9. Dimitri

9

DIMITRI

“How do people tie these fucking things.” I tug at my bow tie.

The collar of my shirt feels too tight, and the two glasses of vodka I’ve already knocked back have done little to calm my nerves.

I’m getting married today.

In less than an hour, Zara Mullens will become a Koslov, and the thought makes my blood heat.

I have absolutely no business being aroused by the thought of Zara being legally tied to me, by the thought of her having my name, but I can’t help it.

Ever since I took her face in my hands and kissed her like my life depended on it, I haven’t been able to get her out of my head, even more so than usual.

She tasted even better than I imagined. The feeling of her pressed up against me as I explored her mouth with my tongue has plagued my thoughts and gotten me hard at the most inappropriate times.

If she learned how often I’ve had to take myself in my hand just to try and get her out of my system …

Maybe it’s because I know she enjoyed it too. I saw the lust in her eyes when I pulled away. I noticed the way her breathing quickened, and her chest flushed as she felt how much I wanted her.

We’re entering dangerous territory, but that only excites me more.

She’s going to walk down the aisle looking like a fucking goddess and then declare herself as mine in front of hundreds of people.

Now I’m not just hot, I’m hard as a fucking rock, and I don’t have time to deal with it.

I pull at the tie once more, and the whole thing comes loose.

“ Fuck !” I throw it on the bed and storm over to the mini fridge to grab myself another bottle of liquor, trying to ignore the throbbing ache in my pants.

Just as I’m unscrewing the cap on the miniature bottle of tequila, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and my heart stops as I catch the name on the screen.

I answer.

“Rurik, you better have some good news for me.”

“I have news, but you’re not going to like it.”

“Fuck.” I run my hand through my hair. “What did you find?”

“Turns out you’re not the only person to have a private investigator look into your fathers affair.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ivanov suspected his wife was having an affair and decided to do some digging of his own. A bunch of photos were taken.”

“Send them over immediately.”

“It’s all attached in the email I’m sending you.”

I let out a long breath as I try to digest what this means .

“I’m sorry I don’t have better news.” Rurik hangs up the phone.

A few seconds later, my phone pings with a new email, and I throw back the tequila before opening my inbox to see with my own eyes if what Alexei said is true.

Attached is a whole bunch of grainy photos, but there’s no denying who the man in the picture is.

My father.

The cheating bastard .

“ Fuck !” I launch my phone at the wall.

How could he have done this? How could he have turned his back on our mother and shattered every belief I had that a loving marriage was possible for people like us?

It’s rare, I know, but they had it. My parents had it, and he threw it all away for some quick fuck on the side.

“You fucking bastard,” I snarl as I pace the room.

I pull at the collar of my shirt, my chest feeling tight as I try to take a deep breath.

For all my life, I saw my parents as having the perfect marriage. I thought if I could have something even half as good as they did, then I would consider myself a lucky man.

But it was all a lie.

Did my mother even know? Or was she just as in the dark as we were?

I hope for her sake that she got to live the fantasy until the very end.

A knock sounds at the door, snapping me out of my rage long enough to answer. I almost slam it shut again when I see it’s Alexei.

We’ve barely spoken since he dropped the news about our father’s affair. I couldn’t bear to look at him until I knew the truth, but it seems he was right all along.

And I had been so very, very wrong .

“You look stressed. Is everything okay?” He forces his way into the room.

I nod, swallowing my anger. “Everything is fucking perfect.”

Alexei’s fully dressed in his tux with a white rose pinned to his lapel.

This is really happening.

He frowns at me, tucking his hands into his pockets. “You don’t need to do this, you know.”

“Yes, I do.” I pick up my bow tie and wrap it around my neck.

“Dimitri…”

“I need to finish getting ready, so either make yourself useful and get me a drink or get the hell out.”

Alexei holds my gaze but when he sees that I’m not playing, he stalks over to the mini fridge and gets to work fixing us both a drink.

“Happy wedding day.” He holds up his glass. “I wish you a lifetime of happiness, brat .”

I walk into the ballroom of the Wall Street Hotel and almost laugh at the amount of lilac and white roses that decorate the room.

There must be hundreds lining the aisle, ending in an enormous arch where Zara and I will stand and exchange our vows. Rows of white chairs line either side of the aisle, with lilac bows on the back of each one. A string quartet is in the corner, playing some soft classical music that I don’t recognize. It’s not my taste at all, but if this is what Zara wanted, then I’m happy .

The room is packed with guests, many of whom I’ve never met, all mingling and chatting.

I glance around and spot Feliks and my cousin Anton over by the far wall. I huff a laugh as I watch them eye each of the guests warily, knowing full well that they’ll each have multiple weapons on them. Hell, I even snuck a handgun into the inside pocket of my tux out of habit.

Wherever my brothers and I go, trouble always seems to follow, so you can never be too careful.

“Ready?” Alexei claps me on the shoulder.

“Let’s do this.” I let out a deep breath, straightening my jacket.

My skin prickles as all eyes fall on me as I make my way down the aisle.

Mikhail and Danil are waiting beneath the flower arch, their arms folded in front of them as they look out over the crowd.

I plaster an easy smile on my face as I make my way toward them, with Alexei at my side.

I still can’t believe this is really happening.

“Congrats, brat ,” Mikhail mutters as I move to stand beside him.

“Ready to sign your life away?” Danil chuckles.

I shoot my youngest brother a warning glare.

“Don’t make me regret choosing all of you as my best men,” I mutter under my breath.

Danil grins as he slaps me on the arm. “It wouldn’t be right not to have all of us by your side.”

I roll my eyes, but he’s right. We’ve gone through some shit, my brother’s and I, and I have a feeling it’s only going to get worse.

We need each other now more than ever .

I catch sight of Zara’s mother in the front row. She’s already wiping tears of happiness from her eyes and a pang of guilt hits me. But there’s no going back now.

“It’s time,” Alexei mutters in my ear as the room quietens and the string quartet begins playing the entrance music.

Bianca appears, wearing a pale lilac gown, her dark hair swept back off her face, holding baby Leo who’s wearing a tiny suit and bow tie. He’s half asleep in her arms as she makes her way down the aisle, and a huge smile spreads across her face as she looks at Alexei.

“You’re a lucky bastard, you know that?” I mutter to my brother who only chuckles at the sight of his wife and child.

“Let’s hope Leo stays asleep,” he replies.

As Bianca almost reaches the top of the aisle, Emily appears, carrying a bouquet of white and lilac roses. Her blonde hair is also swept back off her face, and she’s grinning madly as she makes her way down the aisle.

Any moment, Zara is going to appear in a white dress, and her father is going to walk her down the aisle and give her away to me.

I take a steadying breath, closing my eyes for just a moment as I try to calm the sudden wave of nerves. I drown out the sound of the music and let myself remember why I’m doing this.

“Here she comes.” Alexei nudges me in the rib.

My eyes open, and I turn to look down the aisle, and my jaw almost hits the floor.

Zara looks radiant. Her long, blonde hair is loose around her shoulders, and the dress is a simple design which emphasizes her waist and fans out in a long train behind her .

She’s clutching her father’s arm tightly as she slowly makes her way toward me, her eyes wide as she takes in all the people gawking at her.

And for good reason.

“Look at me, sladkaya ,” I whisper.

As if she can hear me, her eyes flick up to meet mine, and it’s as if the room dissolves around us.

There is no one else but us. The music becomes nothing but a faint melody in my ears as I watch her take her first few steps toward me, and I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face at the sight of her.

She’s stunning, and the way her green eyes light up when she sees me has my chest swelling with pride.

She’s going to be mine.

The sudden rush of emotion has me almost stumbling.

This may be an arrangement, but I can’t deny that I care about Zara.

How can I not when I carried her bleeding, broken body from a cell after she was captured by Gilanto? I sat by her bedside while she healed, feeling nothing but bone-crushing guilt at the knowledge that my family was the reason she got hurt.

And now the past might be repeating itself. Who knows how Massimo Conti is going to react when he hears the news of my sudden nuptials.

All I know is that I will make sure Zara is protected at all costs.

My fingers itch to touch her, to trace the soft skin of her bare shoulders, to sink into her hair as I pull her mouth against mine.

I know I have no business feeling such things, but how can I not when she looks like that .

Is this how my father felt when he watched my mother walk down the aisle? Did he feel a rush of emotion so intense that he thought his heart might explode?

Perhaps… But then somewhere down the line, the vows that he exchanged became nothing more than empty promises.

I ball my hands into fists at the thought.

Though is that any different than what Zara and I are about to do? Offer each other empty promises that we’ll break the moment we’re no longer useful to one another?

Am I no better than my father?

I swallow the lump in my throat and try to keep my expression one of pure joy as Zara approaches me.

“We’re getting married,” she whispers, a soft giggle escaping her lips.

“We sure are.” I take her hand, squeezing it tightly.

The thin, platinum wedding band feels foreign on my finger. Every time I look down at it, all I can picture is my father, and I want to tear the thing off and toss it in the Hudson.

The thought of his betrayal has such rage coursing through my body that no amount of alcohol is going to numb me.

Trust me, I’ve tried.

The reception is in full swing, with most of the guests occupying the dancefloor. I spot Danil and Emily getting a little too close for comfort, but it seems Alexei has it covered.

I watch my older brother storm over, carving a path through the swaying bodies, and practically drag Danil away by the collar of his shirt as if he’s no better than a horny teenager.

I huff a laugh at the sight.

Though I suppose when I was a dumb teenager getting too close to girls I had no business getting to know, my father was the one dragging me away by the collar, instilling lessons in me about morals that it seems he had no problem ignoring himself.

I grind my teeth as I fiddle with the ring on my finger.

“Another,” I set my empty glass down in front of the bartender.

I must be at least six glasses of vodka deep into the reception by the time that Zara approaches me.

“Are you not enjoying yourself?” Her face is flushed from dancing with Bianca and a few stray strands of hair stick to her forehead.

“Why do you say that?” I lean against the bar.

“Because you’ve had a look on your face ever since I slid that ring onto your finger.”

I flinch, twirling my empty class on the bar top.

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” I reach for my bowtie and pull it free, letting it hang around my neck as I undo the top few buttons on my dress shirt.

“What’s going on, Dimitri?” She places her hands on her hips.

My eyes flick over her body, and I have to bite back a groan at the sight of those luscious curves that are only emphasized by her dress.

“Nothing.” I run my hand through my hair.

“It doesn’t seem like nothing. Are you…do you regret what we did?” she whispers, a deep crease forming between her eyebrows .

Now I feel like a bastard for making her feel like this.

“Of course not.” I reach out to place my hands on her hips and pull her toward me. She gasps, pressing her hands against my chest to steady herself. “And I definitely don’t regret kissing you in front of all those people.”

Zara bites her lip, her cheeks flushing as she looks up at me with those big, green eyes.

The kiss we shared after we said I do was gentler than the one we shared before. There was no urgency or desperation in the way I slowly took her lower lip between my teeth or how I pushed my tongue into her mouth and tangled it with hers.

For a moment, I let myself imagine that it was all real before we broke apart and were officially declared as husband and wife and reality came crashing back down around me.

“Let’s go and enjoy the rest of the party.” I drop my hands from her waist.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“The honeymoon suite.” Zara holds out her hand for me to take.

I glance down at her hand, and a smile tugs at my lips.

The reception is slowly coming to an end, with the last few stragglers still on the dancefloor, including Danil and Emily.

Bianca and Alexei left for the penthouse hours ago to put Leo to bed. I have no clue where Mikhail is, no doubt sulking somewhere in a hotel room nursing a glass of vodka.

“You want to make this marriage official?” I tease as I tangle my fingers with Zara’s.

“This is purely part of the act, Dimitri,” she mutters. “It would look a little odd if we went our separate ways on our wedding night.”

“Ah, I see…”

“Don’t go getting any ideas.” She scoffs. “I mean it.”

“You’re the one who’s dragging me away to bed.”

Zara rolls her eyes, but a soft blush creeps up her neck.

“Let’s just go to our room.”

We take the elevator in silence up to the honeymoon suite.

The alcohol seems to have finally kicked in, and being in such close quarters to Zara has my blood heating. Her sweet vanilla scent still lingers in my nose, making me almost feral with need.

Spending the night together in the honeymoon suite is going to be the sweetest form of torture.

I scan the keycard and push open the door, immediately eyeing the king-sized bed in the center.

Zara shuffles inside, carrying the train of her dress over her arm, but she immediately freezes once the door clicks shut behind us, and we’re officially alone.

“Is everything okay?” I frown at the way her shoulders have hunched over.

Zara nods, her eyes falling to the enormous bed in the middle of the room.

“I’m fine. It’s been a long day.”

It’s clear that she’s in her head from the way that she’s fiddling with her fingers, and I can think of the perfect way to get her out of it.

I reach out and wrap my arms around her waist, spinning us around so that I can slowly back us both toward the wall.

“What are you doing?” Her chest is heaving as she gazes up at me, and those pouty lips are begging for me to kiss them.

“There are ways to relieve the tension… This marriage might be for show, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun, wife .”