The Crime of Protection

by Gloria Martin

  It was too kind of the pack leader to offer his estate for the wedding and reception. The grandeur of the plantation-style house lent a sort of elegance to the wedding that the charming old church never would have been capable of. Additionally, with the reception being held here as well, they only had to decorate one location.

  The weather had turned out perfect and even from here she was in love with the colors of the bridesmaids’ dresses against the bright reds and oranges of the leaves outside. Taking a deep breath, she heard the chiming of the town clock tower in the distance as 5 o’clock struck. Next, the music started and the wedding party began to make their way out the door.

  Gina turned to her mother, who was smiling brightly as she tried to hold back the tears. She handed Gina her bouquet of teal roses and white lilies.

  “Your father would be so proud.”

  Suddenly, at the mention of her father, Gina felt tears of her own threaten. Words failed her and so she smiled and hugged her mother. After all these years she still wore the same perfume, and Gina briefly remembered her childhood. She remembered all the times that she and her cousins would have pretend weddings as little kids, and then planning dream weddings with her friends when she was a teenager. Of course back then she dreamed of marrying Brad Pitt.

  “Come now,” her mother said as she regained her composure, “we need to get out there.”

  Gina laughed nervously as she held her mother’s arm. The last of the bridesmaids had just walked out of the door. As they reached the end of the hallway, the music shifted to announce the bride. Taking a deep breath, Gina stepped outside.

  The back porch was lined with Ionic columns and between the two center columns a white archway had been set up with teal and white tulle, and flowers. Her heels were solid against the hard wood as she walked. The sound seemed to echo when she stopped at the top of the porch stairs.

  She could feel the eyes of everyone upon her, but her attention could only focus on the end of the stone path where Rafe stood waiting for her in front of the manmade pond. Swallowing hard, Gina gathered up the front of her skirt as she had practiced with Leila and descended the steps.

  With every step, Gina could feel the emotion building up in her throat. She wanted to cry but held back the flood only for the sake of her makeup. Instead, she smiled brightly as she stared into Rafe’s eyes.

  Rafe stared back into her eyes. His smile was calming as she walked down the stone path. Gina blocked everyone else out of her mind and focused solely on his smile and how it lit up his golden caramel colored eyes.

  As she neared the end of the aisle she saw something creep into Rafe’s eyes. His smile began to drop and Gina heard a voice behind her.

  “How can you possibly think this is a good idea?” A voice behind her called out. She recognized that voice as Blake, a young cousin and member of the werewolf pack who didn’t approve of Rafe’s decision to marry her. It was an opinion she had voiced on many occasions.

  Gina was stopped in her tracks as a foot stepped down on the train of her dress. Suddenly everything was overwhelming. She could feel all the eyes on her as some of the guests let out gasps. There was no stopping her momentum as she pitched forward.

  “How dare you!” she heard her mother exclaim.

  “Blake! What are you doing?” Another voice from the crowd yelled out.

  Gina saw herself about to crash into the stone when a pair of strong arms caught her. She looked up and saw that Rafe saved her. She was too stunned to react as Rafe straightened her and held her close.

  Gina winced as she saw Blake in a tight black dress and a scowl on her face. Beneath her heel was the torn hem of Gina’s dress. She had a finger pointed accusingly towards her.

  “You don’t deserve to be with him! There’s no place for you at his side,” she cried out as the ushers tried to escort her off the premises.

  As they took hold of her she lashed out at them. Her hands began to transform into claws as she struck out at the two men and she tore their jackets.

  “Get out her out of here,” Rafe said, his voice an unsettling growl that almost sounded calm in his anger.

  Blake shrieked as she was pulled away from the crowd. Her echoing threats filled the air as she was taken around the side of the house away from the ceremony. Everything fell into silence as her yelling ended.

  Gina returned to herself and realized that the entirety of the wedding party had stepped up to surround her protectively. Leila’s hand was gripping her forearm tightly.

  After a moment, it was Leila who broke the silence. “Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get this show on the road.”

  This seemed to jolt everyone out of their shock of the scene that had unfolded before them. Guests returned to their seats and Rafe escorted her the rest of the way down the aisle.

  Gina looked up at him in awe at his composure. Rafe looked back at her and his eyes melted back into liquid caramel and a small smirk crawled across his lips.

  Leaning towards her he whispered, “By the way, you look amazing.”

  *****

  The rest of the wedding ceremony went smoothly, although that could have partially been attributed to people’s remaining surprise from earlier. Either way, when Rafe and Gina were pronounced man and wife, everyone stood and cheered.

  When she kissed her new husband, Gina quite forgot about the threats that Blake had made earlier. The violent young wolf was far from her mind when Rafe took her face in his hands and kissed her with the same passion he’d had since their very first date. Her head was swimming as the chorus of whooping cheers, whistles, and applause assaulted her ears.

  Their lips still attached, he picked up Gina and spun her around. She giggled and clung to him as her veil slipped off and clattered to the ground along with her shoes. Rafe kissed her again as he carried her back up the stone pathway to the porch as they were showered with rice by the guests. After climbing the steps, he set Gina down on her bare feet and she was glad to have her sense of balance back as she felt the smooth polished wood beneath her.

  Rafe held up his arms to gather everyone’s attention before announcing, “Dinner is ready, if everyone could make their way to the banquet room and take their seats while I find my wife a new pair of shoes…”

  The crowd tittered with laughter as Rafe picked Gina up again and carried her inside. They heard the rumblings and rustlings of the crowd preparing to come in from outside as he took her upstairs to where his own dressing room had been. Gina kissed his neck as he brought her into the large bedroom and threw her down on the bed, the both of them giggling like drunken teenagers.

  Rafe climbed on top of Gina and she pulled him close as their lips met. They kissed for a long minute before breaking away for air.

  “Well, my wife,” Rafe said and the words sent an electrifying spark of glee through Gina, “we have a few minutes while we wait for everyone to get settled downstairs.”

  Gina giggled while his hand pulled and searched for the hem of her dress. “I don’t want to have to put this dress on twice.”

  Rafe found the bottom of the skirt and lifted it up above her knees. “Well then, maybe I’ll just have to eat my dessert first.”

  “Well I can’t have you spoiling your appetite,” she laughed and then sighed as his fingers found their way under the skirts and up her legs.

  “No?” He laughed playfully. He pulled her skirt up to reveal the white lace panties she had bought for the occasion. Pulling at the edges of the lace he commented, “Looks like you wrapped my present up for me.”

  “Yup,” she said teasingly, “and you have to wait to open it until after you’ve had your supper and opened up the rest of your presents.”

  “Oh, yes, ma’am.” He pressed his nose to the lace and inhaled, “but you’re making it so hard for me to be a good boy.”

  Gina vibrated with her excitement. As much as she wanted to forget about the reception and skip straight to the honeymoon, there were roughly three h
undred people waiting downstairs for them to come and begin the dinner. Besides that, the dress was complicated enough to get on once. She didn’t want to have to try to do it again with only Rafe to help her.

  She had no doubt in his ability to get it off, but on…that was a whole different story. Sitting up, Gina met Rafe’s lips for a kiss as three of his fingers found their way around the edges of her panties and inside of her.

  “Can’t I have a little appetizer?”

  Gina moaned softly. “Behave yourself.”

  Chuckling, Rafe removed his fingers and licked them one by one, starting with his ring finger, while letting out a small moan of his own. “Mmmm…you taste so good.”

  Gina reached out and grabbed his hand before he could lick the last finger and stuck it in her own mouth, tasting the sweetness of herself on his skin. Rafe’s eyes lit up with a new excitement as he raised his eyebrows.

  “You sure you don’t want to just sneak out the back and start the honeymoon now?”

  Laughing, Gina kissed him deeply before responding. “No, I’m not going to let Leila have all of that wedding cake to herself.”

  “Good point,” he laughed as he stood and pulled his new wife to her feet. “We need to find you some shoes then don’t we.”

  Just then, they heard the clattering of heels ascending the stairs and a moment later Leila appeared with Gina’s flats as if she had been summoned by her brother’s words.

  As she entered the doorway she let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Good, you’re both still dressed. Everyone is ready for you to come and start dinner.”

  *****

  The reception was dull in comparison to the wedding. There were no outbursts besides a few crying children as the evening wore on and they became tired. After dinner Gina and Rafe had their obligatory cutting of the cake followed by their first dance.

  As they spun around the room to Open Arms by Journey, Gina rested her head on his shoulder. Rafe kissed her cheek and whispered how happy he was to have her there in his arms.

  Gina smiled and looked up into his face. He looked absolutely boyish with a grin spread across his lips and a slight twinkling in his eye.

  “I love you,” he said as they spun around the room, pretending no one else existed.

  “I love you, too.”

  They kissed and the room swirled around them. Gina’s dress softly swished across the floor along to the rhythm of the song. She was glad they had taken those dance classes weeks ago and she didn’t have to fret about stepping on his toes, or him stepping on hers.

  In her peripheral vision, she could see other couples joining them out on the dance floor. Soon enough, there were swirling colors moving in time all around them and Gina felt like they were finally beyond being the center of attention for a moment.

  However as soon as the song ended, glasses were being tapped and the chanting of “kiss, kiss” started up. Gina laughed as Rafe pretended he didn’t understand the request. He motioned to himself and Gina in mock incredulity as the chanting intensified.

  Finally someone shouted, “Oh just kiss her already!”

  Rafe obliged and without warning, he dipped Gina down. Her new husband kissing her deeply silenced her shocked squeal of surprise, while the crowded hall erupted into cheers around them.

  Afterwards, it was time for Gina to toss the bouquet. Her bridesmaids along with all of the other single girls and women all crowded in the middle of the dance floor as they vied for a spot up front to catch the symbolic bunch of flowers.

  Gina stood at the far end of the hall and turned her back to the clamoring group of women. She waited a moment while someone started up a drumroll. All of the onlookers joined in, beating on tables or their laps. The noise increased until it suddenly all fell silent and Gina threw her arms back with all her might and sent the bouquet flying through the air.

  For a split second there was only silence before the flowers reached the girls and all hell broke loose as they squealed and grappled with each other to retrieve the flowers. Gina turned around to watch the chaos that ensued. It was highly entertaining.

  The height of the excitement was when a younger cousin of her’s, who was about 10 years old walked out of the bathroom to see the madness that was going on. She nonchalantly approached the horde of struggling women and swiped the bouquet neatly up off of the floor.

  The entire hall erupted into hysterical laughter as the little girl walked off before any of the other girls in the tussle even noticed what happened. Gina was doubled over in a fit of giggles.

  Then they brought out a chair for the next tradition that was to take place. Gina blushed because she had completely forgotten about this part. The groomsmen walked her over to the chair, which sat in the middle of the hall for all to watch.

  Gina sat down, partially nervous, but mostly embarrassed. All around her the crowd tittered and let out a low “ooh” as they got ready for the next part of the night’s entertainment.

  Rafe made a show of encouraging the crowd as he walked up to where his new wife sat in the chair. He got down on his knee and raised his hands in the air to quiet the crowd.

  Trying to restrain her laughter, Gina sat as still as she could while Rafe fingered the hem of her dress. The groomsmen began to chant and soon the crowd joined in.

  Rafe teased them by slipping his hands up under her dress. Gina was giddy as his hands lightly grasped her ankles and slowly pushed up to her knees. His touch was so soft and she blushed deeper as she felt herself getting excited and the crowd’s chanting increased.

  Flashing his devilish smile, Rafe ducked his head underneath her skirts. Gina took a quick breath as the room erupted into whoops and hollers and she felt Rafe’s hot breath between her knees. Her face was crimson with embarrassment as she felt his breath tickle her panties. She felt the gentle warmth of his tongue press against the fabric and she wanted to let out the most indignant noise, but managed to keep her mouth shut.

  Next, she felt his teeth graze her thigh as he took hold of her garter and began to pull it off. He worked it down her leg and finally reemerged from underneath her dress, the treasure clutched between his teeth. As he stood, the onlookers cheered and Rafe threw his hands up in the air in victory.

  Taking the garter from his mouth, Rafe reached out and pulled Gina up from the chair and kissed her. This caused another cheer to erupt from the crowd. Laughing, Gina stayed by his side as the single men formed a mob behind them.

  They jostled each other, awaiting their prize and the drumroll began again. The tension built much in the same way as Rafe pulled the garter back on his fingers like a slingshot. The drumroll increased until the room was thundering and then the moment of silence followed as the small scrap of fabric was released up into the air.

  All at once the guys pounced as the garter floated down. They tackled one another and were on the verge of violence when one of the groomsmen held up his trophy and proclaimed his victory. Another groomsman took it and stretched it around the victor’s head like a headband, causing everyone to crack up in a roar of laughter.

  Amidst the laughter, Rafe pulled Gina close and kissed her. Then he whispered in her ear, “I love you, darling, but when can we get out of here?”

  Still laughing, she whispered back, “Let’s sneak upstairs after this dance.”

  *****

  Gina couldn’t get enough of Rafe as he pressed her up against the wall of the hallway upstairs. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist so he could carry her the rest of the way down the hall to his room without having to unlock his lips from hers.

  He fumbled for a second to close and lock the door behind them, but once the latch was in place his hand immediately reached for the back of Gina’s dress. Swiftly, he made his way through the pearl buttons and his warm hands were upon the bare flesh of her back. Simultaneously, Gina had loosened and untied his bowtie and begun to unbutton his shirt, revealing the broad chest underneath covered in a fine coat of dark hair.


  Gina kneaded her fingers in his chest hair, wildly turned on. The two could not press their bodies close enough, and they were wearing far too much clothing. With only their gasping breaths to communicate, they unlatched themselves from one another to strip off the heavy fabrics that encased them.

  As she shimmied out of the heavy skirts of her dress, Rafe pulled her hips back against him. She could feel his hardened member throbbing for her through the fabric of his pants.

  Straightening, she leaned back against her new husband and felt the bare skin of his torso against her back. Rafe kissed and nibbled her neck as his hands ran up and down the length of her arms, pulling one hand behind her to feel his wedding present for her as it throbbed with longing.

  Gina sighed as her body began to tremble with her own longing. She pressed herself against him, teasing and begging for him to take her already. Turning around, she reached behind herself and undid the clasps of her bra.

  It fell to the floor as Rafe lifted her up again, holding her high so that his mouth could caress and suckle her exposed breasts. Her head fell back as she sighed out a delighted moan.

  He gripped her butt firmly as he carried her over to the bed and laid her down on top of the sheets. Gina watched in anticipation as her new husband stood over her and his muscles flexed and rippled as he worked to undo the belt and pants that were keeping his excitement constrained.

  She bit her lip as she watched, she could feel herself dripping wet and soaking through her panties. Somehow being newlyweds and there being a party of a few hundred just downstairs celebrating for them made this all the more exciting. The bass of the dance music pulsed through the floor but offered nothing but a beat for their bodies to begin synchronizing to.

  “I hope you didn’t want to save these,” Rafe said as he took off his pants and reached for her panties. He leaned over her and kissed her hip sensually before ripping the white lace off of her.

  Gina gasped with delight as the fabric disappeared and was immediately replaced by his probing tongue swimming through her wetness. His arms held her legs firmly in the air on either side of his head and her whole body pulsed with each flick of his tongue over her clitoris until she was whimpering and trembling with all of the sensation.