Chapter 4 Marcus #2
She glances around the room, looking for all the world like the mortified wife, but I’m on to her.
“And yet when it comes to your games, you have the precision of a surgeon.”
“You are funny.” She grabs a napkin and starts dabbing at the stain on my crotch with the finesse of a sumo wrestler. “You mean sports, love. Although, I do suppose the only physical exercise you get is turning the pages of your books.”
I stifle a groan and grab her wrist so she doesn’t push my balls back to where they were before they dropped.
I stand. “I think I shall excuse myself to change.”
Esmerelda narrows her eyes, but then her plump, red lips pull into another saccharine smile. “Of course, darling. Let me come and help you.”
“No!” I all but bark before toning it down.
“I mean, I don’t want to drag you away from the festivities.
Stay with your friends.” I look pointedly at her lady-in-waiting, Minerva, I think her name is.
She looks like she could use me as a spear if she wanted to.
And right now, it looks like she wants to.
“Don’t be silly.” Esmerelda stands. “What kind of wife would I be if I didn’t attend to my husband? After all, this was my fault.”
“A mere accident, love.” I nearly choke on the word because there is absolutely nothing to love about this woman.
Esmerelda takes a step closer, and I will my feet not to take a step back.
She places a hand on my chest and closes the gap.
“Now, you wouldn’t deny your wife the opportunity to please you, would you?
” She shoots the guests around us an exaggerated grin.
Ruby, my cousin who has just joined us at the table with her partner, blushes as bright red as her name, and her husband grins knowingly. Fucker, I’ve never liked him.
I snake a hand around her hip and tug her none-too-gently against me. “Now that you mention it, I would love to get you alone.”
Minerva looks feral. “What about the guests? Won’t it be rude?”
She clearly does not trust Esmerelda to be left alone with me.
“Our guests won’t even know we’re gone,” Esmerelda says coyly, running her hand up my neck to my cheek.
“Quite, ” Ruby says. “Besides, you need to start working on one of these. We need an heir.” She rubs her large baby bump.
Esmerelda stiffens for a fraction of a second, then relaxes. “Quite. So if you’ll excuse us?”
We don’t move, facing off for a few moments, then Esmerelda slides her arm into mine and tugs gently.
“Min, if anyone asks, please let the guests know I’ve left with my husband to take care of him.
” To everyone within hearing distance, this sounds like innuendo, but I think I might have to watch my back.
Esmerelda’s two watchdogs move into position as we leave the ballroom. Her bodyguards are dressed in similar attire as Minerva, posing as bridesmaids. The moment we leave the room, Esmerelda extracts herself from me as if she’s on fire and takes a step back. “What size are you?”
I blink a few times. Is she asking about my… She must see the shock on my face because she scoffs. “Pants size, darling. I have no interest in any of your other measurements.”
Heat creeps up the back of my neck. Frustrated with myself, I snap my size at her, and she holds her hand out to one of her female bodyguards. “Can I have my phone a sec?”
Just like when she smiled at her father, I’m slapped with the effect of seeing Esmerelda’s warmth. I’m more than a little surprised that any form of warmth can come from this woman.
She hits her screen and starts speaking almost immediately.
“Tony, honey, would you mind terribly if I borrow a pair of pants from you for my husband? I’m sure he’s smaller than you are, but we can make it work.
” She smirks at me when she says smaller, and my wolf snarls.
Eyes snap to mine, and I wonder if maybe that was me snarling and not my wolf.
I tell myself I’m pissed at her obvious dig at me.
After all, who is she to make any judgment about me when she has no clue regarding anything about me, and never will.
But I didn’t expect anything else from a vain, conceited brat like her.
However, if I’m honest with myself, my hackles are up because the familiarity in her tone makes me wonder if she’s fucked him.
I make a mental note to check if she has fucked her bodyguard.
If she has, I’ll be sure to have him replaced.
I will not be made a fool of. This marriage may be a joke, but I won’t have my name dragged through the mud.
She can fuck anyone she wishes from now on, as long as she does so with discretion.
But if I can find out about her past, anyone can, and I won’t be made a fool of.
And I won’t risk exile because she’s too careless to be discreet.
When we arrive at the suite, Esmerelda’s guards hug her, and they engage in a whispered conversation about how they don’t trust me.
Esmerelda reassures them that she has no qualms about being able to protect herself.
This whole conversation is for my benefit, since we’re all wolves and have better hearing than most. They all look at me, then Esmerelda hugs her guards and closes the door.
Alone together for the first time since this whole nightmare began.
My wife in name only moves over to the window and hugs her waist, her body rigid.
I am about to approach her to suggest a truce, if only for the evening, but a loud banging on the door makes me pause.
Esmerelda’s whole body relaxes, and she turns and starts to make her way over to the door.
I hold up a hand, indicating for her to stop.
An unknown emotion rushes through me at the fact that she is obviously relieved not to be alone with me anymore.
And it pisses me off that she thinks I’m a danger to her when violence is her creed, not mine.
She ignores my request and continues to move toward the door.
I grab her arm tightly and glare at her. “You have no idea who’s at the door. Let me check first.”
She rolls her eyes. “I have guards at the door. If it isn’t Tony, they wouldn’t let anyone past.”
“We don’t know that.”
“Ah, is my dearest husband being all protective? I would’ve thought you’d be praying for an assassination attempt. What are you going to do? Kill him with a bookmark? Knock him out with a book?”
I ignore her dig at me being a scholar—she isn’t the first person to look down on the fact that I prefer research to brute force.
In fact, she’ll have to stand in line behind my father and uncle to get her jabs in.
I walk to the door and swing it open with a scowl, which is returned by who I presume is Tony.
I don’t say anything as he looks past me to see if Esmerelda is all right.
I don’t like the fact that it puts my mind at ease that her guards really are jacked up.
It saves me from having to worry about her.
If anything happens to her, I’ll no doubt be public enemy number one, and I don’t have time for that bullshit right now.
While he’s looking at her, I size him up.
His bulk doesn’t come as a surprise. The Lovells are known for their brawn over their brains.
He’s probably exactly Esmerelda’s type. He’s an inch or two shorter than me, but where those inches are lacking in height, he more than makes up for in width.
It just means he’ll be slower. His light brown hair is scooped up in a bun at the top of his head, and his emerald eyes are fixed firmly on my wife.
It’s not only protection I see in them. And the musky scent coming off him is a clear indicator he’s turned on by her.
It doesn’t matter to me that I don’t want my wife. He will have respect for what’s mine.
My wolf paces inside, restless and eager to break free and show Tony that we respect by not gawking. Well, I’ve got news for the guard, he’s going to find himself in a whole different job very soon. I can’t have my wolf acting territorial when I have more important worries.
“Tony, thank you for coming. Do you have the pants?” Esmerelda crosses the room. I’m surprised she humored me and waited for me to open the door. Because let’s face it, she did humor me.
“Sure do, Esme.” He shoulders past me into the room and hands her the pants. I clench my jaw. What’s this Esme bullshit? I’m standing right here, and the pants are for me. Am I invisible to this prick?
The air crackles with tension, and it’s as though Esmerelda and Tony can both feel my energy change because they look at me at the same time. Esmerelda hands me the pants and quickly turns back to Tony. “Thank you, Tony. I appreciate it. You can head back to your post now. Tell Paul I say hi.”
He trains his gaze on me, a not-so-subtle warning in his narrowed eyes, then nods to Esmerelda and leaves. The moment he exits the room, I relax, but my wife looks tense again.
I head into the bathroom and quickly exchange the wet pants for Tony’s before heading back into the room to tell Esmerelda we should head back down to the reception, but the minute I walk back into the suite, Esmerelda spins on her heels.
“I hope you’re not expecting any sort of consummation tonight, because it’s not happening. ”
I stop dead in my tracks. Crossing my arms, I narrow my eyes at my bride, the tick in my jaw almost painful.
What the hell? I replay her words in my mind.
Did I hear right? But then her scent hits me, and I can smell apprehension, aggression, and the slightest hint of fear.
Shit. She thinks I’m going to force her to have sex with me, and here I am only thinking about my bruised ego. What a jerk!
I sit on the couch and indicate to the chair across from me. “Esmerelda, please sit.”
She hesitates before taking a seat and crossing her arms, a challenge in her eyes. If it wouldn’t get me castrated, I’d smile at how, despite her fears, she doesn’t back down.
“Esmerelda, aside from when we have to put on a show for the council members, I will never, ever touch you without your permission. You have my word on that.”
Her shoulders relax, then immediately tense again. “What about producing an heir? The council will eventually expect one to unify our families.”
I shrug. “They’re hardly going to do a paternity test, so we can cross that bridge when we get there with a lover or a donor.” The idea of Tony being the one to give us an heir has my wolf clawing against me, desperate to get out and make sure Tony doesn’t have the means to give Esmerelda a child.
She looks at me with wide eyes, and I want to lean over and close her mouth for her, but I value my fingers too much. I try not to be offended by her shock. What must she think of me and my family to be surprised that I won’t be forcing her to consummate our marriage?
“Does that settle things?” I ask.
“It does.”
I stand. “Good, let’s get back. People will be wondering where we are.”
Esmerelda stands too. “If the council members think we were up here getting fruity, they may lay off us for the rest of the evening.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Getting fruity?”
“Yeah, you know. Knocking boots. Having hot jungle sex. Banging like bunnies.”
The chuckle that escapes my lips surprises me. “That’s a colorful way of putting things.”
“Humans have loads of colorful expressions.”
I raise my eyebrows as we leave the room. “You’ve had human interactions, I take it.”
We nod to the guards and Esmerelda replies. “Yeah. When I was in college. I take it by your surprise that you haven’t interacted with humans?”
“Nope. Still a virgin when it comes to that.”
“Yeah, and that only. Your reputation precedes you, husband.”
“As does yours, wife.”
Esmerelda laughs. “Fair point.”
We walk the rest of the way back to the reception in surprisingly companionable silence.
Just before we walk through the doors, Esmerelda holds out her hand, and I take it.
It’s then I notice how perfectly her hand fits in mine.
She reaches up and musses up my hair a little, pulling a few strands loose from the intricate style I wear for special occasions.
She smiles at me when she notices my confusion. “Gotta put on a show.”
I chuckle. “Indeed.”
When we walk back into the reception, I notice the majority of the council members staring at us.
Esmerelda leans in and puts a hand on my cheek.
Her warm palm is oddly comforting, and I can’t help but think she’s being the tiniest bit nicer.
It’s not the first time she’s touched my face, but there’s something different about it this time.
She tucks the stray strands of hair behind my ears and winks. “I think that ought to do it. I’m going to dance.”
She doesn’t invite me to dance with her, which works for me. I’m not much of a dancer, so I make my way to the back of the room where Leonard is silently watching me. As I approach, he smirks. “Changed your mind about fucking her, I see.”
I follow his gaze to where Esmerelda is dancing with Minerva and people I don’t know.
“Nope. I didn’t touch her.”
“And that’s why your hair looks the way it does? I’ve never seen a single hair out of place on you. Not even when we used to share a room as kids.”
I run a hand over my hair. “It’s all for show.”
He shoots me a skeptical look.
“Get used to it. Everything in my life is going to be this way.” The weight of my situation comes crashing down. I grab the glass of bourbon out of his hand and swallow it down.
“Please, help yourself.” Leonard’s tone drips with sarcasm.
“I’m going to get my bride. I’m done putting on a face for the night.”
It takes nearly an hour to walk around the room and say our goodbyes, which we do separately.
It would’ve taken half the time if we’d done it together, but from Esmerelda’s posture, she’s barely keeping up the happy-go-lucky front and having to play adoring wife is way out of her capacity right now.
My own cheeks are sore from the fake smile I have spread across my face.
If the guests weren’t completely intoxicated, I’m sure they would notice, but so far all I’ve heard is what a beautiful couple we are and how it’s clear we’re besotted with each other.
People will believe what they want to believe for their inner peace.
The limo waits at the curb. Esmerelda gets in and all but presses herself against the far door.
Taking her shoes off, she rubs her feet, then straightens and stares out the window, her face stony.
The distance between us couldn’t get wider due to the confines of the car, since I’m also mashed against my door.
Is this how it’s going to be from now on?
Both of us eager to be as far away from each other while being forced to spend a lifetime with each other?
Esmerelda sighs, and I wonder if she’s thinking the same thing.