Chapter Eleven #3
“Maybe I like you a whore,” he teased, trying to show the man he was okay with it.
What happened before him, and after him didn’t matter to Michael. Only what happened WITH him. As long as he could trust his partner, and he wasn’t sneaking around behind his back to continue…
That was water under a bridge.
Hearing his words, Graham had hope that this would be good.
That they would be okay.
“For the record, Graham, the first person who says that about you in this country is going to get my boot in their face. No one is EVER saying that about you and getting away with it.”
His heart skipped.
He.
Was.
Back.
“Thank you for that,” Graham said, holding onto his man for dear life.
Oh, he didn’t have to thank him.
“Thank me with gratuitous dirty sex in every room in this castle,” he teased.
Graham laughed.
How could he not?
“I’m glad the kinks haven’t gone away,” he admitted. “They were fun.”
Tell him about it. They’d gone away with anyone else, and now, he absolutely wanted to bring them back out for his mate.
His.
Other.
Half.
“As long as we have trust this time, unlike last time, we’ll be good, Baby.”
Lifting his chin, he found his mouth, and kissed him like he meant it.
Hard.
Deep.
And with no end in sight.
This time, Michael was making a point. They were never breaking up again.
The whole time, Graham held on, and he let the kiss take him under. His body woke up, and he felt…alive.
That was something he missed.
Daily.
When he kissed him back, Graham was backed up, and Michael boosted him up to sit on the counter, as he dove in even deeper.
The kiss was nuclear.
It was a battle of wills.
The only reason he broke it was they heard the rest of the group coming down the hallway and toward them.
They both had erections, and they weren’t going to be fodder for conversation.
“Later,” he whispered. “Later I want to claim what’s mine, and never let it go,” he admitted.
Graham just nodded.
Oh, he wanted that.
“Mine,” Michael said, running his finger down Graham’s cheek in a proprietary way that said it all.
Their dynamic was back.
The submissive part of him that never came out when he was working was there, and he wanted D’Artangnan to know it was his.
If he wanted him.
“I’ve missed you being in control,” he whispered. “I hope we go right back to where we once were.”
And that was the plan.
To prove he meant it, he leaned in and bit Graham on the neck to remind him of what they’d had, and what waited for both of them.
His whole body shook.
That little love bite sent shockwaves down his entire being, and right to his erection.
“Later, we’ll have some fun,” he promised. “I want my submissive man back.”
Him.
Too.
When the group came into the kitchen, they came to a stop. They saw Graham sitting on a counter, and Michael between his spread thighs as he was staring into his eyes. The look between them was heated, and they could only imagine what was being said.
“Uh, are we interrupting?” Finn asked.
Gabby just giggled.
“Oh, we’re absolutely interrupting. They were about to have sex. You can tell,” she stated.
Gryphen wasn’t being left out.
“Whores,” he joked.
Hearing that word, Michael winked at Graham.
“That’s the only time it’s acceptable,” he admitted, knowing he’d understand.
It made him laugh.
And feel better.
When Michael turned, he leaned back between the man’s legs, and Graham put his head on his shoulder, and wrapped his arms around his body to hold him.
It was familiar and something they’d done a lot in their old lives.
Often, they’d sit in that shit-kitchen apartment and look out the window to watch the sunset.
And he missed it.
Graham had missed him.
He would take that little apartment off-base any day of the week to have those precious moments back with the man.
Michael wasn’t one to waste time, and this was going to be the proof. They’d worked this out, and it was time to finish it up.
“Today, we’re going into the village,” he said, making up his mind.
Finn looked at his watch.
“Weren’t we focused on hiring a psychic? Graham texted me we were allowed to proceed.”
Yeah, he was aware, but that would be tonight. He wanted everyone here to know the truth.
“We have something important that needs to be done,” he admitted.
“Research?” Ian asked. “Are we hitting up the church and going to talk to the psychic?”
Finn agreed.
“She wants us to stop by. My sister spoke to her, and we’re getting what we wanted.”
Well, eventually, but at first, no.
This was more important.
Michael didn’t hold back. He’d done that once, and he was NEVER losing the moment again.
Lesson.
Learned.
Since reading Graham’s letters to him, he knew what he wanted, and he wasn’t wasting a precious second. They’d already wasted enough time.
This was the man he’d left, and he was going to jump right back in.
“We’re going to go get married,” he said. “I’m going to finally make an honest man of Graham. We’re tying the knot today.”
That caught everyone off guard.
EVERYONE.
It was clear that even Graham didn’t expect that because his face said it all.
“Pardon?” Finn asked, surprised by that declaration of intent with his best friend.
That came out of nowhere.
Someone moved fast.
Know who wasn’t shocked?
Oh, the other Marine in the room—first and foremost—he knew his best friend.
Gryphen grinned.
“It looks like we have a wedding to go to,” he admitted.
Yeah, he knew this was coming.
When Saint Michael got his mind focused on one thing, he absolutely went after it. This was one of those things that he’d fight to the death for going forward.
Graham.
His mind was made up, and he was definitely not returning to the US when they went back. Not only because of Riley, but because he found what he wanted more than running.
He found his person to run to.
Because Michael knew he’d caught everyone off guard, he turned, and he stared into his man’s eyes.
“Marry me,” he said, reaching into his pants pockets and pulling out the rings that had been in the bottom of the box that Graham had left for him.
He blinked in shock.
Michael continued.
“You wanted to propose the first time, but I’m not taking the chance you’ve changed your mind. Be my husband. We’ve lost too much time. Let’s not waste a second more, M'eudail. I don’t want to live without you.”
No one said a word.
Including Graham.
Everyone was dead silent in the room, and that was because they were holding their breaths. This could go one of two ways.
A yes.
Or heartbreak.
It was clear that Michael was putting it all on the line to prove once and for all that he was a man of action, and he could, and would, learn from his mistakes.
Because Graham was sitting on the marble countertop, he didn’t go to his knee, but Michael did hold out the rings, so he’d recognize them.
Tears filled Graham’s eyes.
And he couldn’t believe he was getting this lucky.
Again.
“Yes,” he said. “I want to marry you, D’Artangnan. I’ll marry you today. I don’t want to wait any longer either. I should have followed you back then and never let up until I managed to make you mine.”
“Stalker,” Gryphen said, coughing in his hand. “That seems familiar,” he joked.
Ian elbowed his fiancé so they could watch the most beautiful moment of love when two people figured out that they needed to be together.
Forever.
“So you’re one hundred percent sure?” Michael asked, a little surprised that it had been that easy.
Graham just nodded.
Hell, yeah!
This trip was ending better than he expected.
When the lights in the kitchen began flickering, everyone looked around.
There was masculine laughter, and the cold breeze that blew through wasn’t scary at all.
In fact, it was peaceful.
“I think they agree,” Gabby said. “I think you have Duncan’s and Ciarán’s blessing.”
Michael stared into Graham’s eyes.
“I can’t wait to be your husband,” he admitted, still standing between the man’s legs as he sat on the counter.
Graham either.
“We both made so many mistakes,” he said, softly. “Not taking you up on this offer would be a huge one. I’ve missed you, D’Artangnan. I’ve missed you so much, and we were made to be together—like Duncan and Ciarán.”
That was all Michael had to hear.
This needed to be sealed with a kiss.
When his mouth took Graham’s in front of their ‘family’, everyone there was elated to be able to help celebrate with them.
Out of sadness here was birthing joy.
As their circle applauded, everyone had tears.
Well, except Gryphen. He was too busy rooting through the kitchen cabinets for something. When he found it, he grinned.
Then, he opened a bag of coffee beans and tossed a handful at the couple.
Immediately, Michael stopped and looked over at his best friend.
“Gryph, what the hell?” he asked. “Have you lost your damn mind?”
The man just smiled.
“I couldn’t find the rice. This seemed like a good substitution.”
It made Michael laugh because it was so absurd, but something his friend would do.
“You’re an idiot.”
He winked at him.
Tell him about it, but this was a damn happy moment for the two men, and they were all sharing in it.
“And you’re cleaning that up,” Graham said, brushing coffee beans off of his leg. “Rice is in the canister that’s marked RICE.”
Gryphen just winked at him.
This was the best outcome for what had gone down last night, and it was clear that ghosts and the shadows in both men’s eyes were gone.
Now, there was hope.
“I love a wedding,” Gabby said. “I’m still waiting for mine.”
Finn sputtered.
“You told me you wanted to wait until after the baby was born so you could get a pretty dress!”
She snorted.
That she did.
Only, she loved teasing her handsome man.
“Can we do it today?” Michael asked. “I’m not from here. How do we make that happen?”
Finn stopped him.
“I can call and see if I can get you hooked up. There’s paperwork to do if you’re getting married here. Give me a little while to get it handled. Let that be my gift to both of you. I’ll grease the wheels of red tape.”