Enslaved by a Rebel [Sold! 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) by Anitra Lynn McLeod Page B

on stage.” Ever since then Jarrett had been firmly in the camp of giving but not receiving.
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Me, too.” Jarrett lowered himself down a bit more, but he was still careful to keep the bulk of his weight off Ranic by using his arms. They were the same size, but he still felt bigger since he was on top. “I just want you to always look back at this day, no matter how old we get or how long we’re together, and remember how special it was.”
    “I will.” Ranic reached up and twined his fingers in Jarrett’s hair. “I will always smile when I think of this day.”
    “Even when I’m all old and doddering, you’ll remember me here in the prime of my life?”
    “I will.”
    Jarrett froze for a moment, thinking of a dozen totally irrelevant thoughts such as how Ranic would age, if they would grow apart if they aged differently, or if they couldn’t make things work, or if they somehow grew disenchanted with one another. There were so many things that could happen. So many things that could go wrong. He’d never really tried to make it work before. He’d never really invested himself and swore to do all he could to stay together through thick and thin. The way Ranic said I will made Jarrett think of wedding vows and saying I do . It was madness. Surely, they could legally be married somewhere in the universe, but they really didn’t know one another. He hadn’t even had sex with him yet. Not all the way, at any rate. Wanting to get married first was the height of crazy.
    “Call me crazy.” Jarrett peered down at Ranic’s open face. In his eyes, he saw a future. If he could literally take the plunge and learn to scuba dive against all his misgivings because he felt the truth in his bones, then this could be right, too.
    “Do you really wish for me to call you crazy?”
    “No. I want you to call me husband.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “It means I want—no, I need—to do something before we can go further with this.”

Chapter 8
     
    “This is crazy.” Ranic clutched Jarrett’s hand. Oddly, Jarrett’s hand was cold while Ranic’s hand was hot. It was the exact opposite of how they normally were. Jarrett said it was nerves, and even though Ranic hadn’t been subjected to nerves before, he wasn’t surprised to find he was now. Since meeting Jarrett, he’d found himself experiencing all kinds of new and mostly wonderful things.
    “What did I tell you?” Jarrett lifted their bound hands and kissed the back of Ranic’s.
    “On the beach, you told me to call you crazy, but then you wished for me to call you husband. Now I am not so sure that I can do this.” Ranic stood on the threshold of not only the chapel, but also a major life change. He already knew he wanted to be with Jarrett, and he would do what he had to do to make that happen, but this was strangely intimidating. “This isn’t like breaking the taboo of sex with another male. This is like that times—times—times a very big number.”
    Jarrett cupped his chin and turned his head so they were staring into one another’s eyes. “If you don’t want to make this commitment to me, you must say so now. Don’t do this to please me if it’s not what you want.”
    “I want you. I will stand up there and mean what I say.” Of that, Ranic had not one doubt in his soul. “What I’m afraid of is being visible.”
    “What?”
    “You show your face all the time. I have only shown my face to you.” Ranic adjusted the curious clothing again. They’d bought the suits and other items at the resort. Luckily, he’d been able to bill it to his room and cover it with his deposit. He wore a stunning jacket in dark purple that was crafted of fabric so light it practically floated around him. It was open down the center, showing off his bare chest. The pants were the same color and fabric, but the hems of the pant legs were gathered at his ankle. When Jarrett had seen them, he called them genie pants, and his almost instant