Tropical Leopard's Longing (Shifting Sands Resort 8)

“We could just get married naked,” Breck suggested cheekily. “Give everyone one last view of what they’ll never get now.”

But Darla punched him in the arm, then rubbed herself in that same spot ruefully. “I am going to wear clothing at my wedding, and it will be clothing I choose. And I really want to brush the blood out of my hair. You can wait another hour after all of this, can’t you?”

Breck crushed her into an embrace. “I would wait a lifetime for you,” he declared seriously.

And it was worth the wait, he decided, watching her walk down the aisle in a bright yellow sundress, the setting sun giving everything a rosy light. Liam was at her side to give her away, and Chef was standing at Breck’s side. “To make sure you don’t run,” Chef said with a knowing laugh, but Breck had no interest in running anywhere but Darla’s arms.

The ceremony was entirely made up on the fly, with a wedding party comprised of anyone who wanted to be in it. Liam’s mother was delighted to be asked to help with a candle-lighting ritual that they came up with on the spot, and his grandmothers offered to serve food at the reception.

“We may not know as much about dragons and all the high falutin customs that Mrs. Grant wanted,” Alison had said warmly as Breck took his spot on the dais. “But we know about mates, and Darla deserves all her happiness.”

As Conall struck familiar notes of a wedding march, Gizelle capered down the aisle in front of the bride and Lydia and Laura walked more sedately, holding flowers.

Scarlet gave a simple, standard civil opening speech and they lit candles together. “Do you have vows?” she asked then.

Breck, gazing at his bride, realized he should have written something. “Yes,” he said anyway. “Darla, I vow to love and treasure you for the rest of my life.” This would have been an appropriate place for flowery vows and sweet nothings, but Breck felt that they were all insufficient compared to the promise in his heart.

Darla smiled back at him, her face perfectly happy as Breck had only had glimpses before.

“Breck, I vow to cherish and adore you until end of all things.”

“Are there rings?” Scarlet asked.

“No rings,” Darla said with a shake of her head. “Just these.” She held up her wrist and Breck mirrored her. The dragonrunes glowed briefly, and they clasped hands.

“By the power vested in me by the nation of Costa Rica, I declare you husband and wife,” Scarlet said solemnly. “You may kiss.”

Darla smiled as he slowly gathered her up into his arms. “You’re going to be dramatic about this, aren’t you,” she guessed quietly, amusement crinkling her face.

“I do have a reputation to maintain,” Breck reminded her.

Then he kissed his bride, deeply, devotedly. It was gentle at first, and the audience applauded politely. Then he wrapped her tighter, and kissed her harder, and she melted into him. By the time he finally released her, with a tapering series of butterfly kisses, she was panting and weak-kneed and Breck was grinning and breathing just as hard.

There were whistles, then, and more enthusiastic cheers.

“Get a room!” Tex called.

“It’s a good thing they waited and got married with clothes on after all,” Travis said in a stage-whisper.

Chapter 43

Darla had expected to hate her wedding reception.

The food would be too rich, the music too staid, the people too stiff.

But the reception she got was filled with bemused laughter, and cheerful music that occasionally ended in, “Gizelle, come back!” as the gazelle shifter forgot she needed to hold onto Conall to allow him to hear his fellow musicians.

A siren sang several songs, the magic in her voice like a caress, and Darla danced around the room in Breck’s perfect arms until Liam stole her away and Lydia took a reluctant Breck for a turn around the floor, braving the scowls of the giant tattooed man whose primary job seemed to be terrifying people.

“I’m really happy for you,” Liam said honestly, as they danced. “I know it didn’t work out perfectly, but you and Breck… you belong together.”

Darla had been trying not to watch Breck too obviously, and she looked earnestly back at Liam now. “You have been so good to me,” she said sincerely. “And I’m sorry you got dragged through so much for so little.”

“It’s not as little as that,” Liam said generously. “Shifting Sands Resort will be a bit of an upgrade from the warehouse on Seventh Avenue.”

“And no one here will care if a mammoth gets unexpectedly loose in the night,” Darla chuckled.

“Graham might,” Liam suggested. “If he ends up trampling the gardens.”