Second Chance Rival

“Belle, please repeat after me,” the minister ordered.

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t speak.

I was barely breathing.

In and out, Belle. One deep breath in, one deep breath out.

As if reading my body language, Tristian reached for my hands and held them in his firm grasp. The simple caress of his touch calmed me all over again.

I did as I was told like always, repeating, “I, Belle Montgomery, take you, Tristian Hawkins, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish,’til death do us part.”

What did I just do?

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss—”

A deep growl within my newlywed husband’s chest erupted before he crashed his mouth onto mine with a sudden passion I wasn’t anticipating. Instantly, my lips burned as he kissed me in a way I’d never been kissed before.

Or maybe I had… When he kissed me the first time.

Memories of that evening tore through my mind at a rapid speed. I couldn’t keep up with where I was at the present time. Part of me was there with him while the other part was sixteen and had never been kissed before. His lips devoured my mouth, quickly making me realize this wasn’t just a kiss.

This was all possession.

His claim on me.

It was primal.

Heady.

Dominant in every way.

His soft tongue.

His scent.

His body pressed against mine.

It was all too much.

He was all too much.

I was his now…

Whether I wanted to be or not.

Chapter 8

—Belle—

The reception went off without a hitch. Everyone celebrated what was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. The liquor flowed, the music blared, and all in attendance carried on getting louder and louder as the hours ticked by. Handing us cards filled with nothing but money. I wanted the reception to end, but my night would only be getting started. Tristian would make sure of it with his body on top of mine.

We did our first dance.

We cut the cake, he fed me, and I did the same.

I threw my bouquet, and Paige caught it.