Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Alexei
I didn’t look at her walking towards me down the aisle. I only knew she had arrived because a murmur went up from the crowd.
They sounded impressed, and a chill ran up my spine. A small voice urged me to turn around and watch her as she walked towards me. It would be the proper thing to do. Not that anything about this situation was proper.
I was marrying a woman I didn’t know and didn’t even really want to know.
Sighing heavily, I set my shoulders and stared stonily ahead.
There was only one reason I was doing this, and he was sitting in his wheelchair at the front of the crowd.
His carer sat next to him. This would make Nikolai happy, and he deserved that.
The air around me moved, swelling around me and filling my lungs with a sweet vanilla chocolate scent that tickled my senses.
I turned towards her. My eyes scanned the dress, and then I lifted the veil that covered her face. No wonder the crowd had murmured in approval. The dress was perfect for her, molding to the curves of her body that her usual boxy clothes hid.
She looked like a goddess in all that white silk and satin.
Smoothly, I lifted the veil from her face, and the illusion shattered. It wasn’t that she didn’t look beautiful, the make-up artists had done an amazing job, but her eyes were red-rimmed and swimming with tears.
“Hi.” Her lips trembled up into a smile that I hardly saw.
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from her eyes. Why the hell was she crying? No one was forcing her to do this, and she most definitely got the better deal out of it.
It was me who should be crying and snivelling. I was the one being lumbered with her after all. I was the one who had to shoulder the financial burden of not just keeping her but her sister as well.
If anyone should be crying, it should be me. “Why are you crying?” I hissed under my breath.
“I’m not crying,” she countered back, but a single tear fell down her cheek. Reaching out, I caught it with my fingertips. To anyone who was watching, it would have looked sweet.
It wasn’t sweet.
My lips thinned into a sneer. “Stop it right now.”
“I’m not crying, it’s just—” her eyes darted to the side. “There’s not one person here I know.”
“So?” What the hell was she talking about now? “Everyone here is someone important.”
“To you,” she muttered. “I would have liked some of my family and friends to be invited as well.”
I stared at her in silence. My lips thinned as I mulled over her words, but she spoke again before I could.
“It doesn’t matter, I guess. Shall we get this over and done with?”
“I guess we should,” I snapped right back.
It was crazy to me that we were going through this.
Neither one of us wanted to be here. We were doing it out of duty, but I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.
Whether this was a sham marriage or not, it was going to be a binding one.
Maybe I should have made more of an effort to invite some of her people.
Too late now, I told myself sternly. And really, did it matter?
The officiant stepped forward, a smile on his face as he looked at her.
“What a beautiful bride.” His smile grew wider. “You’re a very lucky man.”
My eyebrows slammed down. Had he really been checking out my future wife right in front of me? Leering at her like I wasn’t here at all. Lashing out, I caught her hand in mine and squeezed.
Was she smiling back at him in a flirty way? It definitely looked like there was more of a pink tinge to her cheeks now. Was Amy enjoying another man’s attention? Jealousy ripped through me, and I squeezed her hand even harder. She gasped in pain.
“Yes, she is my bride,” I said pointedly. “Now get on with it, so she becomes my wife.”
Letting my eyes meet his, I put all the weight of my position behind my look. All the threat and all the violence were rewarded when he looked away.
“Of course, let’s begin.” Clearing his throat, he began to speak loudly, and that’s where I zoned off.
The words of the ceremony didn’t matter because none of them were true.
I didn’t love her, and I would never cherish her either.
I spoke in a flat voice when I needed to.
She did the same. Our hands were clasped together, but there might as well have been a chasm between us because I felt nothing but trapped.
“You may now kiss the bride.”
I blinked in shock, and next to me, Amy jolted like someone had electrocuted her.
Kiss her?
I didn’t want to kiss her. Even touching her hand was abhorrent to me, and if the look on her face was anything to go by, she felt the exact same way. Lifting my hands to her shoulders, I turned her into my body. Lowering my face to hers, I brushed my lips against hers. They didn’t move or soften.
She just stood there, as still and rigid as a statue, like my kisses disgusted her. Damn her.
Curling one hand around her waist, I kissed her again. I smashed my mouth against hers and forced her lips open so I could take command of her mouth completely.
How dare she not want to kiss me? How fucking dare she?
I deepened the kiss more, invading her mouth with my tongue and bending her backwards to the delight of the crowd, who oohed in delight.
They thought I was lost in passion. When in reality, I was lost in anger.
The second her lips softened under mine, I pulled away. A knowing, triumphant smile on my lips. There, that was better. I had the upper hand again.
Taking her hand, I turned her to the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I present my wife.” Out of the corner of my eye, I stared at her lips.
Swollen and pouty from my kisses, there was no gloss on them now, but they looked better that way. Even more kissable.
“For fuck sake, smile,” I hissed as I led her forward. “And don’t embarrass me tonight. In fact, I suggest you stay away from me as much as possible at the reception. I don’t want to have to deal with you at all. Find a corner and—”
“Yes, Alexei. I’ll disappear. You won’t even know I’m there.”
I wanted to believe that was true, but I didn’t think I believed it because I could still taste her lips on mine, and God, they were sweet.
The party was in full swing, the chandeliers glittering and throwing prisms of light on the people below as they sipped champagne from crystal flutes and talked animatedly among themselves, when I finally allowed myself to look for her again.
Instantly, my eyes found her. She wasn’t in a corner or hidden away. She was sitting with my grandfather. Her face lit up as she laughed at something he was saying, and deep down, I knew he was telling one of his stories to her.
Like she could feel my eyes on her, she lifted hers to meet mine, and a burst of girlish giggles erupted from her lips.
My grandfather chuckled, and I turned away to concentrate on talking to the couple next to me, sipping my own champagne and trying to ignore the obvious fact that my grandfather was clearly telling her an embarrassing story about me.
No doubt he was trying to make me feel more relatable to her. It should have made me happy, but it had the opposite effect.
“Your new bride came out of nowhere, Alexei. We were all surprised when we got the invitation. Where were you hiding such beauty?”
Beauty? My eyebrows shot up. It wasn’t the first time one of the guests had said she was beautiful. It wasn’t even the tenth.
Was she a great beauty? Glass to my lips, I turned bodily to stare at her openly. I guess in a way she was, in a kind of homebody way.
“It was very sudden,” I said through gritted teeth. “You know how love is,” I added.
They chuckled. “Well, I am jealous. She looks like a peach ripe for the plucking,” the man said, and his wife swatted his arm.
“What my husband means is it’s a shame she’s so shy. We would have liked to see you dance with her.”
“She’s not much of a dancer.” Or maybe she was, and I just didn’t know. I eyed Amy suspiciously. Did she want me to ask her to dance? The first dance was kind of traditional. “And neither am I.”
Their laughter dwindled to nothing.
“But you are right. I should go and talk to her. Excuse me.” Moving through the crowd, I headed in their direction, and the closer I got, the more nervous she looked. The second I was standing in front of them, her smiling face was smoothed into nothing.
“Alexei,” my grandfather greeted me with a beaming smile. “I was wondering when you would come to steal her away from me.”
“Well, you both looked so engrossed in your conversation that I didn’t want to interrupt. What exactly have you been talking about?”
Amy looked away, but my grandfather met my eyes. “You,” he said sternly. “And our family. Amy told me about her past and family as well. She really is remarkable, don’t you think?”
“Sure,” he wanted me to pander to her ego and tell her how great she was, but sure was all I could manage.
Nikolai rolled his old eyes.
“You got her a beautiful ring.” He speared me to the spot and lifted her hand so I could see the white gold band with the flashy diamond on her ring finger. “I thought you were going to give her your grandmother’s sapphire ring, though, Alexei.”
“The ring didn’t fit her.” I knew he wanted her to have that ring, but I didn’t. That ring had been in our family for generations, and I wanted it to stay in the family. As soon as I could, I would be divorcing Amy. She didn’t deserve a family heirloom. “And Amy prefers a more modern cut.”
I was lying through my teeth, and I just didn’t care.
Amy’s eyes darted up to me. The corners of her mouth curved upwards in an unsure smile that was meant for my grandfather’s benefit and not mine.
“It’s a beautiful ring. I love it,” she whispered.
“Well, as long as you are happy, my dear.” He patted her hand. “That’s all that is important. Isn’t that right, Alexei?”
“Of course. In fact, I was just coming over here to ask her to dance.”
Throwing back his head, he laughed. “Dance? Oh, Alexei, it’s almost midnight. No time to dance now. It’s time for you to make this wedding official.”
I watched Amy swallow so hard I heard her gulp. “Official?” she whispered.
“Of course.” The old man clapped his hands, and the music dwindled down to nothing. “The ladies will lead you upstairs, and Alexei will follow.”
I paled. My eyes were glued to her. “We do not need to have people make a fuss. I am more than capable of leading my wife to bed.”
“I’m more worried about you being unable to—” my grandfather trailed off. “Ladies,” he called out loudly. “You know what to do.”
They surged forward. Laughing in delight as they took Any by the arms and hurried her out of the room and up the stairs. I could hear the clack of dozens of heels on the hardwood, but I didn’t make a move to follow them.
Instead, I downed the golden liquid in my glass and reached for another one. That one disappeared as well, and still, I didn’t move. I was expected to follow her up and fuck her.
It was my wedding night, and I should have been excited to be alone with her finally, but I felt nothing but a cold sort of dread.
“Alexei,” my grandfather said softly, and I snapped back to reality.
“I’m going.” Tipping the last of the champagne onto my tongue, I headed towards the stairs and my waiting bride.