“You made her cry. Langs never cries. She might have forgiven you because she loves you, but I’m not that easy to win over, and I’m keeping my eyes on you. If you hurt her like that again, you’ll be dealing with me. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He kept it at that because she wouldn’t believe any assurances he gave her.
“About her getting shot—”
“I’ll do a better job protecting her in the future,” Ryder interrupted.
“Good,” Sarah said with a sharp nod. “Make sure you do.”
Langley’s arrival saved him from more scolding. As her arm went around his waist, she said, “Your great aunts are the sweetest things!”
“The gargoyles? Sweet?”
She frowned at him. “They’ve done incredible things in their lives. The next time I go to Cleveland,they’re going to show me pictures from some of their adventures.”
Taggart returned with Sarah’s wine and Langley looked up at him expectantly. “What would you like, hellcat?” Ryder asked.
“Manhattan, please.”
“Be right back.” And he kissed her forehead because her accent was too fucking sexy—okay, she was too fucking sexy—and went to get her drink.
Smiling,Langley ignored the throbbing in her leg. She might have overdone it the tiniest little bit, but she only intended to get married once and she planned to enjoy herself. “The amethyst color looks fabulous on you, Sarah,” Langley said.
“And the slit in the skirt is high enough that I can run if I need to.” Sarah raised both eyebrows.
Langley’s smile broadened to a grin. “That’s why I bought an A-line dress without a train and chose one-inch kitten heels.” Her wedding gown was beautiful with a sleeveless, illusion bodice, but it wouldn’t have been her first choice if she hadn’t been kidnapped six months ago. “But we shouldn’t need to run tonight. Brett’s here,” she turned her smile on him momentarily, “we have aplethora of Army Special Forces present, and Dad hired security.”
“And some of the guests brought their own bodyguards.” Brett’s voice was dry.
With a shrug, Langley said, “The royal family doesn’t go anywhere without their own security, and foreign heads of state get secret service protection while they’re in the US. We have several prime ministers and presidents in attendance.”
His face remained expressionless, but Langley had learned to read that special kind of neutral that operatives donned.
“What can I say? My parents know people.”
An elderly Taiwanese couple came up to her to say good night. Sarah and Brett excused themselves and Langley thanked the couple in Mandarin for flying out for her wedding, chatting with them briefly before they departed. She had about thirty seconds alone before Ryder returned and handed her the drink.
Smiling her thanks, she took a sip.
“Is it too early for us to get out of here?” he asked, sliding an arm around her waist.
“Much too early,” Langley said.
“That’s what I thought. I love you, hellcat, but today has been overwhelming.”
Her heart clenched in her chest before it resumed beating. “The wedding?”
“Marrying you was the highlight of my life.”Ryder gently squeezed her waist. “This crowd of people, though…” He shook his head. “You know I’m edgy for a while when I get home, and I haven’t been back long enough to completely settle in. This crowd is hard.”
After another sip, she leaned into Ryder’s side, letting him take some of her weight. “I’m sorry.”
Ryder pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Do you think we can sneak off for a few minutes alone?”
An ambassador’s daughter didn’t sneak away when there were duties to perform.“Let’s do it.”
Without another word, Ryder took her glass and put it down on a table before clasping her hand and leading her away from the guests. She’d expected to have to hurry to keep up with him, but his pace matched hers and it told her that he was aware of exactly how much her leg hurt her tonight. They were stopped several times along the way, but at last they reached a secluded part of the grounds. The sound of voices, of music seemed distant here.
Ryder wrapped her an embrace and said, “Alone at last.”