Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
MILA
I watched as Axel moved away from me with the grace of an athlete, reminding me of the guy who had gotten me through the Zavidovo obstacle course.
That day he had shown me his ruthless, competitive side, all but carrying me through the course.
But tonight he was charming and polished in his expensive suit.
I looked around the room. The crowd was buzzing after all the toasts. The restaurant was a mixture of warm lights and elegant furniture, and now staff members were bringing out trays of food to create a small buffet beside the bar. Music played softly from a small band in one corner.
It looked like an expensive, exclusive engagement party celebrating a couple in love. No one would have believed me if I’d told them Axel was a stranger and that marrying him was the least insane option for me.
At least I’m moving back to Canada.
I watched as a blonde woman walked into the same room Axel had just disappeared into. One of them had gone into the wrong restroom. Amused, I kept my eye on the door, wondering if she’d come scooting out.
I swallowed hard when Lena sat down in Axel’s empty chair. “You look so lovely tonight.”
“You too.”
She flashed a big, toothy smile at someone who greeted her as they walked by.
I worked overtime to keep my smile on my face.
Not a single person in this room understood my life.
She leaned close enough that I could see the distinct line of her maroon lip liner. “It’s cute, you know, watching you pretend you’re in control. But the truth is, when you realize exactly who you’ve married, you’ll be far away from home and from anyone who might save you.”
My aunt had put me in this situation when she’d prevented me from returning to Canada by myself.
Then she’d escalated things when she tried to marry me off to Sergei.
I was doing the best I could with the situation she’d created.
I wanted to say all this, but I forced myself to stay silent.
It cost me, but I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of seeing any kind of response from me.
She stood up and straightened her skirt before leaning down and whispering in my ear. “We both saw what kind of animal Axel was the night of the fire. Whatever happens in Canada, remember you brought this all on yourself. You made it happen.”
I stared straight ahead, barely breathing.
She stood up. “Suit yourself.”
I watched as she walked away, and then I scanned the crowd for Axel. It’s not like I wanted to be near him, but people stayed away from me when he was close.
And, despite it being my own engagement party, I didn’t know most of the people. There wasn’t anyone else I might talk to.
I shyly got up and made my way to the bar to get a drink. I wasn’t thirsty, but I figured it would make me look busy and give me purpose. The bartender poured me a glass of champagne while I wondered where Axel had disappeared to.
“Excuse me.” Someone jostled me aside as they stepped up to the bar to place their order. I reached around them to get my drink and then walked around the outskirts of the room, between the crowded high tables and the tall, curtained windows.
I paused when I heard someone speak from the other side of the potted ferns. “Does anyone want to tell me why the groom is insanely hot and his bride is not?”
I froze, horrified to hear multiple people laugh in response.
A different female voice. “He’s the most fuckable man here.”
And another. “You just know he’s a hair puller.”
They all laughed again.
A fourth voice, this one male, said, “I give it three months before he’s cheating on her.”
“Three months? You think she can keep his interest that long?”
“She’s not even that pretty. Why’s he settling?”
“She’s not bad.”
“No, but she’s not nearly his caliber.”
“I heard her uncle is paying him a hefty sum to marry her.”
“I kind of feel sorry for him. You know she’s a starfish in bed.”
They all laughed long and hard over that one. I crept back to where I had come from, while waves of humiliation and shame washed over me. My face was burning.
I need to be alone.
I searched for an escape route so I could get a handle on my emotions. It didn’t even make sense that I wanted to cry. Why was I so upset?
A warm hand grabbed my arm. “Where are you going?”
Axel’s deep voice reverberated in my ear as he pressed his body against the back of mine.
“I just need a moment,” I managed to say.
He swung me around so he could look me in the face. His gray eyes assessed me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I avoided his gaze.
He looked over my head at the crowd behind me, as if he was trying to determine what had upset me. “Tell me.”
I stared up at his face. They were right.
This man was lethally good looking. Everything about his face was symmetrical and masculine, from the rugged jawline to the angular cheekbones and unfairly long eyelashes.
He was way out of my league, and I wasn’t even being hard on myself.
It was an honest assessment. The man was as close to a ten as I’d ever seen.
I watched him closely as I asked, “Do you ever question what we’re doing?”
He flinched slightly. “No.”
“All of this started because of a lie.” My voice hitched. “My lie, and now your life is ruined.”
He took my hand and moved us to the corner, where we could speak privately. Then he lifted my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes. “What’s going on? I thought we were doing good.”
“It makes no sense that someone like you would marry someone like me.”
“What happened? I was only gone for a few minutes.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I had heard the honest truth of what people felt, and it was deeply humiliating, even though I couldn’t quite articulate why.
His eyes held a trace of concern. “It matters.”
At first, I had viewed Axel just as some guy who worked for my uncle.
Then he was the man who’d kidnapped me back home against my will.
Then he became a dangerous liability, someone who walked out of a cornfield covered in someone else’s blood.
There had always been something about him that I was objecting to or fighting against.
Now that I saw him through the eyes of the rest of the world, the truth snapped into focus.
He was out of my league, and I looked ridiculous pretending otherwise.
I knew it was stupid to even care about this kind of stuff, but I already felt sensitive about everything, and this only made it a hundred times worse.
“What?” He looked bewildered by my expression.
“No one is buying this.” I waved my hand between us.
“We’re just two people getting married. I get the job I want and you get to go back to Canada, remember?”
“Then why do we have to go through the pretense of being in love?”
“Just tell me what happened.”
“I heard some people talking about us, and it made me feel stupid.”
His eyes narrowed. “Who?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see them.”
He gently grabbed my fingers in his big hand. “Let’s prove them wrong.”
I shook my head. “It’s too late for that.”
He threaded his fingers with mine so he could hold my hand. “Come on. We’ll work as a team to be a happy couple for everyone. Especially for your uncle.”
I swallowed down my emotions and worked to calm myself. “Okay, but I want to leave early.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Like the obstacle course, most of the work at the party landed on Axel’s shoulders.
He never left my side, and he doted on me completely while performing perfectly for the rest of the room.
We walked around together, and he carried each conversation with the guests who stopped to congratulate us.
When it was time to cut the cake, he slowly and delicately fed me a bite of cake while the photographer snapped away.
He ended that photo session by kissing me on the lips, to the crowd’s delight.
Then I cut up the rest of the cake while he plated it and handed it out to the guests, who lined up for a taste.
When the staff cleared some tables to widen the dance floor, he pulled me into his arms to dance alone.
“I’m not a great dancer,” I said nervously, my eyes flitting to the crowd that stood and watched us. I couldn’t stop looking for the group of laughing people who were probably mocking me right now.
“Hey.” He pulled me closer. “What are you worried about?”
“Nothing,” I lied, but my gaze stalled on his face. Now that I’d noticed what he really looked like, I couldn’t seem to stop staring at him.
He smiled down at me. “What? Do I have cake on my face?”
“No,” I said, a bit grumpy.
He pulled me a little bit tighter. “Well, now you have to tell me.”
I hated it when he acted like we shared the intimacy and closeness of a loving couple. It rattled me. Not because it was fake, but because it was starting to feel too real.
“You’re better looking than I realized, and it’s getting on my nerves,” I said testily.
He laughed. It escaped him against his will, and I realized that I had never heard him laugh before. Not for real. Not like this.
“Finally, some appreciation,” he joked, but he ruined it by tugging me a bit closer and letting his eyes linger on my face.
I felt my cheeks flush. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
“I’ll try and look more hideous next time just so I don’t get on your nerves.”
I thought of when he’d come out of the cornfield and his face had been misted with blood, and I decided to change the subject.
You know she’s going to starfish on their wedding night.
“What’s a starfish in bed?”
He stumbled slightly at my question. “What? Where is this coming from?”
“I heard something that I didn’t understand.”
“You should keep it that way.”
I stared up at his face. “It’s that bad?”
“No.” He gave me a look. “Who were you talking to?”
“I told you, I didn’t see them.”
He scanned the room, obviously not believing me. “You should tell me.”
“I’d prefer just to go home. It’s been a long night.”
He looked concerned for a moment and then gave me a short nod. “Of course.”