Protecting the Bride

by Shelley Munro

  “Did you hear me, Ms. Feeney?”

  “I heard you,” Grace snapped. “And I have no clue what you mean. I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you have no right to detain me. I’m leaving, Mr. Whoever-You-Are.”

  “Matthew Geraghty,” the man said, a strange note in his voice.

  “Well, Mr. Geraghty, please speak plainly and tell me exactly what you want. I’m terrible at guessing games.”

  “Your fiancé, Jeff Howard, took four statues from me. I wish their return.”

  “He’s not my fiancé. I kicked him out and severed our connection when I discovered him having sex with another woman in my bed. I don’t have the statues. I threw them out on the side of the road with the rest of Jeff’s belongings.” She decided it best not to mention the royal salute gnome because that was safe with the cops.

  “You’re telling the truth.”

  “Yes,” Grace barked.

  The man’s eyes widened, and his hand went to his hip.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Cullen’s voice sounded from behind her.

  Grace spun around, her mouth dropping open on seeing the four men and one woman standing with Cullen. She didn’t recognize any of them, but they held their weapons with easy confidence. Even the woman with her long blonde hair and unusual violet eyes looked as if she knew what to do with the strange gun in her hands.

  “Cupcake, get behind me,” Cullen said in an even voice.

  Grace raced to obey, never so pleased to see anyone in all her life. “Thank you,” she said as she circled the strangers and stood behind Cullen.

  “Grace doesn’t have your statues. She dumped the scumbag’s clothes on the footpath and left them for him to collect. How could she know he was running drugs from her house? She’s the innocent in this situation. I suggest if you want your statues, you go after the moron.”

  “He’s in protected custody,” Geraghty said.

  “Not my problem,” Cullen said. “You will leave Grace out of this situation of yours, otherwise you will face the consequences.”

  “I can see that,” the man gritted out.

  Grace peered around Cullen’s bulk and witnessed the man’s frustration.

  “We’ll be going now,” Cullen said. “I mean it. Leave Grace alone. If you keep out of her way, we’ll back off and leave you to your own devices. If you don’t…” Cullen trailed off.

  The blonde woman spoke. “You might have money and power. A workforce to do your bidding, but that won’t keep you safe if you go after Cullen’s lady. Got it?”

  “Yes,” Geraghty snapped.

  Cullen’s lady. The words warmed her through and left her almost giddy with delight.

  “Let’s go.” Cullen guided Grace from the apartment where she discovered Josh monitoring the two men who’d driven her here.

  “Josh,” Grace exclaimed.

  “Glad to see you’re okay,” Josh said with an affable grin.

  “Are they all right?” Grace asked, looking down at Short Hair and Shaved Head.

  “They might wake up with a headache, but other than that, they’ll be fine,” Josh replied.

  Cullen’s arm tightened around her waist. “Are you okay?” His warm breath feathered across her ear.

  “I am now that you’re here. Is it possible to be both scared and angry?”

  Cullen grunted as he guided her toward the lift. “Yes.”

  Once they crowded into the lift, Cullen ran through the introductions. “This is Nikolai, Josh’s brother-in-law, Jake, Louie, and this is Luke and Janaya, who are both friends of Jake’s.”

  “Thank you so much for coming to my aid,” Grace said.

  “A little excitement to add to our city visit,” Janaya said with a friendly smile.

  “I’ve been experimenting with cakes to bake for Valentine’s Day,” Grace said. “Could I thank you all with cake and coffee?”

  “Grace was on the New Zealand Best Baker show,” Cullen said. “She makes excellent cakes.”

  * * * * *

  Almost two hours later, Grace and Cullen showed their guests out. Cullen curved his arm around her waist, and he held her against his side, glorying in her touch. Her presence.

  “I like your friends very much,” Grace said as they watched the men and Janaya pile into the two vehicles and drive away. “I can’t wait to meet their wives. If my boss wants me to work on Saturday, I’m going to tell her no.”

  Cullen squeezed her and turned Grace so he could look into her eyes. “Cupcake, I love you. I swear I aged ten years when your call came through.”

  “Cullen,” she whispered with something like hope in her gaze.

  Cullen ushered her inside, out of the way of prying eyes, and closed the door. He hadn’t wanted to propose when he mightn’t return home. A poor choice, and he was about to make that right. He inhaled and exhaled, seeking to calm his racing pulse as nerves struck.

  “Grace, I do love you. So damn much. I’d thought that once it’s time for me to return to my unit, I’d ask you to wait for me. Tonight…” His hands tightened on her shoulders. Things could’ve gone bad if he hadn’t reached her in time. “Tonight showed me that waiting is crazy. I want to marry you, Grace, if you’ll have me.”

  Her face crumpled, and she burrowed against his chest, leaving him anxious and confused.

  “Cupcake, talk to me.”

  “I didn’t think you wanted me that way.” She lifted her pale face, and the tears glinting in her green eyes almost took him out at the knees.

  “I want everything with you,” he gritted out. “Our present. Our future. A home. A family. Everything. Grace, will you please marry me and make me the happiest man alive?”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I have never been more positive of anything in my life.” Cullen’s chest tightened, and his breathing sped up as he waited for her to speak.

  A smile dawned on her face, growing brighter and brighter until it reached her gorgeous eyes. “Yes. If you’re certain.”

  “Tell me you love me,” he demanded.

  “Cullen, I do love you. More than anything, but I assumed you wanted something temporary until you returned to your soldiering.”

  “I’ve wanted you for years. Ask Josh. When you walked into the pub that day after finding the ratfink with Julia, I was busy drinking away my sorrows. I’d decided to make my move during this holiday, but then you divulged your marriage plans. It was the worst day of my life until you walked into the pub.”

  Grace beamed and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. Cullen lifted her and strolled toward the stairs without separating their mouths.

  Grace gasped. “Cullen, where are we going?”

  “I am going to take my fiancée to bed, and tomorrow, we’re going ring shopping. I want every other man out there to know you’re taken.” He adjusted her position, so he cradled her against his chest and climbed the stairs to his bedroom.

  “Isn’t that a bit cave-mannish?”

  “Too bad. Grace, I still have to return to my unit. I can’t leave until my term with the army ends.”

  Grace sobered as he set her on her feet. “I understand.”

  “While I’m gone, you’ll have the support of Josh and his wife. My other friends.”

  “The prime minister will be too busy to watch over me,” Grace replied tartly.

  Cullen laughed. “I said the support. If I know Summer and the other women, they’ll invite you to go out with them and include you in their activities. They’re good people, Grace. And once I get home, we’ll get married. Okay?”

  Grace lifted her hands to cup his face. “I’d like that very much. While you’re away, we’ll still be able to communicate, speak on the phone, and email?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then it’s settled. We’ll get married once you get home. Something quiet and intimate. I want something different from the last fiasco.”

  “Done,” Cullen said, and he set about kissing her and removing Grace’s clothes. Sh
e laughingly tried to help him undress too, and their hands, heads, and other body parts kept colliding. Laughter rang out, and Cullen smiled so wide his mouth hurt.

  Finally, they were both naked, and they toppled to the bed. Cullen caged Grace in his arms and grinned down at her. “I love you so much, cupcake. You’ve made this soldier happy. So happy.”

  Grace met his hungry kiss with equal passion, and they didn’t surface for a long, long time.

  Epilogue

  FIJIAN WEDDING

  The tropical air was full of flowers and spices, while the surroundings were bright with pink hibiscus and lush greenery. On the white sandy beach, coconut palms rustled faintly in the breeze. Grace had never visited Fiji before, but she was a fan, especially now that her fiancé stood at her side. He’d flown directly from wherever he’d been, meeting her and their friends at the hotel yesterday.

  After her last wedding drama, she’d worried Cullen might not arrive, but he’d tapped on their bedroom door last night looking tired but healthy and happy. Her body tingled with the residual aches of lovemaking. She’d missed Cullen so much during their months of separation, but Cullen’s friends had helped to keep her sanity intact.

  And now he was here.

  He stood beside her, beneath a flower-bedecked shelter with Grace’s parents and dozens of their friends.

  “Do you take this man to be your husband?” A tall Fijian marriage celebrant, dressed in pristine white, conducted the ceremony.

  “I do,” Grace said without hesitation. She exchanged a loving smile with her almost husband.

  “Do you promise to love and honor him?”

  “I will,” Grace said. “I might even obey him sometimes.”

  Laughter rippled from those standing around them to witness their nuptials.

  The celebrant’s lips twitched, but he continued with the vows.

  “I do,” Cullen said.

  “Now, with the power invested in me, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

  Cullen’s arms came around her, and he kissed her. Soft at first, but with growing passion. Wolf whistles rang out, along with clapping and cheering.

  “Hey! Enough of that,” Summer shouted. “It’s time for photos.”

  “Have you noticed Summer is always spoiling the celebration kiss with her need to take photos?” Josh commented in a loud carrying complaint.

  Cullen chuckled at Grace’s side. “So I’ve heard. I missed Josh’s wedding and Matt’s too. In our defense, Grace and I haven’t seen each other for six months.”

  “We’re sticking with tradition,” Summer defended herself. “Photos, followed by lazing around the pool or on the beach. The beach, since the tide is coming in, then we’ll dance and eat and make merry.”

  Grace leaned closer to Cullen. “I don’t mind what we do, as long as we have private time together. I’ve missed you.”

  “We’ll need to change before we go to the beach,” Cullen whispered. “We’ll make a start on our honeymoon then.”

  “I can’t wait for that part of our marriage.”

  “Are you sure you want to start a family straight away?” Cullen asked, still keeping his voice low. “I know we’ve discussed it during our online chats and in emails, but if you’ve changed your mind, that’s all right too. We have time. Your happiness is a bigger priority than my need for a family.”

  “I love you, Cullen,” Grace said, her chest squeezing with a wealth of emotion. “How about we let nature take its course and go from there?”

  He turned her to face him. “No birth control?”

  “No birth control,” she confirmed.

  Despite the exodus toward the beach for photos, Cullen took her in his arms and kissed her soundly. “I have missed this, cupcake. The video calls were great, but there is no substitute for touching you, kissing you.”

  “Ahem!” a loud feminine voice said from behind them.

  Grace and Cullen turned to see Summer with her camera. They grinned, and she clicked the shutter.

  “That’s a goodie,” Summer said after peering at her screen. “Come down to the beach. I know you haven’t seen each other for months, but everyone is waiting.”

  “Are you ready, Mrs. Turner?” Cullen asked, his eyes twinkling at her.

  Grace jolted. “Oh, right. That’s me.” Chagrined, she said. “Mr. Turner and I are ready to do this photo thing.”

  The afternoon passed with much laughter and teasing. After a buffet dinner, with an island flavor, they and their group danced under the moonlight. Then, they called their goodnights, and hand-in-hand, she and Cullen left to go to their room.

  Cullen closed the door behind them and locked it with a loud click. “I can’t stop grinning,” he said. “I can hardly believe we’re married.”

  Grace pinched his biceps.

  “What was that for?” he asked.

  “I have to keep touching you to reassure myself you’re here.”

  “I am very much here.” He rubbed his lower body against her, and she laughed.

  “Ready for the honeymoon phase?”

  “I’ve been dreaming of holding you in my arms again. Last night barely dented my need.”

  Grace pulled from his touch and presented her back to him. “Unfasten my dress for me.”

  “You’ve lost weight, cupcake,” he said.

  “I’ve been racing around a lot, trying to get my orders done before having to fly to Fiji. Summer and Ashley helped me to do the last of the deliveries.” She laughed as she stepped out of her dress. “Ashley was a big hit. My customers loved chatting with the prime minister, although I had to tell them this wouldn’t be an ongoing business feature. Usually, Ashley is way too busy to deliver cakes!”

  “Stop,” Cullen said. “I’ll take care of the rest of your clothing. Did I tell you how beautiful you looked today? Now?”

  “Thank you. I’ve never been so happy. I’m married to the man I love, and thanks to you, I have this wonderful network of friends who pitch in and help if I need it.”

  “Word is you’ve been doing a little babysitting in exchange,” Cullen said. “As much as the guys adore their kids, they enjoy having quiet time with their wives. They told me you were a natural with kids.” He tweaked her nose. “I already knew that from personal experience.”

  Grace sat to unfasten her shoes.

  “Let me be your Prince Charming,” he said.

  Once he’d removed her shoes, he rose and discarded every scrap of his clothing.

  “Cullen,” Grace murmured.

  “Yes, Mrs. Turner?”

  “Make love to me.”

  They sank onto the bed together, hands stroking and caressing.

  Cullen lifted his head after feasting on her mouth for long moments. “As much as I have enjoyed seeing you in this sexy lingerie, I want to see and touch what is beneath this white silk and lace.” He unfastened her bra and kissed a trail down her belly before he dragged down her lacy white panties. He kissed each inch of skin he’d exposed, so the process took some time.

  “You’re my wife,” Cullen murmured seconds before he parted her legs and kissed the heart of her. He licked along her slit, making her moan. “Each time I look at you, I want to shout and cheer and tell everyone you’re mine.”

  Although her doubts had faded during the months since they first got together, it was nice to hear his words, especially since he echoed her thoughts.

  “I’m the lucky one,” she whispered. “Come up here and kiss me.”

  “I haven’t finished exploring my gorgeous wife yet,” he said.

  “Cullen.” Her voice emerged sharp and decisive. “You did lots of exploring last night. Please, I feel empty. Fill me. Take me for the first time as your wife. I ache for you.”

  He grinned, and although he bore shadows beneath his eyes from lack of sleep, satisfaction and contentment radiated from him. “Since you put it that way.”

  Cullen rose up her body and placed his weight on his hands as he star
ed down at her. He kissed her lips slowly and tenderly before nudging her thighs farther apart.

  He reached over to the nightstand.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Condom,” he murmured against her mouth.

  “No condom, remember?”

  He laughed. “I forgot. It’s an ingrained habit. I’ve never had sex without a condom.”

  “It will be a first for both of us.”

  Cullen lined up and slid his cock into her. “Wow,” he murmured. “You feel amazing. There’s more heat, and the friction is incredible.”

  “Yes,” Grace said with a gasp.

  She clutched his shoulders and held tight, meeting each of his strokes with a rise of her hips. “Yes, right there.” She sucked in a breath as pleasure shimmered through her. “I love you, Cullen. So much. It’s great to have you home.”

  “I was counting the days,” he said.

  “Enough talking,” she muttered, wriggling a fraction.

  He thrust smoothly into her, repeating the strokes and going faster and faster until they were both breathing hard and clinging to each other. Grace met each thrust with enthusiasm, glorying in his touch, her rising pleasure, and their joyful joining. Their marriage.

  “Cullen, I love you,” she cried, and seconds later, she soared into toe-tingling, glorious bliss. “Yes!”

  Cullen released a strangled chuckle, his body weighing her down in the best possible way. He pushed into her again. Once. Twice. On the third deep surge, he stilled, and she felt the throb of his cock. Her channel twitched and tightened, a zing of sensation taking her by surprise. Then Cullen was kissing her and rolling them, so she sprawled on top of him. His hands skimmed her back and cupped her butt, sending a shiver of delight through her.

  “I think I like this marriage business,” Cullen murmured.

  “Only think?”