Chapter 26

Liam

2:17 AM THURSDAY

I fucking love my wife.

“Selfie,” Becky announces authoritatively as we stop in the entryway to the Royale’s bar. I’m pretty sure she puts her thumb over the camera before she snaps the photo, but I can’t complain…

Especially since Becky’s selfie pose of choice involves flashing her panties and licking the side of my face.

We trundle through the door, and I’m ready to pry Becky’s friends away from her with free nightcaps before I take my bride to bed.

Percy is already so drunk, I’m not sure how she’s still walking. Mysti May is surrounded by these barely covered show girls. And Sammi…well, Sammi has acquired a particularly large ice box at some point in the night, which she wheels behind her, happy as a clam.

The thing is the size of a small shark, and she’s been terribly protective of it. Won’t say what she’s stashed within—but knowing these girls, I’m sure it’s trouble.

I doubt I have ever seen a stranger fucking wedding party than this.

Becky is grinning from ear to ear, and it warms my heart to see her smile again.

Before we walk out the door she gives me a little kiss on the tip of my nose.

“I have never been happier,” she whispers in my ear. “This is the best night of my life.”

“The first of many best nights, I hope,” I whisper back.

When I kiss her, I kiss her deep.

“Drinks are on the house,” I tell them as we reach the bar. I wave over one of my bartenders, grinning like the smug bastard that I am.

Of course they’re free. I own the house.

“Don’t be fucking stupid.” Becky pulls something out of her handbag. “Let Dan the Man pay.” And with those words she puts down his black credit card, grumbling, “Stupid fucker.”

Before I can move into damage control, my mobile rings.

I can guess who it is without looking—speak of the devil.

I step off for a moment to take the call.

“Dan,” I greet my idiot step-brother through the phone. “How nice to hear from you. How’s your ass doing?”

“Fuck you, Liam.”

“Ah, cheers, Dan, but no thanks. Not my kink, really.”

“You little shit—”

Instantly my blood boils, and I feel my blood pressure increase to about two hundred over one fifty. All of a sudden, it feels like we’re two kids again—like Dan’s father has just married my mother and begun the process of ruining both our lives.

“What the fuck do you want, Dan?” I bark into the phone and make sure I’m well away from the girls.

They are busy ordering drinks and won’t notice my absence. I don’t want Becky to overhear this conversation.

“Where the fuck is Becky? She’s not answering her phone. I know you’re with her, you fucking prick. I want to talk to my wife, Liam.”

“She’s not your wife.” Hearing him call Becky that makes me want to curl my fingers into a fist and take his teeth out with it. “And what do you care? You had your chance earlier, Dan. You blew it.”

The more I think about all of this, the fucking angrier I get. That fucker is lucky he’s not standing next to me because I swear I’d punch his fucking lights out.

“She’s mine, asshole,” he growls. “Give Becky the phone.”

I laugh.

“Oh, Dan. You’re truly hilarious. She was never yours to begin with. Don’t you have someone else to harass now that she’s gone? An errant prostitute, perhaps?”

“She’s still my fiancée.”

The gall of this man is fucking incomprehensible. Where the fuck does he get off?

“I think we both know better than that. She’s not your fiancé anymore.”

“I have every right to know where Becky is. You tell me now before it gets really ugly.” Dan’s voice is rising in pitch, as if he’s about to lose control. “Stop fucking around, Liam.”

Idle threats from Dan the Man. Now things are getting really interesting.

“Could say the same to you, Dan. You fucked up, and you need to take responsibility for it. This isn’t Daddy’s lap anymore—this is the real world, and Becky is not one of your toys. She deserves better than you—and she’s going to get it.”

I press the end button. No need to keep the fucking conversation going.

When I return to the girls, they seem in rather high spirits. Or, rather…high on spirits.

The smell of tequila is thick in the air. Amazing how much alcohol they can consume in a relative short amount of time.

“There you are.” Becky drapes her arms around me and starts kissing me. She rubs her scantily-clad body up and down mine. “I’ve missed you sooooo much.”

I smile and kiss her on the lips. “How much have you had to drink, my love?”

She pouts. “Hardly anything at aaaaaaaall.”

She puts one hand to her temple as if she’s thinking. Her lips curl up, and her I see her eyes sparkle at the same time. “Like, two shots, maybeeee. Max.” She grins at me. “The first one, then the last one, and you don’t ever have to count the ones in between.”

As she sways a little, I wrap my arm around her. I don’t want anything to happen to her. Clearly, she’s not used to a lot of alcohol, which doesn’t surprise me.

From the sound of things, she’s been living a tragic half-life beneath Dan’s big, ugly thumb.

“Why don’t you use your lovely cock to show me a good time,” she continues to slur, running the tip of her finger along my chest.

Of course, that simple action of hers is filled with so much promise my dick instantly jumps for joy in my pants.

“Come on,” she purrs and nestles into me, cat-like. “I want you to fuck me right here and right now.”

I grin.

My fingers play with her fiery red hair.

“Don’t you want to celebrate your wedding with your bridesmaids before we go and enjoy ourselves?” I ask.

Now she pouts and barely gives the girls a second a glance.

“They’re busy.”

To be fair, she’s right. Mysti May is licking the tonsils of three different showgirls, Percy has engaged in an arm wrestling match with the bartender while she pours a bottle of tequila down her throat, and Sammi is draped across the ice box, cooing sweet nothings to whatever she has trapped inside.

Becky’s eyes meet mine again.

“Nooooo. I want you to fuck me nooow.”

I watch her head tilt a little to the right like she does when she wants something badly. Over the last few hours, I’ve noticed a few of her little quirks, and I love each and every one of them.

I don’t think I’ve met a woman before with so many endearing qualities.

“Come ooon,” she repeats, whining, and now she’s pulling her eyebrows together. “As my husband, it’s your job to look after me and satisfy my every fucking need!” She stomps her feet in impatience. “And I. Need. Cock!”

I laugh. “You got me there, love.” I trace my fingertips along her jaw, taking in the delicate curve there.

My wife. I can’t believe she’s my wife.

“I promise I’ll get you to your room safely and look after your every need once we get there,” I assure her.

In thanks, she throws her arms around my neck, and her lips find mine. She melts into me like chocolate melts on the tongue. I can practically feel the flames of desire burn within her, and I can’t help but wonder what the fuck Dan was thinking when he let this beauty go.

I think Dan has been neglecting this treasure for a long time. I’ve learned the hard way that you never neglect the things you cherish.

Life is unpredictable and can so easily take away what it gives. It pays to make the most of each and every fucking moment you are given.

I plan to do just that.

“Well, my lovely queen,” I draw away from her. I put one arm around her waist and, with the other, I scoop up her legs. “I may not have a threshold to carry you over, but I can carry you to your room.”

She giggles and burrows her head into my chest, and I revel in the warmth of her skin. It takes me less than a minute to get to the elevator.

“I can walk, you know,” she mumbles, but I can tell she doesn’t mind.

“I know you can,” I whisper back and lean forward to kiss her on the forehead. “But as your husband, I need to treat you like a queen. And I intend to take this job very seriously.”

I feel her giggle once more.

In the elevator, she lifts her head and looks up at me. “You know, you’re a very handsome groom.”

I smile back at her. “And you are the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”

When we reach the bridal suite, I push it open with my foot and don’t actually put her down until we’re in the bedroom.

Here, I just stare at her for what seems like hours. Time has stood still, or at least lost its meaning.

Nothing matters other than Becky.

Beautiful, vulnerable, and exquisite bride of mine.

As we stare at each other, my heart starts to beat faster, and I feel little beads of sweat in the palm of my hands. I feel as if I’m about to kiss a girl for the very first time.

I was there for Becky, and not only have I rescued her, I’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty to look after her.

It’s no less than she deserves, of course

Slowly, my hands grab her by the shoulder, and my lips find hers. She’s soft and delicious. There are remnants of tequila on her mouth, and I let my tongue lick it off gently.

As I do this, she moans and wraps her arms around my neck.

“Mmm,” she mumbles and opens her mouth for me.

I don’t need a fucking written invitation to let my tongue do the work for me.

Like the yin and yang, we belong to each other. As we lose ourselves in the kiss, I realize she completes me.

Christ. This fucking love I have for this woman—it makes every cliché in the book suddenly all too real, too present.

Too fucking true.