Branded for You (24 page)

Megan reached out and put her hand over her mother’s and smiled. “Yes, everything will be more than fine.”

Chapter 27

Ryan linked his fingers through Megan’s as they stood in the last pew in the church while Todd and Christine were pronounced husband and wife by the preacher. It was a beautiful wedding and her ex-sister-in-law was a gorgeous bride in a white beaded gown with a sheer veil over her long dark curls.

As Christine and Todd came down the aisle, Ryan put his arm around Megan’s shoulders and held her close to him. She tilted her head to look up at him and he kissed her smile.

When he drew away, she slipped her arm around his waist as the newly married couple passed them and stepped through the huge double doors to their new life just waiting for them.

Megan caught sight of Bart on the other side of the aisle and noted that he was watching her and wearing a frown. When her eyes met his, she realized she had no feelings of any kind. No feelings of pain or dislike. She felt…nothing. Bart was a part of a distant life, a past that had healed. She smiled and turned away, but she could still feel his gaze on her.

The reception was being held in a hall just off the church and she walked hand in hand with Ryan to the huge hall decorated in vivid blues, the wedding colors, and white. Paper bells and streamers hung from the ceiling and tables were decorated with white and blue bouquets.

A live band was in one corner and the music started just as Ryan and Megan walked into the hall. Ryan took her into his arms and swept her onto the dance floor. Megan wore a lovely royal purple dress that swirled around her ankles as they danced.

She laughed and looked up at him. “You know more than country dancing. I had no idea.”

He gave her a grin. “I’m full of surprises, honey.”

She smiled back at him. “Yes, you are.”

They spent the evening dancing and talking with Megan’s ex-in-laws. They hugged Megan and seemed genuinely pleased to see her again and to meet Ryan.

As they danced around the hall, she caught glimpses of Bart watching her. She ignored him and focused on Ryan and the happiness that filled her heart.

After another dance, Megan excused herself to go to the ladies’ room. She took a tube of lipstick out of her purse and looked at her reflection in the mirror as she freshened up her makeup. The door to the room squeaked and from her side vision she saw Bart’s girlfriend, Barb, walk in.

Megan put her lipstick back into her purse. When she looked up, Barb was standing beside her, startling Megan.

Barb was a blonde bombshell with a beautiful figure and face. There was a time when Megan would have been envious of the woman, but those days were long gone. She wouldn’t trade her life for anything now. Besides, Barb had Bart. Megan figured she would have felt sorry for Barb if the woman hadn’t had an affair with her husband. They deserved each other.

But then again, Barb actually had done Megan a big favor.

“Megan, right?” Barb cocked her head.

“Yes,” Megan said. “And you’re Barb.”

The woman gave a nod. “Tell me what happened between you two.”

“Really?” Megan blinked at her in surprise. “You, of course.”

Barb frowned. “What other things were there that made your marriage bad? Because it wasn’t good, was it.” She said the last as a statement, not a question.

Megan paused. “I really don’t want to talk about it. That’s ancient history.”

“I want to know.” Barb clenched her hand on the countertop. “Did he call you names or verbally abuse you in other ways?”

Megan adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “Listen, Barb, that’s ancient history for me.”

“Well, it’s not for me.” Barb’s eyes looked red—either from anger or tears, Megan wasn’t sure.

“Like I said,” Megan repeated, “ancient history.”

Barb gave a nod. “I thought so. That’s the kind of bastard he is.”

“I concluded a while ago that Bart isn’t going to change,” Megan said. “Bart is Bart. I’m sorry to tell you that, but I suspect you know it already.”

Barb spun and marched out of the bathroom, anger on her features.

Megan shook her head. “That was weird,” she said under her breath.

As she walked back into the hall she saw Barb snatch her purse and her shawl from the chair beside the one Bart was occupying.

His chair nearly toppled as he got to his feet in a rush. Barb kept her voice down but it was clear she was furious with Bart. She turned and stormed out of the hall with Bart hurrying after her.

Megan mentally shrugged and went back to Ryan who handed her a cup of punch.

Moments later, Bart returned and strode to where Megan stood with Ryan. Bart ignored Ryan. To Megan he said, “What did you say to Barb?”

Megan studied him. “I said nothing to her. If you’re having problems, it’s your doing, Bart, not mine. Now please excuse us.”

Bart’s face was red. He stepped closer to Megan and opened his mouth, probably to spout some kind of insult, but Ryan stepped between them.

“Excuse us,” Ryan echoed. He put his arm around Megan’s shoulders and escorted her onto the dance floor. It was a slow dance and he held her close.

“Thank you.” Megan let out a breath of relief. “That could have gone poorly.”

“Not while I’m around.” He studied her eyes. “Was that your ex?”

She nodded. “I’ve never told you anything about him other than the fact that I was married. Bart was a part of my past I wanted to forget. Now I don’t care enough for it to matter.”

Ryan gently stroked the side of her face. “If he ever bothers you again, you let me know, okay?”

She smiled and nodded. “All right.”

The night ended beautifully and after the reception they returned to the exquisite hotel they were staying in.

When they reached their room, Megan slipped out of her dressy coat and dropped it over a chair. She went to the floor to ceiling windows, pulled aside the curtains, and opened the sliding door to go out onto the balcony.

Ryan came up behind her and put his hands at her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder and looked at the city lights spread out below them.

“It’s beautiful.” Megan breathed in the crisp night air and shivered. Snow was in the forecast for Albuquerque.

“Come in before you freeze,” he murmured and she felt his warm breath as he kissed her neck.

She let him take her hand and draw her back into the room. Cold air swirled into the warm room as he closed the door behind them. She went straight into his arms and felt the heat of his body that chased any chill away.

He nuzzled her neck then drew away. She tilted her head back and he brought his mouth to hers. It was both a sweet and a hungry kiss.

When he raised his head, he brushed her hair away from her face. “I’m going to say something I’ve been waiting to say for the longest time.”

Her breathing hitched as she looked up at him, her lips parted and wet from his kiss.

“I don’t know why I took so long to tell you this. God knows I’ve known this forever.” He cupped the side of her face and ran his thumb along her lower lip. “I love you, Megan. I love you more than I could ever have believed.”

Her heart beat faster as warmth traveled through her. She was so overwhelmed with emotion she almost couldn’t speak.

She flung her arms around his neck. “I love you, Ryan. I love you, love you, love you.”

He grinned, picked her up by her waist and swung her around. She squealed with surprise and laughter. She was unsteady on her feet when he set her down, but he didn’t let her go. He wrapped her tight in his arms and rocked her from side to side, causing her to laugh again.

“You do know I’m never letting you go, don’t you?” he said.

“Don’t worry,” she said as she smiled up at him. “I won’t let you.”

He pushed the strap of her dress aside and kissed her shoulder as he moved one hand to her zipper. She shivered as he slid it down to her waist. He stepped back just enough to help her slide the straps down her arms and fall to her feet in a shimmering purple mass.

When he saw her in her black corset, garters, stockings, and heels, he sucked in his breath. “Damn, that’s sexy,” he said and reached around to grab her ass cheeks through her silky black panties and pulled her up hard against him.

“I’m glad you like,” she said as she felt his rigid cock against her belly.

His blue eyes had darkened with passion. “I love.”

She ran her hands along his shoulders. “Take off your clothes.”

He shrugged out of the western suit jacket he’d worn for the wedding and tossed it onto a chair. He toed off his boots, stripped out of his dress shirt and belt, then pushed down his pants and boxer briefs.

When he was naked, he scooped up Megan and laid her on the bed. “I want you to wear all of this while I take you.” He ran one hand down her corset to her hip, over her garter and down her silky stockings and back up to the top of her corset again.

He pulled down the top of the corset and freed her breasts. She gasped and slid her fingers into his hair as he sucked on each of her nipples. He reached between them, pulled her panties aside, and placed his cock against her core.

With his eyes holding hers, he pushed inside of her. She moaned as he entered her. He moved in and out, slow and even.

He thrust harder as he looked into her eyes, her breasts bouncing with the movement. Their lovemaking grew even more intense as her hips rose up to meet his and she met his every stroke.

Megan’s orgasm built and built until she was almost to the peak. He thrust hard and deep.

“I love you, Megan,” he said and she fell over the cliff, her body shuddering with the impact of her orgasm. Her body throbbed and vibrated as his strokes continued.

“I love you, Ryan.” She saw his eyes darken even more. “I love you.”

His shout echoed through the room as he came hard, his expression fierce as he pressed his groin to hers.

He braced his hands to either side of her as he stayed inside of her until his breathing calmed and the beating of her heart finally slowed.

And then he moved onto his side and took her into his arms and held her.

Chapter 28

“I can’t.” Megan shook her head and balked as Ryan tugged her toward the Ferris wheel that rose up in the night, lit with bright lights that blinked in invitation. “I’ve told you, those things scare me to death.”

“It’s perfectly safe and I won’t rock it.” Ryan gave her a quick kiss. “Promise.”

Megan’s heart pounded at the thought of riding the dreaded thing. She looked up into his denim blue eyes and saw love there and she couldn’t refuse him.

“For you.” She gave him a shaky smile.

“Come on then.” He grinned and squeezed her hand as they walked down the crowded midway, through the brilliantly lit carnival, and toward the monstrosity that they called a Ferris wheel.

It was their one-year anniversary since having met at this very place, the carnival at the county fair. And now she was going to brave her biggest fear.

And conquer it. Yes, she would.

She hoped.

When they reached the Ferris wheel, she felt jittery as they stood in line. Ryan dug tickets out of his pocket. She squeezed his hand tighter when it was their turn to get into one of the seats that had stopped at the bottom, ready for them to climb in. Ryan let her in first and he slid in next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

Something about his touch gave her a sense of security that calmed her fears. She leaned on his shoulder and he kissed the top of her head.

The wheel jerked as it started to move to let the next passengers on. As they rose she took deep breaths and let them out. She found her breathing was calmer and her heart didn’t pound as hard while she was within the security of Ryan’s arm.

They reached the very top of the Ferris wheel and Megan looked out over the sea of people below, absorbing the flashing lights, color and carnival sounds—music and the cries of carnies calling to each passerby.

She looked beyond the carnival. The view extended for miles, city lights glittering in the darkness.

“I have something for you,” he murmured in her ear.

She tilted her head to look up at him. “And what would that be?”

He slid his hand into his jeans pocket and pulled out a square velvet box.

Her heart started pounding again, for an entirely different reason.

He opened the box and there, set against black velvet, was a diamond solitaire.

The Ferris wheel started to slowly turn, but she barely noticed it as she raised her gaze from the diamond to meet his eyes.

“I’ve wanted to wait for the right time to ask you and I think where we met is the perfect place. “ He smiled as lights flashed around them. “I love you with everything I am, Megan. Will you marry me?”

“I love you, Ryan.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, mindless of the swaying of the seat that her movements caused. “Of course I’ll marry you, a thousand times over.”

He kissed her long and hard, then drew away. He took her hand and slid the ring on her finger and surprisingly, it fit perfectly. “Tess gave me your ring size,” he said.

“Tess knew?” Megan laughed as she looked at the diamond on her finger. “No wonder she looked like she was about to burst with something when I left. She wouldn’t tell me what was going on. Now I know.”

Her ring sparkled in the flashing lights as she leaned on his shoulder.

“How about kids?” he asked and she brought her attention to his. “We can start as soon as we’re married. And I want to be married to you as soon as possible.”

Children. Just like she’d always wanted.

Her smile broadened. “We can practice just as soon as we get home.”

* * * * *

Before they headed home, Megan and Ryan stopped at her mother’s restaurant and bar. With the success of the Hummingbird Café, they’d expanded into the part of the building formerly occupied by Roger Meyer’s Chuck Wagon.

They passed Nectars, the bar section of the restaurant which was now just called the Hummingbird. Laughter and music spilled out onto the sidewalk from the bar.