Bryce charged Ranger, who easily dodged the attack, and with a single roundhouse, took down the other man.
Ghost’s quick stride was determined as he bore down on Ritchie. A swift kick to Ritchie’s knee took him down to the ground, and then Ghost put him in a headlock. Ghost’s eyes watered from the stench radiating off him. God, it was like the guy had taken a swim in a whiskey barrel that morning.
Ritchie’s pitiful attempts to escape the headlock proved ineffective, and his body slowly sank down to the ground. Ghostdropped him. Stepping over the unconscious man, Ghost also delivered a quick kick to the man’s temple.
“That was for calling my wife a cow, you sonofabitch!” If there weren’t so many cameras or witnesses, Ghost wouldn’t have released the headlock. But unfortunately, he had no desire to spend his wedding night in a jail cell.
Becks’ eyes were wide as he walked up to her. “And you,” he pointed at her, “when an intoxicated man approaches you, you donotmovecloserto him.” As soon as he was close enough to, Ghost wrapped his arm around her waist. He lifted her off her heels so they were face to face. “Also, you’re fucking beautiful. I won’t stand for what he said to you.”
She glanced behind him and then back at his eyes. “You really did all that because I told you not to punch anyone on my wedding day?”
“A promise is a promise.” He put his forehead against hers. “Only my opinion of you matters, baby. Don’t listen to a damn thing he said.”
He loved how she leaned into him too. “What about my own opinion?”
Ghost shook his head against hers. “Your opinion will be the harshest, which is why mine is the only one that matters.”
Becks chuckled. “Fair enough, though my opinion of myselfispretty high.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Haven’t you heard yet?” she quipped with a wide smile. “I’m awesome.”
Ghost grinned. “Fuck yeah, you are. Let’s finish this and then we can get out of here.”
The sigh of relief Becks let out at those words made Ghost want to suggest them leaving now and having Keys fake the marriage paperwork, but he knew Ranger wouldn’t stand for that. His friend might stand with him against a bunch ofdrunken groomsmen, and whatever else Ritchie was on, but that didn’t mean he was going to allow Ghost to get away with faking a marriage to his sister.
And if Ghost was being honest, he also wanted this marriage to be real, so there could never be an argument about who Becks belonged to.
Seeing the shocked expression on the pastor’s face, Ghost did feelslightlyguilty for the mess, but at least the blood splatter was minimal. “Forgive me, Father, I seem to have sinned.”
Becks was still tryingto process what just happened as Ghost took her hands again. Had he seriously just knocked out the groom’s party, or former groom’s party, without throwing a single punch? Like, who does that? And herbrother? She knew that Liam was an ex-soldier, former Special Forces, butwow, she had never seen him move like that before. But Ghost was… Should it be concerning that she was turned on right now? Her lizard brain was not being logical at all, because she wanted nothing more in that moment than to rip his clothes off and ride him until they both screamed.
Or better yet, bend over the front pew and let him have his way with her.
God, she was going to hell, because she was literally standing in a church thinking nasty, dirty thoughts about the man who had just taken down two other men without so much as breaking a sweat. And why, for the love of all that was holy, did Becks think his tattoos only made the moment hotter?
Yup, complete insanity.
As Liam worked to get the groomsmen, including Ritchie, up and out of the church, Ghost turned his attention to Pastor Anthony. “Forgive me, Father, I seem to have sinned.”
Becks’ jaw dropped, and she lost it. Bending over, she laughed so hard that she nearly peed herself. Ghost tightened his grip on her to keep her from tumbling over. Pastor Anthony said something else to Ghost, and Becks heard him reply, but didn’t process the conversation on top of everything else.
It took far too long, frankly, for Becks to get ahold of herself. When she finally did, she noticed that a decent amount of the guests who’d been invited to see Ritchie and her get married were gone. Mostly her meager family members and only a few co-workers remained. She caught sight of Liam at the back, still ushering people out.
She turned her attention back to Ghost. He lifted his hands to her cheeks to start wiping away her tears from laughing so hard. “Are you going to get in trouble for what you did?”
Ghost shrugged. “Technically I hit first, but I’ll have Keys destroy any video evidence. If anyone does come after me for being a pansy-assed bitch who can’t take a hit, I’ll deal with it then.” He cupped her chin. “Are you ready to get married?”
Becks nodded enthusiastically. “Please, and then let’s get out of here.”
He cracked a smile at her. “You read my mind.”
“I like seeing you smile,” she told him, transfixed by the sight. “You’re always so serious, and you need to smile more.”
“I used to,” he confessed. “But heavy is the head that wears the crown, and I have a lot of responsibilities now that keep me busy.”
Becks shook head. “That’s no excuse. From what Liam says, you’ve been doing more than necessary too. And now you’ve got me, and I’ll help you.”
