Chapter 49
RYAN
Maggie sank down on me bare, with absolutely nothing between us, and I felt my eyes roll back in my head, my entire being sinking into absolute bliss. “Fuck, Mrs. Thayer. I thought the almost dying was done for today, but this might kill me too.”
She looked down at me with love mingling with the heat in those hazel eyes, her cheeks flushed and sweat dotting her forehead. “Don’t you dare, husband. You’re going to live a long, healthy life with me. There’s no getting out of it now.”
I chuckled, but the sound came out husky. “Trust me, I’m exactly where I want to be.”
She smiled, tucking her hair behind her ears before she bent over, her hard nipples brushing against my chest when she kissed me again. I ran my hands up her sides to her chest, cupping her breasts in my palms and groaning when she started moving.
At this rate, I was going to explode within seconds.
It would be the most disappointing wedding night any bride had ever had, but shit.
Five minutes ago, she’d told me she’d been on the pill for a long time.
Something about hormonal regulation, but my brain had stopped functioning as soon as she’d told me we didn’t need a condom.
It still hadn’t come back online.
On the other hand, I could feel her muscles contracting around my shaft, her own movements becoming jerkier and more urgent along with my own. I pinched one of her nipples. She moaned loudly and kissed me harder as she dialed up the pace.
I thrust up into her from below, already halfway lost just remembering she was my wife now. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it, but I was the luckiest fucking man alive.
“I love you,” I whispered between kisses. “I’ve told you that, right?”
She smiled against my lips. “You have, but tell me again.”
“I love you.”
“And I love you.”
We moved together, kissing and whispering to each other until neither of us could hold back anymore. When I finally felt her let go, I didn’t even try to fight it, smacking headfirst into an orgasm and coming so hard, even my gums were numb in the aftermath.
I kept my arms around her, though. There was no way I was letting go. As I tucked her against my side and rolled into her, I kissed her forehead, her eyes, and her nose. A strange, deep sort of emotion rose up and clogged my throat.
For just a second, I thought I might even start bawling my fucking eyes out, but instead, I breathed through it, still holding her as we both drifted off to sleep. No matter what the future held, I would fight tooth and nail for this girl, and for us, and for our right to have done what we did.
It was probably going to be an uphill battle, considering we’d be going up against her very own father and mine would be making an appearance again soon, but I was determined to love her for the rest of my life, and I would protect her from absolutely everyone.
When I woke up, the first thing I realized was that I had no regrets about the fact that I’d accidentally acquired a wife yesterday. The paperwork was going to be a problem, but I’d sort that out when we got back to the city.
Maggie’s father, however, couldn’t wait that long.
Lazily stroking my fingers along the length of her bare arm draped over my chest, I considered leaving him to wait until later too, but I had to face him, and the sooner I did, the sooner I could focus on the only person I actually wanted to pay attention to right now—Maggie.
Reluctant to leave her so soon, I stayed in bed for a while longer, just marveling over everything that had happened yesterday and thanking my lucky stars it had all worked out the way it had.
When the sun had finally risen high enough to wash the whole room in warm, golden light, I finally forced my naked ass out of bed and showered.
Unfortunately, the only clothes I had here was the suit I’d had on yesterday, so I’d have to make a quick stop at the hotel before I headed back to the venue, but I still got as ready as I could and then pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“I’ll be back soon, baby.”
She made a sleepy noise and reached for me, but when she realized my side of the bed was empty, she cracked open one eye and moaned. “Noooo. Where are you going? Why are you already up?”
“One of us has to go make sure the world hasn’t ended,” I murmured, smiling as I stared down at her. “Just stay here, okay? I won’t be long.”
“You’re very bossy for a guy who hijacked a wedding probably about thirteen hours ago.”
I chuckled. “That’s because I’m very serious about taking care of my wife. All you need to do this morning is relax. Don’t clean or find any more mysterious family secrets to investigate, and most importantly, don’t run away.”
“Never.” She smiled up at me, but I saw the concern clouding her eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”
“No, but I’ll be okay. I’m going to go talk to your dad so we can stop worrying about that, and when I come back, you’d better still be naked.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” she teased. “What am I supposed to put on, anyway, my wedding dress?”
“Well, I mean, I love that dress now that I’ve seen you in it, and I’ll bring your stuff back from the venue, but no.
You’re not putting anything on until we absolutely have to leave here.
” I paused for a beat. “I’ll get more food, too.
Just to make sure we don’t have to leave for as long as we can possibly justify staying. ”
She chuckled and threaded her fingers into my hair for a kiss that almost convinced me to stay, but I was serious about dealing with her father.
God only knew what steps he was taking right now to try and force us apart, and the longer I left it, the more chance there would be that he would find a way.
After I finally left the cottage, I drove straight to the hotel, snuck in a back entrance to avoid any possibility of seeing anyone I knew who might delay me, grabbed my stuff out of the room, and headed to the venue.
Cliff was in the ballroom when I was arrived, facing off with Daniel while Marcus hovered just feet away from both men. If I had known I would be walking into a match of wits, I might’ve brought some popcorn for Maggie’s oldest brother to enjoy now that it was about to become a three-way.
At least Daniel was smiling for the first time ever. Well, I hadn’t seen him smile for a very long time, anyway, but he looked like a completely different person, his features open and relaxed despite the verbal pineapple being shoved up his ass by his near-miss father-in-law.
“You embarrassed us all!” Cliff was shouting as I strode toward them, his face red and a vein in his neck throbbing. “For God’s sake, Daniel. You were supposed to be the level-headed one. I expected something like this from Maggie, but not from you.”
“With all due respect, Mr. Pembroke, you don’t know me well enough to expect anything from me at all,” Daniel said calmly. “Regardless, I apologize sincerely for the role I played in any embarrassment you might’ve felt, but I believe what happened was for the best.”
“You’re all just immature children who simply refuse to do what you’re asked—”
“Perhaps that’s the problem, sir,” Daniel said, cutting him off without any remorse on his features whatsoever.
“We weren’t asked, were we? We were told, and we’re not children.
All three of us have every right to make decisions for ourselves and our own futures, and that’s all we did. Isn’t that right, Ryan?”
As soon as he said my name, he turned to grin at me, inclining his chin in a friendly greeting. Cliff, however, must not have noticed me before because he turned several shades redder as he spun in my direction.
“Well, well. The hero arrives. I must admit, I didn’t think we’d be seeing you again so soon.”
I kept my head held high and my eyes trained firmly on his. “You know I’m not the type to run away from responsibility simply to avoid confrontation, Cliff. Good morning.”
Marcus glanced at me from the other side of Cliff and Daniel, sighing as he lifted his hand to give me a half-assed wave. “Hey, Ryan.”
“Marcus.” I turned back to Cliff and slid my hands into my pockets. “Look, I—”
“I think we’ve all heard quite enough from you, Thayer,” he snapped, glowering at me before he started pacing. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You interfered in a business arrangement that’s been years in the making. You manipulated my daughter and you have destroyed her reputation.”
Instead of arguing, I stood there and took it, letting him rant at me for another minute. He was actually pretty right that I’d had my turn to talk. Yesterday, when I’d barged into a wedding ceremony and claimed the bride as my own. It was only fair that he got to vent a little too.
“The Hawthornes are—”
“Fine,” Daniel muttered at his side. “We’re fine. Don’t presume to speak for us.”
Cliff rolled his eyes. “Contrary to what their son seems to think, the Hawthornes have been thoroughly humiliated by you and my daughter for the second time.”
“That’s really not accurate,” Daniel said, then shrugged when Cliff shot him a glare. “What? I’m just saying. Don’t be upset on our account.”
Cliff shook his head and folded his arms across his chest as he turned back to me. “My family has never endured such insulting behavior and we will not start now. You have embarrassed us. You have betrayed the trust we placed in you when you offered your help. You have—”
“Oh, that’s enough.” Marcus sighed. “They love each other, Dad. Let it go.”
Cliff rounded on him. “Maggie may have gotten away with this, but you and your brothers will not.”
Marcus’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “I know.”
Cliff pointed at me. “You have not won, Ryan. The marriage certificate is for Daniel and Maggie, not you. Legally, there is no valid marriage.”
“Maggie is my wife,” I said, somehow managing to sound a lot calmer than I felt.
“I’ll have the paperwork corrected on Monday.
As I’m sure you can guess, us Thayers have got a relatively good relationship with a truly astonishing amount of lawyers.
I’ve already spoken to one on my way over this morning and he’s assured me there won’t be any problems.”
Daniel looked like he was trying not to laugh, but Marcus stepped forward and clamped a hand over his father’s shoulder.
“She’s happy, Dad. She’s married, which is what you wanted, and she married a Thayer.
They’ve had some difficult years, but they’re on their way back up, and at the end of the day, every dynasty family has had its problems at some point. ”
Cliff’s eyes narrowed to slits, but after a moment, he sighed. “Fine. She can have her inheritance. It’s law. Maggie will get what she’s entitled to, but don’t expect me to celebrate this.”
As soon as the words were out, he walked away, slamming one of the ballroom doors behind him. Daniel, Marcus, and I stood in silence for a few seconds after he left, all of us probably absorbing what had just happened in our own ways and for our own reasons.
Marcus looked exhausted, Daniel still just looked happy, and I hadn’t been struck by lightning for standing up to Cliff Pembroke. All in all, it’s a good result.
Daniel finally broke the silence after taking a few steps back and shooting me a grin. “So, Ryan. Do you golf?”