11. Ares
A res~
As I rode the elevator to Capri’s floor, I couldn’t help but think about how we were going to need to get her moved in with me as soon as possible.
While she lived in an upscale neighborhood, her building had no real security, and not for nothing, I was one of the richest men in the nation, so it wouldn’t do for her to live in an unsecured building.
We were also going to have to discuss how she got herself around town. If she didn’t have a driver, she would now, and that was non-negotiable. Whether Capri realized it or not, she was now the single most important thing in my life, the lack of a prenup placing her in that position.
When the elevator doors finally slid open, I made my way to my wife’s door, finding her personal information easy when you had the kind of resources that I had. Sure, I could have just called her to ask her address, but I still wasn’t sure if she was willing to answer my calls or not.
After knocking on the door, it swung open a few seconds later, and standing before me, Capri was rocking the homeless look, and it was clear that I had a lot to learn about my new bride.
Nevertheless, she still looked beautiful, and I loved that she had no makeup on.
High-maintenance women weren’t worth the headache that they typically caused.
“How do you know where I live?” she asked, her greeting less than enthusiastic.
“Same way that I know everything else that I do,” I answered evenly. “I have an abundance of informational resources.”
Though she didn’t roll her eyes, I knew that she wanted to.
Instead, she stepped back, opening the door to let me inside her home.
As I glanced around, the place looked sophisticated, but it also had a cozy vibe to it.
Capri’s condo was her home, not where she stayed, and I could only hope that she brought that same kind of energy to my place.
Of course, we could also sell off both properties and buy something neutral, but I’d leave that up to her.
After shutting the door behind her, she asked, “What are you doing here, Ares?”
I arched a brow as I turned to face her. “Not sure if you’re aware of this or not, but it’s my wedding night. So, where else would I be?”
“You’re not funny,” she finally said as she walked over to lean against the back of the couch, looking like she was ready to spit nails.
“I wasn’t trying to be,” I assured her.
“So, you’re here to get laid?”
Yeah, now I was pissed.
“I’m here because you’re my fucking wife,” I replied sternly. “And not only do I have a right to this night, but we also have some things that we need to discuss.”
“Did you really just say that you have a right to my body?” she asked, straightening, ready for a fight.
I stepped to her, never one to back down. “I said that I had a right to my wedding night, and since that requires your participation, then I guess the answer is yes. Yes, I have a right to your body whenever the fuck I want, Wife.”
“Marrying you doesn’t make me your property, Ares,” she spat, and good for her, even if she was wrong.
“That’s where I need to correct you, baby,” I informed her. “Our signatures on those papers bind us to one another, making you mine and me yours.”
“What is it that you think we need to discuss?” she asked haughtily, switching topics since she couldn’t win.
Accommodating her, I said, “You can’t live here any longer. Your building doesn’t have the security that I prefer. Now, you can either move in with me, or we can purchase a new home together. The choice is yours.”
She blinked at me before saying, “While I imagine that it must be nice to be able to dump and buy property on a whim, some of us don’t have that luxury, Ares. I’d have to sell this place before even thinking of going in on a house that’s worthy of Ares Cormac.”
The woman really was something else.
“In case you’ve forgotten, as of this morning, you’re worth several billion, Capri,” I reminded her. “You can buy whatever the fuck you want.”
She looked like she was about to tip over. “Wha...what?”
“Forgotten that you’re my wife already?” I deadpanned.
Looking again like she wanted to sever my head from my body, she said, “I don’t care what the law states, your money is not my money.”
“That’s an argument for another day,” I replied dismissively. “Right now, my priority is your safety.”
“I am safe,” she argued.
“Not enough for my peace of mind,” I fired back. “In fact, if you don’t have a driver, you’ll have one come Monday morning.”
The stubborn woman immediately started shaking her head.
“Nope...no. You’re doing too much, Ares.
I haven’t even processed that I’ve actually married someone, and now you want to move me from my home and provide me with a driver when there’s no rush to move in together, nor do I need a driver when I’ve been driving myself for years now. ”
I stepped closer to her, then reached out, grabbing her hand, showing her the diamond that I had just put on her finger this morning. “You didn’t marry someone,” I corrected. “You married me.”
“I’m very aware of who I married,” she hissed like a wet cat.
“Well, then you should be very aware that I’m not like everyone else, Capri,” I hissed back. “I’m worth more than a small country, and I will not let you walk around like you’re oblivious to that fact. Your safety is a concern, especially now that the news has spread.”
“I wonder who tipped the media off,” she drawled out sarcastically as she yanked her hand from mine.
I couldn’t help but smirk. “As much as you’d like another reason to dislike me, it wasn’t me. I wasn’t lying when I said that I wanted to make the announcement on Monday.”
“I suppose it doesn’t even matter at this point,” she sighed, and it bothered me that she seemed more bothered than normal. “My father and grandfather are aware, and we even convinced my grandfather that it was a love match.”
That had me curious. “Why?”
Those blue eyes of hers lit with a fire that was a lot sexier than it should be. “Because my grandfather is the type of man that would rather see his legacy destroyed than let me live unhappily.”
I reached for her again, grabbing the hem of her worn shirt, then yanked her forward. “Is that what it’ll take to make you happy?” I asked as she looked up at me warily. “Do I need to destroy my legacy to satisfy you?”
“Well, you can always go back in time and leave Martha Holdings the hell alone,” she retorted. “What with your informational resources and all.”
Little did she know that I had no desire to rewrite history. There was something about Capri Cohen that did it for me, and knowing what I knew now, if I did have a chance to go back and do it again, I’d do it all exactly the same.
“Well, even if time travel were a thing, I prefer where I am right now,” I told her honestly, and I wasn’t just talking about my career.
“Ares...” she whispered, and the immediate change in her demeanor told me that I wasn’t the only one suffering from an unexpected attraction in this marriage.
“Tell me that you didn’t feel that kiss down to your fucking toes, Capri,” I dared her.
“There’s more to a successful marriage than sex, Ares,” she countered, not knowing that there wasn’t anything that I wouldn’t do to make our marriage an amicable one.
We were not going to be my parents.
Staring into her light blue eyes, I said, “Apart from traveling back in time, tell me what you need from me, baby.”
“Sex doesn’t solve everything,” she repeated, and since I hadn’t said anything about sex, it gave me an insight to exactly what was on her mind right now.
I leaned down, my breath hot against her left cheek. “When was the last time that you were on your back, Capri?”
Her chest started heaving, and my first request when I got her to my place was going to be that she never wear a bra at home. Yeah, she was big enough that she needed one in public, but she was also small enough not to need one when it was just us. In fact, Capri Cohen was perfect.
Absolutely fucking perfect.
“Ares...” she moaned, and if that wasn’t a win, then I didn’t know what was.