Page 2 of Cuffing His Bride

“What the hell do you mean by that?” I scowl. I can’t hide the way this is all getting to me any longer. Not when his eyes are flashing with mirth as if all this is a joke to him. As if he isn’t about to ruin everything and humiliate me in front of my entire family, my boss, and basically half of Port View.

“Amelia, you’re a complete prude. We’ve been seeing each other for some time, and you haven’t let me touch you. We’ve never even kissed. It’s because of women like you that men cheat. I can’t imagine anyone who’d want to be saddled with—”

No, I’ve never pictured myself as a killer bride, but perhaps I just hadn’t thought far enough ahead. Leave it to Charles to bring out my murderous side. Instead of calculating more hands-off options, I finally let myself spring for him, nails and teeth bared.

The look of horror on his sorry face may just make this all worth it, in the end.

Everything becomes hazy after that. I don’t think of the trust fund or the flower shop as I tear at his sniveling face. I don’t think about the fact that this crime of passion has more than two hundred witnesses with their phones out ready to film my lapse in judgement. I don’t think about the consequences as I relish his squeals for help.

“I’ll kill you!” I scream into the air, kicking at anyone who tries to pry me off my groom. “You’re dead, you asshole!”

There is no way in hell I am leaving the man with a head full of hair after everything he’s done to me. They’ll have to pry me off of his cold, dead body.

Chapter Two

Hunter

I’m on my last break for the day when the call comes in. For a moment, I think about ignoring it, but I know that’s not an option. In the ten years I’ve worked on the force, I have never once ignored a dispatch call. To do so would go against everything I believe in.

I take one last peaceful sip of coffee before taking the call from dispatch. Never a dull day, even in a little town like Port View.

“Sir?” The rookie I’ve been partnered with looks at me with wide eyes as he gets into the squad car’s passenger seat. “What’s the call for this time?”

I’ve been partnered with the kid for a month now, but years of working alone make me forget that I have a partner now. I prefer working alone, but despite my clean record, my bosses are not impressed by my sometimes “unconventional” way of making arrests. Apparently punching some creep during an arrest for stalking fourteen-year-olds wasnotthe best way I could have gone about it. They’d partnered me with this rookie shortly after. I figured they’d brought him to babysit me but he’s so young, I can’t be sure who’s babysitting whom.

“There have been multiple calls made regarding an altercation down at St. John’s,” I say.

“Wait, isn’t that the church?”

I respond with a nod as I turn the squad car onto the road.

“Why would there be a fight at a church? Seems weird.”

I don’t bother responding. I’ve had to deal with issues in churches several times before. Just two months ago, the former priest was caught having an affair with a married woman and if I hadn’t arrived on time, there definitely would have been bloodshed.

“Brace yourself,” I say, before turning on the sirens and cutting through traffic. There’s no need to speed up, honestly. I don’t believe this is a life-threatening situation, but I hate dealing with traffic. The sooner I can take care of this, the faster I can clock out.

As soon as we arrive, the rookie jumps out of the vehicle and speeds into the church without waiting for my instructions. I let out a sigh and follow behind. I understand wanting to prove yourself to your superiors, but he’ll soon learn you can’t run head-first into situations, especially ones like this.

The crowd parts as I make my way into the church. I’m used to the gaping looks they give me as I move past. They have nothing to do with my uniform or the gun I have holstered on my belt. I’m a big man. Tall, built like a tank, and with a mean look few like meeting. I understand why they’d be intimidated, and I can’t say I mind.

Inside, the church is in a state of chaos. There are people in the pews murmuring to each other, others are recording the spectacle at the altar. They all stop when they see me.

“You bastard!” a voice screams. And that’s when I seeher.

A woman in a poofy wedding dress has her fingers fisted in a man’s hair. She’s sitting on his back as he tries to crawl away but despite his best efforts, he can’t seem to shake her off. I watch in fascination as my rookie partner tries to step in and pull the rogue bride off the man’s back. Instead, he receives a kick to the shin, which has him wincing and staggering back.

He’s so shocked he can’t even make himself bark out an order for her to cease and desist, instead attempting again to get close to the woman to pull her off. He scrambles back when she throws a blind elbow his way.

“I’ll kill you,” she swears. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You lying piece of—”

For a moment, I can’t get myself to move. Watching this woman tear into this poor guy is fascinating, as is her inability to let anyone get close enough to pull her off of him. The rookie’s poor attempts to diffuse the situation continue to fall on deaf ears, which is when he turns to look at me with a defeated look.

It’s a surprise no one’s managed to get her off the man, considering how delicate she looks, with her long, dark hair falling wildly down her shoulders and back. Even in her furious state, she’s angelic. Not at all the hell spawn I was expecting when we got the call.

My cock jerks in my pants as excitement shoots through me. The arousal takes me by surprise; no one’s caught my interest in so long. But this angry little angel … something about her stirs parts of me that were long forgotten before now.

“Sir,” the rookie calls and that snaps me back to the present.

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