Page 42 of Operation Annulment (Silent Phoenix MC)
thirty-six
Dakota
I burst through the side door of the event center with my shoes tucked under my arm. Several employees jump back in fright, but I don’t slow down. I’m late enough as it is.
“Do not be alarmed,” I murmur with a breathless wave and a British accent. “’Tis only me.”
“Holy shit, you came back!” Little Ricky intercepts me as I round a corner, spinning me in a small circle. Then he sets me back on my feet with a stern expression. “Why the hell did you run away?”
“I had some unfinished business,” I pant, still out of breath from running. “And I forgot to leave a note explaining where I was. Speaking of, where is Zane—is he still here?”
“Right here, Dakota.”
My mouth goes dry as I turn to face him. Even without a cape, he is the sexiest superhero, with his slate gray three-piece suit and golden hair waves cascading down his shoulders.
And he’s all mine as soon as I clear up some confusion.
“I meant to leave a note?—”
He jerks his chin in a brisk nod. “You had second thoughts. Maybe we rushed this.”
I run a hand over his chest, stopping to pat his rock-hard abdominal muscles. “Look at me, Big Guy. Do I look like a woman who’s having second thoughts?”
He cups my cheek in his hand and studies my eyes as if trying to read my thoughts. “Babe, you look incredible. But you left, and I?—”
“I know,” I interject, resting my chin on his chest with a sigh. “This is the happiest day of my life, and call me crazy—I wanted to share it with my sister. So I may have gone out to get the happily ever after she deserves—superhero style.”
Zane rolls his eyes with a chuckle, eyes sparkling with amusement. “Jesus, babe. You’re insane, but I love you.” His hands move down to cup my rounded belly. “You’re feeling okay, though? Baby’s good?”
“Big Guy,” I begin, feeling as if my heart might burst. “If you haven’t broken me yet, I doubt running around will, either. When you’re carrying a superhero’s baby, you’re pretty much invincible.”
“Babe, you’re killing me over here,” he says in a low voice, nostrils flaring. “Get your ass down that aisle so I can make an honest woman out of you.”
I narrow my eyes. “Language.”
He smirks. “Sorry. Get that fine ass of yours down the aisle.”
“Shouldn’t we wait for Kate?” I argue as he helps slip my masquerade mask over my eyes.
“Oh no, I’m not waiting a minute more. See, I need to be inside you in the next half-hour—we can’t stall this wedding any longer.”
I couldn’t agree more. “I mean, Kate’s done this before, so surely she knows how it goes. Right?”