Page 2 of Braxton

Women always claimed they didn’t want to change a man, but they inevitably tried. Sometimes they even succeeded. Granted, Mia was changing Saint for the better by smoothing out his rough edges, but still. Those of the female persuasion were all the same, and he’d discovered he was better off alone.

Did it get lonely sometimes? Sure. But he’d been a fucking Delta Force commander, so hard things didn’t intimidate him. Yeah, celibacy sucked, but even when he’d been sexually active, none of those women had been as good as—

He shut the dangerous thought down fast.No.He refused to think about that lying, conniving, traitorous succubus. Lifting his glass, he took a thoughtful sip of the top shelf whiskey, mulling over his team’s next step and how they would use the captive chemist to cripple The Agency.

“Where is my fiancée?” Saint growled, prowling around the room.

“You have to pay the ransom!” Inda declared.

“C’mon, Saint, play along. They’re your traditions!” Ryland laughed, slapping the other man on the back.

“You idiots don’t know anything about Russian wedding traditions,” Saint stated, but he was smiling and all the growl was merely for show.

Zane read from a sheet of paper he’d printed off the internet. “It says you need to pay a ransom for the bride. That means you have to offer us gifts for her.”

“I’ll accept cash,” Ryland added with a cheeky grin.

Saint scoffed. Then he walked past where Brax sat and opened a cabinet. “How about some expensive vodka instead?”

“That’ll work,” Harper chimed in. “As long as we have something sweet to add to it.”

“I’ll grab the Midori,” River offered.

“Ooh, delish!” Inda turned to Lucas, sending him a sultry smile. Brax knew exactly what that look meant.

It meant she wanted a ring on her finger, too. Like Harper, Aubrey, River and now Mia had. That’s all women ever wanted.And some would go to any lengths to get it,he thought sourly.

“Are there any special wedding traditions you would want to do?” Inda asked Lucas, innocently batting her lashes.

Predictable.Brax shook his head.

“Why, yes,Onça.I’m a big believer in a very long, sex-filled honeymoon.”

She slapped his arm. “I bet you are!”

The hacker grabbed her, reeled her in and kissed her.

Saint cracked open the bottle and poured a glass for Brax first. “This is much better than that,” he stated, nodding to the whiskey. “But we’re celebrating, so here’s to being double-fisted all night.”

He clinked his glass against Brax’s and wandered back over to the party as Aubrey called for Mia, who came out of a nearby apartment.

“Your man has fulfilled his ransom,” River declared, raising her glass. “To Saint and Mia! It may have been a short engagement, but that’s how we do it around here.”

Congratulations filled the air.

Not long after, a Russian Orthodox priest in full liturgical vestments showed up at the door, courtesy of Zane. Brax wasn’t sure how he’d managed to pull it off in such a short amount of time, but there he was, ready to marry the happy couple.

The ceremony, spoken in both Russian and English, turned out better than Brax could’ve imagined. Even so, he didn’t believe in marriage. Not anymore. He’d taken one disastrous trip down the aisle and had regretted it ever since.

He had no idea whether or not his teammates’ marriages would last. He wished them all nothing but the best. At the same time, his jaded side knew better. Incredible sex, undying love, endless promises made in the throes of passion inevitably faded. Eventually, people’s true colors came out.

Once Saint and Mia exchanged their vows, they placed plain platinum bands on each other’s right ring fingers, which was the Russian tradition. The priest declared them husband and wife—God, help them—and they exchanged a long kiss. Then the priest made a quick exit as the party erupted.

Braxton wished he could shrug off his funk and let loose. God, he felt like a crabby old man. As much as he wanted to go and hide in his quarters, he was their leader and it was important for him to be there, to show solidarity. However, he planned to sneak away at the first opportunity that presented itself.

“I am the official ‘Tamada’,” Zane announced.

“Dude, you spend too much time on the internet,” Ryland said.

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