Marley was always right, the bastard.
They stood still, waiting. Nick felt a bead of sweat on his brow, even though the day was chilly. He thought idly that it might rain.
And then the doors swung open and he stopped thinking altogether.
She was here.
And she was glorious.
Sabrina stood in the doorway, all by herself. Nick’s eyes felt like they were bugging out of his head when he saw her in her gown.
It was simple, but extravagant. It fit her flawlessly, designed just for her by a couture house in London. Cream colored silk, with a sweetheart neckline and full skirt that seemed to swirl about her, even when she was holding still.
Her golden hair was half up, held aloft with diamond clips. In her hands was a bouquet, designed to look like a bunch of wildflowers. A really gorgeous bunch, but wild all the same.
His heart cracked open when he realized what that meant.
She’d take him, warts and all.
She walked forward, looking like a bloody angel. He exhaled, and realized he’d been holding his breath. This was really happening. His dreams were coming true.
The ceremony proceeded in a haze. He said the appropriate things at the appropriate times. And she radiated pure joy. He said a silent prayer that he would not screw things up again.
He promised her that he wouldn’t. Well, not in so many words. Then the priest asked him if he took her as his wife, to have and to hold, until death do them part.
“I DO!”
The small crowd erupted in laughter as Nick’s cheeks started to burn.
He’d said that a bit louder than he’d intended. But his gorgeous girl was smiling, ear to ear. She loved him. And she’d promised not to stop, even if he’d just made an ass of himself.
When it was Sabrina’s turn to answer, she rose her voice as well. Her vows rang out loud and true. The crowd broke out into cheers as Nick swooped her into his arms, kissing her senseless.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may… kiss the bride.”
The priest seemed a bit put off that he’d jumped the gun, but Nick was too chuffed to care. He grinned at the silver haired old man.
“Already did that bit, mate.”
He winked, and lifted his bride in his arms, carrying her out of the chapel.
“Nick, your supposed to carry me over the threshold, not through the wedding reception!”
“I’m going to carry you all the way to Capri, love. Speaking of which, I bought you something. A little wedding gift.”
She raised a brow as he carried her to the honeymoon suite.
“Is it in the bedroom?”
He grinned.
“No, but I have a picture of it in here. Plus, I want to make love to my wife.”
She was laughing as he pulled out the brochure and showed her their new yacht.
The Sabrina.
He was raining little kisses all over her neck when she tapped his shoulder.
“I have a gift for you too.”
He didn’t stop kissing her, trying to sort out how to shag her without removing her dress. Bending her over would be the most practical, but it wasn’t exactly romantic.
“What’s that, love?”
“I went off the pill.”
“You did? That’s fantastic! We can start making a baby right away!”
She giggled, leaning in to whisper.
“We already have.”
He stopped kissing her and stared down into her glowing face.
“You mean?”
“Yes. We’re having a baby.”
Nick’s heart turned over. He was a husband. And soon, he was going to be a daddy.
He’d done it. He’d gotten everything he wanted in life. It was so much more than he’d ever hoped for.
Not bad for such a bloody bastard after all.
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Excerpt of Torpedo
Gabe
"Hmmfff, this is good."
I grinned at the gorgeous girl who was staring out the window. She was trying not to look at me, I realized. To give me privacy so I could eat.
It was considerate.
But I didn't like it.
Not one bit.
And this sandwich was damn good. Delicious even. She'd done something with basic turkey and made it delicious. Avocado, tomato and sliced onions. A touch of mustard and... I think she'd put a little salt and vinegar on the veggies.
I smacked my lips.
Yep, that was it. Oil and vinegar. That's the kind of sandwich you got in an authentic Italian cafe. I looked at her with newfound respect. Tabitha was full of surprises.
The girl could cook.
I let my eyes travel over her curves, wondering what else she could do. That led to a couple of visual images that were definitely not PG. Or even PG 13. More like R verging on those soft-core movies they showed late at night on certain cable channels.
The 'movies' with the terrible actors and actresses with fake boobs. There was nothing fake on Tabitha though. I licked my lips, looking her over.
Hmmmfff... not one damn thing. I tilted my head to the side, trying to imagine her naked. And smiling. And-
"Are you okay?"
Tabitha ran across the room and thwaked me on the back. I coughed out the bite I'd been slowly chewing. I had not been choking. I had simply been distracted by her bodacious-
"Gabe!"
She was staring at me, reaching for my mouth. I realized she was going to start manually clearing my air pipe in about three seconds if I didn't say anything. I guess she was a pretty good nurse after all. Or nurse-in-training.
"I'm fine!"
I was, however, hard as a rock. Tabby was kneeling between my knees, her hands on my thighs. It was an almost-about-to-give-head position. I stared at her, my eyes devouring her. I wanted to remember this moment, for later.
She smelled so good, like vanilla and cinnamon. She looked even better than she smelled, with her wide eyes and creamy skin, those gorgeous lips of hers parted unconsciously. It was too much. I felt my cock lurch in response.
I moaned. Loudly.
She leaned back, moving her hands away from my knees.
"Did I hurt you?"
"No. I just-"
I grabbed a magazine and dropped it on my lap.
"I'm fine."
She looked at me suspiciously, as if she knew I was lying. Or kind of lying. I was fine other than having a nuclear warhead in my pants. But she knew something was up.
Clearly, Tabitha's bullshit-o-meter was a finely tuned piece of equipment.
That didn't surprise me actually. She hadn't had an easy time of it back in high school. From what I could tell, the guys were always after her but she didn't have a lot of friends.
She had a reputation as kind of a tough girl actually.
She didn't look tough to me though. She never had. She looked... just over it. The girl was not easily impressed. I realized we had that in common.
"So, what have you been up to? Since high school?"
She narrowed her eyes at me. I could see her chewing the inside of her cheek. It made me want to yank her down on my lap and-
"This isn't a social call, Gabe. I'm here to take care of you."
I held up my hands and smiled cajolingly. Thankfully the magazine didn't slip. That would have been embarrassing.
And it would have ruined the plans I was making. My dirty mind was very, very busy today. First, I had plans to get her in bed, and then I had lots of ideas what to do once I had her there.
My earlier resistance to having her as my aid was rapidly fading. No, I did not want this ridiculously hot woman seeing me like this. But maybe I could use it to my advantage.
Gain her sympathy and all that.
Besides, I never backed away from a challenge.
Somehow, having her resist my attempts to draw her out was making me even more determined. She couldn't be more appealing if she was covered in whipped cream with cherries on top.
But she wasn't making it easy. Tabby was a tough nut to crack. I could not stop myself from wanting to crack her shell wide open.
As annoying as it was to be stuck in a wheelchair, I was going to use whatever I could to get Tabby in my bed. I was going to get this girl, once and for all. Not just once or twice either. I wanted a year long fuck-a-thon. Maybe longer.
I'd have to soften her up first though. I smiled to myself, thinking that wouldn't be a problem. I knew how to charm someone when I needed to.
By the time I was walking, she'd be at my beck and call.
"But I need to stay in good spirits. Isn't that part of healing? I thought I read that fifty percent of all healing was mental."
I gave her a sad look.
"I'm... lonely. Stuck down here by myself. I'm just asking you to talk, not for your hand in marriage."
She stared at me, her eyes searching. She glanced at her watch. Then she shrugged.
"Okay, fine. You don't need to take any pills for a few more hours. What do you want to talk about?"
I leaned back in my seat, mentally rubbing my hands together. And then undressing her. And then-
"I wondered what happened to you after high school. Fill me in."
She looked more than a little uncomfortable, but I didn't care. I was curious. And it wasn't like I was going to tell anyone.
"What do you want to know?"