Page 102 of Bound By Blood

“As if you didn’t know,” she replied with a wicked grin.

“Yeah, well …”

“I’ll bet any other man would be happy to take me to bed.”

“If any other man tries, I’ll break his neck.”

“Zack! You’re making me crazy.”

Crazy, he thought. That’s exactly what he was. He loved her. She loved him. They were getting married soon. What was he waiting for?

“Listen, Katy, I don’t expect you to understand this, but I was brought up in a different era, a time when men didn’t touch their brides until the wedding night.”

“Are you saying men and women were all virgins back then? Because I don’t believe that for a minute.”

“Of course not. But men went to prostitutes before they were married. And some long after. I guess I’m more old-fashioned than I thought,” he muttered ruefully.

“All right,” she said with an exaggerated sigh of exasperation. “I’ll stop trying to seduce you. But, mister, you’d better be worth the wait!”

They went looking at churches the following night. Zack and Kaitlyn sat in the backseat of the Porsche, stealing kisses, while Drake drove to the first church.

“This one is beautiful,” Elena remarked.

“And very old,” Drake said as they approached the entrance. He glanced at Zack over his shoulder. “I never thought to ask. Are churches a problem for you?”

“No.”

With a nod, Drake opened the carved front door and stepped inside. Elena, Kaitlyn, and Zack followed on his heels.

It was a lovely old church, with arched ceilings and stained-glass windows. Candles burned on either side of the high altar. Baskets of fresh flowers, undoubtedly left over from a recent wedding, or perhaps a funeral, filled the air with a sweet fragrance. The wooden pews glowed with a patina of age.

“I love it,” Kaitlyn said, glancing around. “Zack?”

“If you like it, I like it.”

“Any point in looking anywhere else?” Elena asked.

“No.” Kaitlyn shook her head. “I want to be married here.”

“All right, then,” Elena said cheerfully. “I’ll call tomorrow and make the necessary arrangements.”

Drake and Elena left the church, their heads together.

Zack caught Kaitlyn by the hand when she would have followed.

“What?” She looked up at him. “You don’t want to get married here?”

“I just wanted to kiss my bride. Do you mind?”

“What a silly question.” She moved into his arms, went up on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips to his. “Your bride,” she murmured, smiling up at him. “I like the sound of that. Just think, soon I’ll be Mrs.Zackary Ravenscroft.”

“Not soon enough,” he growled.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The ringing of his cell phone brought Zack instantly awake. Sitting up, he grabbed the cell from the nightstand and checked the display.

“Scherry. What’s wrong?”

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