“That’s why he was so close to his family.” She knew in her heart that she wouldn’t have married him. He still hadn’t been a wolf, and he had family who weren’t. “Okay, so how does that affect Toby?”
“That’s what none of us know,” Edward said, frowning. “We know of no other cases like your son’s.”
“Sounds like good news to me,” Rafe said, hugging Jade. “He’s more wolf than we knew, and that can only be a good thing.”
She sure hoped Rafe was right.
* * *
The next morning, Jade rode with Aidan, Edward, and Hugh to the reception hall where she and Rafe would marry. It had a lovely patio and gardens, perfect for a wolf couple. She’d really just wanted a wedding in his ballroom, but Rafe wanted to make it appear more public, to show the world they were marrying and not hiding the fact.
She was glad she had invited Fiona to be her bridesmaid. The woman couldn’t have been any more excited. She was already at the hall and dressed, her hair all piled up in curls on top of her head, barely able to stand still. Even though the woman wasn’t a wolf, Fiona had been so nice to Jade for the time she had stayed at the bed-and-breakfast.
Aidan brought Toby to see Jade and gave her a hug, before he remembered she wasn’t supposed to observe him in his new tux for the wedding. Or maybe he realized this was the wedding, so it was all right.
Wearing a double-breasted white tux and sky-blue cummerbund that matched Fiona’s dress, he was so cute. He gripped a ring pillow in his chubby fist, and his arm was wrapped around Buddy, who was dressed in a tux to match the rest of the party. Then Aidan said, “Come on, Toby. You’ve got a job to do.”
Fiona was grinning. “He is just adorable. I’m so glad you and Mr. Denali got back together. This is such a fairy-tale wedding.”
Toby waved the pillow at her. “Got to carry the ring for Daddy, ’cept he won’t let me hold it yet. Said I might lose it.” He grinned at her and ran ahead of Aidan.
Aidan smiled. “I didn’t think he could get any more excited about anything. I have to admit he’s fun to be around.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Aidan. He has his moments.”
“We all do. Not to worry.” Then Aidan took off after Toby.
Fiona helped Jade get dressed in a separate room furnished with mirrors, a settee, and a dresser while Rafe and Aidan kept Toby occupied somewhere else in the building.
“I was so sorry when you got caught in the rip current,” Fiona said to Jade, “thinking your vacation had been ruined. But boy, was there a silver lining. You might not have gotten the nerve up to see Rafe if you hadn’t been forced to do so.”
“You’re right,” Jade said, though she had to remind herself of the story from time to time. This was the very first time she was going to marry the hot wolf, and that she wouldn’t ever forget.
“I will remember this forever,” Fiona said, fastening the back of Jade’s gown. “I just can’t thank you enough.”
“I’m glad you could come, Fiona. Maybe you’ll catch someone’s eye,” Jade said, smiling, but she knew it wouldn’t happen. Not when the rest of those attending were wolves—all but Mr. Marks.
“You’re perfect for each other, and I absolutely adore your son.”
“Thanks, Fiona.” Jade agreed.
“You’re beautiful,” Fiona said, tears in her eyes as she stood back to look at Jade.
Jade thought Fiona looked stunning in a blue gown Rafe had purchased.
Jade gave her a hug. “You are just as beautiful. Thanks for helping me to celebrate this special moment in my life.”
Fiona sniffled and dabbed her eyes.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Are you ladies about ready? The groom and ring bearer are getting anxious, afraid you’ve changed your mind,” Sebastian said.
Jade smiled. “We’re ready.”
Dressed in a tux, Sebastian opened the door for them and whistled. “Hell, if I wasn’t giving you away to my boss, I’d just as soon keep you for my own. Don’t tell him I said that though.”
She laughed. “Thanks, Sebastian.”
As the ring bearer for the wedding, Toby was so proud and excited. Aidan was the best man, and Sebastian would walk her down the aisle among the fragrant red-and-pink roses. Even though the event was by invitation only, Jade permitted Marks to take pictures of the wedding as a way to thank him for his lively and interesting posts concerning the fairy-tale, whirlwind romance between the billionaire and the fashion designer.
She was glad he had mentioned she was a designer and not just a poor woman who’d caught a rich man.
Sebastian had gotten hold of Hunter Greymere’s wife, Tessa, who photographed wolves and lupus garous and was delighted to attend. Hunter, being a SEAL wolf and coleader of the pack, came with her and helped with his mate’s photographic equipment.
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” by Stevie Wonder and then “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown played as everyone gathered. Fiona joined the wedding party up front.
John Legend’s “All of Me” began to play and Jade couldn’t believe how nervous she was, butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. She was afraid her hands were sweaty.
Rafe looked like he was over the moon when he saw her walking down the aisle. He was holding Toby’s hand and leaned down to say something to him.
Toby was grinning, looking like he wanted to run to her, but he was staying put with Rafe. She saw a few more people than she knew, and she figured they were wolves from Hunter and Tessa’s pack up north. She saw Tessa photographing the procession and gave her a smile, and then she saw Marks taking just as many pictures and gave him a special smile too.
When she reached Rafe and Toby, her little boy gave her a hug, and she hugged him back. Then he waited with his pillow, the ring nowhere in sight.
“Beautiful,” Rafe said. “And all mine, again.”
“Mine too. Beautiful, Mommy.” Toby began talking nonstop after that, as if Rafe saying anything meant it was okay to talk now. Aidan took him aside and spoke quietly to him, the whole time Toby nodding.
Jade heard “chocolate cake, swimming pool, presents” being mentioned, and she figured Aidan was using his usual cleverness to appease Toby until the ceremony was over.
When the minister asked for any objections, she and Rafe looked back to see if anyone would say anything, not expecting anyone to.
“The boy is mine,” a man in the back said as he scuffled with Edward at the entryway.
Stewart Roth. Jade couldn’t help seeing him in a different light—a man whose father had been a wolf.
Edward and two other bodyguards hauled him off to a private room to deal with him.
Then Aidan had Toby hold up the velvet pillow to place the ring on it, and Toby brought it over to Rafe.
“Thanks, Toby. Good job.” Rafe took the ring and put it on Jade’s finger, and they kissed.
She tried not to think about Stewart or the repercussions of him being here. Rafe helped with that as he kissed her deeply, promising her that he would always be her mate, and she would have no more worries while he was in her life.
She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck, loving him, loving the way he had taken Toby in as his own.
“I love you so much,” she said.
“And me, Mommy,” Toby said.
She laughed and gave him a hug too. “And I love you so much too.”
“Love you and Toby,” Rafe said, brushing Toby’s hair, and then Aidan grabbed the tot as Rafe and Jade walked down the aisle as a married couple.
Then they moved out to a covered patio in the gardens where a dinner and champagne were being served, followed by the most beautiful cake she’d ever seen—topped with a figurine of a mama, a papa, and a baby wolf. She wondered what Marks would think of that, until she heard someone telling him that Toby picked it out because he saw the wolves at the reserve and loved them to pieces.
They danced. Even Tessa took a break
from photographing everyone and danced with her mate. Jade ended up dancing with Toby, Rafe, and most of the males except for Edward and the other two bodyguards keeping Stewart at bay. She tried not to think of what was going to happen with Stewart.
Marks was there the whole time, enjoying dinner, champagne, and cake, not bothering to see what was going on with Stewart. She thought she’d really won the photojournalist over when he went for another piece of cake.
Toby was dancing with Fiona at one point and then he wanted to dance with Jade again. When she was dancing with Rafe, Jade wanted to ask about Stewart, but she knew with Marks in the room, it was best to pretend her former lover wasn’t intruding on her thoughts.
When they were ready to leave, Edward came out of the room to drive the limousine to the house. Toby rode back with his Uncle Aidan and Sebastian, the long way around, so Jade and Rafe could have some alone time together.
“What about Stewart? I thought someone would make sure he didn’t trouble us?” Jade asked Edward.
“He was told you have all the paperwork proving not only that Rafe is Toby’s father, but that you married after a whirlwind romance and before Toby was conceived. If Stewart wants to try to claim Toby belongs to him, Rafe and you will file a lawsuit against him for making false statements. But we also dug up some dirt on him—he was abusive to a couple of girlfriends after you left and had court orders against him. So he’s not father material anyway. If he persists in pushing this, we’ll share what kind of man he is. The other men were going to release him after you, Rafe, and Toby left so there were no more incidents.”
Jade sighed in Rafe’s arms. “Thank God.”
Rafe got a call from Sebastian and put it on speakerphone. “Yeah?”
“Stewart was just released. He’s pissed. Wants his gas paid for his troubles. I told him he’d find himself in jail if he hassled either of you any further,” Sebastian said.
“Good,” Rafe said.
“What about Stewart’s brother?” Jade asked.
“Dead. He was killed in a car accident, declared accidental. But the thing of it was, both were in the car to begin with, and then Stewart was dropped off.”
“So Kenneth killed Stewart’s brother by mistake,” Rafe said.
“It appears that way. The car was Stewart’s, and Kenneth must have assumed he was driving it when he forced the car off the road. So no worries. We’re good.”
“Except that we still don’t know where Kenneth is,” Jade said.
“We’ve still got men looking for him,” Sebastian assured her.
“Thanks,” Rafe said. “We’ll talk more about it later.”
“Agreed. Have a good time. We’re going to take Toby for ice cream and a movie, and then head back to your place.”
“Thanks, Sebastian,” Jade said, then smiled up at Rafe. She was truly his mate, Toby was truly his son, and nothing would ever come between them.
Chapter 18
Edward quickly got the limousine door for Jade and Rafe. Jade struggled to climb in in her formfitting gown, and Rafe appeared to be salivating. She was the most beautiful bride he’d ever seen. Her blond hair was piled in curls on top of her head, and he couldn’t wait to pull out the pins and peel her out of the satin gown that highlighted all her curves. He knew the men who’d gone shopping with her had something to say about the selection. It certainly would have been his choice. He’d been expecting something a lot fuller—princess-like. But this gown perfectly suited the siren he’d rescued from the sea. A wolfish mermaid if he’d ever seen one.
He wasn’t waiting to make love to his mate when they arrived home either, not when she smelled so sweet and delectable, she-wolf and woman all in one. Not when she looked so mouthwatering in her white satin, lace, and beads. He wanted her. She wanted him. That’s all that mattered.
She sat on the cushioned black velour bench that ran along one side of the roomy limousine behind the driver’s seat, the aisle wide for maneuverability and the bench the right size to make love to his mate. He hadn’t thought of it initially, figuring he’d carry her across the threshold when they arrived home. But the way she was smiling at him so playfully, the way she’d kissed him and moved so tight against him in the final dance, he wasn’t waiting.
Edward closed the door, and as soon as he did, Rafe closed the privacy screen, the tiny white lights in the dark car perfect for the intimate occasion. He sat next to Jade and quickly divested himself of his white tux jacket and laid it on the seat across from them. Edward started the engine, and soft music began to play overhead as the car pulled out.
“Hot,” she murmured against Rafe’s ear as she ran her hands down his shirt, her gaze settling on his trousers.
“Hell yeah, you sure are.”
“Like it?” she asked, sliding her hand under her breast and cupping it, her fingers rubbing the nipple.
Growling, he practically tore off his bow tie. Then he ran his hands over her breasts—firm, luscious, just waiting to be free of the satin and lace.
She slid her fingers up his shirt. “Need some help?”
With her gown? Probably. He wished he’d been better prepared, but he hadn’t given any thought to removing her gown in the limousine.
She began unbuttoning his shirt, kissing his mouth as she set his blood on fire. He struggled to unfasten his cummerbund and tossed it aside. Cupping her face, he began kissing her again, slowly and sweetly at first as she matched his pace.
He really couldn’t keep going at such a slow speed, wanting in her and all around her at the same time. If they renewed their vows at a later date, they were doing it in a lot fewer clothes.
Yanking his shirt out of his waistband, he kicked off a shoe, then began unfastening his trousers as she parted his shirt and skimmed her warm hands up his bare chest, bringing him to a full stop. Her hands were silky soft, blazing a fiery trail against his skin all the way up to his neck before she licked his lips and kissed him full on the mouth again.
He growled, kicked off the other shoe, and reached behind her to start unfastening her dress. No fasteners? Just ties? What the hell? She was tied into the gown like she would be if she’d been wearing an old-time corset! He groaned.
She smiled against his lips, the vixen. Then she ran her hand over his arousal. He was already agonizingly hard. He began to work on her gown again.
She breathed him in, her pheromones blazing, triggering his own as he leaned against her soft body, still fumbling with the ties to her gown. As tight fitting as the gown was, it wouldn’t be easy to hike it up so he could have his wicked way with her without removing it, though he was considering any other options he could think of. She pulled his shirt off his shoulders, and he started to jerk it off when he realized he hadn’t unfastened the cuff links. He growled again.
She chuckled and hurried to remove one, then the other. She leaned in to kiss him, her hands caressing his neck, his hands working again on the damnable gown. He couldn’t do this without seeing what he was doing.
“Turn around,” he said, his voice rough with lust. He struggled with the ties, cursed under his breath, and swore if he had a knife on him, he’d make short work of them.
She laughed and slipped off her heels and then reached back to run her hand over his thigh.
“Ah, hell,” Rafe said, but then he felt a tie give a little. Encouraged, he forged on. As soon as he had them untied and felt the bodice of the gown give, he breathed out, “Finally.”
He slid his hands inside her gown and wrapped them around her tantalizing breasts, his mouth sweeping across her bare nape. He wanted to claim his bride again and again. He breathed in her delectably sweet scent, loving the sound of her soft moans and the way she melted under his touch.
Unable to wait any longer, he began frantically working at the ties on her gown again until he reached the snaps at the base and pulled them open. He slid the satin garment down her hips until she was free of the dress, and he tossed it over to the other bench. She was braless but
wore a white lace garter belt and lace bikini panties.
He licked a trail down her back, making her shiver. He slid the garter belt down, dragging the stockings with it.
Once he’d tossed all the sexy wear onto the other bench, he turned her, and she began to help him out of his trousers. They hit the floor, along with his socks and briefs. He’d meant to be on top, but before he could remove her panties, she was pinning him down on the bench, her knees on either side of his legs, his cock stretched out to her.
She pulled a pin from her hair, and like magic, her blond curls cascaded to her shoulders.
She rubbed against him, teasing him, her hands on his shoulders, pinning him down. Smiling wickedly at him, she leaned down to kiss his mouth. He cupped her warm breasts, his tongue spearing her mouth, her tongue dancing around his.
He slid his hand into her panties, his fingers seeking her nub, and began to stroke. Her breathing growing unsteady, she lifted her mouth from his, her irises darkening to midnight. Her musky feminine scent told him she was ready for him, and he was past ready for her.
Stroking harder and faster, their mouths merged, and he felt her arch against his fingers, heard the swift intake of her breath and then release as she began to sink down on his hand. He took the moment to slide off her damp panties and toss them aside. Then he switched places with her, settling her on her back, and lined himself up between her legs. Her body was open to him, willing, warm, and wet. He planted kisses on her cheeks, then kissed her lips, slowly and deeply. Their bodies rubbed together again before he penetrated her, steadily, slowly, deeply until he was all the way in.
He slipped his hands under her buttocks and thrust inside her again and again, faster and faster. She anchored her heels over the back of his thighs and lifted her pelvis, taking him in even deeper.
The pinnacle was just out of reach, so close, nearly there. And then with a satisfied groan, he released, continuing to thrust until he was totally spent.
“God, how I love you,” he said. He resituated her so she was lying against him, wrapped in his arms.
“I love you too, Rafe. You were beautiful standing there with Toby. Both of you.” She licked his chest. “Now I know why you have this party-mobile,” she teased him.