Promises and Pomegranates by Sav R. Miller

Shifting forward, I slip one of my hands down over the expanse of her
belly, pushing down with my fingertips. She sucks in a little breath,
undoubtedly feeling the evidence of my reaction, and freezes immediately.
Our audience does nothing to suppress the arousal traveling south; if
anything, it seems to heighten it, knowing she’s completely at my mercy. One
wrong move and I’ll humiliate her in front of her father, more than I already
have.
Gesturing to the priest with my free hand, I keep her anchored to me with
the other.
“What the fuck are you doing?” she hisses, jerking her shoulder against
my chin. “I am not marrying you.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.”
“Papá,” she breathes, glancing at him pleadingly. “You see what he did to
Mateo, right? Why are you not stopping this?”
“Even if he wanted to, I assure you, there’s nothing he could do.”
Shooting the priest a dirty look, I snap my fingers, telling him to get on with
it.
“My father is the most powerful man in the city,” Elena says, speaking
over the priest as he begins his speech.
I snort. “No, he isn’t.”
Rafe stiffens, but I ignore it. That can’t be news to him, anyway.
“We’re gathered here today to celebrate one of life’s greatest moments,
the joining of two hearts in the presence of God. Here, in this… chamber, we
witness the union of one Dr. Kallum Anderson and Miss Elena Ricci together
in marriage.”
A pause. The priest hesitates.
“Oh my God,” Elena gasps, beginning to struggle again. “What the fuck?
Stop it! Let go of me!”
Clamping one hand down over her mouth, I nod at the priest. “Continue,
please.”
He licks his dry lips, then raises his Bible again, pressing on. “If anyone
present has just cause as to why this couple should not be united, speak now
or forever hold your peace.”
Elena’s shrieks reverberate off my skull, the vibrations from her throat
rippling through my forearm. I tighten my grip on her mouth, moving so my
index finger slightly blocks her nostrils; she screams and screams, the sounds
muffled and broken, until she realizes she’s not regaining oxygen.