Page 41 of A Corruption Dark & Deadly

The pastor asked for any naysayers but nobody spoke. Jericho and Annie wouldn’t have listened either way.

Then, for their first kiss, Jericho cupped the back of her head – it was her favorite feeling, the utter control and desire she felt when he did that made her tingle all over – tilted it back, and placed his mouth on hers. There was no tongue but their mouths were open and the kiss was intimate.

When they broke apart, both smiled.

“I am honored to introduce you all to Mr. and Mrs. Steel,” he said.

Steel, Annie thought. She hadn’t realized his last name was Steel since everyone referred to him as just Jericho. Annie Steel. I like it. It has a nice ring to it.

They took more pictures together and proceeded to kiss some more as well. When that was finished, the limo took them back to their home in the woods. They had an early flight in the morning to Hawaii, where they were going to honeymoon together for two weeks.

But, for now, they would focus on their wedding night.

There was no reception. No gifts awaited them at their home. Somehow, despite the media frenzy Jericho caused, nobody knew just yet that he had actually gotten married. This made Annie happy to no end. Nobody knew her, of course. Once the world did find out, she would be surprised if anyone cared to learn her name. It was more about the fact that Jericho was married than who he was married to. Either way, it felt nice to have him all to herself for now. Their marriage, a secret.

When they got back to their room, there was a familiar beat up pickup truck sitting in the driveway. Annie’s brows shot up to the sky. What was Bruce doing here? He wasn’t in the car, which meant he had to be inside. Even though she occupied the house, Annie never made him give her his key back. She always thought that maybe he would drop by and things would return to normal. As normal as they could be, after everything they had been through.

But she hadn’t been expecting him at all. And as Jericho helped her out of the car, she felt her heart start to race. She was nervous, more nervous than when she got married. Which didn’t make any sense. Why would she care about seeing Bruce again?

Because this time was different, a voice in her head pointed out. She wasn’t just his sister anymore. She was Jericho’s wife.

“You okay?” Jericho asked as he helped her out of the car. He kept his fingers laced with hers even after closing the door.

“It’s Bruce’s car,” she said, nodding her head at the truck.

“Yeah,” Jericho agreed. “I called him.”

“You what?” Annie asked, snapping her head in his direction, eyes wide.

“Listen, it’s none of my business, whatever it is that’s happening between the two of you, but this is our big day,” he said. “I don’t have family – except for you now. But you, you’re lucky enough to have your brother. And I wanted him to be here for you because he can be. And when I told him, he wanted to be at our wedding but he was respectful enough to give us our space. So I invited him to our place for dinner before we enjoy our night together. I’m certain I was rather presumptuous and you can hate me all you want but I know how much you miss him and I just thought-“

Jericho wasn’t able to finish that sentence because Annie had leaped into his arms and thrown her arms around her neck.

“Thank you,” she whispered in his ear. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

He looked down at her, his eyes searching hers. “I have an idea,” he murmured before giving her a quick kiss on the lips. “Come on. I’m sure he’s been waiting a while.”

“What kind of food did you get?” she asked as he put her back on the ground and they made their way to the door.

“I think he said something about Chinese,” Jericho told her. “He insisted on paying for it himself.”

“Chinese,” Annie said with a grin. “My favorite.”

Jericho unlocked the door and headed to the kitchen and dining room. There was Bruce, in an eighties-styled powder-blue tuxedo, his messy brown hair as slicked back as it was ever going to be. He immediately came to a standing position and his eyes rested on Annie.

“Wow,” he said, looking her up and down. “Mom and Dad would have been so proud of you, Annie.”

Annie felt her eyes fill up with unshed tears. “Do you really think so?” she asked. She hated how emotional she was. She wasn’t the type to get emotional over anything, certainly not about being married. But this was different. Her brother was here and staring at him now, she almost regretted the fact that he wasn’t at their wedding.

But that was between you and Jericho, a voice in her head pointed out. You got to keep that moment between the two of you.

Plus, he was here now. Because of Jericho.

Bruce stepped toward her tentatively, unsure if he should approach her or not. She smiled and stepped to him, erasing the distance between them. He threw his arms around her and enveloped her in his warmth. He rested his chin on hers and she could somehow feel him smiling against her. It was only at that moment when the tears started to fall freely to the point where even she couldn’t hold them back. And, quite honestly, she wasn’t ashamed. He was her brother and she missed him dearly. It felt like forever since the last time they spoke together and she was so relieved to hold him in her arms again, feel his closeness. He was all she had. Well, him and now Jericho.

She pulled apart and gave Jericho an awed look.

“Yeah,” Bruce said. “Jericho called me and basically told me that you guys were getting married. Granted, it might be a little rushed but I think to each his own, right? You guys do you. And it’s clear you both really care for one another so if it works, it works. My only regret is that I wasn’t able to be there with you but I also get that you have to do what’s best for you. You guys are married now and that means Brucey comes second, which is fine. As long it’s to a guy who deserves you. And I’m happy to say, Jericho does.”