Bleeding Hearts: The Complete Duet

by A. Zavarelli

  I curled against him and smiled. That went way easier than I expected. Things really were different between us.

  “I just have one concession,” he added.

  I frowned, thinking maybe I’d spoken too quickly. “What is it?”

  “The last name- it’s dead to me for a reason. I’ll never be Jacob Lockhart again, and our baby can’t be associated with that name either.”

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “Because…” He ran an anxious hand through his hair. “There are still people out there who could use that against me. When my father’s business started to tank, he made some bad decisions. I still don’t know the extent of them, and I’d rather not ever find out.”

  “Oh.”

  It made sense, what he was saying. But it also worried me. “So, would we ever be in danger?”

  “No,” he said adamantly. “But I can never be too careful, and I wouldn’t ever take any chances with you, Brighton. I will always do whatever it takes to protect you, you know that right?”

  I did know that. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Ryland would protect me no matter what. And it only made me love him more. “I know.” I nodded.

  “You are the most important thing in my life, and soon there’ll be another. We’re going to be a family.”

  His words socked me in the gut and brought tears to my eyes. I knew how much that word meant to him. And if I didn’t, I could see it clearly on his face. This was his second chance at life. And I would do everything in my power to bring Ryland Bennett happiness. We both settled back against the hammock, and silence engulfed us. It was the good kind. The comfortable kind. I was listening to his heartbeat, drifting off to sleep when his fingers trailed over my cheek and turned my face towards him.

  “Do you like it here?” he asked.

  “Of course I do.” I smiled up at him. “This place is amazing, Ryland. I could stay here forever with you.”

  My words seemed to fill him with relief. But then he looked nervous again as he reached into his pocket.

  “Brighton, we’re having a baby together. I can’t tell you how fucking incredible that is. I never thought I would want these things, but I do. I want them with you.”

  I reached up and stroked his cheek. He looked so passionate about what he was saying I just wanted to tear his shorts off and bury him inside of me again.

  “There isn’t anyone else I would want it with either,” I told him.

  “Good,” he said. “Because I have something else to say.”

  He paused for a moment and blew out a breath. I’d never seen Ryland look so nervous, and it was freaking me out a little.

  “I want you to be my wife.”

  I was dumbfounded, and even more so when he pulled a velvet box from out of nowhere. He held it towards me with the strong fingers I had come to love, and I realized what was happening. I felt dizzy, and I had to sit up. He followed with an anxious expression. I still hadn’t touched the box. I couldn’t seem to get my body or brain to cooperate.

  “Brighton?”

  “Are you… proposing to me?” I squeaked.

  It was his turn to look dumbfounded. “I thought I’d made that clear.”

  “There wasn’t really a question in that statement,” I remarked. It was such a Ryland proposal. I wouldn’t have expected anything different from him, nor would I have wanted it.

  He looked at a loss for words, and it was the first time I’d ever seen him struggling with what to say. I put him out of his misery by biting my lip and nodding. “Yes, Ryland. I’ll be your wife.”

  “Jesus,” he cursed in relief. “I really thought you were going to say no for a minute. Goddammit, Brighton, I love you so fucking much.”

  I laughed when he pulled me across his lap and started peppering me with kisses. He was like a little boy on Christmas morning, and I felt exactly the same way. My heart was going to burst with happiness. He pulled out the box and opened it, taking my breath away when I saw the blood-red stone nestled within. It was cushion cut and ensconced in black gold, and the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, apart from him.

  “Oh my God, Ryland.”

  “It’s a red diamond,” he said. “A little bit of darkness for your light.”

  “Do I even want to know how much this thing cost?”

  “No.” He grinned and slid it onto my finger with a heated flare of possession in his eyes.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his face to mine, kissing him deeply. I couldn’t believe this man was going to be my husband. It didn’t even seem real.

  Ryland was hard against me, and I didn’t waste any time reaching down to free his erection while he untied my bikini and tossed it aside. Thank God he’d booked the only suite with private beach access because I didn’t think I’d be able to wait another moment to have him inside of me.

  I slid down onto him at the same time my eyes locked onto his. I was never going to get tired of this moment. The deep intimacy I felt when we connected in this way, and he looked at me with that sense of pride and ownership. Some women might be disgusted by it. But I was, and always would be, irrevocably his.

  I reached for his face and showered him with kisses. “I love you, Ryland Bennett.” And then with a grin, I added, “so fucking much.”

  ***

  Ryland frowned when he poked his head out onto the back deck and saw me soaking my feet in the hot tub.

  “Baby, what are you doing?”

  “Relaxing.” I laughed.

  He didn’t seem amused. “You’re not supposed to be in the hot tub.”

  “I’m not,” I rebutted. “It’s just my feet. As long as I’m not submerged…”

  “I still don’t like it.” He walked over and reached for my hands to help me up. “Let’s not take any chances, okay?”

  This was Ryland’s overprotective nature showing again. God help our poor child. Still, I smiled. Because I knew he was doing these things out of love. I stood up and let him lead me back into the bedroom.

  “I have something else to talk to you about anyway,” he said.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  He helped me onto the bed and then grabbed a towel, drying my feet for me as he spoke.

  “I don’t want to wait,” he said. “But I know you might have something else in mind, so I’d like to talk to you about the wedding.”

  “Oh.”

  The wedding. I hadn’t even thought about it. It was something most little girls dreamed about their entire life. But I didn’t have a lot of people to invite to a wedding, and the only part I cared about was that I got to pledge my love to Ryland forever.

  “Do you want a big wedding?” he asked. “With the dress and cake and flowers. If that’s what you want, then that’s what you’ll get, Brighton.”

  He started to massage my feet, and I found it difficult to articulate what I wanted. All I knew was I didn’t want him to stop doing that.

  “I don’t need any of those things,” I said. “I just want you.”

  His eyes filled with relief, and the next thing I knew, he was pulling me across his lap, kissing the hell out of me.

  “I’m crazy in love with you,” he murmured.

  I threaded my fingers through his as he kissed his way down my throat, licking the red mark he’d left on me the night before. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was glad I’d pushed him to do it.

  “I was thinking we could have it here,” he said. “On the beach.”

  “Here?” I blinked. “Like this week?”

  “Is that a problem?” he asked.

  Geez, he really wasn’t wasting any time. I kind of loved that. The idea that he wanted to make me his as soon as possible.

  “That would be really nice,” I agreed.

  But then something occurred to me, something I hadn’t thought of before.

  “Nicole would probably be really hurt though when she finds out.”

  “I’ll fly her down here,” Ryland said. “Matt too
.”

  And just like that, he made my worries disappear. “Let’s do it.” I grinned. “Let’s get married here. This week. Oh my God.”

  I wiggled around in his lap, and he smiled. “I’ll always give you what you want, baby girl.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Brighton

  The rest of the week moved crazy fast once we started planning. Ryland took over all the important stuff, but I spent an entire day searching online for a dress. Easier said than done with the island’s spotty Wi-Fi. I had it overnighted to Nicole, and she would be bringing it with her when they arrived on Friday. It was simple and beachy, and exactly what I wanted to say I do in.

  I told Ryland I wanted him to wear a white dress shirt and gray slacks. It was what he was most comfortable in, and I knew he’d look amazing. He didn’t need fancy suits to look good, he was always the smartest dressed man in the room no matter what he wore.

  Even just thinking about our wedding night made me ache between my thighs. Either that or it was the residual effects of the crazy animal sex we’d been having all week. I wasn’t kidding when I said I was insatiable, and Ryland actually looked exhausted.

  I grinned as I watched him doze off in the hammock, the sun shining down on his bare chest. He looked so handsome I wanted to go curl up beside him, but I knew we wouldn’t get any sleeping done. And he needed a nap. Whatever he was planning had taken up a lot of his time this morning, and I pouted the entire time he was on the phone.

  Regardless, I knew it would all be worth it when I became Mrs. Ryland Bennett at the end of the week. It was still surreal. This thing that had started with so much darkness was now filled with light, and I had to wonder if it could last. I hated feeling that way. Like something might come and snatch it away at any moment. I needed to put those thoughts out of my head. I needed to leave the past behind.

  ***

  “Brighton, you look so beautiful,” Nicole gushed. “I love that dress.”

  I stared at my reflection in the mirror with a nervous smile. My dress was chiffon and ivory lace with a sweetheart neckline, and it hit just above my knees. It was perfect, and I couldn’t be happier with it.

  “Will you do my hair?” I asked Nicole. “I have no clue what to do with it.”

  “Of course.” She ushered me to a chair and helped me sit down. “We have to do something with soft, natural waves. It’s perfect for a beach wedding.”

  She set to work, talking over the bobby pins in her mouth. “I still can’t believe this is real,” she said. “Can you believe how far you and Ryland have come?”

  “I know.” I smiled. “It’s kind of crazy.”

  We went from him blackmailing me and wanting my family dead to being crazy in love. It wouldn’t make sense to most people, but I didn’t care. He was my soul mate. He was my everything, and I wouldn’t change a minute of what had happened between us because it brought us to where we were.

  “Has he come back yet?” I asked. He’d been gone all morning, and I was worried that something would happen. I was starting to become just like him.

  “Dear God, there’s two of you,” Nicole teased. “He’s fine, Brighton. He checked in with me an hour ago and said he was on his way back. He should be here any minute.”

  Almost as if on cue, a knock sounded on the bedroom door, and I glanced around in panic. “He can’t see me yet.”

  “Don’t worry.” Nicole grinned as she walked towards the door. “I wouldn’t allow that to happen.”

  She opened the door, and my mouth fell open when I saw who was standing on the other side.

  “Norma?”

  “Surprise!” she threw her hands up in the air.

  I was a little shocked when she ran over and hugged me like her life depended on it. We were still trying to figure out how this whole being sober relationship worked between us. There were tears in her eyes when she pulled away and held me at arm’s length. “My God, Brighton, you look so beautiful. That boy won’t know what hit him when he sees you walking down the aisle.”

  “I can’t believe you came,” I stammered.

  Great, now my eyes were filling with tears too. The littlest things set me off these days.

  “Ryland arranged it,” she said. “He wanted you to have your family here.”

  Although she didn’t mean to, her words brought a dark cloud into the room. I swallowed and looked away. Because even though Norma was there, Brayden wasn’t. And that hurt.

  “He invited Brayden too,” Nicole said softly. “Just so you know.”

  “He did?”

  I was full on crying now. I just gave into it.

  “Yes,” Norma answered for her. “I tried to talk him into coming too. I’m sorry, Brighton, but you know he’s stubborn as hell.”

  “I know.” I nodded.

  It was for the best he wasn’t going to be here if that was his attitude. I didn’t need anyone trying to ruin our special day. But I still couldn’t believe Ryland had extended the olive branch. I was shocked, and it only made me want to marry him more.

  Norma reached out and handed me a little blue box. “Ryland wanted me to give you this.”

  “What is it?”

  “Well, open it and see.” She grinned. “I’m guessing it’s some kind of jewelry from the looks of it.”

  I reached down and opened the lid to find a white gold necklace with what appeared to be a heart wave. The paper beneath it confirmed it.

  “Oh my God.” I clasped a hand over my mouth. “He had this custom made for me. It’s his heart beat.”

  “What does the paper say?” Nicole tried to peek over my shoulder.

  “It says, keep this close to your heart, Brighton, so we’ll never be out of sync.”

  “Wow.” Nicole blubbered. “That is so sweet. And so unlike Ryland.”

  “I know.” I choked out a laugh between sobs.

  “I think you found yourself a keeper,” Norma butted in.

  “I think so too.” I wiped away my tears. “Let’s make me pretty so I can go and marry him.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Ryland

  Had you asked me six years ago if I’d ever seen myself in this position, I would’ve laughed you right out of the frigging building.

  Me? Getting married.

  Abso-fucking-lutely not.

  I had one thing on my mind then, and that was revenge. How sweet it would taste, how good it’d feel. I didn’t want any distractions.

  But when I took Brighton Valentine for the first time, I completely underestimated how sweet she’d taste. How good she’d feel. Or how she would crawl so deep under my skin I’d never see straight again.

  She ruined me. No doubt about it.

  And yet, when I caught sight of her walking down the aisle towards me- a vision in white- I was prepared to fork over heart and soul. She could have what was left of them, until death parted us because for me there was no other option. If I could’ve included an agreement that stipulated she wasn’t allowed to give them back, I would have. But we all know how the last agreement ended between us.

  Still. She was mine, always would be.

  I practiced breathing, which I’d briefly forgotten, as my eyes roamed over my bride. Her hair had been kissed by the sun during our time here. A mixture of strawberry and gold, it fell over her shoulder in soft waves. All I could think about was running my hands through it and mussing it up. She gave me a nervous smile. The one she usually wore when she was on her knees for me, doing my bidding. My cock jumped in excitement, and I had to tell him to settle down. This was not the time or place.

  I couldn’t believe this little sweet was going to be all mine. After everything, she’d still have me. She maintained her stance that we were cut from the same cloth. Insisted she harbored just as much darkness as I did. She was wrong.

  Brighton was all light. Everything pure and good and untainted, and I got high on her every time I tasted that nectar. How could I have ever thought I’d tire of her? That I could g
ive her up when it was all over?

  I was a fool.

  She reached the end of the aisle and stood beside me. She’d never looked more beautiful than when she came to me willingly. Her eyes were bright and big and so alive it sent all the blood to my southerly regions. There was little choice but to lean in and steal a kiss. The officiant made a disapproving noise, and I kissed her harder. He could fuck right off.

  “Ryland.” Brighton giggled against my lips before she pulled away. Her cheeks were tinted pink with embarrassment.

  Oh, how I loved that.

  The officiant did his spiel, and I heard not a lick of it. My eyes were zeroed in on my girl, impatiently awaiting that pivotal moment. In the interim, I found myself eye-fucking her and looking for tells. Did she really want to do this? Was she going to run screaming at any moment?

  There weren’t any big red flags, but the fear was still there, regardless. It would be until the man said those words I desperately needed to hear. Upon further observation, Brighton appeared light and happy. Relaxed. Feet firmly planted in place. I was the luckiest prick on the planet if she went through with this.

  She hadn’t made a big production of it, which I was quietly grateful for. I would’ve given her whatever she wanted, be it gold confetti or horse-drawn carriages. But frankly, I wanted to get it over with, so we could spend the rest of our life together. Also of equal importance- commencing the honeymoon.

  The word flooded my mind with images. No need to get into the nitty gritty here, but I’ll tell you they were good. The fact I’d been inside of her incessantly over the last week did little to quell the burning in my gut. This island had done her good. Pregnancy glow in full swing, she was more radiant than I even deemed myself worthy of. That was a given, of course.

  She’d chosen an ivory lace dress. How fitting. My sly little fox knew how much I loved the color on her. On point, her lashes fluttered as a mischievous smile lit up her face. I wondered if she had any notion what was bouncing around my brain. Perhaps she had her own dirty little thoughts. I had corrupted her after all.