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“I am proud to announce for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Perez,” the officiant announces.
There are only around forty people here, and they all stand, then clap for us. Hand in hand, we walk down the aisle, smiling for the photographer. Music plays, and the DJ announces we’ll have our first dance now.
Guiding her toward the makeshift dance floor, I take her in my arms and begin to sway. “I’m a shit dancer,” I murmur.
She smiles up at me, her eyes wide, her lips parted. “I’ve never danced before,” she whispers as she sways with me.
“We’ll figure it out together, babe.”
The rest of the evening, I do whatever it is that Henli has planned for the whole night. We eat, we cut cake, we dance some more, and I drink—a lot. What I don’t do is even think about Raul or Dutch. They don’t fucking exist today, and I’m good with that. Soon, they won’t even exist on this goddamn planet.
Toward the end of the night, I have shifted toward the bar and am standing with my brothers drinking. One shot, then another, and another. I’m going to be fucking trashed before I get to the best part of the night.
The wedding night.
“You did it. You’re tied down like the rest of us,” Roadkill slurs.
I snort. “Yeah, except your wives were someone you picked and planned all the shit. Mine was a contract that was thrown at me.”
“That’s not true,” Legacy slurs. “We could have made that contract with anyone. You were the one who was insistent it be you.”
Bursting out laughing, I shake my head a couple of times before I down another shot. “Like I was going to let anyone else have an eighteen-year-old virgin to themselves. I get the chance, I’m owning that, brother, and you can take that to the bank.”
There is a gasp from behind me. I turn my head and look back to find Henli, Kiplyn, and Piper standing just a few feet away. They heard everything.Fuck. I could fall to my knees and apologize to her, but I’m not that kind of man.
I watch as tears form in her eyes, but then she blinks them back. She probably has a lot of practice at that. And since I’m a fucking asshole, she’ll no doubt get more over the years. We stare at one another for a moment, then I turn around and face the bar again. Wrapping my fingers around my glass, I lift it to my lips and down another shot.
ChapterThirteen
PIPER
I shouldn’t careabout his words. Words can’t physically hurt anyone. Except they absolutely can, and his did. Kiplyn and Henli don’t mention what he said about me; they don’t have to because what he said was the truth.
I am his virgin wife.
His owned virgin wife.
I am his property.
Those are the facts. He was just talking about the facts and the truth. Even if those words hurt, they are the truth. I can’t even get mad at him for that, or upset. Henli and Kiplyn watch me for a moment. I can feel their attention on me that is mixed with concern.
They’re worried that Itch’s words hurt me.
They did.
But I won’t ever admit it.
Turning to Henli, I give her a huge fake smile. “Let’s dance,” I call out.
“But…” Her words trail off.
Shaking my head, I grab her hand and guide her toward the dance floor. I’ve successfully avoided both of my brothers today, and if I stay on this dance floor, if I act as if I’m having the most fun in the world, then they’ll leave me alone. They won’t publicly speak to me. They won’t take me away from a group of people. They’ll watch from the sidelines until I’m alone and vulnerable, then they’ll pounce.
“Are you okay?” Kiplyn asks. “What he said…” Her words trail off. I ignore them.
I know what his words were, and I know what he meant. It doesn’t need to be rehashed by anyone… ever. Let that embarrassment be mine and die in that moment. So, instead of feeding those worries of theirs, I dance. I make sure to smile the entire time I’m doing it, too.
As the night goes on, the music, the people, they start to shift and change. Henli and Legacy slip out quietly with Bodhi. And I know instantly why they have—it’s because the sweet butts have made an appearance. Thunder walks past me, wearing nothing except pasties and G-string panties with a pair of high heels.
