The Runaway Viper (Viper #2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

yes.
    This is the only contract I want for life.

Chapter Four
     
     
    “Go to them,” Jace breaks me from my stance after I’ve issued him with a watery smiled affirmative. “You have them to thank for this happening as much as I do.”
    This is surreal. I’m in a beautiful place – literally and mentally – and now I have three people here with me who have caught me far more times than I care to count. This is a moment I will relish and thank Jace for later. I reach up, lifting up onto tiptoes, brushing my lips against his skin before stopping by his ear.
    “I can’t wait to be your wife,” I whisper to him and drop back down to the floor. I see the look in his eyes, the adoration that he’s watching me with is undeniable, but I also see a sense of disbelief. It’s hitting him now that everything we’ve fought for is finally happening for us.
    I cannot wait to see that look disperse the moment I say ‘I do’.
    I rush out of the villa, forgetting about the months of separation, the lies, the fears, everything. I fling myself at Josh, hugging him tight. He’s a part of my past that just keeps fighting for me, and I cannot prevent myself from savoring this more than anything. I feel his arms snake around me as he squeezes me tightly. His hugs are so much like Dylan’s it leaves me hanging on longer than I usually would.
    A cough from beside us bursts the moment and we withdraw. I stand back, hands still on Josh’s shoulders and look at Eli. He’s standing there with that cheeky smirk of his, his eyes alive at seeing me.
    “What am I?” he begins to ask rhetorically. “Chopped liver?”
    I just giggle a little and throw myself into his direction. I squeeze him tight, unwilling to let go quite yet. I’ve missed him most of all. He’s my jokester, the one who loves me unconditionally and protects me like a brother. It’s fierce and undying. I’ve missed him teasing me relentlessly. I’ve missed his laugh, missed how easy he made life for me. I push my head into his shoulder and neck, holding on for dear life before I even contemplate letting him go.
    “I’ve missed you,” I tell him and suddenly feel my eyes water. I can’t stop it, the tears just come and stream in heavy, messy rivers down my face. “It’s been so long.”
    Eli rolls his eyes, unimpressed with my waterworks. “I’ve had you in my sights less than five minutes and in that time you’ve accepted a marriage proposal, nearly strangled me to death, and now you’re crying. You’re a mess, Gilbert.”
    I laugh through my tears and wipe my face before hitting him. “It’s seeing your ugly mug again.” I tease him back because that’s how we work, and he, by far, has been missed the most in the passing months.
    He puts a hand to his chest as if to play hurt. “You wound me. Sun and love has changed you.”
    “For the better,” Jace comments as he steps in to join us. He welcomes Eli and Josh before retreating to my side. He looks down at me adoringly. “I wanted you to have one final surprise. I couldn’t think of anything better than inviting these two.” He gives Eli and Josh both an appreciative glance, and I can sense a kinship between them. One only The Viper Rooms could have created. “After their help in making you disappear, I had to make sure they were here to celebrate with us. I just had to make sure the radar died down a little.”
    I shoot my head around to stare at Eli, panicked about the fallout for him. “You didn’t get in any sort of trouble, did you?”
    “The devil doesn’t know,” Eli announces, and I can hear a sanctimonious note to his voice. He’s pleased he managed to outrun the devil for this long without raising an ounce of suspicion. For that, I am proud and happy to have him here.
    I wince at hearing her nickname and bite down on the bullet – hard . “So, how mad was Clara?”
    In unison, Jace, Eli, and Josh all shake their heads at me. They’re all in an irrefutable