Truth (Betrothed #10) - Penelope Sky Page 0,91

in the honeymoon suite. I grabbed one by the stem, brought it to my nose to smell it as I looked up at him.

He stripped off his jacket as he watched me, yanked off his tie, and destroyed his clothes in his haste like he had no intention of wearing them again. Then he lowered to his knees, his eyes level with mine. His hand moved to one foot, his fingers working the strap to get the heel off. With his eyes locked with mine, he did the other, his hands squeezing my bare feet when they were freed from the shoes.

My hands moved to his collared shirt, getting every button loose until I pushed it over his powerful shoulders, revealing the strong muscles and sexy ink underneath.

His left hand had my ring, the dark material matching the color of his tattoos. That was why I picked it, because I thought it would complement him so well.

“I want to take that dress off you.” He pressed his forehead to mine, whispering to me. “But you look so beautiful…that I never want to take it off.”

My fingers cupped his face, falling deeper in love with the most incredible man in the world. When I was in his cage, I’d never imagined anything like this would happen, that my captor was the man I would someday marry. “Then don’t.”

His hands reached under my dress and grabbed my white thong. He pulled it down once I lifted myself, getting it down my thighs and to my bare ankles. Then he looked down at my body, his eyes on my chest. “I just want to stay like this for a while…because I never want to forget this moment.”

My fingers moved into his hair as our foreheads touched, my wedding ring glittering in the darkness. “Neither do I.”

He stayed still, holding me on the bed, loving me with his touch, blanketing me with the kind of love no one else ever would. On his knees with his heart on his sleeve, he worshiped me, counted his blessings for having me, made me feel more beautiful than I’d ever had. “You’re my soul mate…”

“I know…” I cradled the back of his head as we held each other.

The minutes ticked by.

There was no rush—because we had the rest of our lives.

Epilogue

The curtains closed.

Everyone rose to their feet and clapped.

Clint sat on my lap, his feet dangling over my knees.

I grabbed his hands and smacked them together. “Clap for Mommy.” I pulled my hands away, and he did it on his own.

Marie sat on Grandpa’s lap, and she threw her arms into the air. “Yay, Mommy!”

Richard smiled as he clapped.

The lights came on, the music over the speakers started, and I held Clint’s hand as we walked down the aisle toward the entrance to the backstage area.

“I’m going to be a ballerina like Mom when I grow up,” Marie said.

“Me too,” Clint said.

I guided him backstage, weaving through the other dancers and cast members until I saw Catalina sitting at her vanity, her hair already down and her outfit changed. She spoke to Tracy, sharing a few laughs about something that had happened backstage that the audience had no idea about.

When Clint saw her, he dropped my hand and ran forward. “Mommy!” With his hands in the air, he ignored all the people around him and just did what he wanted.

I’d give him shit for taking off, but Catalina looked so happy to see him that I didn’t think twice about it.

She turned around on the bench and picked up our son, pulling him close and smothering him with kisses. “Honey, I didn’t know you were coming.”

“We asked Daddy, and he said yes.”

“Aww, how sweet.” She kissed him on the cheek then hugged him tightly before putting him on the ground.

Marie came next. “When are you going to teach me how to dance?” She hopped into her lap to hug her.

“Let’s get you some slippers tomorrow, and we’ll start,” she said. “How about that?”

“Okay,” Marie said, her dark hair and green eyes making her the spitting image of her mother.

I was the last one she addressed because her love always went to the kids first. They were always the priority, and I was pushed to the bottom of the barrel. But at night when they were asleep, I was at the top of the list.

She got to her feet and embraced her father. “I’m so glad you came. The kids love you.”

“Of course they do,” he said. “I’m the best grandpa.” He saw Marie grab her mother’s makeup and start to plaster it on her face. “Marie, put that down.” He walked to the vanity and pulled the things from her hands.

Now my wife finally came to me. “What a nice surprise.” She moved into me, her arms circling my waist, and she rose on her tiptoes to kiss me.

“I missed you.” My hand slid into her hair, and I spoke against her lips.

She closed her eyes and gave a gentle moan. “I missed you too…”

“Clint.” Richard grabbed the lipstick out of his hand. “These are not crayons.”

Clint had already permanently marked her vanity, because when Richard tried to wipe it off, it was stuck in the wood.

I ignored it because I was used to it by now. “Want to go out to dinner?”

“If my father will take the kids home…”

I kissed the corner of her mouth then looked into her face. “I wish he would take them out to dinner so we could go home…”

“Well, I’m sure there’s a dark alleyway somewhere.”

I smiled as I looked at her. “That’s my baby.”

Also by Penelope Sky

I hoped you enjoyed the Betrothed Series as much as I enjoyed writing. Heath and Catalina are so close to my heart, the love and intensity they have for one another. If you're anxious for another read, I have something else in the pipeline...and I think you'll be excited about it.

I wrote this story BEFORE Buttons and Lace and came across it recently. It has a closer resemblance to Buttons than my other novels, and my main man is more similar to Crow than my other anti-heros. I rewrote a few things, but it really is an exceptional story. Very dark like Buttons, but even darker than that. It's a thrilling adventure, and the way these two characters come together is complicated, defiant, and unique. I'm very proud of it.

You can order it now!

I've been taking care of my little sister for a long time. When Mom was gone, she suddenly became my responsibility. The best years of my life were spent being a caretaker to someone else...with no one to take care of me.

So I moved to Paris for my study-abroad program and ended up staying, getting a French Literature degree, studying the classics while sipping the best wine I'd ever had.

My sister never makes the best decisions, always makes messes to clean up, and it's finally time for me to have my own life.

But when she comes to Paris for a visit...she brings trouble with her.

She gets herself into a bad situation, and of course, I come to her rescue...like I always do.

Now we're in a labor camp in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by endless snow and mountains, processing drugs for a group of men that never show their faces. There's no chance of escape in this wilderness.

Except for my guard.

He's not a saint, but he's the only man that's kind to me. He knows I want to escape, but he never reports me. When I've had a hard day, he brings me extra things to make my life easier. He tells me not to run because I'll never make it...but he brings me little hidden tools...as if he's giving me the means.

Like he wants me to be free.

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