Page 17 of Paved in Hate
He doesn’t wait for a response, just lets me go and pushes me into Konstantin’s waiting embrace, because apparently we’ve just morphed into a hugging family.
“Time to make yourself useful, sister. Give him whatever he wants, and you’d better do it with a goddamn smile on your face.” Before I can pull away, he tightens his grip on me and hisses, “Not a word about our family.”
I nod because I know he won’t let me go until I do. I’m not only being sold off to a strange man, but I’m also expected to spy and report back anything suspicious to my brothers and keep my mouth shut about any Lebedev business, and if I fuck any of this up, some innocent woman will pay for it. Nothing is ever simple in my world.
When I pull back, Vitaly is watching me, running his eyes over my face and taking in every detail just like he’d done in the bathroom. Despite the chill in the air, he’s rolled up his white dress shirt, exposing his inked forearms. I can’t help but notice the veins running along his tanned skin, and I quickly look away. It’s odd as fuck being married to someone without even knowing the most basic details about them. I don’t even know how he takes his coffee or how old he is.
His brothers lead their wives away with Matvey trailing along behind them, and when Vitaly offers me his arm again, I give Oksana a quick hug goodbye and wish her luck before I turn and take my husband’s arm. It’s time to step into my new life.
Chapter4
Vitaly
Katya’s touch on my arm is so light I can barely feel it. It’s like she’s trying her hardest to not touch me at all. I’m still trying to process the fact that I’m standing next to my wife. Mywife. I’ve never even gone on a second date with a woman, and now I’m fucking married.
I look down at her, ignoring the fact that she’s absolutely gorgeous. When I’d pulled the veil back and seen her face, it was like someone had reached in and stolen the air from my lungs. I couldn’t breathe. The fact that she’d looked scared to death hadn’t taken away from her beauty. If anything, it had just added to it, and I’d had the insane urge to pull her in for a hug and tell her that everything’s going to be okay, that I’m not going to hurt her, and that she’s safe with me. I can’t imagine being the sister to Konstantin and Osip has been fun, and it’s painfully obvious she’s terrified of them. No matter how hard I try and tell myself that it’s not my problem, it still doesn’t sit well with me.
While the rest of my family gets into the SUV they arrived in, I lead Katya to my black Porsche. Opening the door for her, I help her in, making sure her dress is situated before walking to the driver’s side. Konstantin had someone bring her bags out during the ceremony, so she’s all packed up and ready to go. The band around my finger feels heavy and stifling, like a noose around my goddamn neck. I’m feeling a million different things at once, and I don’t want to be feeling any of them.
When I start the car, Katya clasps her hands tightly together, looking so small and scared in my suit jacket that’s way too big for her. She’s my responsibility now. The guy who thinks taking a woman out to dinner is too big of a commitment is now married and joined to this woman.
Annulment, I remind myself. We’re getting this erased from the record as soon as we have what we need from her brothers. She’ll probably be more than happy to put this behind her, and then we can go on with our separate lives and never have to think about this again.
After several minutes of silence as I drive us through the city, I finally break it and ask, “You came here from Berlin?”
“Yeah, we just got here yesterday.” She keeps staring out the window, not offering any more information.
“How do you like it here?” I ask, feeling every bit the dumbass as I struggle for something to talk about that will help make all of this seem not so fucking weird and awkward.
“I’m not really sure. The only other place I’ve seen is the airport.”
“Did you know your brother was going to suggest this marriage?” I don’t know why I’m asking. I don’t really expect her to be honest about anything that has to do with her family, but she answers me all the same, and I find myself wanting to believe her.
“No, I had no idea. Konstantin told me yesterday before your family came over for supper.” She lets out a sigh. “I guess you drew the short stick.”
“What?”
“Konstantin said that there were two single Melnikov brothers. You’re the one I married tonight, so I’m guessing you lost.”
“I volunteered,” I tell her, not bothering to add that it’s because the other single Melnikov brother is in love with a woman her sick fuck of a brother kidnapped and trafficked.
We spend the rest of the ride in silence, and this time I don’t break it. When I pull into my spot in the underground garage, the others are already inside, no doubt they sprinted to the elevator because they know what to say about as well as I do. This is the kind of awkward that no one wants to be a part of. Getting out, I open the door and help her stand before grabbing the suitcases from the back. She doesn’t have much, just three suitcases and a backpack. Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I grab two suitcases while she pulls one of them behind her.
“You live in an apartment?”
I swipe my keycard to access our private elevator before we pile in. “We live in the penthouse.”
“We?”
“Your brother really didn’t tell you anything, did he?”
“No.”
That one word tells an entire story. I look down at her, noticing the delicate crystals that have been woven into her honey blonde hair, the graceful line of her neck, and the small nose that turns up the tiniest bit at the end.
“I live here with my brothers and their wives.”
“They really married their pets?”
