“Nah, they’re leaving tomorrow. Most couples only stay a week.”
“Oh. Um, so does this mean we’ll miss the feast or whatever? Because it smells amazing.”
Mal stopped at the bottom of the stairs and bent down to pick me up in a bridal carry.
“Mal!”
“Well, you were taking too long.” He puffed as he climbed the stairs with me in his arms.
“Because my legs are shorter than yours, and now you’re going to screw up your back. Slow down.”
“No, the faster we get to the treehouse, the quicker I get to see that gorgeous dress on the floor.”
“Oh my god! You’re insane.”
He was only puffing slightly when he reached the door. “And it’s tradition to carry the bride over the threshold.”
He gave me this look so full of love and tenderness.
And I just melted. That look. I pressed a kiss against his chin since I couldn’t reach his lips. “Now giddy up! We have a marriage to consummate!”
His laughter echoed around us as he carried me into the bedroom, which had pretty much become our bedroom the last few days.
“And for the record, I bribed Samu into leaving a picnic basket on our front step with all the fixings from the feast. I’m not gonna let you go hungry.”
“Mal, you thought of everything.”
“Just doing the job of taking care of my baby girl.”
“For all of our days,” I whispered.
Emotion clouded his eyes. “Nothing else I’d rather do.”
Then he set me down on the bed and made quick work of my dress. And since I’d only worn panties underneath, the emotion in his eyes quickly turned to desire.
“Fuck me, baby girl. You really know how to get a man going.”
I might’ve stolen one of his bandanas to make my own panties. The image of a tongue licking the neck of a guitar on the center of my panties was so suggestive and just perfect.
I shrugged. “I needed something blue. And we weren’t doing the whole garter and bouquet toss, so…”
“Fuck me. I really wanna rip them off you, but I can’t. They’re so fucking perfect.” He gently tugged them down my legs and off with me lifting my hips to help.
“I can always make some more.”
“Oh, this is definitely going to be a thing. I’m going to need to see a whole line. The logo on the front. On the back. Maybe some bras, too.” He groaned as he stared down at my sex. “But later. Way, way later.”
I tipped my head. “I think you’re wearing too many clothes now.”
“Anything for my wife.” He grinned playfully at me then stood so he could pull his shirt off and kick his shorts off.
“Wife,” I repeated in a whisper. My ring glinted in the afternoon light, drawing my attention away from the strip show my husband was currently performing for me.
I was married.
Married!
That familiar feeling of panic and overwhelm threatened to swamp me.
