Chapter 8Ari
Chapter Eight
ARI
If Lucas didn’t stop pulling at his tie, it was going to tear.
“Stop fidgeting, man,” I said loud enough so he could hear me over the music.
“Just wait. This’ll be you in a few weeks,” he shot back with a side glare.
Up to this point, it’d been a little bit of a game between me and Anna. I flicked my gaze around the church. Holy hell. I would be getting married in a few weeks.
I forced myself not to pull at my collar while Lucas grinned at me. There was one slight difference in our circumstances. “Yes, but you chose this against my advice. I’ll be getting married to strengthen our family.”
That shut him up. That and the music shifting to a classical tune.
Aunt Helen stepped to the entrance of the nave with a huge smile on her face. I think she was happy Lucas was getting married in a church. She held that grin as she started walking down the aisle followed by my cousins, all wearing various shades of blue.
The world went stone-still as my vision narrowed with Anna’s entrance. She was a goddess in a baby blue dress that popped against her tan skin. Her hair was pulled up with pieces framing her gorgeous face. Her eyes drifted to mine before a demure grin graced those kissable lips. Saying I do didn’t seem so bad if I was saying it to her.
The night before had been something out of a dream. She’d answered the door in that exquisite red dress, and she’d left me speechless. There was no mercy to be found. It had hugged her curves and accentuated all the right places. I’d nearly lost my cool, taken her in my arms, and kissed her.
That thought had slapped me out of the trance. I was serious when I said she’d beg me. I’d kiss her nose, her forehead, her cheeks, but her lips…nope. I wanted to see how long that tigress would keep her claws out before she caved.
As far as ceremonies went, it was nice, and the vows gave me insight into what I’d experience in a few weeks. To me, they seemed generic, but given the situation, it made sense for Lucas and Claire. I did have to wonder if I’d be okay with generic for my vows. I’d never in my life wanted that. I wanted to look my woman in the eyes, pour my heart out, and pledge my soul, all with my own words.
For the first time since I’d volunteered for this arranged marriage, I was having second thoughts. A loveless marriage. Attraction and physical affection weren’t love. That wasn’t a marriage or a life. When I got married, I wanted a home, not a house .
Across the dance floor, I spotted Anna. She’d ridden with the bridesmaids to the reception while I’d ridden with my brothers and Thea. We hadn’t spoken yet since she’d sat on the bride’s side while I sat on Lucas’s. I had the feeling she was avoiding me once people began to mingle after the meal and the cutting of the cake. I wouldn’t push it though. This was Lucas’s wedding, not a boxing match.
“Deep in thought, Ari?” Thea asked, sidling up next to me.
“Watching the bride and groom.”
Lucas had led Claire to the dance floor as “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” began to play. I mentally noted the interesting song choice. They began dancing and soon became engaged in a conversation. Obviously, I couldn’t hear them over the music. I could tell that by the way Lucas grinned and laughed at her at one point, she’d said something that amused him. A moment later, he’d picked her up by the waist, a somber expression on his face. There was more talk and then he kissed her. Whatever she’d said was something that required soothing.
“They’re in love with each other,” Thea mused.
With a grunt, I asked, “You think so?”
She nodded. “I really do. He needed someone like her. Someone to take care of him in ways you can’t.” Then she angled herself toward me. “Like you need someone to take care of you.”
“I’m fine, Thea. If you’ll recall, I volunteered for everything I’m doing.”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t need care.” She gripped my forearm. “You take care of the businesses, the taxes, the schmoozing it takes to keep our interests taken care of with the city, Lucas, Dimitris, Lex…me. Who looks after you, Mr. Wick?”
Thea was privy to some of my darkest secrets. The number of bodies and gallons of blood I’d collected shortly after Gianna died. We all had different ways of dealing with the guilt, but mine was more barbaric. There was a reason my nickname was Wick.
At that time, Lucas was Dad’s second. He’d taken it hard, but it’d been me that was supposed to keep her safe. I had the skills to do so, and I’d failed. Her death was on me. All on me, and anyone who landed on my radar wasn’t breathing for long .
I smiled at the mention of my nickname. “The Continental.”
Her head tilted. “Who’s the concierge, Ari?”
“Don’t worry about me, okay? I’m fine.”
This conversation was making me uncomfortable. It presented a challenge as well. If I was going into this marriage with the hopes of anything more than a roommate, I’d need to tell Anna at some point, and before we married. It would still happen, but she wouldn’t be uninformed.
The air shifted and there was an immediate change in demeanor as Anna walked up behind me. “If I’m interrupting something serious, tell me to go away and I will.”
A soft thank you was on the tip of my tongue for the rescue. Thea could be intense and unrelenting at times, even if love was at the root of it.
I swept my arm over Anna’s head and settled my hand on her lower back, bringing her forward. “You’re not.”
Thea shook her head, her gaze flicking from Anna to me. “Not at all. I was asking Ari to get Lex to help him bring in the throne chair I rented for Claire for the garter tradition. I’d asked Dimitris, but he was occupied with something else. I’d?—”
“I’ll take care of it.” I tipped my head toward the dance floor. “Go find someone to dance with.”
“If you wanted a minute alone with Anna, all you had to do was say so,” she teased as she walked away.
Facing Anna, I took her in. “That’s some dress.”
She batted her lashes. “Thank you.” Her eyes skated over me. “You’re pretty stinking delicious yourself.”
“What? This old thing?” I chuckled.
“Are you going to ask me to dance? Or do I need to beg for that too?”
That feistiness. I was a moth, and she was the flame. I held out my hand. To my relief, the song playing was slow, and then I realized it was perfect. “She’s Got a Way” was on. Anna sure did have a way. “May I please have this dance?”
Her hand slipped into mine. “I thought you’d never ask.”
As we reached the dance floor, I pulled her close, and we began to move. A woman had never fit like she was tailored for me. “Tell me all your dreams.” I wanted her, unlike anyone I’d ever met before. Her thoughts, her dreams, her wants, her desires. The knight she needed and wanted.
“What?”
“What dreams do you have? Do you want to be a full-time model? Do you want to own your own business? Do you want… What do you want out of life?”
Her mouth opened and shut a few times before she spoke, “Honestly? I’ve been kind of aimless. The modeling thing is fun, but I don’t think it’s something I want to do long-term. Mostly, I love clothes and fashion and that sort of thing.”
“You certainly have a good eye for what works on a woman.” I held her out and gave her a soft whistle before spinning her and pulling her back flush against me.
“You, sir, are a flirt and a smooth talker.”
“One doesn’t stop to smell the roses and leave without appreciating the scent. I’m simply showing my deep gratitude for the flower in my arms.”
Rolling her eyes, she looked away, but I caught the lift of her lips. “Like I said, smooth talker.”
I splayed my hand against her back, and her head snapped back at me. Leaning in, I set my lips against her ear. “There’s nothing to smooth talk, Anna. You are a woman worth wanting.”
“How do I know you aren’t merely saying all this stuff?”
“I guess you’ll have to trust me.”
And at some point, I’d have to trust her with my heart, which was the most unsettling part of this entire venture.