I giggled, wiping the corner of my mouth. “You could’ve warned me. That stuff is liquid fire, worse than the whiskey at Xyst.”
“Where’s the fun in that, my feisty bride?”
My stomach fluttered.
Nik poured himself another shot and set it on the nightstand before coming back to me. Then he reached out and swept my hair over one shoulder, exposing the line of my neck. His lips brushed the sensitive spot just below my ear, slowly and deliberately, in a kiss that made my knees threaten to give.
“You’re perfect,” he murmured. “Not just in body, but in spirit. You’ve stood your ground with me, fought me when you thought you should, and given yourself when you didn’t have to.” Hismouth traced a path lower. “That’s the woman I want at my side.”
I swallowed, my pulse pounding. “At your side for what, exactly?”
“For everything,” he said simply. “You’re my wife. My queen. The one who stands beside me in every battle and every victory. We’ll build together, burn together, and if it comes to it…” His lips found the hollow of my throat, lingering there before he whispered, “We’ll die together. Because I’m not letting go of you. Ever.”
A shiver ran through me. His words were both a promise and a threat.
Nik straightened, his eyes finding mine in the window’s reflection. “That’s what marriage means to me, Lacey. Not flowers and cake. It’s life or death, bound together until the end.”
Then, with one smooth motion, he shrugged off his jacket and let it drop onto the dresser. Then he unfastened his cuff links and tossed them onto the nightstand before rolling up his sleeves.
I stood there, my breath caught in my throat, staring at our reflections in the window. I still couldn’t believe this was my life now.
Nik stepped behind me and began undoing the silk-covered buttons running down the back of my dress. With each one he unfastened, he placed a kiss along my spine, trailing heat in his wake.
When he reached the final button, he gently slipped the sleeves from my shoulders. The dress pooled around my feet like a cloud.
He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back into him and splaying one of his hands over my bare stomach. The other slid lower, brushing over the lace between my thighs.
“Beautiful things,” he whispered darkly, “come wrapped in lace.”
He reached up to cup my breast through the delicate fabric of the bra, and I let out a soft, helpless moan.
Then he moved back and offered me his hand as I stepped carefully out of the dress. He picked it up and placed it on an armchair with unexpected care.
From his pocket, he pulled out his phone and tapped an app. The lights came on, casting a warm golden glow around the room.
Nik turned me to face the opposite corner. And that was when I saw it.
A sleek, freestanding pole-dancing platform gleamed under a spotlight.
I blinked. “You— What?”
Nik’s voice dropped to a delicious growl as he said, “Now, wife, you will perform for me. For my eyes alone. If another man ever dares look at you on a pole, I’ll carve his fucking eyes out. Tonight, your wedding gift to me is to let me watch you make love to that steel between your thighs.”
Heat surged through me.
I’d never wanted anyone’s eyes on me more than I wanted Nik’s right now. The blush-colored lace bra and panties Aria had chosen clung to me like they’d been made for his gaze alone—delicate and sinful all at once, the most beautiful costume I’d ever worn. I knew the moment I stepped onto that platform, he’d belong to me in a way no vow or ring could ever signify. Confidence slid into my bones like muscle memory. I lifted my chin, crossed the room, and stepped up to the pole, ready to put these sexy little stilettos to good use.
Nik followed me across the room, drink in hand, sinking into the armchair on the far side of the bed. He spread his legs wide,resting the glass on his thigh as his gaze traced over me with the hunger of a wolf ready to devour his prey.
I slid one hand up the pole, arching my back slightly. “Any music?”
Nik glanced at his phone and tapped a button. A slow, pulsing beat filled the air—The Weeknd’s “Earned It.”
“Perfect,” I whispered.
And then I danced.
For him.
