Chapter 9 - Valery
My brothers have often spoken about the Shevchenkos and the long-time rivalry between our families.
It was messy and dark and at times extremely violent.
I’ve heard stories about the Shevchenko brothers that made my skin crawl.
So, when Jaroslav tells me I’m going to be meeting all of them at a family dinner tonight, my stomach immediately knots with stress.
How will they treat me? Surely they’ll have severe animosity toward me because of the history between our families.
I can’t imagine the visit going well. It’s going to be awkward, tense, and hostile.
He made it clear in the message that it was a smaller affair with only family present, and it was casual, but that doesn’t help ease the worry. What should I expect? Will they be rude and abrupt?
But on the other hand…maybe tonight will reveal something of the plan that Jaroslav had when he tricked me into marrying him. I still haven’t figured out what he wants from me, and maybe, being around his family, someone will slip up and say something revealing.
Well, this won’t be a fun event, but I can do my best to make the most of it and at least attempt to gather information.
I have a closet full of new clothes, so choosing something to wear is the easy part, and by the time Jaroslav gets home, I am dressed and ready to leave.
Jaroslav is in the living room.
I come downstairs, and instantly his eyes are all over me.
I nervously brush my hand over the powder blue long summer dress I chose.
Gold sandals and gold jewelry to match, and my hair in a high ponytail with a few loose strands around my face.
I look elegant, but casual. Comfortable but pretty enough to have confidence.
His lips part as his eyes take me in, hungrily. His stare instantly sets my heart beating faster.
“You are a vision,” he growls intensely.
“Thank you,” I mutter in response, ignoring the way his gaze ignites fires inside me.
This morning’s mishap is still fresh in my mind, and no matter how many times I try to deny it, I was about to kiss him when his phone rang.
Our bodies were tangled, his scent was like a drug, and the heat of his skin against mine was too much to resist.
I would have been the first one to break the rules, and, embarrassingly, that means I wouldn’t even have lasted twenty-four hours into setting them.
Thank goodness he got that call. And from now on, I will be on higher alert.
I have to respect myself enough not to give in to his charm and gorgeous looks.
Dammit, it ’ s so difficult, though. I don’t want to constantly be reminding myself of the pain he caused me in the past, but it is a sure way to keep my hands off him.
I refuse to go through that heartbreak again.
“I need to freshen up. I won’t be long,” he tells me, with his eyes still wandering over my body. I turn away from him to break the spell of his gaze.
“I’ll be down here. I’m ready whenever you are,” I say casually.
Jaroslav runs upstairs to have a quick shower and get changed, and I wait in the living room, not willing to risk seeing him half-naked again.
When he comes down, he’s wearing black jeans and a black shirt.
He looks divine. Every inch of that fabric hugs him like it wants to touch him.
Or maybe I’m the one who wants to touch him.
Dammit, Valery. Get your thoughts under control.
We drive to dinner in awkward silence. Actually, it’s just me.
I’m the awkward one. My thoughts are running wild, I’m anxious about the dinner, and I’m worried about what will happen when we go to bed tonight.
I’m just stressed. My life seems to be falling apart, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about it.
How can I fix this? I’m married to him. I can’t escape him.
And I agreed to be here. My family needs this alliance to work, and so far, I don’t know if I’ve added much value.
I wish we didn’t have such an entangled past.
He pulls into a massive estate and parks his car alongside several other cars, all polished to perfection and shining in the early evening sun. I wait in the passenger seat while he walks around to open my door. I’m just stalling the inevitable—having to go inside and meet his brothers.
But I’m in for a surprise.
Walking into the mansion, Jaroslav slips his hand around me and rests it on my lower back. It’s an instant bolt of electricity through my body, but I don’t push him away because technically we are in public and I need to play the role of his wife. But his touch burns into me in dangerous ways.
“Hello, you two. Welcome, Valery, it’s lovely to meet you properly.
” A man as tall as Jaroslav pulls me into a hug, catching me off guard.
He grins down at me, only half releasing me from the hug.
“Zakhar,” he reminds me. “We met at the wedding, but it was brief, and you looked overwhelmed, so I’m not offended if you forgot me. ”
“Hi,” I grin, feeling my cheeks flush pink. This was the man I thought I was going to marry. He’s gorgeous, but he doesn’t set my heart racing the same way Jaroslav does. Not that it matters.
Zakhar finally releases me from his embrace and hugs his brother, slapping Jaroslav on the back. “Brother, good to see you. Did you get your things done this morning?”
“I did,” Jaroslav nods, his eyes darting between his brother and me, a slight scowl on his brow.
Another man walks over to us as we enter the living room and greets me just as warmly. “Hi, Valery, I’m Bardil, and that is Georgy, our youngest brother.”
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you.” I smile, already feeling more at ease because of their warm welcome. This isn’t at all what I expected.
Two girls stand before Bardil, waiting for their turn to say hi.
Jaroslav takes over from Bardil. “This is Angelika, and this is Stefania, my sisters.” He smiles as they bowl into him with a hug, each of them wrapped under one of his arms. They are beautiful girls.
Gorgeous actually. The kind of beauty you’d find on the front page of a high-end glossy magazine.
And they both clearly adore Jaroslav, and his love for them is obvious.
For a moment, I’m staring at him as though seeing him in a new light.
He is at ease as he hugs his sisters, caring and soft.
“You’ve been so quiet, we thought your beautiful wife had stolen you from us and was keeping you all to herself,” Angelika says, winking at me, with a playful smile on her painted red lips.
“She tried, but I managed to wrestle myself free and come and see you this evening. It wasn’t easy, though,” Jaroslav says with a mischievous grin and a glance in my direction. Despite myself, I can’t help smiling back at him.
We are ushered out onto the terrace overlooking a massive swimming pool and a beautiful, tropical-style garden. His sisters drag me away from the men so that we can decide what cocktails we want.
“Strawberry for me. Anything strawberry,” Angelika says.
“You’re so boring. Why don’t we make those mango ones we had last time?” Her sister scrunches her nose as she watches Angelika.
“Because I painted my nails pink last night and that requires a pink drink.” She flashes her perfectly manicured nails. Neon pink.
Stefania rolls her eyes. “You are so dramatic. Valery, you are the deciding vote. Strawberry or mango?”
“Her nails really do demand a strawberry drink,” I grin.
“Fine,” Stefania laughs. She ducks behind the poolside bar and rummages around in a fridge, fishing out the ingredients needed. Strawberries, ice, vodka, and some kind of cream liquor. Then she gets busy measuring and pouring things into a blender.
While Stefania is busy doing that, we’re all chatting. The girls are asking me a bunch of questions, showing interest in me and making me feel even more welcome.
“I love your dress. I have one that’s almost the same in gold,” Angelika says. “But the baby blue looks so amazing with your ivory skin and raven black hair.”
“Your hair is incredible. It’s like silk. Will you let me braid it later?” Stefania asks.
The question takes me by surprise, and I stammer for a moment.
“She loves styling hair. And she’s brilliant at it.” Angelika turns to show off her very intricate braid, with Viking vibes, four strands twisted to perfection from the top of her head down to the middle of her back. “One day she’s going to do my hair for my wedding.”
“That’s truly beautiful. I’d love to learn how to do that,” I say.
“I can teach you!” Stefania remarks excitedly.
“I could never get it right. I end up with a big knot when I try to braid,” Angelika giggles. “Lucky I don’t need to learn because I have a sister who’s perfected the art.”
Stefania comes out from behind the bar and hands us each a bright pink cocktail. “To new friends,” she says happily.
Angelika shakes her head. “To a new sister ,” she says, tapping the tip of her glass against mine.
“To family,” I smile.
Through the evening, Angelika and Stefania make me feel like I belong. Their brothers throw me the occasional cautious glances, as though sizing me up, but none of them are as rude or awkward as I had expected.
And Jaroslav is taking full advantage of the fact that we are in public and I need to be on my best wife-behavior. Every time he comes close to me, he reaches out to touch me in some way.
It’s driving me crazy in more ways than one.
The guys are standing around a barbecue, chatting and drinking beers.
His sisters are making more cocktails, so I take the opportunity to slip inside for a moment alone.
I’m admiring a painting in the hallway on the way to the bathroom when Zakhar wanders over to me.
“How are you enjoying the evening?” he asks, standing a little too close.
“It’s lovely. Everyone has been very friendly,” I smile, eyeing him up and down, wondering what it would have been like if I had ended up married to him.
“Were you expecting something else?” he chuckles, a deep, warm sound that stretches my smile wider.
“Maybe. I mean, we do have a history, your family and mine.”
“We aren’t the monsters people make us out to be, but I hear you. It’s hard to let go of the past sometimes.”
At his mention of the past, my thoughts drift to my messy past with Jaroslav. It would have been so awkward to marry his brother, even in an arranged deal.
“So, I’m the man you were supposed to marry, before my brother stepped in and stole you away,” Zakhar remarks as though he’s reading my thoughts. “Are you disappointed that you got the less good-looking brother?” he grins.
I giggle, and my cheeks blush pink.
Just as I’m about to answer with something fun and light-hearted, Jaroslav arrives at my side, possessively pulling me against him with his arm locked tight around my waist.
“Your question is inappropriate, Zakhar,” he says coldly, glaring at his brother.
“I was just teasing.” Zakhar winks at me, causing Jaroslav’s grip to tighten even more. “I’m about to get another beer. Do you want one?” he asks Jaroslav.
“Yes.” Jaroslav is abrupt.
Zakhar ignores his brother’s intensity and walks away, still smiling.
“That was rude,” I snap, stepping away from Jaroslav.
“Were you flirting with him?” he asks, clearly annoyed.
“So what if I was?” I snap. “You have no right to be jealous. This marriage isn’t even real.”
His eyes flare and turn dark as he glares down at me. He takes a step closer and pushes me up against the wall. I gasp and try to step away, but he blocks me by pressing his arm against the wall and locking me in place. “You are my wife, Valery. That means you belong to me.”
“Belong?” I blurt out, angry.
“Yes. Belong,” he growls, a dangerous edge in his voice. “Over my dead body would I have allowed you to marry my brother. It was never an option.”
“So, you lied when you suggested it? A trick? A manipulation?” I challenge him.
“No tricks. It would never have happened. It was just how the negotiation had to go.” He presses closer to me, and my heart begins to race. Anger mixed with desire begins to flow quickly through my veins.
“Admit that you manipulated the situation. I just don’t understand why. What did you stand to gain from forcing me to marry the man who broke my heart?” This is a slippery slope to go down, and not a conversation I should have started at his family dinner, but he forced my hand.
Jaroslav stands silently over me, his eyes narrowed as he studies my face.
“I always get what I want,” he growls in a low, husky whisper.
My lips part, wanting to challenge him again, wanting to ask what it is that he wants. Revenge against my family? To hurt me again?
But he’s so close I can’t think straight. His muscles are rippling against me, and his thick, toned arm blocking my exit is distracting me. I stare at him in defiance. His lips look so tempting.
My skin burns as I bite my lower lip, desperate not to do what I’m about to do.
“Nothing to say, little raven?” he whispers against my mouth.
“I think…”
Whatever I was going to say fades from my lips as I tilt my face up toward his. Suddenly, we’re kissing.
His hand slides over my waist, and my mouth moves against his.
He pushes my lips apart with his and slips his tongue inside my mouth.
He tastes divine. The kiss deepens as his hand runs up my back and cups the back of my neck.
A desperate groan rumbles from him, igniting the already out-of-control fire inside me.
I grab at his shirt, my fingers knotting in the fabric, pulling at him.
He wraps my ponytail around his wrist and tugs my head further back, claiming me with his lips as he used to.
I can barely breathe when he steps back, his cock pressing hard against the front of his pants.
His lips pull tight, a grimace, a fight for control. He closes his eyes, and when he opens them again, I see desire, a tornado of feverish lust burning inside them.
I can’t speak as I stare at him.
His lips slowly curl into a smile. “You just proved me right,” he says darkly.
“What?” I stammer.
“You want this.”
“I…” I still can’t find my words.
“I didn’t kiss you first, little raven.”
“You did… or… I…” Who kissed whom? Was it me? I certainly didn’t stop him.
“We kissed each other. But all that matters is, I wasn’t the one to break the promise. You played your part in this.”
He steps away from me, freeing me. My mouth is open, although I have nothing to say, just disbelief that he’s right.