The Runaway Mail-Order Bride

by Alexa Riley

  I move behind Dane, wanting to put as much distance between us as possible. His whole body locks up when he senses my fear, and he moves forward even more to block me and his mother from Ben.

  “Is he why you’re scared?” Dane asks over his shoulder to me, but I don’t answer him. My fear makes it impossible for me to speak.

  “Willow, come here,” Ben snaps at me, and his voice sends chills across my skin.

  Before I know what’s happening, Dane is thundering toward Ben and someone is shouting. I realize half a second late that I’m the one screaming. Suddenly I hear a loud crunch. I close my eyes and open them slowly to see it all happened so fast.

  Ben is on the ground and his face is pouring blood. “You don’t talk to her like that,” Dane barks, and I start to cry. Ben is going to get Dane in trouble. You can’t just hit a man in uniform and not expect some consequences.

  Dane pulls out his phone as security from the building rushes over. Sooner than I thought possible, cops are showing up and taking away Ben. He’s covered in blood and moaning about assault.

  It all happened at the speed of light. It was almost as if Dane was expecting this to happen. I’m shocked and don’t know how to react, but Dane keeps me in his arms the whole time. While his security team is talking to the cops that showed up, I tell him all that had happened with Ben and why he was after me. I can feel the anger rolling off him in waves, and I hate that I’ve caused all of this.

  “We aren’t getting married,” he says after a moment of silence, and it makes me cry even harder.

  I’ve lost everything that I ever wanted, and all my dreams have come crashing down.

  “Sweetheart,” he says, putting his hand under my chin to make me look up at him, “I’m not going to marry you until you get your family out here. We’re doing this right.”

  I can barely process the joy I feel at his words. He kisses me so sweetly and I know that he’s truly my soulmate. When he carries me back up to our home, he makes slow, sweet love to me, and I know that this is the happily ever after I always wished for.

  Chapter 9

  Dane

  It’s been a week of absolute bliss. Seven days of constant smiling, laughing, and holding Willow in my arms while we get ready for the big day.

  I rented out a vineyard near her home town and she brought her whole family out here to stay so we could spend time together before the wedding. I’ve gotten to know her best friend, Bebe, who I can tell cares for Willow almost as much as I do. I’m thankful she’s got such a strong support system because even though everyone was skeptical of her marrying a man they didn’t know—and so soon after meeting him—they were willing to trust her judgment.

  Tonight’s the official ceremony because Willow told me that she thought it would be special to get married under the stars. The place laid out bales of hay for us and strung up lights all around the trees. A small orchestra plays music as the guests take their seats. My mother and Willow’s mom are sitting at the front. I wait for my bride and try to ignore the anxiety of being away from her. I want to run into the barn and carry her out, but it was important for her father to walk her down the aisle. So instead of pacing, I remain still as the music slows and the officiant comes out to start the ceremony.

  I hold my breath as the barn doors are opened and Willow walks out wearing her new wedding dress. She said she liked the old one, but I didn’t like the memories of her in it while I punched out the sheriff. She finally agreed, but I made sure she picked this one out. I may have helped convince her when I set up a date for her and Bebe to go to the city to shop until she found the perfect one.

  She walks on top of the rose petals that have been scattered for her, beaming at me all the while. Her long blonde hair falls down her shoulders in waves and her face is framed by her veil, pulled away and pinned to her hair. Her dress is full, like the one she wore to the benefit, but the top is different. It’s got long sleeves and a sweetheart neckline that shows off the pink diamond necklace I gave her last night. I wanted her to have something special to wear today that reminded her of our first date. That pink dress will always be burned into my memory, so what better way to celebrate it?

  By the time she reaches me, I’m practically halfway down the aisle to her. I shake her father’s hand as he passes her to me and places a kiss on her cheek. I know how much she loves her family and how much today means to her. Which is why I knew I needed to give her this. She deserves all of this and so much more.

  The officiant begins and I try to listen to the words, but I’m a little distracted by the love of my life standing in front of me. When it’s my turn to say the words, Willow has to squeeze my hand to make me pay attention. She smiles at me as I say the words he tells me to, but then I pull out my piece of paper for the vows that I wrote. Her eyes are wide as I read it aloud.

  When I’m finished reading, she’s crying and I lean down to wipe her tears away and kiss her on the lips.

  “We’re not at that part yet,” she giggles while trying to keep herself from tearing up again.

  “I don’t care. I love you,” I say.

  “I love you, too. I didn’t write anything special,” she says, looking to the officiant and then to me.

  “You don’t have to. The only thing you have to write is your name on our marriage license.”

  The crowd laughs and I lean down, kissing her again. After a moment, the officiant continues and we place rings on one another’s fingers. Seeing my wedding band on her hand goes a long way to settle my heart. We may have not known each other for long, but it feels like I’ve been waiting my whole life for Willow to walk in. As soon as she did, my soul found its other half and I knew how the rest of my life would go.

  The crowd erupts in cheers when the ceremony ends and I scoop Willow up in my arms. She laughs and wraps her arms around my neck as I carry her back down the aisle and to our reception. I wish I could carry her to the limo that’s waiting to take us on our honeymoon, but I have to remind myself that it’s not just about me anymore. And I’m okay with that. Somehow giving Willow what makes her happy makes me happy.

  “Can we cut the cake yet?” she asks as I take her to the banquet room where the photographers are set up.

  “Are you ready for it to be over so fast?”

  “No, and yes. Can’t I be excited to celebrate but also ready to go? Where are you taking me? Can you tell me now?”

  She’s like a kid on Christmas morning, and though I hate to deny her anything, I promised that our destination would be a surprise. What she doesn’t know is that it’s not just one place. I’ve got a private plane rented for the next four months, and we are going to travel the world before we come back home and start a family. We might even have already started one, so I want to make sure she gets to experience as much as possible before then. Although I can’t wait to be a daddy, so I’m going to be fighting myself just as much as her to not rush this time together.

  “Good things come to those who wait,” I say, placing a kiss on her lips.

  She sighs but looks at me with loving eyes. “You’re right. I waited long enough for you.”

  I rub my nose against hers and think about how someone tried to take her from me, but I stopped it from happening. I’ll always be with her to protect her and cherish her. And the sheriff I had arrested has been run out of town so her family doesn’t have to fear him coming back.

  I place Willow on her feet and hold her how the photographer tells me to. We sneak in kisses where we can, and sometimes I hear the camera going off when we do. But as guests arrive, it’s time to move on to the dinner and dancing portion of the night.

  “My feet are going to be killing me,” Willow grumbles as we walk toward the doors.

  “Not if I have anything to say about,” I tell her, and I scoop her up in my arms once more and carry her into the crowd.

  Everyone cheers as we walk in and the band begins to play. It’s a perfect day and a perfect night—the makings of a perfect li
fe.

  Chapter 10

  Willow

  The night goes on and on, and though I feel tired, I also feel energized. I’m full of excitement and as the hours fly by, I don’t want the party to end. My parents are so sweet and loving. They’ve been on the dance floor for hours, too. Even Bebe brought a date and she looks happier than I’ve ever seen her.

  “It’s time,” Dane whispers into my ear, and suddenly I’m changing my mind. At the end of this party is my new husband and our honeymoon. Who could turn that down?

  I cling to him as, true to his word, he carries me from the wedding like he has been doing all night. I don’t think my feet have touched the ground since I said something about them hurting. He leans me down so I can kiss my mom and dad and Bebe goodbye as we make our way to the exit. Our guests flank us, waving sparklers and cheering, and we duck under them as we slip into the back of the limo and wave goodbye to everyone.

  I have tears in my eyes again, and God, I hate how weepy I get. The slightest emotion and here come the waterworks. But I guess Dane will always know how I feel and I won’t be able to hide my emotions from him.

  He wipes away the last of my tears as we pull away from the curb and he rolls up the window.

  “Was it everything you expected?” he asks.

  My face hurts from smiling so much. “Are you seriously asking me that?” I turn in his lap to straddle him, feeling so full of love and happiness. “Best. Day. Ever.”

  “We have so many more days to come,” he promises, trailing a finger down my neck and across the gigantic diamond sitting at the hollow of my throat.

  Heat stirs between my legs and I want him. I can’t wait until we get where we are going. I need him to make love to me right this second.

  “Dane?” I whisper as my fingers play with his lips.

  “All right, sweetheart. But let me roll up the divider.”

  He hits a button above me and the glass that divides us and the driver rises. Once he’s hit the button to lock it, he reaches down between us and unzips his tux, letting his long, thick cock spring free. It’s standing straight up and ready to go, and my sex clenches at the sight of it.

  He raises my hips for me and then pushes my panties to the side as he slowly lowers me down onto his hard length. My body aches, yearning to take him all at once, but his large size makes me slow down.

  “So fucking perfect,” he moans as I lower myself, inch by inch.

  He fills every part of me, and in places I didn’t know I needed him to. When we’re joined like this, it’s like my whole world is right. Having him inside me is what my body craves.

  When I’m all the way down I sit there for a moment, just feeling full. Some days I don’t even need to move to get off. Just the width of his cock inside me is enough to give me an orgasm. I rock a little, loving the way my clenches make him groan. There’s nothing more intimate or powerful.

  He grips my hips harder before he raises me and then lowers me. I never have to do any work as he uses my body to get the both of us off. Pleasure rolls up my body and my head falls back. His thrusts become forceful as his need for me grows, and I can’t stop the orgasm that’s coming.

  Heat builds between my legs, and my sex tingles as he makes love to me. His control is slipping, and seeing him come undone triggers my climax and I shout out his name as I cum. His warm release fills me as I pulse around his length. It’s hot and fast, but so perfect and sweet as he holds me and kisses my lips softly.

  He whispers how much he loves me as I sink into his body, letting him wrap me up. He doesn’t pull out, but instead lets me keep him inside me as I lie on him. The heat of him combined with the excitement of the day leave me fighting sleep.

  “When I wake up where will I be?”

  He laughs and kisses my forehead. “I’m not going to spoil the surprise, but I’ll give you a hint.”

  “Fine,” I say, taking what I can get.

  “When you wake up, you’ll be in paradise. And it will stay that way for the rest of your life.”

  I smile I close my eyes and drift off into my dreams. But they won’t be half as good as my reality.

  Epilogue

  Willow

  About a year later…

  I turn to look at Dane. “Is there something you want to tell me?” I ask. His eyebrows rise like he doesn’t know what I’m talking about. “My parents?”

  He shrugs. “You think for a moment I’d let your parents struggle over money?” He drops the book he was reading onto the table as he stands. “All I care about is you being happy. If they’re okay then you’re okay. You know you’re my first concern.” He wraps me in his arms. “If they’re taken care of then you’ll be at peace. My job is to make sure you don’t worry.”

  “Dane, depositing a billion dollars in their account is excessive.”

  “Not when you’re a billionaire, it’s not,” he says easily. “Look, count it as babysitting fees.” He cups my belly. “We’ll need their help with the twins.”

  “I can handle our babies,” I counter.

  “I know you can, but they’ll wear you out. Your mom and dad want nothing more than to help us. That’s why I built the space for them,” he reminds me.

  He did. He had almost an exact replica of their home built for them to make them feel comfortable. I can’t find the will to be upset with him.

  “I love you,” he tells me. I melt into him. It never gets old hearing him say that. He knows it’s my weakness. “Are you sure we have to do this baby shower?” He slides his hand up my dress. I moan when he reaches my panties.

  “Our moms have been planning it for months,” I try to remind him, but I’m lost in what his hand is doing between my legs.

  “You know your pussy tastes even sweeter now.”

  “You saying it wasn’t sweet before?” I tease back.

  “Everything about you is sweet.”

  I moan as his two of his fingers enter me. His other hand rubs my belly.

  “I don’t want this to ever go away. It shows everyone you belong to someone.” His fingers find the right spot and before I know it I’m crying out. The pleasure of his words and the magic of his fingers send me over. I’m so easy to get off these days and he knows it. He catches me as my knees give out. My man would never let me fall.

  He pulls me to the chair as I fall into his lap. He licks his fingers clean then kisses me.

  “I guess I’ll have to share you, but only for today,” he says with a pout. I have a feeling our little boy will have the same one.

  “Don’t be a grump.” I smack his shoulder.

  “You know I don’t like sharing you with other people.”

  “Then why do you want to fill me with babies?” I say, laughing.

  “That’s different. They’re ours. You and me together. That’s all I want.” His words are hard and sweet at the same time. My eyes water a little.

  “Don’t make me cry,” I scold. He had a whole crew here this morning getting me ready for the baby shower.

  He kisses me again. “Let’s go before one of our mothers busts in here.”

  My face reddens at the idea, and Dane smiles, wiggling his eyebrows. He lifts me from his lap and puts me on my feet. He takes my hand in his, entwining our fingers.

  “Can we make this party short?” he asks, and I smack his shoulder.

  “We’ll stay for however long our moms want.” He pulls me toward him and leans down to press his lips to mine. He kisses me so deeply that I get lost in it. He always has a way of making me forget time and place when it comes to the two of us.

  “Sweetheart.” The word is low and drawn out. “Just know when this is over today, you’re mine,” he growls.

  “I’ve always been yours,” I remind him. Because it’s true. It wasn’t until him that my body came alive. He owns me and I love it because I know he’ll take care of me and cherish me. He’s my everything. I once thought my life would never be okay, but I’m thankful for the path that led me to Dane.
He’s the sweetest, most caring man I’ve ever met.

  He pulls me from the bedroom and I come up short when I see the hallway. It’s lined with pictures of the two of us on our trips together. When I walk a little farther, I see that he has also hung sonograms of our babies.

  “You…” I trail off.

  “You said the house is too beige.”

  “Is there anything you wouldn’t do for me?”

  “No,” he says instantly.

  I kiss him. He’s more perfect than I could have ever imagined.

  “Put me down. You’re not carrying me into my baby shower.”

  He grunts and reluctantly puts me on my feet. When I walk into the living room and see almost fifty people, I turn to look at Dane, who just shrugs in return. I don’t even know half of these people.

  “Go with it,” he says into my ear. “Our moms look so happy.” My eyes find them and I see he’s right. I didn’t know life could be so good. Even more, I didn’t know a man could make it so.

  I turn, enveloping him in my arms, not caring who can see. “I love you,” I tell him solemnly.

  “I love you more,” he replies and kisses me so sweetly I lose my breath.

  Epilogue

  Willow

  4 years later…

  I look over everything laid out on the table. There is so much stuff I don’t even know where to begin. I shake my head, not the least bit shocked. I wanted to go baby shopping myself, but it seems that a whole baby store has been dropped into my house. My man doesn’t like me leaving the house when I’m pregnant. He’s always afraid I’ll overdo it or something will happen to me. But the way he keeps knocking me up, this is pretty much how he is all of the time.