Page 153 of Preacher Man

“Fuck. Woman. You’re amazing, do you know that?” A smile crept onto his face, some color coming back into his cheeks. She smiled at his compliment.

“It’s a small world, Preacher man.” Grim as it was, she was connected to him and his club now. Time limped forward, Preacher not saying anything, his fingertips brushing over her cheek, moving her hair back, his eyes never leaving hers, seemingly content to just look at her. Rather than feeling cumbersome under such scrutiny, his gaze comforted her. At least he wasn’t running for the door, she thought. At least he hadn’t called her a freak.

“Answer me something, Ruby.”

Yes.” She rushed out and flushed. “Anything.”

He smiled and kissed her fingertips, kept them held up to his mouth.

“How soon will you marry me?”

Ruby’s pulse tripped and went nuts. “You still want to? I mean, still think it’s a good idea?” Thump. Thump. Thump. Her damaged organ banged against the inside of her ribs. “I thought maybe you’d change your mind … after…”

“Ruby. Not even a little. Didn’t I say no matter what you told me my proposal was still there?” She nodded shyly. Relieved. “Now for the third fucking time.” He grinned. “You know how to keep a man waiting. You gonna let me marry you?”

What a sweet choice of words, like he was begging to be tied to her instead of doing her the most gracious selfless favor of all.Marry me because you want me, love me.How would that feel? she wondered. Wonderful, she guessed. Practicality was his reason and she smiled, looked down at the ring adorning her finger, glinting in the sunlight.

“I make damn good pancakes. Not that I’m trying to sway you, tiny dancer.”

Ruby chuckled and leaned into his shoulder, felt his hands slip around her waist, squeezed her there.

“Oh well then, how can I refuse pancakes? I want breakfast every day, Preacher.” she cleared her throat. “I would like to accept, thank you.”

It was probably the most polite and weird proposal of marriage in the history of ever, and she was including all marriage related movies she’d ever seen, which was all of them. Those were her secret guilty pleasure to watch on a Saturday night under a warm blanket with a bucket of popcorn and a box of tissues.

Now it was her turn to throw the bouquet.

It was nuts how fast things moved after that. Preacher made some calls, he said the club knew the mayor who owed them a favor. She didn't ask what. An MC associated with the mayor, of course, it made perfect sense an outlaw gang with ties to politics, she rolled her eyes and laughed, listening to his end of the conversation arranging for a special license without the waiting time. Those Renegade Souls and their connections.

Late afternoon the next day, Ruby was dressed in a simple summer dress, lemons and peaches decorated the soft material hung from spaghetti straps and flowed around her ankles. Preacher was in a pressed white shirt with his leather cut and faded denim and silver skull rings. He looked damn edible.

“Are you sure?” Her teeth whittled her lip as they waited outside by the curb. Two bikes arrived. Rider, Grinder, and Zara. They were going to be their witnesses.

“Trying to back out, beautiful?” Amused, she watched his brow arch up. The gesture calmed her dancing nerves. If he was so damn calm, she could be damn calm as well. A smile transformed his face, made him look younger, safe, secure, all the things she needed right then. This was crazy. It was crazy, right? And still, it felt…right. This was Preacher she was about to marry, but her brain kept telling her it hadn’t been that long. It was crazy. Too soon. But this wasn't a love match, at least not for him. Ruby was wildly in fucking love, love didn’t come with a time stamp, it just was. “Because I’ll carry you inside over my damn shoulder, Ruby.” He went on.

She laughed and laced his fingers. Joined by his friends she spoke for him only. “Fine. let’s go.” Grasping her hand her world steadied underneath her.

An hour later she walked out of the courthouse as Mrs. Asher Priest. Legally married to one of those notorious Colorado outlaws.

Ruby would have loved to have said her wedding day was nothing short of happiness and dancing unicorns pissing cotton candy. But as was life now everything was waiting for her after the I do’s. Preacher insisted they go out to eat.What's a wedding without grub, Ruby?They ended up back at Otis’ bar to have a steak and he'd bought her a slice of lemon cake, then they’d gone to Preacher’s house. It had been decided she’d move in this week, she didn’t have much she wanted to keep so the packing wouldn’t take her long at all. A lifetime of memories in just a few boxes. Pathetic really.

What was scary was she was going to be living with a man for the first time in her life. Oh boy. A woman her age should have scores of memories to tote around her. Old school friends had kids, long marriages, pets, mortgages and car payments. She barely had a four-hour long marriage to her name, and even that was not a love connection. And she was fighting to get her nephew, she had to keep remembering that, this was why he'd married her, don't get ahead of yourself, Ruby. Memories were fluid, hopefully, this time next year she’d have something better to pack.

I got married today, Rita. And I wish you had been there.

She slipped out of her dress, left it over a chair, her mind in many different directions. Ruby felt disconnected. It was her wedding day and yet more than aware it was not the norm. Was she disappointed? Did she wish this was all real? Cutting her thoughts short, she heard a noise behind her, Preacher came out of the bathroom.

Seeing him framed in the doorway her mouth dried to sawdust. He'd changed out of his wedding clothes into simple gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt, but on Preacher, he looked fucking gorgeous. Toned and beautifully honed, the material clinging to his body, his physique spoke of ambition as though he wanted to always be in the best peak fitness. Men worked their asses off in gyms, paid hundreds in memberships to look like him. Ruby knew what she wanted to distract her wounded heart and whirring mind. He was right there looking like a slab of beef she wanted to sink her teeth deep into. And she hadn’t him in more than a week.

Going to him immediately.

They'd had such an abridged relationship, skipping over about forty steps, now here she was in front of her husband. No wooing dates, they'd started right at sex and then gone to the chapel and Ruby found she didn't mind at all. With Preacher, she got the real deal, no lies or the games people play in relationships, he was helping her, pure and simple, she'd never questioned his motives and the sex ... that she would sell her soul for. Was about to again when she reached up on the very tips of her toes and brushed his mouth, felt him smile as his head cranked down that last inch for her.

She needed to make her grief go away, to tuck it up somewhere she couldn't feel it.

Ruby groaned low in her throat, a keening sound of desperation as she sank her tongue into his mouth, grabbed onto the back of his neck asking him silently to dip down a little more, and kissed him with every inch of sorrow, every ounce of desperate need, defeated in her worry she poured it into his massive body. And it still wasn’t enough. He grunted and the sound had her toes curling, she gripped the stub of his ponytail, arching his neck so she could kiss along his Adam's apple, his beard tickling her cheeks.

"I'm here, Ruby." He murmured against her lips, never letting up kissing her how she demanded it, because if he stopped she would have cried for real, big fat tears and she was afraid they wouldn't stop. For Seb's sake she couldn't be the one to fall apart, so she poured it into Asher.

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