Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

ZANE

I run a towel through my dripping wet hair and then let it dangle across my shoulders. Pressing the door open with one hand, I peer into my bedroom and see Grey sprawled out on top of my bed.

The sight of her there pleases me.

It's where she belongs.

I tiptoe as quietly as I can around her side of the bed and exchange my wet sling for a dry one. It takes me a solid seven minutes to wrestle all the ties and clips into their rightful place.

Wrapping the sling is one of the tasks I dread. I can't wait until my wrist is better. The moment I'm cleared, I'm throwing this stupid sling into the sea and flipping it the bird.

Grey makes a sound in her sleep and curls into a ball, shivering slightly. I frown and cover her with the quilted blanket thrown over my office chair. She burrows into it like a caterpillar.

I drop into a crouch so I'm eye-level with her. Long black eyelashes splay across soft cheeks. Her full, bee-stung lips part as she releases a deep breath.

Damn.

She was a freaking vision walking down the aisle in white today.

But even without makeup and a fancy dress, Grey Jamieson is the kind of pretty you just can't tear your eyes off of .

Gingerly, I press my hand against her forehead. At least her temperature's cooled since her shower. I should have insisted on taking her to the doctor, but I thought she might throw an even bigger fit.

‘I want to be with you tonight.'

I chuckle softly, remembering her bold announcement.

Total bull.

She wants to be with me as much as a mouse wants to be with a tiger. Just because she'll enjoy what I'll do to her body doesn't mean she's truly excited about it. Even I know that.

"What's the big deal about seeing a doctor?" I whisper, tracing a line above her nose.

I bet there's another reason.

Not that she'd say a word about it.

Getting up, I finish drying my hair with the towel and slide into bed. As quietly as I can, I turn on my side and prop my head up with a hand.

"So much for keeping your end of the deal," I whisper to her.

She snorts in her sleep.

I snicker. "You're lucky you're cute."

Grey wiggles closer to me, all wrapped-up in her blanket-like cocoon, seeking my warmth. Now that her mouth is shut, her face is smooth in sleep, and she's not using her infuriating teacher-tone on me, she looks way younger than I do.

Is this woman really twenty-four?

She's as strong-willed as a little kid. And twice as stubborn too.

I'm about to settle in and watch her sleep, but my phone rings. It's loud enough that Grey starts to stir.

Panicking, I spring out of bed and answer roughly, "What?"

"Zane," a quiet voice breathes over the line.

I whirl around to stare at Grey. My heart beats fast. "Marian."

"I…" She hesitates. Wherever she is, there's a lot of noise in the background. It sounds like old-timey music. "Grey isn't at the hospital tonight."

There's a long pause and I can tell she expects me to fill in the space.

I don't.

"She's not… um, this is such a ridiculous question but, she's not with you, is she?"

Dad's wife sounds genuinely terrified.

Marian isn't a bad person and I hate that she's getting the short end of the stick in all this. But I'm not giving Grey up now that I have her.

Not even her mom is going to stop me.

"Actually, Marian, she?—"

"No, Grey wouldn't be that foolish," Marian cuts me off. "She's a smart girl. She got into Redwood Prep on a scholarship, you know. Worked her butt off all by herself. I didn't do much. Honestly, I couldn't do anything for her growing up."

I rub the back of my neck.

"There's a lot I need to make up for as a mother. So even if she hates me, even if she loathes the ground I walk on, I'll always protect her." She pauses. "Not that I expect you to understand."

"I do."

Hate and love is relative. Grey despising me is a small price to pay for keeping her safe. It's one of the things Marian and I have in common.

"No, I don't think you do," Marian says resignedly.

Of course she wouldn't believe me. My commitment to my wife goes much deeper than anything I can describe with words.

It's like trying to explain why I'd die for my brothers.

Love?

Hell, sometimes I can't stand those bastards.

But I'd take a bullet for them.

They'd do the same for me.

We don't need to explain that to anyone.

Something rattles on her side of the line. "This was a mistake. I'm sorry for calling so late."

"Wait."

Before I can get another word in, I hear a click.

The line goes dead.

I pull the phone away and stare at it. What was that about?

Marian definitely suspects that Grey and I are together tonight. Does she think pretending it's not true will make it go away?

If she's this shaken thinking we're sleeping together, I wonder what she'll do if she finds out we're married?

I wonder what dad will do.

Worry plucks at my nerves. Instinctively, I reach for a drumstick. There are plenty around my room. Usually, when I feel this restless, I'd head downstairs and practice until my eyes burn with sweat.

But I've been hesitant about playing the drums since the fight.

Releasing the drumsticks, I return to bed instead.

Seeing Grey asleep calms me in a way that music, beer, and other women never could. Gently, I slide my palm under her hand and lift it to the pillow so the wedding ring on her finger sparks between us.

Her presence still feels like a dream. One I never really allowed myself to have.

Maybe because villains like me don't get girls like her.

Selfish bastards tend to attract the same.

And I guess, in a way, this was never supposed to happen. I bent reality to my will. Forced it, destroyed it, bludgeoned the hell out of it until it fit into a space no one thought it would.

And hell, I'd do it again.

I don't think Grey, or anyone really, understands how badly I've craved her.

My brothers thought she was just a challenge.

Grey thought she was just a joke.

Even Jinx wrote about us like we're nothing more than the latest scandalous secret.

They're all wrong.

It's always been different with Grey. From the moment I first saw her, I was desperate to have her.

She didn't like what I told her tonight, about being my property, but it's the truth.

For better or for worse, she's mine now.

Mine to protect.

Mine to fight for.

Mine to hold.

The thing she keeps missing is that I'm hers too.

I ease up and kiss the diamond in her ring, watching her darkly. Then I close my eyes and put dad, Marian, Slavno, tomorrow's kidnapping, and The Grateful Project all behind me.

I got married today.

I'm freaking married.

And tonight, I'll enjoy my honeymoon with my wife who—despite what anyone in this world says—is right where she freaking belongs.