Chapter 62
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
Savina
DIMITRI AND I are on the parquet floor, swaying softly to our first dance as an officially married couple.
It took a bit of persuasion to convince him not to skip ahead to the honeymoon, but I managed it by bribing him with the promise of all the wicked things I’ll let him do to me later if he agrees to go through the motions first.
As we dance, I notice Cosette standing by the beautiful five-tier wedding cake, which suspiciously looks like black forest cake rather than the lemon chiffon that she ultimately decided on after she vetoed all of my choices.
“Did you pay off the bakery to make sure that I got my favorite cake?” I ask Dimitri, my eyes narrowing on his face.
“Perhaps,” he says with a sly smile.
I grin at his admission. And when I see Cosette fuming and grabbing her cell phone to no doubt make a call to the bakery and complain, I laugh out loud. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“Hey, there’s more to me than just my ruggedly handsome good looks and charming, sparkling personality.”
“Oh, wow, you forgot to mention how humble you are too,” I quip. “But, hey, don’t get too far ahead of yourself there. Your head will get too big, and you won’t be able to fit through the door.”
Suddenly, Dimitri pulls me closer and presses me up against him, letting me feel the evidence of his arousal. “Don’t talk about my big head. You’re turning me on.”
I laugh again, and he smiles, looking pleased with himself.
When the song ends and the DJ announces for everyone to join us on the dance floor, I spy Darby in the corner, tugging on a mystery man’s hand.
I can’t see him through the crowd very well; his face hidden.
I catch a glimpse of the two of them as they dance closely, as if very familiar with each other, and I’m hurt by the fact that she didn’t introduce me to this guy.
Maybe this is who she’s been sneaking around with at all hours of the night, I think to myself.
“Who is Darby dancing with?” I ask, craning my neck to get a better look. “He looks…familiar,” I whisper as I quirk a brow.
Dimitri swings his gaze in their direction and says, “That’s Cillian Kane, the new boss of the Irish Mafia.”
“The Carver?” I choke out. That’s why his tall, muscular build looks so familiar.
He’s the man who saved Darby from those men who were going to hurt her but then ultimately kidnapped her in return.
Cillian looks so different cleaned up and in a suit that I didn’t even recognize him.
But now that I know exactly who he is, I know exactly what needs to happen.
I try to pull away so that I can go over there and kick Cillian’s ass for holding my friend captive, but Dimitri pulls me back and holds me close.
“Easy, tiger. Darby invited him here,” he says, shocking me.
“She did?” I hiss out.
“Besides, after we dismantled their old organization and got you and Darby back, we agreed to new terms with Kane. No more war. We’re no longer enemies with the Irish.” But then he adds, “For now.”
That doesn’t make me feel any better. I stare at the two of them dancing, and my best friend looks…
happy. Huh, I don’t even know how I feel about that.
Darby talks about Stockholm syndrome in her books all the time, so I hope that’s not what happened with her.
But this is Darby we’re talking about. She’s the strongest woman I’ve ever met.
If anything, I kind of feel bad for Cillian.
He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with. Regardless of that fact, I can’t help but feel anxious about the whole thing.
“But what if Cillian hurts her?” I press.
“Then I’ll kill him,” Dimitri assures me, and I can hear the seriousness in his tone. “Trust me, your friend is important to me too. I will protect anyone you love.”
My heart flutters from his words, and my eyes find his; green on blue. “I love you.”
He closes his eyes as if savoring what I just said. “Say those words again.”
I hesitate and then smile. “Those words,” I reply sarcastically.
He groans, pulling me closer and growling into my neck.
“Don’t test my patience, Savina. I’m barely hanging on by a thread.
I just want to rip that dress off your body and take you rough and hard like I’ve always dreamt about.
” Then, he pulls back and stares into my eyes.
“Tell me, privighetoarea mea mic?,” he pleads.
“I love you.”
“And I love you. Forever and always. In this life and the next.” He kisses me fiercely, causing me to blush since all eyes in the room have been on us this entire time. “And the one after that,” he vows.
I don’t know if I believe in reincarnation; but if anyone could hold up a promise about following me into the afterlife, it would be my husband.
My husband. Those words sound so foreign but so right at the same time.
“You’re practically glowing,” Dimitri remarks as he stares at me for several long moments.
“That’s because I’m ridiculously happy right now,” I confess.
“Good. Because I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy before in my entire existence,” he says before pulling me close.
I glance around the room, watching everyone as they engage with each other. Old enemies becoming friends. Friends becoming lovers. It’s truly a sight. Weddings tend to bring out feelings and emotions that you maybe wouldn’t otherwise feel.
“Do you think Pavel is okay?” I ask Dimitri after the song ends and we return to our seats at the head table.
“If I know my brother half as much as I think I do, I would say he’s happier than he’s been in his entire existence as well,” he remarks with a smirk.
I nod in agreement. Pavel running away with his bodyguard was no doubt a difficult decision, but the only one he could have made in this situation. Our marriage would have been a sham. And instead of allowing his father to dictate his life, Pavel chose to be with the man he loves.
“I hope they have a wonderful life together,” I say honestly.
“I hope for the same,” Dimitri agrees.
While dinner is being served, I see Dimitri call over a kid who can’t be more than eight years old.
He whispers something into the kid’s ear and then slips a twenty into his small hand.
The little boy looks so excited by the money, which he promptly shoves into the pocket of his dress pants.
And then he turns and grabs a full glass of red wine from our table before taking off with it.
“Uh, Dimitri?” I say, alarmed, but he promptly shushes me.
“Just wait and watch,” he assures me.
I watch in restrained dismay as the boy walks over to the table where all the parents are seated. He walks right up to Cosette, who is clearly his target, before he promptly dumps the glass of red wine down the front of her white dress.
Cosette jumps up, screaming and cursing as the little boy runs away, giggling. And then my stepmother is storming out of the room, completely appalled and embarrassed by what just occurred.
I gasp and then cover my mouth to stifle the laugh threatening to escape.
“It’s your day. Only you should be wearing white,” Dimitri leans over and whispers in my ear.
I turn and look at him. “I didn’t think it was possible to love you any more than I already did, but it just happened,” I confess in a whisper.
Dimitri smiles. An actual, genuine smile. And it’s so good to see him so damn happy on a day that was supposed to be lifechanging and horrible for both of us.
“Now, what did you say earlier about wanting to rip my dress off and taking me rough and hard like you’ve always dreamt about?” I ask before standing up and grabbing his hand.
“We’re leaving?” he questions.
“Well, maybe just a quicky before it’s time to cut the cake,” I tell him with a devilish grin.
As we sneak off to one of the changing rooms, it occurs to me that I really don’t know who is happier today — me or him. But then I decide that it doesn’t matter. We can both be equally happy and love each other for the rest of our lives. And that sounds like the perfect happy ending to me.