Page 33 of Hard as Steel

“No. They were murdered by a stalker while in our care.”

“Oh my God, Steel. Were you guarding them? Are you okay?” Krystof’s voice lifted at the final question as if terrified by the idea.

“No, all these clients are mine, but no. It was Quince. He’s physically okay. Mentally, he’s shaken and devastated. He’s saying he’s out. That he shouldn’t be doing this job because he wasn’t quick enough to trade his life.”

“Poor Quince. He’s such a nice person. I can’t even begin to imagine how this will affect him.”

“Yeah.”

Silence felt heavy through the line.

Steel chewed the side of his fingernail.

“Stop biting your nails.”

A soft chuckle escaped him. “How did you know?”

“I know you. I know the sound you make. There’s nothing I don’t know about you.”

Silence dragged on again. The sound of Krystof’s breathing was killing him. “I used to stay awake for hours just listening to you breathe.” Steel winced and swallowed hard. “I need you to take this from me, Kryssy. Don’t answer when I call. I can’t keep doing this to myself. It hurts too much.”

The quiet that came through the phone felt like it weighed a ton. He heard Krystof sniff before clearing his throat. “If that’s what you want, I’ll try. I don’t know if I’m strong enough, but I’ll find the strength for you. Just let yourself hate me the way I deserve. You have to hate me… for both our sakes.” His voice cracked as if tears wrecked his ability to speak. “One last time, I love you with everything I possess. That’ll never change, but don’t call me again.”

Steel squeezed his eyes shut and disconnected the call. Krystof had just told Steel he loved him with everything he had while married to someone else. He was right. Steel hated him. He wouldn’t call again.

Steel had expected to be nervous. He wasn’t. Steel had been the center of attention too many times to count. He had given more speeches than he could recall. Standing in front of a crowd of his friends, promising to love Krystof forever was nothing. In fact, this exchange of vows was the easiest thing he had ever done. He felt the rightness in his chest. The way Krystof stared at him while Steel spoke the vows he had written made him feel like a king. There was so much love in Krystof’s eyes, Steel almost couldn’t finish. His throat kept swelling and his voice kept cracking. He didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought. They had been through too much to ever give each other less than everything. When he finished, it took a second for his mind to register that Krystof read his vows. He blinked, having missed a bit.

“I vow to laugh with you, grow even older with you, and love you so fiercely, it shocks us both.” Krystof swallowed. His eyes were filled with tears, but he kept going. “I swear I’ll hold your hand through every good time and bad and always be your home. Spending my life with you is my—”

He kissed Krystof, cutting him off and making their guests laugh. Steel pulled away just enough to rest his forehead against Krystof’s. “I do. Do you?”

“Fuck, yeah.”

It was always funny to hear Krystof curse in his posh accent. Apparently, everyone else thought so too.

“Well, I guess I pronounce you husbands for life. You two may kiss… again.”

Laughter still rang out around them as Steel claimed Krystof’s mouth again. He bent Krystof backward, dipping him as they kissed. When they straightened away from each other, they equally smiled like idiots.

Krystof shook his head. “Every day, I think I couldn’t be happier if I tried. Somehow, you prove me wrong each time.”

Steel’s chest warmed at the claim. “Fuck, I love you.”

Kuba set his hands on Krystof’s shoulders and squeezed. “Time to walk back down the aisle. We want cake.”

Steel laughed. He felt as if he floated on air as they took Buttercup’s leash and made their way inside where a beautiful reception waited. Buttercup had made a great ring bearer, but she was drugged to the gills with anxiety meds. She moved slower than usual. Steel gave up and picked her up like a tiny purse dog and headed inside. The entire day, he felt as if he moved through a dream. The reception was no different. They listened to toasts and humorous stories. Opened more gifts than he knew how to handle. His gaze never strayed far from Krystof the entire time. He couldn’t believe they were married. The way he felt seemed crazy since they had already lived like a married couple. This was different somehow. He saw the strings tethering them and couldn’t be prouder. This was the life he had always been meant to have. Steel missed most of the day simply staring at Krystof and seeing how ecstatic he was. Steel had done that. This was all he had wanted out of life. Steel’s throat swelled. There were too many times to count where he thought he would die alone with only the memory of what could have been.

Krystof looked his way. His smile dimmed. “Are you okay? Do we need to take a break from all this?”

Steel shook his head. “I don’t want to cut anything about this short. You deserve every second in the spotlight.”

“It’s time for the grooms’ first dance. Steel and Krystof, get your asses on the dance floor.”

Krystof still looked worried as they made their way to the center of the dance floor.

Steel pulled Krystof close and lowered his voice. “Smile, Kryssy. You kind of look like you regret me.”

A huge grin split Krystof’s face. “Never.”