Free Marrying Caroline (SEAL of Protection) by Susan Stoker Page A

bed for the entire week. The resort had room service, and that was all he needed. A bed, food, and his wife.
    Wolf smiled. His wife. Jesus he loved the way that sounded. He stroked the hair back from Caroline’s face and smiled as she snuggled further into him. She was exhausted, and Wolf knew it was all his fault. He’d apologize, but he wasn’t sorry in the least.
    Wolf thought back to that morning when Caroline had checked her email. He didn’t want her to do it, but knew she worried about her friends. Fiona and Alabama had compiled all the pictures they’d taken of their wedding and emailed the link to the online album to Caroline. The pictures would certainly never make someone looking at them think it was a very good wedding, but Wolf fucking loved them.
    Caroline’s hair was mussed in every picture. Her dress had some random black stains around the bottom of it. It drug on the ground because she was wearing flip-flops instead of heels. Her shoes were now a part of their history, because in one of the pictures he had her draped over his arm backwards and her leg had come up and hooked around his waist. Her unconventional shoes were clearly visible.
    Caroline’s dress was also wrinkled and had some random red stains on it. Wolf knew he’d warned her, but thanked God she hadn’t cared. Her makeup was nonexistent, but again, it was how Wolf saw her most of the time, and he loved that she looked like “her” in their wedding photos.
    Fiona and Alabama looked just as disheveled as Caroline did, but they were also beautiful in their rumpledness. There was one picture of Fiona lying on the bed next to Cookie, with her left hand, wedding ring prominently displayed, lying on Cookie’s chest. Her eyes were closed, but Cookie had been looking down at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him, which she was.
    Alabama had also included a picture of her and Abe. Abe was standing behind her with one arm slung around her chest diagonally, and the other was around her waist pulling her back into him. Alabama was looking up at him and laughing at whatever he’d just said to her. Even with her lilac dress mussed and with a pair of sneakers on her feet, she was beautiful in her man’s arms.
    Caroline’s friends had done a wonderful job in catching every moment of their impromptu wedding. From the guys kissing her, to them signing their marriage license. Hell, Alabama had even snuck a picture of Wolf handing the pastor a wad of cash to thank her for the inconvenience of having to spend all afternoon in the hospital. Of course the pastor had said it was no big deal and brushed off his thanks, but Wolf smiled, remembering how she’d pocketed the check mumbling about how it would go toward expanding the playground at the church for the children.
    After they’d gotten married, Wolf had called his parents and explained what had gone on that afternoon. Caroline had been worried they’d be upset over missing their son’s wedding, but Wolf knew they’d be okay with it. And they were. They were pleased as hell their son was happy, and it was more than obvious he was happy. They wrung a promise out of Wolf to bring Caroline over for dinner as soon as they could after they got back from their honeymoon.
    Wolf’s thoughts came back to Caroline. As much as he loved the pictures, he’d soon tired of looking at them and had shoved the computer out of the way and introduced Caroline to honeymoon-kitchen-table sex. She’d taken to it enthusiastically.
    Neither of them shied away from showing each other how much they loved each other through sex. Caroline and Wolf had done a lot over the time they’d lived together, but they’d never had the luxury to completely let go and not have to worry about anything other than each other. There had always been work, or some sort of drama. First it’d been with Alabama and Abe, then it had been Fiona. Neither of them would ever begrudge their friends for what had happened,