Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

“Do you, Riggs Chapman, take this woman for your lawfully wedded wife? To have and hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?”

“I do,” Chappy said fervently.

The officiant turned to Carlise, who was wearing a pair of jeans and a puffy white coat, a white stocking cap, and a pair of white mittens. “Do you, Carlise Edwards, take this man for your lawfully wedded husband? To have and hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?”

“Absolutely, yes,” she said with a huge smile.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,” the beaming woman told them.

Cal watched as his friend bent his new wife over his arm and kissed her long, hard, and thoroughly. Everyone cheered and clapped as he brought her upright and turned to face them.

There weren’t many people in attendance—their circle of friends, Carlise’s mom, and Alfred Rutkey. And, of course, Baxter, who was sitting next to Carlise, looking uneasily at all the people around them but unwilling to leave his favorite human’s side.

The weather was perfect for a wedding. Chilly, but the sun was shining. There was still some snow on the ground, but almost all of the two feet that had fallen in the most recent blizzard had melted.

Cal had arrived earlier with June, who’d disappeared inside the cabin to help Carlise. He and Chappy, along with their friends, had hung out in the detached garage with a roaring fire to keep them warm. They’d spent the few hours there, waiting for the ceremony to start, and reminisced about how they’d gotten to where they were and speculated about what would’ve happened if they’d ended up anywhere but in Maine.

Carlise was beautiful, glowing with happiness, but Cal couldn’t help thinking that June outshone everyone there. She wore figure-hugging jeans and a purple long-sleeved V-neck shirt she’d picked up while shopping. Her cheeks were rosy from the chilly air and excitement of the occasion, and she had an almost permanent smile on her face.

Cal had given her space all day, so she could hang out with the women and strengthen their friendship, but he couldn’t stay away from her any longer. As everyone headed for the cabin and the food Carlise had insisted on serving before they headed back to Newton, he wrapped an arm around June’s waist.

“That went well,” he observed.

“It was perfect,” she exclaimed, looking up at him with a huge smile. “Carlise was beautiful, and Chappy couldn’t take his eyes off her for even a second. Even the little bow tie Baxter had on was adorable!”

Cal had been to many weddings in his day. Not so many recently, but before he’d been captured, he’d been required to go to just about all of the royal weddings in his family. They were ostentatious and over the top, but none could compare to the intimate, simple ceremony he’d had the pleasure of observing today.

Chappy and Carlise were obviously madly in love, and they’d survived a terrible ordeal to get where they were. It was an honor to celebrate them. Some would scoff and say they’d never last. That they hadn’t known each other long enough for a meaningful connection or long-term relationship. But Cal thought differently.

He’d seen his cousins marry people they’d been dating for years, only to have things fall apart almost as soon as they’d put rings on their spouses’ fingers. The way Chappy looked at Carlise, and vice versa, made him certain they’d be together forever.

“I’m going to go congratulate them. I’ll be right back,” June told him before rushing over to Carlise.

Cal watched as she hugged the other woman. June was innately good, and every time he thought about her stepmother and stepsister treating her like they had, he wanted to drive right back to Washington, DC, and give them a piece of his mind.

“Why the scowl?” JJ asked. “You aren’t happy for them?”

Wiping the irritated look off his face, Cal shook his head. “No, I’m thrilled. I’ve never seen Chappy so happy or content. I was just thinking about June’s situation.”

JJ nodded. “Yeah. I’m thinking her family probably isn’t taking her leaving and stealing their prince out from under their noses lightly.”

Cal scowled at his friend. “She didn’t have to steal someone who wanted to be hers. And I was never Carla’s to begin with, no matter what they’d cooked up in their daft heads.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” JJ said easily. “Although I’m happy to hear that things are working out for you and June.”

Cal snorted. He’d walked right into that trap, even if admitting that he belonged to June didn’t exactly feel like a trap. “You know, I’ve spent my entire life dreading falling in love. It always seemed like a lot of trouble. Getting the approval from the king and queen, the courtship, dealing with the media, planning a huge, extravagant wedding that costs too much, and having to entertain people I don’t even know and definitely don’t care about. I’m never going to be king, not even close, and it just seemed like too much work to deal with it all.”

“But love finds you whether you want it or not,” JJ finished for him.

“Yeah.” Cal didn’t feel the least bit weird admitting he was in love with June. How could he? It felt too right to hide, to deny.

“So . . . you gonna introduce her to the king and queen?” JJ asked nonchalantly.

Cal winced. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, or that he wasn’t proud of her. There was just too much unresolved between them. And he knew without a doubt that meeting the leaders of his country would completely stress June out. Besides . . . it was way too early for any of that.

Cal realized suddenly that he’d gone from thinking it would be best for June’s sake to let her go, that she could do better than him, to wanting to be with her forever. He loved the woman. Maybe being at his friend’s wedding and seeing how happy he was with his bride had subconsciously sunk into his own psyche. “Eventually,” he settled on telling JJ.

His friend beamed and slapped him on the back. “Happy for you, bro.”

Cal was happy too, although definitely apprehensive. He wanted June. All of her. But he was still reluctant to expose his body. Although the way she’d kissed his scars, and her reaction to the burn on his biceps, made him feel as if maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t react to the rest of him the way he’d assumed she would. She’d been upset on his behalf. And remembering how she’d wanted to eviscerate the arsehole who’d burned him somehow soothed a bit of the hurt and pain he carried in his heart.

There were times he’d dreamt of finding every single one of his captors and torturing them the way they’d tortured him, but that would’ve made him just as bad. He had too much pride to stoop so low.

And besides . . . the rescue unit made sure those bastards would never harm anyone again.

But knowing June felt a fraction of the same thing he did, the need for revenge, made him suspect she was meant to be his.

“Cal! JJ! Get over here! They’re going to cut the cake!” April called out from across the room.

JJ rolled his eyes. “She’s so bossy,” he mock complained.

“And you love it,” Cal said.

JJ didn’t respond but did as April demanded and headed in her direction.

Everyone was standing around the table where a simple two-tier cake stood. It had white frosting and was a little crooked on the stand. Chappy took Carlise’s hand, and they picked up a knife. They cut into the cake but obviously used a little too much pressure, because the entire thing tilted, and the top tier fell off the pedestal and plopped onto the floor.

Everyone stood frozen, staring at it for a long moment, before Baxter finally moved. He nonchalantly grabbed the entire tier and retreated to his pillow next to the fireplace to enjoy his unexpected treat.

Cal was afraid Carlise would be upset, but she suddenly started laughing so hard, Chappy had to hold her up.

Jerking when an arm wrapped around his waist, Cal looked down to find June snuggling against him, smiling at the scene. He immediately pulled her closer as they watched their friends cut another piece of cake and successfully feed it to each other. Carlise in her jeans and white sweater. Chappy in jeans as well and a black shirt. They were like yin and yang together and looked like the perfect pair.

The difference between this wedding and all the others he’d attended hit home for Cal once more. A cake this size would be unfathomable to the royal family. They always had at least two cakes, each several tiers high, impeccably decorated, and enough to feed hundreds of guests. Nothing ever seemed to go wrong at any of the ceremonies. Royal protocol was practiced at all times, everything ran with strict precision, and no one would dare show up in anything other than the most current couture fashion.

“This has to be very different from what you’re used to, huh?” June asked.

Her question was proof that they were very much on the same wavelength. “Yeah. But you know what? This is so much better,” he said, meaning every word.

“Yeah,” she agreed.

“We’re going to do the toasts,” Carlise announced to the room with a huge smile. She waited until everyone had a glass in their hand. “To the best friends anyone could have,” she said as she held up a glass of champagne.

“Hear, hear!” everyone said and took a sip of their drinks.

“To blizzards!” Chappy added.

Everyone took another sip.

“To a stray dog some jerk dumped and who ended up being my guardian angel,” Carlise said.

Cal chuckled into his glass. At this rate, they’d be there all afternoon.

He wasn’t exactly wrong. Everyone took a turn toasting the couple and wishing them well. The mood was happy and festive and full of love. There were a ton of pictures taken and everyone was beaming as they shared in their friends’ special day.

Eventually, April turned on a stereo in the corner and a cheesy eighties dance song began to play.

“Yay! Dance time!” Carlise announced.

The sofa was pushed back, and before long, April, Carlise, June, and Carlise’s mom were dancing in the middle of the room.

Chappy was watching them with a goofy look on his face, and once more Cal thought that this was the best wedding and reception he’d ever attended. Spending time with his friends was something he’d always enjoyed, but the addition of the women made it even more fun. They encouraged the guys to relax and let go more than they ever would if left to their own devices.

They all danced, laughed, and, at one point, even did the limbo. Cal couldn’t remember having a better day.

The officiant and the police chief went home shortly after the dancing started, and the women were once again tipsy by the time the party wound down.

“It was great having you all here, but it’s time for you to go,” Chappy announced around seven. It was just getting dark outside, and it was more than obvious he wanted to get his wedding night started. Since the cabin only had one room, he couldn’t exactly do that with his friends and new mother-in-law partying in the living area.

JJ drove April, Carlise’s mom, and Bob back to town, which left Cal alone with June once again. He didn’t mind, not in the least.

As soon as she was settled into her seat in his SUV, she reached for his hand and held on tightly as he drove toward Newton.

“That was awesome,” she said with a sigh. “Although my feet hurt, my ears are ringing from the loud music, and I’ll probably be hoarse from singing.”

“You know that you can’t carry a tune, right?” Cal asked with a laugh.

June giggled. “Yeah, but who cares? That was fun. I’m so happy for Carlise and Chappy.”

“Me too.”

She turned to him with a smile on her face. “For the record? I’m not drunk,” she informed him.

“But you’re tipsy. I never thought the toasts were going to be done.”

She laughed once more, and Cal loved hearing the lighthearted sound. He already knew she hadn’t had enough laughter in her life for years. “Right? I mean, when they started toasting to generators and peanut butter and jelly, I figured it had gone too far.”

Cal smiled at the memory.

“What I’m trying to say is, I might be tipsy, but not so far gone that I don’t know what’s going on,” June informed him.

He glanced over at her and found she was staring at him intently. “Okay?”

“You seem like the kind of man who’d be too honorable to take advantage of a woman when she’s had too much to drink. So I’m just making sure you’re aware that while I can feel the effects of the champagne, the dancing did a good job of sobering me up a bit. I know what I’m saying . . . and what I want.”

Cal finally clued in to what she was getting at—and his cock immediately twitched to life between his legs, even as trepidation swamped him. It was the most bizarre thing ever, feeling both horny and anxious at the same time.

He wanted this, her, but for some reason, he thought he’d have more time to prepare. Get himself mentally ready for her to see his ravaged body.

“But if you don’t want to, it’s okay,” she said quietly when he didn’t reply.

“No!” he blurted. “I do, I just . . . June, I can’t help but worry about you seeing me.”

“Cal, don’t you think I have the same worries? I’m not skinny. In fact, I’m what most people would call fat. I try to keep in shape, but I got my parents’ genes. I’m always going to be heavy. But don’t you think I want to be slender for you? Be the kind of woman you’d be proud to have at your side? Who you can’t wait to be alone with and tear her clothes off? That’s just not me.”

“If you think I didn’t want to peel those skintight jeans down your legs and bury my face between your thighs all night, you’re crazy,” Cal nearly growled.

“Oh,” she said after a lengthy pause.

It was adorable as hell.

“We’ll keep the lights off for our first time,” Cal said. “That way, the pressure is off both of us.”

“Okay,” June said breathlessly.

“I do want you,” Cal told her with all the emotion he felt in his soul. “I’ve never wanted someone even half as much. We’ll make it work, June. I know it.”

“Me too,” June agreed.

A minute or two went by before she asked, “Can you drive any faster?”

It was Cal’s turn to chuckle, as he pressed a little harder on the gas. “Eager?” he teased.

“You have no idea. Using my fingers or a toy is fine and all, but I have a feeling you’re going to ruin me for any kind of self-stimulation.”

Her words made his cock fully engorge. It was painful as hell, as he was confined in his jeans. He shifted in his seat, trying to give his dick some room, but it was hopeless. “Bloody hell, woman, you’re lethal.”

She grinned and squeezed his hand. “I’d offer to help you out with that,” she said, nodding at his lap. “But this console is too big between us.”

“I’m selling this car tomorrow and getting an old beater with a bench seat,” he deadpanned.

June’s giggle made his cock even harder. “No, you aren’t,” she scolded. “Besides, I’m probably not even any good at that.”

“You’ve never sucked cock?” Cal blurted.

She shrugged. “Hasn’t really been something I’ve wanted to do . . . until now.”

“Feck, you’re killing me.”

“I’m looking forward to this, Cal,” she said seriously.

“Me too,” he reassured her. “Now, be a good girl and sit there quietly before I come in my pants,” he begged.

“That would be a shame,” she teased.

Cal smiled and realized he was having even more fun than he’d had at the wedding. In a million years, he didn’t think he’d be laughing and teasing before getting naked with a woman for the first time since his capture.

In years past, sex had been almost . . . guarded. Yes, it was enjoyable, but he’d always worried about the woman’s motives. If she was angling for a marriage proposal or had designs to mooch off him for money. He had none of those concerns with June. In fact, he had a feeling his worries would be more along the lines of her not asking enough of him. Of not wanting to be with him long term.

Though hadn’t he already decided they wouldn’t work out long term? That he was going to give her room to fly? Damn. Perhaps the wedding had messed with his head in ways he hadn’t prepared for.

In his heart, she already belonged to him. But he couldn’t be selfish. He had to let her go, right? Let her experience all the world had to offer?

His cock deflated a bit.

Tonight, however, she was all his—and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure she knew how sexy and desirable she was to him. How amazing. How utterly perfect. He’d deal with the future later. For tonight, all he wanted was to love the woman sitting next to him.