“It was a pleasure to meet you, Annika. Have Kirill give you my number some time. We’ll go shopping with our husbands' credit cards.”
Though I’m shocked at Viktoryia’s bold words, Kirill only laughs. A smooth, tantalizing sound that has me wanting to hear it again.
“I’ll be sure to do that,” he promises.
As Viktoryia and Valya move away, Kirill extends his hand to me.
“Shall we, wife?” he asks, his tone taunting as a smirk touches his lips.
I feel my smile widen.
“Well, we mustn’t break tradition,” I playfully replied as I slip my hand into his.
The moment I do, sparks shoot through my fingers and up my arm, creating a warm buzz that travels through my veins and settles into my womb.
“How are you feeling?” he asks, leading me to the dance floor. “Any problems with the baby?”
Surprised at how genuinely concerned he sounds, it takes me a moment to answer.
“Um, no,” I reply. “All settled.”
“And you?” Kirill asks, moving his other hand firmly to my lower back to start the dance. “Are you feeling settled?”
I let out a nervous laugh.
“I’m not sure if I will ever feel settled,” I confess. “This entire thing has been a whirlwind. What happened a month ago. This. How accepting everyone has been.”
“They accept what I tell them to accept,” Kirill states, starting to guide me into the dance. “You don’t ever have to worry about rumors,devochka.I’ll take care of them before they ever start.”
I may not know him well, but I believe him. Even though most of my focus has been pulled to Kirill throughout the day, I didn’t miss the bows or kisses to my new husband’s hand, or the way our guests all went silent and watched him closely any time he so much as moved an inch. I’m just not sure if it is their fear or respect of him. For whatever reason, though, he has our guests' pure devotion.
“You did well picking out a new dress,” Kirill praises, raking his eyes down my figure. “The first one was beautiful, but I like this one much better.”
My cheeks flush at the compliment. With far less time I chose a simpler design. I kept with the ivory white silk and the long sleeves, but I went with a mermaid style dress with an off the shoulder design.
“Thank you,” I whisper, my voice strained. “For the compliment and the line of credit. You didn’t have to do that.”
I leave it at that, feeling utterly flustered by his close proximity.
His hand on my back is distracting me. It’s warm and firm, and it feels like his possessive touch is melting through the very fabric of my dress. Or- maybe I just wish it will. My hunger for him has been growing all day, even through my anxious state.
Kirill cocks his head, an amused grin forming on his face.
“So you can talk to Viktoryia about how hot my brother looks but you can’t talk to me about your dress?”
My mouth drops open, completely caught off guard by his goading.
“I- I didn’t say that,” I reply.
“No,” he muses, “But you certainly thought it.”
I feel my cheeks grow hotter. He might not be a man to show much emotion but he certainly seemed to be able to read mine. I raise my chin, fighting through the trepidation my new husband is making her feel.
“Even if I did, this marriage is just a business deal, right? It’s not like you actually need to want me. Or I need to want you.”
Kirill’s grin grows, and he slowly spins me around, pressing his chest tightly to my back. His fingertips trail down my arms, sending sparks of arousal through my body before resting possessively upon the tiny bump of my stomach.
“There’s that sharp tongue I’ve been dreaming about,” he whispers in my ear.
