot. Then he used his fists in her hair to tilt her head back so he could explore her throat.
“Coat.” Her voice was a gasp between pants. “Take it off.”
He lifted his head and looked down into her eyes. “Is it too warm in here for a coat?”
Some of the glaze left her eyes. “Too warm? What? I’m not going to need my coat—”
She broke off when he laughed, her eyes narrowing. “You’re laughing now? This is no time to joke.”
“This is the perfect time to laugh. Laughing makes me happy. You make me happy.” He slipped his hands up to cup her cheeks. “Victoria, do you have any idea how much I adore you?”
She opened her mouth, but seemed to forget how to speak when he smoothed his hands down her throat to her collarbone to the top button on her coat.
“I’m going to take this off you now,” he whispered. “Is that okay?”
She reached for his coat. “You bet, as long as I can take this off you.”
Their coats discarded on the floor, he returned his lips to her throat, letting them wander up to the place behind her ear. She liked that. He could tell by the way her breath quickened and her head leaned to the side to give him more room. She liked his teeth on her earlobe even more. Her tiny, breathy moan was like music to him. She was so responsive, this beautiful mate of his.
“Whoa,” he said, trapping her seeking hands against his belt. “We don’t need to rush this.” He raised her hands to his lips. “It’s our first time. Our wedding night. We have time to make this fun.”
“Fun?” she echoed.
He laughed again at the note of surprise in her voice. “Yes, fun. The most fun two people in love can have naked.”
“We’re not naked,” she pointed out. “Yet.” She undid one of the buttons on his dress shirt and gave him flirty eyes. “Let’s fix that.”
No, his mate wasn’t shy. He loved that about her. She seemed to have taken his words about not rushing to heart. She unbuttoned his shirt one button at a time, taking several moments in between each to kiss and lick every inch of his chest that she revealed. His shirt fell soundlessly to the floor. He tried to stand quietly and allow her to caress him. His feline side loved being caressed. He tried to suppress the contented purr of his cat, but failed.
Victoria gave him a satisfied smile. “Do you like that?”
“Uh-huh,” he purred. “Playing. I love to play.”
“Well, then.” She stepped back, spreading her arms wide. “Play with me.”
His cat side wanted to crouch and leap on her, but he controlled himself. Her spread arms stretched the fabric of her blouse taut over her breasts. He wanted to see them. “That’s one invitation I’ll never refuse.” He placed his hand on her collarbone and slid it slowly down to cover one of her breasts. “So soft. So beautiful.”
She arched her back to push her breast more firmly against his palm. “How can you tell it’s beautiful? You haven’t seen it. If you’re waiting for an invitation, consider yourself invited.”
A fine tremor worked itself through his body. “Again, an invitation I’ll never refuse.” Was his control as great as hers? His fingers were embarrassingly clumsy on the buttons of her blouse. He wanted to see her. He needed to see her.
“Don’t tear my blouse,” she chided. Laughter was barely hidden under her scolding tone, but her breasts, still concealed by silky fabric, jiggled against his knuckles with her suppressed giggles. “It’s one of my favorites. I ordered it from Lisa and Hannah, and I even helped to make it in their workshop.”
He got a firmer grip on a button and doggedly slid it through its hole. “Then you must know how to mend it.”
Victoria gave a little scream. “Don’t tear it!”
“Take it off,” he ordered.
“Bossy, bossy.”
But she finished unbuttoning it and slid it down her arms. He didn’t watch it float to the floor. His gaze was fixed on her. Her breasts were hidden beneath a brassiere of peach colored satin, but he was sure they were as soft and white as her belly.
“Your pants, too.” He cleared his throat to remove the frog that threatened to choke him. “Please, take off your pants.”
She folded her arms over her breasts. “Oh, no.” She unfolded one arm to wag a finger at him. “It’s your turn. You take off your pants.”
The cat was delighted at the play. Marty unbuckled his belt, unzipped, and stepped out of his trousers. Slanting a glance her way to be sure she was watching, he slid his underwear down and off. Completely naked, he gave her a silent minute to look her fill. His cock jutted up, aching with his need for her, but he was content to play a little longer. The way her eyes widened pleased him. He propped his fists on his hips and grinned at her.
“Here I am, mate. I think I’m a few steps ahead of you. You better catch up. Your pants, please.”
She hesitated with her fingers at the waistband of her pants. Was she shy now? No, apparently not. She reached instead behind her back and the peach satin slipped down her arms. His breath came out of him in a sigh of appreciation.
“I was right.” His vice was slightly hoarse. “Beautiful.”
She hooked her thumbs in the sides of her pants, slid them over her full hips, down her thighs, and then she stood before him, beautifully naked. And beautiful was the right word to describe her. Her breasts were large and white, tipped with crinkled pink nipples. Her waist was small, her hips generously curved, her thighs soft. She truly was a beautiful woman. That wasn’t just what a man in love would say about his wife. Victoria Wolfe Madison would be considered a great beauty by any man.
“Mrs. Madison, your beauty stuns me. I am the luckiest man alive.”
She slid her hand down her ribs to her waist and over the flare of her hip. “My mom told me that in the Times Before, women built like us were considered fat and ugly.”
“Fat?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Were they blind? You’re perfect.” He took her in his arms and shuddered with delight at the feel of her bare body pressed to his. At last. “Perfect. And you’re mine.”
Perfect? Victoria laid her cheek against Marty’s and just breathed him in. He was perfect. Just seeing the sculpted muscle of his chest and belly made her breath come faster. She had seen penises before. She lived with a clan of men who frequently stripped to let their wolves out. They rarely went somewhere private to do that, so she’d seen penises before. She knew they weren’t all the same size or shape.
Never before had she seen one erect, and never before had she thought of one as beautiful. There’s that word again, she thought. Beautiful. He thinks I’m beautiful, and I think he’s beautiful. Or maybe I should think of him as handsome. She barely suppressed a giggle. His penis wasn’t handsome. It really was beautiful, long and straight, and fascinatingly hard. She could feel it trapped between their bodies. She gave her hips an experimental roll, trying to gauge how hard it was.
Marty groaned. The sound of it and the whisper of his hot breath over her neck fanned the ember of heat between her legs into flame. She rolled her hips harder against him.
“Marty.” She took firm hold of the golden hair at his nape. “I want more.”
“There’s more,” he promised in a rough whisper.
“I know. I can’t wait.” She gave his hair a gentle tug. “Come on, let’s do it.”
His chest rumbled with a low laugh. “Can you see in the dark?”
“What? No.”
His teeth caught her earlobe again in a sweet nip. “Do you want me to leave the light on, then?”
She thought about it. “Yes. I want to see you.”
He lifted her and carried her to the bed. Pleasure unfocussed her eyes and she concentrated more on what she felt. The rough sheet below her, the strength of his forearms holding her back up, his hands, curving up over her shoulders, his mouth open and hot on hers. The cool air on her feminine bits replaced by fiery heat, a pinch of pain when his beautiful, no, handsome penis breeched her. Brief moments of discomfort melted into mild pleasure as he moved gently inside her.
So, this is making love, she thought with disappointment. It’s nice, I guess, but I don’t see why… Oh! A spark of something flared where Marty was moving inside her. It came again, bigger and hotter, and again. She shifted her hips to a slightly different angle and squeaked in a gasp.
“More,” she urged her new husband. “More!”
Marty was purring. The rumble of it against her breasts did something to that spark to make it grow even more.
Marty lifted one arm from her back and lightly touched her cheek. “Come on, darling, almost there.”
“Don’t stop,” she ordered.
“Not yet,” he agreed.
Her body exploded in a cascade of pleasure so intense that she stopped breathing.
Marty collapsed on her with a leonine roar. They shuddered against one another for long minute before Marty rolled them so they were on their sides facing each other. He stroked her hair back with a tender hand.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Great,” she said with breathless enthusiasm. “No wonder mom and dad are always in their bedroom with the door shut.”
He laughed. “Next time will be better.”
“Better?” she echoed. “Really? I don’t see how.”
His smile was blinding. “I love you.” He kissed her forehead gently. “I can’t believe you are actually my wife. I dreamed of it. I planned on it. I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.”
“Or like this,” she agreed. “I can’t believe Hawk and the others agreed to us being married., much less letting us get married on the spot, right there in the mayor’s dining room.”
His brows lowered a little. “When we get back to Kearney, we’ll have a big wedding. It will be as lavish as you like. Better than your cousin Olivia’s.”
She blinked at him. “Are you kidding? No way! We’re married. Why do we need to do it again?”
“We don’t. I just thought you’d like to.”
“Ha.” She snorted. “We’re plenty married. We had the words said over us, and we’ve consummated it. Can’t get much more married than that.”
Marty nodded as he pulled the covers up over them. He plumped the pillow and arranged it so each of them had a corner. “I still need to find fifteen horses for your father.”
“Horses?”
He reached out and flicked off the light. “Mm-hmm. Turn this way, so your back is to me. There, that’s comfy, isn’t it?”
She obeyed, fitting herself against him. “Yes.” It was. His chest was warm on her back, his knees tucked up behind hers. They fit perfectly. “Horses?”
Marty yawned behind her. “That’s what I was told your father would sell you for.”
She stiffened so fast she rammed a heel into his shin. “Sorry,” she said when he yelped. “You don’t have to give my dad fifteen horses!”
“I know.” His chest moved with laughter as he pulled her back against him. “It was just a joke your brother and cousins played on me this afternoon.” He stilled for a moment. “That was only this afternoon? So much has happened today.”
“It’s been busy, hasn’t it? And tomorrow will be too.”
“Yes. By this time tomorrow I’ll have you back in Kearney. We need to make some plans for our future. My house, that is our house, won’t be ready for several weeks. And I need to speak with your father. Maybe we should travel to the Clan very soon.”
“Yeah, we should. Where will Anna live? In your brother’s compound?”
“I think she should live at the Plane Women’s House or the den. Her father is friends with the packs more than with Eddie.”
His warmth and smooth voice were lulling her toward sleep. She laid her arm over his where it lay over her ribs. “I love you. I’m sorry about what is happening to Omaha because of that crazy guy Todd, but I’m so glad it worked out for us to be married.”
“It’s because of him that you are my wife right now.” He kissed her temple. “If I ever meet him, I’ll be sure to thank him for it.”
Her snort was faint. “Go to sleep.”
“Yes, wife.” His tone was meek.
“Good husband,” she replied smugly.
Victoria lay in the dark, listening to Marty breathe. Husband. He was her husband. The dreams she used to have about him weren’t needed anymore. Now she had the real thing in bed with her. And the real thing was far better than the dream.