The rest of the crowd cheers excitedly.
True love’s kiss.
A low chuckle rumbles through me, vibrating against her.
Her cheeks grow brighter pink as I wrap my hand around her jaw. “We have to give them what they want. We are in love, after all,” I whisper.
She doesn’t stop me when I press my mouth to hers. This time, she can’t pull away.
I spread her lips with mine and slide my tongue into her mouth, pushing into her, deepening the kiss. My body flares, a hundred times more intense than I was expecting. Every cell inside me is screaming. I want her. She’s mine.
She slides her hands up my sides and it fuels the desire in me. Her touch is gentle and seductive.
My cock is growing hard against her, so I pull her tighter to me. She giggles against my lips and it sends me over the edge. I’m rock-hard now.
The kiss ends and she stands on her tiptoes and whispers, “I presume you want to keep dancing until you’ve calmed down?”
I narrow my eyes at her. She’s cheeky. A tease. I can’t work out if it’s playful or a challenge. This woman intrigues and fascinates me in the most incredible ways.
At least I have all the time in the world to solve the puzzle that is her. I smile broadly as I pull her against me to continue dancing.
While we dance, other guests join us on the floor. I’m mulling over the best way to deal with her. I’ve decided to give her the security of boundaries. If I set strong boundaries in place as soon as we get home tonight—despite the fact that I want to rip this dress from her body and devour every inch of her perfection—I think it will be better between us without her feeling pressured into anything.
We can get to know each other first.
A solid foundation.
Besides, if one kiss from her can intoxicate me as wildly as it did, Ineedto set boundaries formyself. I can’t give her that type of control over me. No woman has ever had me lusting after them in this way. I’m the one who makes the rules and lets them chase. Not the other way around.
And if she is behaving tensely because all this is to her is a marriage of alliance, then I don’t want her to know I am wildly enchanted by her already. I won’t give her that power.
***
Our wedding is an extravagant affair, and it goes on for hours. I’m relieved when we finally get to leave the even and head home. In the car, sitting in the back of the limo, Ulyana is quiet and looking out of the window, disinterested in the man she’s just married.
Testing the situation, I shift closer to her, and she turns to look at me with her head tilted to the side and her eyes narrowed.
“What are you doing?” she asks politely.
“Sitting next to my wife,” I reply, reaching out to brush my hand over her thigh, feeling the soft, smooth fabric move between us.
She clears her throat gently and scrunches her nose.
“Before we get home, I just want to say a few things, if that’s alright with you?” Her tone is professional. Not what I was expecting.
“Of course,” I say, sucking in a breath, but not moving away from her.
“I am very happy about this whole arrangement. I assure you, I’ll be an excellent wife, and a good ally. But I think we need to set some boundaries between us before anything gets—confusing.”
“Confusing,” I repeat, swallowing away the unexpected disappointment burning through me. Hadn’t I planned to say the same?
I was the one who wanted to suggest boundaries. From my side, it had more to do with giving her a sense of safety than me actually wanting boundaries between us. But now she’s beaten me to it.
“Yes. I thought it was best to just get the conversation out of the way now, instead of something awkward happening later.”
“I understand.” I nod curtly.
At this point, I shift away from her, rejection stinging me. She smiles sweetly and returns her gaze to the window.
