Chapter 4 – Mari
That night, I woke up with the sheets stuck to my skin and a gasp caught in my lungs. Impulse made me reach out my fingers, sliding gently over Greyson’s chest. I had to feel him breathe.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
He’s okay. He’s alive. He’s safe.
Echoes of the nightmare held me captive. The sight of blood leaking down his neck, of him crumpling to the ground. The sight of his body still and lifeless on the hospital bed day after day. Hour after hour.
Anxiety had ruined every night of sleep I’d attempted since we were ambushed, but I knew it was more than that. Dominic, Nate, and I were headed back to the real world tomorrow, but Grey wouldn’t be joining us. His blood loss had been severe, and Dr. Grant wanted a bit more recovery time before he fell back into the thick of it with us. It was the right thing to do for him, but leaving without him made my skin crawl. Could I protect him if he wasn’t by my side? I didn’t know. Hence the nightmares.
Knowing I needed to resettle myself, I quietly took a shower. The water was boiling as I scrubbed my skin raw, but even when I was done, my mind wouldn’t rest.
There was a gnawing in the pit of my stomach that told me to cling to Greyson. To hold him closer. The urgency that had drawn me to propose pulsed inside me, desperate and needy for something concrete. Something tangible to say I was his and he was mine.
I got dressed quickly, pulling out clothes for him and strapping weapons on myself. The med center was secure and, without an emergency room, shut down for the night. No one was getting in or out without a badge, but I wasn’t stupid enough to go without protection.
Armed, I sent a few texts. Everyone responded immediately that things would get sorted. Good.
Putting away my phone, I leaned over the bed and pressed my mouth to his.
Greyson woke immediately, leaning into the kiss even after I moved away. Before he could ask why I was up, I slipped a hand over his mouth.
Quiet.
He nodded and threw off the covers carefully. We dressed him in silence, checking periodically to make sure the others still slept. I strapped a gun to his side, but I knew I’d make sure I was the one firing if it came to that.
It wasn’t until I was helping Grey off the bed that I saw the faintest sliver of an eye from Dominic. I froze, caught, but he just stared until he intentionally closed his eyes and rolled to give us his back.
At that moment, I felt the biggest rush of love for him. For all of them.
We were a family. We loved one another, but this was just for Greyson and me, and Dominic knew it. Even though I knew he was going to worry about us being alone, he wouldn’t intrude. I’d have to make it up to him later.
My arm around Greyson, we headed out the door, careful to shut it silently. In the hall, we found the wheelchair the night nurse had brought, and Grey pouted.
“I’m not getting in that thing.”
“It’s just for now,” I promised. “You have somewhere to walk in a minute. Please.”
He didn’t want to. I knew that, but he slid into the chair anyway. For me. It made me love him even more.
“Where are we going?”
“We have something we need to do.”
Grey didn’t ask anything else as we took a slow, purposeful path down the hall. The twists and turns took us to the very edge of the floor, and I could feel Grey’s curiosity. We took the last turn to stand in front of a large door, the stained glass illuminated by candle flames within.
I’d never been inside the chapel. My prayers for his soul had been said bedside with his hand in mine. But tonight, I’d go in. We’d both go in.
And we’d come out different.
“You planning to save my soul, reina?” Greyson joked, but I could see some of his anxiety bleed away. He knew why we were here. He knew what I wanted.
The gleam in his eyes told me he was excited about it too.
Moving so I could kneel in front of him, I twined our hands together. “Marry me, Greyson.”
His lips twitched, and those beautiful brown eyes of his brightened with laughter. “I feel like we’ve been through this before.”
“So you know my answer.” When he just watched me, I dropped my gaze. “You tried to die on me.”
The words hurt to say, like razors in my throat, and he stole one of his hands back to run it through my hair, pulling me in until my cheek rested on his thigh. “I would never.”
“You did, and I spent three days wondering if you would wake up.”
“Such confidence in me.”
Didn’t he get it? Didn’t he see what I did? Time was a resource we didn’t have. We were going into war, and I’d be damned if I did it without him as my husband. I couldn’t bring him home yet, but I could do this for the both of us.
“I don’t want to lose another moment when we’ve already lost so much, Grey. Marry me. Tonight. Right now.”
I pulled his ring out of my pocket, the one they’d removed for surgery. Most of the hours he slept, I’d stayed up polishing it. Praying I’d get to put it back on him again.
“Are we always going to do these things backward?”
“Probably,” I admitted. “Does it bother you?”
He caught my hand in his, bringing it to his lips. “No. It doesn’t bother me.”
“Good. Say yes, Greyson.”
Even tired and anxious for what tomorrow would bring, his smile still lit me up. “What about the others? Should they be here?”
Probably, but this wasn’t for them. “We’ll tell them tomorrow.”
This was for Greyson and me. It had been a lifetime coming.
“Dominic’s going to shit a brick.” There was no mistaking the smugness in his voice, and it made me snort.
“Are you two going to compete over me for the rest of our lives?”
He wound his hand through my hair and pulled me up until he could brush his lips over mine. “Don’t kid yourself. Nate will join too. Does it bother you?”
“Not at all.” As long as the four of us had a forever to look forward to, I wasn’t sure I cared what the hell they did.
“You ready for forever, reina?”
Relief nearly took me to my knees. “More than ready.”
I didn’t argue when Grey clicked the brakes on the wheelchair and slowly stood up on unsteady legs. He’d been walking here and there, but the blood loss had taken a lot out of him. Still, he didn’t seem to mind my hold as I helped him into the chapel. “I want to do this right one day,” he whispered.
“Right?”
“Yep. A big wedding with all our friends and the rest of the family. I want to show off my bride.”
“Oh really?”
He leaned over to kiss my jaw, nibbling his way to my ear. “Absolutely. When you marry a queen, you don’t hide her away. You show her off until everyone else is seething with jealousy.”
Well, all right then.
The two of us walked down the aisle in T-shirts and jeans. The minister I’d found said nothing about the knives and guns strapped to our bodies, though I saw her eyes dance over them quickly. “Welcome, Ms. Marcosa. We’ve got everything settled.”
“Thanks. I apologize for the late notice.”
She smiled. “It happens more than you think. Now, who will bear witness to this union?”
Fuck, I hadn’t thought about witnesses. I considered grabbing Dr. Grant, who I knew was sleeping in an on-call room a few doors down, but before I could, I heard them.
“We will.”
I whipped around, eyes wide at the two disheveled men near the door. Nate and Dominic walked down the aisle, stopping a respectful distance away.
“We were going to tell you tomorrow,” I promised, but both of them shook their heads.
Nate smiled softly. “We’re not upset, angel. We just wanted to support you. Both of you.”
“What he said.” Dominic grinned at Greyson. “I like the casual look, man. It suits you.”
“Don’t get used to it.” Grey laughed, pulling him in for a hug that I didn’t see coming. The two whispered for a moment before Dominic clapped him on the shoulder and stepped back to stand with Nate.
At the minister’s suggestion, I slipped off my engagement ring and handed it to Nate, while I gave Dominic Greyson’s ring to hold. With everyone in position, the minister smiled at us and began.
The whole time she spoke about commitment and marriage, I looked at Greyson.
My rock. My savior. My home. I tried to reconcile the boy I’d grown up with, the one who’d brushed my hair when nobody else would and snuck me treats when I was grounded to my room without dinner. Through everything, he’d been there. He’d become my best friend, my confidant, the love of my life. One of three, but still.
He was mine and I was his. This just made it official.
When she asked if we had written our own vows, we both smiled. “I, Marianna Elizabette Marcosa, take you, Greyson Andrews, to be my lawfully wedded husband. I promise to stay and fight no matter what. To be your shelter when life gets hard and your rock when things feel unstable. I promise to love you enough for forever.”
“I, Greyson Andrews, take you, Marianna Elizabette Marcosa, to be my lawfully wedded wife. I promise to be your compass when things get difficult, your home when home feels too far away, and your safe space when everything gets a little too loud. To build a life with you, whatever that looks like. Live with you, fight with you, and love you. Forever.”
“The rings?”
Nate passed over my engagement ring, and I could barely breathe as Grey turned back to me with a smile so wide it stole my breath. My fingers were steady as he slipped the ring back on and brought it to his mouth for a kiss. “With this ring, I claim you as mine. My wife, my lover, my heart. Always.”
Dominic passed me the other ring, his fingers dragging along my palm in support. Beaming, I took Grey’s hand in mine and slid the band back where it belonged. “With this ring, I claim you as mine. My husband, my lover, my heart. Always.”
A possessive thrill went through me at the words, and I wondered if I’d get over hearing them.
My husband.
“Have you decided what last name you’re taking?”
“Marcosa.” Greyson answered before I could, and I could feel my heart swell with happiness. Nothing about this felt real, but it was. He was mine forever.
The minister smiled again. “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Marcosa. You may now kiss your bride.”
Greyson moved first, wrapping one hand around my hair, sliding the other around my body until there was no breathing room between us. All I could do was drown in his kiss as he pressed our lips together.
This was a kiss of love, loyalty, and respect we’d spent decades building. It was the culmination of years spent together yet apart and a promise that we’d never have to endure that again.
It was everything.
When it was over, we went through the motions of signing the marriage certificate, and I whispered that Donnaghal and Sons had already sorted out our marriage license. The minister left, with Nate and Dominic following soon after. I’d expected them to stay with us, but other than a quick kiss to my cheek, they disappeared with happy congratulations.
Alone at last, I turned to Grey and found his eyes hot on my skin. “What now?”
He smirked and tugged me toward the first pew, taking a seat and dragging me onto his lap. “Now, I fuck my wife.”
Anticipation made my fingers tingle, but the bandage on his neck held me back. Grey, who was always so aware of me, twisted like he’d lay me down on the bench, and I reacted. Hand on his neck, forcing him back until there was nothing for him to do but sit. “You’re not doing anything that’s going to risk your recovery.”
“I’m not waiting either,” he said softly. “Not when I’ve waited my whole life for this.”
Those big hands rocked my hips, forcing me to rub myself against his straining cock. Despite the layers of clothing between us, I shivered at the feel of him, hard and ready between my thighs.
Did I really want to wait? No. That was why I’d done all of this, because I couldn’t wait.
But I wouldn’t let him get hurt either.
I slid off his lap, and even though I could see he was disappointed, he let me go easily. Just as he went to slide off the bench, I pulled the T-shirt off my body. “You’re going to sit there and take it. I’ll do all the work.”
He licked his lips as I slid the rest of my clothes off, baring my skin to him and the candles. Grey’s throat worked as he looked me over, nothing but devotion in his gaze. “Jesus, you’re beautiful.”
“Not sure we should be invoking him in his domain,” I said wryly, dropping to my knees to help him undress too. I left hot kisses along his skin in places, nips and bites in others, taking my time until his cock bobbed in front of me, hard and nearly dripping.
Slipping onto his lap, letting our bodies touch everywhere, felt as natural as breathing and more erotic than it had before. “What do you want, Greyson?”
“You,” he swore, lifting my hips until I hovered right above him. “Just you.”
The slide onto Grey’s cock was all-consuming, as was the slow, delicious pace I kept. We were connected in body, spirit, mind, and soul. The rings on our fingers and the vows in our ears. There was nothing hurried about us as we took turns touching and teasing, kissing and sucking.
“Are you going to regret this in the morning?”
“Never.” I swirled my hips until he was cursing against my skin. “Are you?”
“How could I when I’ve wanted you forever?”
Remembering all the glances he sent my way when no one was looking and the way he supported me, even when it meant keeping him at a distance, made my heart hurt.
“I love you, Greyson. I’m sorry it took us so long to get here,” I whispered, groaning when he dipped to take my nipple between his teeth.
“I don’t give a shit,” he promised. “I’ve loved you my whole life, and I’ll love you through the rest of it. The rest is just noise.”
The best part was, I knew he meant it. It wasn’t only the pleasure talking or the way he felt inside me; it was just Greyson. Just us.
This family we were building, it started with us decades ago. Two kids who barely knew how to exist, finding themselves drawn together, bound so tightly there was no escape.
This was the culmination of our friendship and the next step toward our future, and it meant everything to know he was right there with me.
I poured all my focus into the moment. Grinding my hips, slipping my hands beneath us to play with his legs, his balls, even teasing his shaft when I moved. My teeth found purchase behind his ear and on his jaw, all the places that made him groan and stutter and beg to come. But I didn’t do it alone. Grey gave as good as he got, manhandling me where he wanted, kissing and licking and never letting up.
When my orgasm exploded, it came with words ripped from my lips and Greyson’s fingers on my clit. “My husband. My king. My heart.”
“Only yours,” he promised.
Lost in the heat, he pulled me onto him faster, rocking my hips until he was groaning against my skin. “My reina. My Mari. My wife.”
“Yours,” I promised, leaning in for another soul-searing kiss as peace stole us away. “Always yours.”