11. Jane

The way William looked at me almost made me trip over my dress.

Why did he have to be so handsome?

It would have been one thing if he was annoying and unattractive. But no, he was annoying and drop-dead gorgeous. The look in his eyes made me want to melt on the spot. I found myself itching for the moment I would be declared his wife.

I noticed that I was moving slower than usual so I turned to Ryan. He had a stony look on his face. I knew he wasn't happy about the wedding and I couldn't blame him for that. I was just so grateful that he actually came. I wouldn"t have been able to do this without him. Ryan had always been there for all my big moments.

He was there when I graduated from high school, when I got admitted into university, when I graduated from university, when I got my first job. He was even there when I took my first sip of alcohol. When our parents passed, Ryan filled the role of brother, mother, father, and friend. He's the most important person in my life.

I squeezed his arm and he turned to look at me. My face was covered with a veil but I could see his. I could see the love in his eyes that chipped away at his stony exterior. When we reached the altar, he kissed me on the cheek and reluctantly handed me over to William.

Skylar stood behind me as I said my vows. My other two bridesmaids were Diane, a woman from my apartment building, and Jess, a work friend from Bella"s Elite. I was grateful that Jess hadn't cut me off after the whole stealing scandal. She was ecstatic when I asked her to be my bridesmaid.

"I do," I said, the words leaving my mouth in a rush. It felt wrong to say vows I didn't mean. I was swearing to love William for the rest of our lives but in reality, our marriage would only last a year. I pushed that thought away when the priest pronounced us husband and wife.

"You may now kiss the bride," he said.

I was expecting a light peck. Something perfunctory to make the guest believe we were truly in love but William gave me a kiss that set my world on fire. His lips devoured mine until everyone else in the area faded away and it was just the two of us. The passion was so overwhelming that I lost stability. William had to hold me up to keep me from falling.

The sound of the crowd cheering broke the spell he had over me. William pulled away but he held me close. I gulped and blinked rapidly. I couldn't understand what just happened. Why did William kiss me like that? Did he forget that this was a fake marriage? Was the kiss fake as well?

I touched my lips.

No, the kiss wasn't fake. No one could fake that type of passion. I took a shaky breath as I followed William into the manor for the reception. I needed something to help me take my mind off that kiss.

I pulled away from William with the excuse being that I needed to use the bathroom. I didn't find him again until it was time to cut the cake.

"I asked them to make it red velvet," William said. He was standing behind me and his lips grazed my ear as he spoke. "I know it's your favorite."

"T-Thank you."

I couldn't understand why I was feeling so nervous around him. Maybe it was because he was my husband now.

William Aldaine was my husband!

I felt lightheaded just thinking about it. I stumbled back a bit and William put a hand on my waist to steady me. The sudden contact felt electrifying. Being married to William was going to be more complicated than I thought.

I smiled brightly as we cut the cake while I mentally prepared myself for what was ahead.

Unlike my initial prediction, being married to William has been… easy. Two weeks had passed since the wedding and life had mostly gone back to normal. Well, as normal as it could get for us. We weren't living together so that certainly made things a lot easier.

After the wedding, William dropped me off at my apartment before driving off. I was tempted to ask him if we were ever going to live together but I didn't want him to think that I actually wanted to live with him. Because I didn't.

I walked into my apartment, pulled off my wedding gown, and ran myself a bath. That certainly wasn't how I expected to spend my wedding night. But then again, William certainly wasn't the man I expected to marry.

I always wanted to be with someone kind, caring, and tender. William was the opposite. After our wedding, he'd gone right back to being my arrogant, annoying boss. Not that he'd ever changed but at the wedding, he was so… different. He treated me like he actually cared.

It was stupid of me to think that meant more. I was only William's assistant. Legally, I was his wife but that piece of paper meant nothing to him. It should mean nothing to me too but I would be lying if I said I didn't have conflicting emotions.

Things would have been better if William hadn't kissed me so passionately at the wedding. Two weeks later and I still couldn't stop thinking about it. Even now, as I placed his morning coffee on the table, my mind drifted to our wedding day and that intense kiss.

"Jane!"

William's voice brought me out of my daydream. My face heated up. For some reason, it felt like he could read my thoughts. Maybe he knew I had been thinking of him. "Sorry, what did you say?"

I asked if you have the report from yesterday's meeting."

"Right, of course. It's on my desk. I'll get it for you now."

I walked to the door but it swung open before I got to it. My eyes widened as I gazed upon the menacing face of Bernard Aldaine. I'd never seen him like this. From the moment I met him, he was all smiles but now he looked livid. The frightening look in his eyes intensified when his gaze shifted to the man behind me.

"Grandfather," William said as he stood up. "Jane you can wait outside while I—

"Why on earth would your wife need to wait outside?" Bernard asked, his tone lethal yet calm.

"I assume you are here to talk about work."

"Well, you assume wrong." Bernard gestured to the chair beside him and looked at me. I didn't wait for him to say the words. I walked over and took a seat. The man looked too intimidating. I didn't dare refuse him. Bernard sat in the second chair and William sank back into his seat.

For a moment, the room was silent. William and his grandfather exchanged glares while I fiddled with my nails. I really didn't want to be here.

"I stopped by your penthouse earlier today, William. I wanted to greet your lovely wife," Bernard gestured to me as he spoke. "But imagine my surprise when your maid told Jane had not been living with you. The poor woman didn't even know that you were married!"

A shiver ran down my spine when his voice became louder. My gaze remained fixed on the floor. I was too scared to meet Bernard's eye.

"Grandfather, I can explain."

"I don't want to hear any explanation. Clearly, I cannot trust what you have to say. But you can trust what I have to say, William. Your wife better be living with you by the end of the week, or I will take the necessary actions.

Without another word, Bernard stood up and walked out. He slammed the door so hard I was worried he would break it or his arm. For an old man, Bernard Aldaine still had a lot of strength.

I remained in place long after he left. I stared at the ground and fiddled with my nails. I couldn't bring myself to speak or leave. Bernard threatened William which meant that we would have to move in together. Unless William had some plan that I wasn't aware of.

I looked up then and saw he was staring at me. My gaze returned to the floor. "So what are we going to do?"

"Pack your things. I'll have my driver pick you up tomorrow."

That was all he said to me. William went right back to his work while I sat there like a schoolgirl who had been called into the headmaster's office. I wanted to say something. I wanted to tell him how insensitive it was of him to send his driver instead of coming to pick me up himself. Was I really that unimportant to him?

Yes,a voice in my head answered.

It reminded me of everything I keep forgetting. William wasn't really my husband. He didn't owe me any kindness or consideration.

I stood up and walked out. I needed to be alone. By tomorrow, William and I will be living together. I needed time to wrap my head around that.

The next day, William's driver showed up at my apartment building as promised. He carried all my boxes and refused all the help that I offered. Frank was a kind man. I found myself feeling grateful that William sent him instead of coming here by himself.

It was good to know that there was at least one friendly person in the world I was entering. I sat in the back seat and gazed out the window as Frank zoomed down the street.

I couldn't help wondering what life would be like living with William. I assumed it couldn't be much different from working with him. With a little bit of tolerance, I could overcome anything.

Frank parked the car and pulled the door open for me. "Thank you," I said. Once again I offered to help with the luggage and once again, Frank refused. He said he would ask someone to bring it up so he could show me the way to the penthouse. I nodded and followed him.

William's penthouse sat at the top of one of the tallest apartment buildings I'd ever seen. It was a gorgeous four-bedroom masterpiece with a huge kitchen, a movie room, and a Jacuzzi. It was by far the most incredible apartment I'd ever seen.

But all that didn't matter. I'd been walking around for the past thirty minutes and I still hadn't seen William. I met his maid, Josephine who insisted I call her Josie. The woman was the embodiment of kindness. She assured me that she would do everything she could to make my life easier. It felt strange to hear someone devote themselves to me like that.

I rounded a corner and collided with a hard wall. I looked up and I saw the hard wall was actually William's broad chest. I glared up at him. No matter how much I tried I couldn't stop feeling upset. He'd sent Frank to pick me up like I was a package he ordered on eBay.

"Good evening," I said as I turned around. I knew the way back to my room. Josie had given me a tour since my husband was unavailable.

"Jane, wait."

I didn't stop. Instead, I walked faster. William halted me in my tracks by grabbing my wrist. He turned me to face him but I kept my eyes on his chest.

William placed a hand on my chin and tipped my head up. "Are you upset about something?"

"No," I said as I tried to pull away.

He held my chin in place. "You seem upset."

"What would make you think that?"

"The fact that you're walking away without speaking to me," he said. His hand slipped to the side of my face and he stroked my cheek.

Damn him!Why did he have to do that right now? I could already feel myself giving in.

I bit my lip. "You sent Frank to pick me up."

"And?"

"I… " I couldn't finish my sentence because I felt too embarrassed.

"You can tell me anything, Jane," he said, picking up on my uncertainty.

I decided to just blurt it out. "I thought you would pick me up yourself."

If William was shocked by my answer, he didn't show it. "Did you want that?"

"I don't know. But it would have certainly felt better than being picked up like a delivery from eBay," I said. William laughed and I bit my lip. His gaze dropped to my lips.

"I would have picked you up myself but I thought it would be better if Frank did it. I know I'm not your favorite person."

"No argument there."

William laughed again. As his laughter died down, silence settled between us. His eyes were still fixated on my lips causing my heart to beat so loudly I was worried he could hear it.

He slowly lowered his head. The action was so slow that for a second I thought I had imagined it. That thought disappeared when his lips touched mine.

Unlike our kiss at the wedding, this kiss was tender and languid. It was slow and soft and it obliterated every thought in my head.

William's other hand snaked around my waist. He pulled me close as he intensified the kiss. My hands lifted of their own volition and grabbed onto his shirt. It felt like we had both been starving and this was our first meal.

"Mr. William, dinner—

I pulled away from William when I heard Josie"s voice. She was standing a few feet away from us with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth.

I couldn't believe she caught us like that. What was I doing kissing William?

"I just wanted to tell you both that dinner is ready," Josie said before promptly excusing herself.

I placed a hand on my lips as I stared at the floor. I didn't want to look at William right now. Not after what just happened between us.

"You can go freshen up and we'll meet in the dining area after," he said. The hoarseness of his voice told me I wasn't the only one affected by what happened.

William walked off, leaving me standing there. For a moment, I simply replayed the kiss in my head before I finally walked away.

I was right; living with William was going to be harder than I thought.