Something cold flickers in his dark eyes. And for a second, I see the killer from the alley: emotionless, deadly, capable of anything. The man who watched another bleed out without a flicker of remorse.
Terror slams back into me full force, washing away the unwanted attraction like a bucket of ice water.
“Then I’ll carry you unconscious to a judge who doesn’t care if you’re awake for the ceremony.”
The way he says it makes my blood turn to ice. “You can’t do that.”
“I can do whatever the fuck I want, baby. The sooner you understand that, the better.”
I have no choice. I’ve never had a choice.
* * *
We walk into the courthouse, Nikolai’s hand on the small of my back. And even through my uniform shirt, I can feel the heat of his palm, the strength of his fingers. He’s so much taller than me I barely reach his shoulder. Eyes follow him, drawn by his dark good looks and obvious wealth. People step aside without thinking, some primitive instinct warning them that this is not someone to be messed with.
“Nikolai Maksimov,” he tells the clerk at the marriage license window.
She’s a tired-looking woman in her fifties, who straightens when her eyes raise to him.
“ID and birth certificates,” she says with a smile.
See? Even she thinks he’s hot. You’re not crazy.
Yes, you are. You’re thirsting for someone who’s threatening to kill you!
He slides documents across the counter.Where the hell did this man get my birth certificate?!
“Miss?” The clerk looks at me expectantly. “I need your ID, too.”
I fumble for my wallet with shaking hands. My driver’s license looks pathetic next to his expensive everything. Standingnext to him, I feel like Cinderella in her rags next to Prince Charming.
My eyes widen, trying to communicate my distress to the clerk.I’m being forced into this. He’s a killer. Please help me.
Nikolai’s hand tightens on my back in a clear warning.
* * *
Judge Husley is a small woman with kind eyes who clearly has no idea what she’s being roped into. She smiles at us as we enter her chambers, and I want to scream at her to look closer. To see the terror in my eyes, the way my body shakes.
“Thank you for squeezing us in, Your Honor,” Nikolai says smoothly.
Judge Husley beams at us.
God, I’m so fucked.
His hand finds mine, and even knowing what he’s capable of, my pulse quickens at the contact.
“Shall we?” the judge asks.
This is it. My last chance to run, to scream, to do something. Anything!
But I just nod, paralyzed by terror and something altogether different I don’t want to name.
I barely hear the ceremony. Something about love and honor and cherishing each other until death do us part. Which, knowing Nikolai, will be sooner rather than later.
“Do you, Nikolai, take Zara to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do.” His voice is strong, certain, and when I glance up at him, he’s looking down at me with an intensity that steals my breath. For a moment, he looks like he means it. And I feel like I almost want him to.What the hell is wrong with me?
