“I figured we’d have to wear these on our opposite hands after today,” I explain when she says nothing. “And since it’s our secret, I decided on your birthstone instead of a diamond. I had to guess your size.”
She stares a moment longer before grinning up at me. “I love it.” The awe in her voice makes me stand taller.
I hand her the men’s band and we exchange rings, sliding them on to each other’s fingers as a symbol of our love and commitment.
Blake claps a hand onto my shoulder. “Now for the good part. You may kiss your bride.”
“’Bout time,” I say, leaning forward to seal the most important moment of my life.
“No tongue!” Gin shouts.
“Yes tongue!” Marna counters.
Oh, for the love of—
Anna flings her arms about my neck and snogs me good to shut them up. Marna and Blake cheer and Ginger snorts. I drown them out and focus on Anna’s lips.
We press our foreheads together, and her eyes sparkle with glee.
“Did we really just do that?” I ask.
She smiles and nods and bursts into excited giggles. I grab her around the waist and lift her up, kissing her again, fighting the instinct to take her straight into the loo for a bit of privacy.
“Should I be this turned on by a wedding?” I ask.
“You get turned on when the wind blows!” Ginger says with a laugh.
Right enough. Anna laughs and I grin at her.
We’re all a bit mad at that moment, as if we’ve had loads to drink, though in fact we’re sober as nuns. I suppose that’s how rebellion feels—living with purpose—like each second is monumental and full. I soak it in, because I’m not fool enough to think it will last forever. But it’s ours now, all ours.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Finally
“You trace my lines, stirring my soul,
Shoot sparks at the heart of the world and I watch it explode.”
—“Run” by Matt Nathanson
The extravagant cabin is even better than I’d hoped. Anna certainly seems to agree. She’s rushing about the rooms in hyper speed, sighing and touching and exclaiming about every detail. The bed looks as if it’s been carved from an ancient tree, complete with overhanging branches and wood beams in the ceilings. Everything resembles autumn, with fabrics of red, brown, and yellow, and rustic wood furniture. I want to kiss Anna every time she flits past, but I can’t bloody catch her. Finally I nab her in the ginormous bathroom, and our mouths meet.
When she tenses, I pull back. “What’s wrong?”
She glances down. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Ah. She’s already thinking ahead.
“Anna?” I ask.
“Hm?” She’s gone shy.
“Have you ever felt as though you were fumbling around awkwardly when we’re together?”
“Um . . . I guess not.”
“Exactly. Some things come naturally, so don’t overthink it. I’m going to take care of you.”
She talks quietly, not looking me in the eye. “But I want to take care of you, too. You have to show me what to do.”
My lovely Anna is too kind. She has no clue how anything she does this night will only further satisfy my growing need for her.
“I’m not as hard to please as you might imagine. I’ll show you anything you want.”
She swallows and nods.
“Also . . .” I clear my throat. “Two days ago when Father told me he was sending me to seek you out . . . I had a test done. Just in case anything were to happen with us—I just wanted to be sure.”
Damn good thing, too, because after Marna, I’d be paranoid as hell tonight.
“Oh,” Anna says. “To make sure you’re really . . .”
“Sterile, yes. And I am.”
“Thank you,” she whispers. And she finally gets brave enough to look up at me. Her eyes widen and I feel a stirring in my belly. For so long I’ve held back with her. I will still have to hold back a bit, because she’s not yet ready for it all. But there are things I can and will do tonight. Starting with seeing every bit of her skin. I glance over her mouth, at the freckle at the corner of her lips.
“Anna . . .”
“Hmm?” Her voice goes high. She clears her throat.
“Remember when I told you I wanted to introduce myself to every freckle on your body?”
She nods slowly.
“Well, it’s time.”
Her cheeks bloom with color. I close my eyes as a warm wave of pears and freesia permeates the air. “You smell so damn good.”
Though this moment feels long overdue, I know neither of us