Chapter 12
TWELVE
Heath
I’ve sat through my share of galas and business ceremonies, charity dinners and stiff family functions, but nothing, nothing, has ever come close to this.
Sienna walks toward me, and the world falls silent.
She’s glowing. Soft candlelight clings to her skin, the lace of her mother’s dress hugging curves I have sworn to worship for the rest of my life. Her eyes find mine, and the breath punches out of my chest.
She smiles.
I swear I feel it physically, like her happiness crawls under my ribs and settles directly around my heart, squeezing until I’m almost dizzy.
Jem brushes at her tears behind Sienna, and the town officiant clears his throat like he’s trying not to sniffle, too. We’re standing outside, pine trees dusted with snow, fairy lights strung between them. Winter air bites at my suit, but I don’t feel cold.
Sienna reaches me, slipping her hand into mine, and it feels like the rest of the universe steps back and gives us space.
“You’re sure?” she whispers, eyes shining.
“Never been surer about anything in my life.”
We turn toward the officiant.
It’s a blur of words, vows, promises, and rings sliding onto fingers that shake with emotion. When he says, “You may kiss your bride,” I don’t hesitate.
I cup her face and kiss her slowly. Reverently. Her lips tremble. Mine probably do, too.
My wife.
My real wife.
When we part, her cheeks are flushed, and I rest my forehead against hers, breathing her in like oxygen.
Then, my grandmother steps forward.
“One more thing,” she says, digging in her oversized purse.
She hands me a folder thick with signatures, official seals, and numbers that could choke a man.
“Your inheritance,” she says simply.
I don’t bother to look. I turn to Sienna, take her hand, and place the folder in her palm.
Her brows knit. “Heath?”
“It’s yours,” I say. “All of it.”
She blinks. “I don’t—what?”
“I don’t want revenge,” I tell her quietly. “I don’t need a damn dollar of his money. I only need you. You do whatever you want with it. Save it, burn it, give it away, build something new. It’s your life. Your future. I trust you with all of it.”
Her lips part, tremble. “You… you’re serious.”
“As a heart attack,” I murmur, brushing my thumb along her cheek. “And if you try to hand it back, I’ll hide it in a trust and name our future kids as beneficiaries so you’ll never find it.”
A soft, choked laugh escapes her. Tears spill over. “Heath…”
I kiss her knuckles one by one, slowly and deliberately. “I didn’t marry money. I married you.”
And right then, I know that if she told me to give every cent away tonight, I’d do it without blinking.
Because I already have everything I’ll ever want.
We say our goodbyes. Jem squeezes Sienna so tight that I’m surprised ribs don’t crack. The townsfolk clap us on the back, offer pie, and give teary smiles. My family keeps their distance, which is fine by me. A few stiff congratulations, some narrowed eyes, but none of it matters.
I scoop Sienna into my arms the second the door closes behind us at home.
She squeals softly. “What are you doing?”
“Carrying my wife over the threshold.”
Her grin dissolves into something soft and breathless as I carry her inside and kick the door shut behind us. The house is warm, lit only by the flickering flames of the fireplace. Pine and vanilla fill the air. Her dress rustles as she shifts in my hold.
“My wife,” I murmur against her temple. “God, say it again.”
She cups my jaw. “Your wife.”
Something primal snaps inside me.
I walk straight to the bedroom and lay her down on the bed like she’s breakable glass and the most precious thing I’ll ever own.
She sits up, fingers trembling as she reaches for the buttons on my shirt, and I let her undress me slowly, even though every fiber of my being is screaming at me to fuck her hard and fast.
“So hot,” she murmurs, her hands rubbing over my chest.
My body trembles as I hold myself back.
Sienna looks up, smirking at me. “You want me, huh?”
“Badly,” I bite out.
She grins. “It’s such a turn-on. To have someone like you, someone so big and strong and handsome, want me so badly.”
“Only you,” I tell her.
“Then take me. I want you to show me how badly you need me,” she whispers.
My restraint snaps. I’m on her in a flash, my fingers fumbling with all the little buttons on her dress as I kiss her, pouring all my love and need into the embrace.
“Off,” I grunt, pulling down the dress.
She lifts her hips, and I tug off the fluffy fabric, tossing it onto the dresser before I come down over her once again. Sienna’s black hair is tangled across the sheets, and she stares up at me, her eyes dark and heavy-lidded.
“Need to get you ready before I fuck you,” I mutter.
She laughs. “Oh, I’m ready.”
Still, I kiss my way down her body, taking time to play with her tits, sucking on the stiff peaks until she’s writhing and panting beneath me.
“Heath! Oh, God! Please!” she cries as I lick a path down her torso, over the soft swell of her stomach, and settle between her thick thighs.
Her pussy is shiny, dripping with her juices. I lick my lips and bury my face in her soft folds.
“HEATH!” she screams.
I growl, gripping her thighs and pinning her to the mattress as I lick up every drop of her desire. My tongue rims her snug opening, then pushes inside, fucking her until she’s quivering beneath me.
I lick up to her clit, sucking the sweet little pearl into my mouth as I push one finger into her tight channel.
“Heath! Oh my god! Oh! Oh!” Sienna cries as she comes all over my face.
I lick up her orgasm, desperate for every drop. Sienna sags against the bed, her body lax as I drink the last of her pleasure and crawl up her body.
Pushing off my pants and boxers, I fall on her like an animal. I’m so far gone, so in need of her. I can’t hold back. My cock lines up with her pussy, and I push inside her with one hard thrust.
“Heath!”
Sienna’s legs tighten around me, and I snarl into her neck as my orgasm builds. I rut into her, my pace rough as I fuck her so hard that she slides up the mattress.
“Heath, don’t stop! Oh God, I’m so close!”
I grunt, digging my fingers into her hips to hold her in place. My hips slam against hers, and she cries out each time as I grind the base of my cock against her clit. I can tell she’s close. Her pussy tightens degree by degree with each slide of my cock in and out of her.
She pants, her tits bouncing with my movements, driving me crazy.
“Come on, baby. Come for me,” I grind out.
She sucks in a sharp breath and releases it in a scream, her whole body tensing around me as she comes undone.
Her orgasm triggers mine, and I growl her name against the swell of her breast as I follow her over the edge, coming deep inside her.
My arms shake, and I roll to the side, taking Sienna with me so I don’t crush her as I collapse. She groans as she settles against my side, her body totally relaxed.
“You okay?” I ask, panting.
“Uh-huh.”
I smile. “I didn’t hurt you?”
“No. It was perfect. Just how I always imagined my wedding night,” she jokes.
I wince. “Shit, I should have done something better,” I apologize.
“Heath, I’m joking,” she says, leaning up on her elbow to look at me. “It was perfect. I wouldn’t change a single thing about today.”
“Good,” I say, leaning in to kiss her softly.
“What about you?” she asks as she rests against me.
I take a deep breath. “What about me?”
“Would you change anything about today?”
“I wouldn’t have invited my family.”
She laughs.
I trail my fingers over her back, and she goes boneless against me. Her hand rests on my chest, and I smile as I study the wedding ring on her finger. I hold up my hand, marveling at the gold band.
“It’s weird, huh? What do we do now?”
“Everything,” I answer without hesitation. “Anything you want.”
“I want to build a life here with you.”
“We’ve already started doing that.”
“A real one. I want a home, one home, that we share. I want our own traditions. I want us to make friends here in town. I want us to build our own little family.”
“Okay,” I agree. “That’s what we’ll do.”
She turns, smiling up at me. I lean in and kiss her again.
“I love you,” she breathes against my mouth.
My chest tightens so hard that I swear it might shatter. I bury my face in her neck, breathing her in. “Say it again.”
“I love you.” Her voice cracks. “I love you so much.”
“I love you. More than I ever thought possible.”
She smiles up at me, and I see the happiness and love in her eyes.
I kiss her forehead.
She snuggles closer, warm and sleepy. “We’re really doing this.”
“Yeah,” I murmur into her hair, holding her like she’s my whole future. Because she is. “Forever.”
“Forever,” she agrees.
I tuck the blankets over us. Sienna yawns and snuggles into my side, throwing her leg over my hips. I smile, rubbing her thigh as her breathing evens out and her body becomes soft and heavy in my arms.
I lie there, staring at the ceiling, not because I can’t sleep, but because I don’t want to miss a single second of the first night of forever with my wife.