Sweet Temptation (The Sweet Trilogy #4)(96)

I’m going to strip that dress from her body tonight. Along with everything underneath it.

Behind Anna, Marna holds up a bag, pointing to it. I downloaded mood music! she signs.

I raise my eyebrows and give her an unenthusiastic thumbs-up. I hope she’s grown out of her love of boy bands.

Anna finally finds me, and her smile disappears as our eyes meet. My confidence returns, obliterating all traces of nerves. I’m going to take care of this girl in every possible way. Judging by how she nibbles her lip, she knows it.

I lift a hand to call her over. Moments later she’s standing before me, the dress accentuating her waist.

“Hey,” she says, a bit bashful.

“Hey, yourself. You’re stunning. I feel like a slob.”

She looks me over, taking me in. “You always look good.” Her shy smile melts me.

I ignore Gin’s gagging noises from where she’s sitting nearby, and I wrap my hands around Anna’s hips, leading her toward me. She sits beside me, lifting her hair, fanning herself with a shaking hand.

I take that hand and place a soft kiss in her palm.

Don’t be nervous, I sign to her with my other hand.

Her face still looks pinched with tension, so I pull her onto my lap and she lays her head on my shoulder.

“Are you sure about this?” Her whisper is warm against my neck.

“I am,” I assure her. “Are you?”

“Yes.”

Well, there you have it.

Blake ambles out of the cockpit and I circle a finger in the air as if to say, Let’s go. He nods his agreement. The sooner we’re in the air where the whisperers don’t venture, the better.

We all take our seats, and fifteen minutes later we’re lifting off smoothly. I’m rather impressed with Blake’s flying skills. Once we’ve reached our altitude, Blake puts the plane on autopilot and joins us, as the girls freak out about it. It’s quite humorous, and I can’t help chuckling, relieved to have all my closest mates by my side.

When we stand, I’m racked with nerves again, and I hope it doesn’t show.

“I didn’t prepare vows or anything,” Anna says. “I guess we’re just winging it?”

Vows? Was I supposed to do that?

Blake shakes out a piece of paper and my worry subsides. He’s printed out traditional vows, and he even got an official license to marry us, per Belial’s suggestion. But leave it to Blake not to be serious.

He puffs out his chest and declares, “Dearly beloved!” like an old, Southern minister.

We all lose it. And shite, I don’t realize how blazin’ tense I am until we’re all falling over with laughter.

“All right,” Blake says when we finally calm down. He looks at me. “For real this time. Keep your eyes on Anna and repeat after me. You ready?”

I run my hands through my hair, frustrated by this persistent nervousness. Nothing has ever been this important to me. I’ve been thinking of this as Anna’s special day, but as I exhale sharply and take her hands again, I realize I want this as much as she does. I lock eyes with Anna and prepare to vow my love and loyalty to her alone. My voice drops an octave as I fight back emotion.

“I, Kaidan, take you, Anna, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.” I struggle to get the next words out. “. . . till death do us part.”

Anna’s eyes drift closed, forcing tears to roll out. I quickly wipe them and whisper, “No tears, luv.”

Her chin quavers but she nods. We grip hands tighter. Her voice is pure and angelic when she says her vows, and I let each word soak into my skin, through muscle and bone, into my very soul where I’ll cherish them for eternity.

She beams up at me when she finishes, and my broad smile matches hers.

“Time for the rings,” Blake says.

Anna’s face falls. “Oh, I didn’t—”

“Don’t worry,” I say, reaching into my pocket. I know she is a reasonable girl, I hope too reasonable to expect diamonds, but I’m still anxious about her reaction. I open my palm to show her.

“I figured we’d have to wear these on our opposite hands after today,” I explain when she says nothing. “And since it’s our secret, I decided on your birthstone instead of a diamond. I had to guess your size.”

She stares a moment longer before grinning up at me. “I love it.” The awe in her voice makes me stand taller.

I hand her the men’s band and we exchange rings, sliding them on to each other’s fingers as a symbol of our love and commitment.

Blake claps a hand onto my shoulder. “Now for the good part. You may kiss your bride.”

“’Bout time,” I say, leaning forward to seal the most important moment of my life.

“No tongue!” Gin shouts.

“Yes tongue!” Marna counters.

Oh, for the love of—

Anna flings her arms about my neck and snogs me good to shut them up. Marna and Blake cheer and Ginger snorts. I drown them out and focus on Anna’s lips.

We press our foreheads together, and her eyes sparkle with glee.

“Did we really just do that?” I ask.

She smiles and nods and bursts into excited giggles. I grab her around the waist and lift her up, kissing her again, fighting the instinct to take her straight into the loo for a bit of privacy.