Chapter Thirteen Caterina
As Callum and I took our places before the priest, my heart thrummed wildly in my chest. When I glanced over my shoulder at Seamus and Callum’s brothers, they gave me reassuring smiles. It did little to steady my racing pulse.
The logical side of my mind tried reasoning that marrying Callum wasn’t the end of the world. It wasn’t like he was holding a gun to my head, or he’d beaten me into submission.
“Since this isn’t occurring in a church or before a large congregation, I’m going to cut down the vows to a minimum,” Father Leahy pronounced.
“As long as it’s still considered a true Catholic wedding,” Callum replied.
“Of course.” Father Leahy then cleared his throat. “Callum and Caterina have you come here to enter into marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?”
At Father Leahy’s question, I fought to breathe. I certainly wasn’t entering into this bond without coercion or freely. Despite the promises Callum made to entice me into marriage, I couldn’t overlook that I was being forced against my will. My attention was brought back into the moment by Callum reaching for my hand. His calloused fingers trailed over mine.
Cutting his eyes to me, Callum replied, “I have.”
Since I knew it wasn’t worth fighting, I quickly murmured, “I have.”
When I dared a peek at Callum, he smirked back at me. “I’m surprised you managed to keep your trap shut, Kitten,” he whispered.
“As if it would do any good,” I shot back.
Nodding, Father Leahy continued. “Are you prepared, as you follow the path of marriage, to love and honor each other for as long as you both shall live?
As Callum and I both echoed, “I am,” I wondered what thoughts were circling through his mind at that moment. Was he conflicted about whether he could ever love me? Did he feel the weight of the words ‘as long as you both shall live’ as heavily as I did? When I stared curiously into his blue eyes, I only saw conviction, not confusion.
I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. Callum was a man. Marriage didn’t mean the same thing for him as it did for me. He wouldn’t be imprisoned by his vows the same way I would.
Father Leahy’s words brought me back into the moment. “Are you prepared to accept children lovingly from God and to bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?” Father Leahy questioned.
Warmth flooded my cheeks at the thought of what bearing children entailed. “I am,” I squeaked as Callum also answered. I was thankful for the small mercy that Callum was a young, very attractive man. The thought of his hands on my body was actually enticing. Unlike Carmine, he would never force me, and when we finally consummated the marriage, he would be gentle when it came to taking my virginity.
“Since it is your intention to enter the covenant of Holy Matrimony, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church,” Father Leahy instructed. He stared down at our hands that were already joined. “Right. Let us continue on then.”
When it was time for Callum to repeat the vows, my breath hitched. In a clear, resounding voice, he stated, “I, Callum Kavanaugh, take you, Caterina Neretti, to be my wife. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life.”
Swallowing hard, my frantic gaze darted between Father Leahy and Callum. This was truly it. There was no going back now. Once I said the words, I’d be bound to Callum for life. Regardless of what man’s laws could annul, I would be his wife in God’s eyes.
With the enormity of the moment bearing down on me, I swayed on my feet. Callum dropped his hand from mine to slip his arm around my waist to steady me.
His head dipped for his lips to graze my ear. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” I whispered. I peered up into his questioning eyes. “I’m sorry.”
He gave me a terse nod. I don’t know how much time passed before I could find my voice again. “Yes, please, continue.”
Father Leahy dabbed his handkerchief to his forehead. “Right, yes. Repeat after me, I, Caterina Neretti, take you, Callum Kavanaugh, to be my husband. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you, to honor you, and to obey you all the days of my life.”
I jerked out of Callum’s grasp. “No.”
“Excuse me?” Father Leahy questioned as Callum’s jaw clenched.
I shook my head. “I won’t say I”ll obey.”
A low growl came from Callum. “Say the damn vow, Caterina.”
“If you like it so much, you say it.”
“Stop acting like a petulant child.”
“These are archaic vows that no one uses anymore. I sure haven’t heard them in any Italian ceremonies.”
Father Leahy opened his mouth to protest, but I held my hand up. “I took one oath to obey God, and that’s the only one I’m keeping.” Glaring at Callum, I said, “I’m not one of your men to command. I’ll be your wife, but I expect to be your equal.”
Jerking his hand through his dark hair, Callum paced around the altar. He jabbed a finger at Seamus. “You better be right about this marriage. It sure as hell better bring us everything and more for me to have to put up with her.”
Seamus merely laughed. “Oh, boyo, you’re in for a wild ride.” At my indignant glare, he appeared momentarily sheepish. “My apologies, Caterina.”
“All can be forgiven, Uncle Seamus, if you tell him to remove obey,” I countered sweetly.
“All right, lass.” He placed a hand on Callum’s shoulder. “I don’t think it will hurt anything if we omit the obey.”
Callum glowered at Seamus. “You should back your leader.”
“I didn’t have Elena say to obey in our vows, so why should you?”
“I’ll never win with you when it comes to her, will I?”
“It’s nothing personal. It’s about keeping our alliance happy.”
Callum’s silence was long and calculated. After a long exhale, he nodded at Father Leahy. “Fine. Let’s get on with it.”
I couldn’t hide the triumphant smile that lit up my face. Without prompting from Father Leahy, I recited, “I, Caterina Neretti, take you, Callum Kavanaugh, to be my husband. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you, and to honor you all the days of my life.”
Father Leahy, who was beyond rattled by all that had transpired, stared at me for a moment before shaking his head. “May the Lord in his kindness strengthen the consent you have declared before the Church and graciously bring to fulfillment his blessings within you. What God has joined, let no one put asunder.”
As he began to bless the rings, Callum continued glowering at me. When I glanced down, I gasped. An enormous diamond glittered up at me while my wedding band sparkled with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds.
When I stared up at him in surprise, he said, “I chose the emeralds for Ireland, and the rubies for Italy.”
My heartbeat accelerated at his admission. I couldn’t believe he had done something so thoughtful. How was it possible such a brutal and heartless man could be so endearing? “It’s stunning.”
He eyed me warily as if any moment I had the ability to make him go off again. “I’m glad you like it.”
Although I shouldn”t have, a feeling of regret entered me. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything meaningful about your band.”
Surprise filled his expression at my admission. “It doesn’t matter.”
After sliding the ring down his finger, I repeated Father Leahy’s words. When I finished, he said, “With the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife.” Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead. From his reaction, I’m sure he was as glad the ceremony was over as I was.
“I think you forgot a part, Father,” Callum remarked.
Although Callum was officially my husband and had held up the promise I’d asked of him, I still wasn’t ready to kiss him. I wasn’t ready for any physical aspect of our marriage.
At what must’ve been my look of horror, Callum said, “I’m sorry, Kitten, but I think for all the bullshit you’ve put me through, I at least deserve a kiss.”
A squeak of alarm escaped my lips as Callum’s hands shot out to grip my waist. While my first instinct was to push him away, I froze under the intimate feeling of his hands on me. When he dragged me against him, my senses became overwhelmed by the nearness of him. The woodsy smell of his cologne that held an aura of power. The lust burning in his blue eyes. The strength of his arms around my waist.
To my surprise, he didn’t slam his lips to mine and take what he was owed. He brought his hands to cup my face. With his thumbs feathering along my jawline, Callum tenderly brushed his lips against mine. At first, fear froze me. I’d only had one other man kiss me, and it had been hurried and clumsy. But Callum wasn’t an inexperienced teenager. He was a man who exuded sexual prowess.
After a few seconds of tenderness, he crushed his lips to mine. A pleasant jolt hummed through my body at the feeling of his mouth on mine. When Callum thrust his tongue into my mouth, my fear short-circuited into desire, sending a shudder through my body. My arms, which had been frozen at my side, encircled his waist. As Callum’s tongue swirled along with mine, I gripped the back of his suit jacket, tugging him closer against me.
This surge of desire and intense emotion at the feel of his kiss was extremely pleasurable. I had no idea it would be like this. That I could enjoy kissing Callum. As our tongues battled against each other, the heat building between my legs turned into an inferno. I hadn’t desired a man sexually since I entered the order.
But I did now.
Even though he had kidnapped me and forced me into marriage, I wanted Callum. I wanted his fingers and tongue on my body. I wanted his cock buried inside me. I wanted him to claim every part of me.
The sound of whistling and appreciative male laughter broke through the spell, dousing whatever desire I’d felt. I pulled my arms away from Callum’s back and brought them to his chest. As I tore my lips from his, I shoved him away.
At the sight of his cocky smirk, my fingers itched to slap him. His arrogance was not what I wanted to see after we’d shared such an intimate moment. I wanted what I was feeling to be reflected in his face.
“Did my lips deceive me, or were you kissing me back just now?” he teased.
My reaction frustrated me both with myself and him. Since I didn’t want to give him any satisfaction, I refused to respond. With his lips next to my ear, he added, “Since I had you practically purring from just a kiss, Kitten, I can’t wait to see what you do when I put my mouth on your pussy.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, pig.”
“You know you liked that kiss.” He jerked his thumb at Seamus and his brothers. “Hell, even they know you liked that kiss.”
Embarrassment overwhelmed me at the thought of the others witnessing our kiss. Although part of me wanted to sprint inside to escape the humiliation, I held my ground. “Can we please sign the registry and be done with this?”
“Of course, Kitten.” With a wink, Callum added, “After a kiss like that, I’m at your mercy for the rest of the day.”