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She was mine. My soaring heart could barely be contained. I pulled Gwen into my arms, gently cupped her face, then shifting my hold to her neck and jaw. With my fingers on her pulse point, I could feel the erratic beat of her heart. I locked gazes with her and could see the uncertainty.
Pulling her in tightly, I whispered, “Can I kiss you?”
It was torture to wait for her answer. I wasn’t asking if I could give her a quick perfunctory marriage seal. I was asking if I could kiss her how I’d been dying to kiss her since I saw her start down that aisle.
She searched my gaze for a moment, then gave me a quick, jerky nod.
Maybe she thought, I’d plunder, make it hard and rushed, but oh no, I took my time. I gently passed my lips over hers in a tentative slide, as I waited for her to accept me.
The muffled gasp she gave me when the electricity hit her too was all I needed. tugging her body so she was flush against me, I wrapped my other arm around her waist and I anchored her to me and kissed her deep.
As my lips explored hers, I could feel her mold into me. She opened up to me in a way that was more intimate than any physical act could be. It was a connection of hearts, of souls intertwining in a dance as old as time.
Her hands slid up my chest, fingers curling into the lapels of my suit, pulling herself even closer to me. The small whimper she let out vibrated against my mouth, sent a shiver down my spine and heat pooled in the pit of my stomach.
The kiss deepened, both of us lost in the moment.
The world narrowed down to just us as our lips met in a kiss that set my entire body on fire. Consumed by the taste of her, I gently nibbled on her bottom lip before exploring the sweetness of her mouth.
Every muffled gasp and soft whimper set fire to my blood. My cock didn’t give a fuck where we were and how many people were watching as he shoved against my trousers in a bid to get closer to Gwen.
It wasn’t until Sebastian clamped a hand on my shoulder that it filtered in where we were and what I was attempting to do.
I dragged my mouth off of hers, the drugging effects of her lips making me a bit dizzy as I tried to get my bearings. Everybody was cheering, loudly. My mother was in tears. Penny dabbed at her eyes.
The cheers and applause from our friends and family barely registered as I basked in the warmth of having Gwen finally mine.
Fuck formality. I grabbed her and kissed her again, prolonging the moment, savoring the feel of her lips, the softness of her skin, the scent of her hair. When we finally broke apart, her whisper reached my ears, tinged with both amusement and incredulity. "Don’t you think you're laying it on a little thick?"
"You belong to me now, so no," I whispered back, fierce joy and unwavering conviction fueling my words. "I’m making it clear to the world that you are mine. Even though this is secret for the time being, and even though you see this as business. But this ring," I lifted her hand, displaying the symbol of our union, "binds me to you. And I meanevery bit of forever."
As we turned to face our guests, applause broke out around us, the garden erupting in a cacophony of well-wishes.
And I didn’t dare let go of my new wife. She was mine to cherish, and protect…forever. Fuck the contract. I loved her.
Chapter 26
ATTICUS
I held on tight to Gwen as if she would vanish from me if I let go.
Sebastian and Penny had pulled out all the stops, even providing a photographer and videographer. There would come a time when I would have to very much prove our marriage. And they were giving us a controlled way to do that.
The guests were friends of theirs. Ariel and the entire Royal Elite team. The princes and princesses. A smattering of other familiar faces I knew.
When Ben Covington approached, I gave him a lopsided smile. "I didn’t know you were here in the Winston Isles."
"Probably because even when you're in London, you don't call,” he complained.
I had known Ben Covington, East Hale, and Bridge Edgerton since the year of exchange I did at Eton. He shook my hand heartily and smiled at my wife.
My wife.
Just saying the words to myself had a finality that I craved.
She was mine. And nobody was going to take her away from me.
I stayed close and tight as Ben kissed each of Gwen’s cheeks. "I understand that you were in London recently. It's a shame we missed each other. I would have loved to take you to dinner and introduce you to my wife, Olivia."
