“I can’t believe he really went through with it,” Angelo said. “I was absolutely sure he’d back out when he told me his plan, or that it was a fucking joke to get me to wake up early.”
“I wouldn’t joke about this,” Devil snapped.
“You expect me to believe that. You once told me Lucien was injured and being held captive to get me on a boat and strand me on a tiny island.”
My mouth dropped open as I stared at Devil. “Tell me he’s kidding.”
“I was eighteen.”
“And you’re telling me you’ve changed?” Angelo asked.
“Yeah, I have.” Devil reached for my hand, and I entwined our fingers.
Angelo sniffed. “For the worse.”
“Shut your fucking mouth!”
His cousin just laughed.
Devil had changed, though. Since we’d been together, he’d become a lot more reliable, but I was sure if he wanted to prank his cousin by pretending we were getting married, he would do it.
Despite being far less enthusiastic about the holidays than Devil, the decorations in City Hall Plaza made me smile. It was the one time of year city hall didn’t look like such an eyesore. There weren’t any ice skaters out this early, but seeing the rink made me wonder if Devil would want to go skating later. Only for him would I consider such a thing.
Lindsay was waiting for us in the lobby. When she saw us enter, she ran our way and pulled me into a hug. “Joe! I am so excited for you!”
“Thank you for being here. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you to slip away.”
“For this, no problem. Honestly, I would’ve done anything to evade the shit Lieutenant McDonough keeps piling on me.”
“Any breaks in your current case?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s bad enough I was thinking about seeing if you and your friends could dig up anything.”
“Call me anytime. You know I’ll help.” I gave her one more hug, then we let go of each other. Devil gestured for us to follow, and he led the way to the city clerk’s office.
When we arrived, we were informed they were running behind schedule, and we would have to wait. Patience was not a virtue Devil—or any of the Marchesis—possessed. My fiancé tapped his foot and drummed his fingers against his thigh as he glared into the office. I was just hoping he wouldn’t get security called on him.
“If you’d told Lucien, he would have been able to pull strings and get us to the front of the line,” Angelo said.
“I can pull my own strings if I want to, but Joe likes things done legally when they can be.” Right. Like our forged marriage certificate. “If I’d told Lucien, we wouldn’t be here today.”
“Just saying.” Angelo looked my way and winked. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Devil glared at him. “Don’t mess with me.”
“I wouldn’t be a very fair witness if I didn’t give the man a chance to rethink his decision.”
“Angel.” Most people would’ve flinched under the scowl Devil gave his cousin, but Angelo just scowled right back. They kept it up until our names were called.
Devil produced our license, and we both showed a few forms of identification, then the justice of the peace, who was our officiant, led us into a carpeted room with bookcases along three of the walls. We took each other’s hands and positioned ourselves in front of the officiant’s lectern. Angelo and Lindsay took their places beside us.
I squeezed Devil’s hands, trying to keep mine from shaking. I barely heard the words of the ceremony until my name seemed to echo through the room.
“Joe, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
Devil held my gaze, and my heart seemed to swell. I’d never been more sure of anything. “I do. I absolutely do.”
Once again, the officiant’s voice seemed to fade into the background and then it was over.
“I now pronounce you husband and husband.”
Those words fell over me like a spell. Intellectually, I knew nothing had changed. Devil and I were the same men who’d walked through the doors of the courthouse a little while ago, but my heart felt different. If I were less logically driven, I’d admit the air around us shimmered for a moment. I couldn’t decide if it really had or if I was about to pass out.
Devil pulled me to him. His hands slid into my short hair as his lips met mine. It was not a sweet kiss to seal our marriage, nor a kiss appropriate for a public building. Devil gave me a deep, open-mouthed, thoroughly possessive kiss, and he was so damn good at it my knees were weak by the time he pulled away.
He slid his lips along my jaw, then exhaled against my ear, making me shiver. I tried not to think about how we looked to everyone around us. I also had to resist the urge to check our surroundings for any threats. I would never shake that instinct after years as a cop. Considering what I did now, that was a good thing, but in that moment, I knew Angelo and Lindsay were watching out for us.