Chapter 45

CHAPTER 45

VAR

V ivian blinked up at me as I carried her into the elevator. "I think I'm drunk."

God, she was fucking adorable.

Adjusting my grip, I said, "I warned you not to play that drinking game with Yelena."

Her head slumped onto my shoulder as the doors opened, and we stepped into the penthouse. We would only be here for a few more days. Now that I had Vivian to fill the rooms with laughter, fun, anger, and sex, I couldn't wait to move into the home I'd renovated next door but never moved in to.

"Well, that was the problem. You should have encouraged me to play the game. Then I wouldn't have."

"Is that how it goes? I say something, and you do the opposite?"

She leaned back and stared at me. "Uh… have you met us yet? Of course that's how it goes."

Her head fell back onto my shoulder. "What was that game called again?"

I placed her on the edge of the bed. Shifting her voluminous skirts up, I ran my hand down her leg, then removed her high heel and gestured with it. "Shouldn't you be asking how much money you lost first?"

She snatched the shoe from my hand and waved it at me before raising her arm in the air. "It was not about money. It was about honor!"

I removed her other heel. "It's a good thing I stopped you before your honor cost you those pretty diamond earrings and necklace you love so much."

Her eyes widened as her hand flew to her chest. "You don't think she would have taken them, do you?"

"Yelena? In a heartbeat."

She would have given them back… eventually.

Vivian crawled onto her knees then stood on the bed, swaying precariously. "The tiger has come!" she shouted as she raised her arm in the air, clutching her shoe like some regal scepter.

Yelena had convinced the girls to play The Tiger Has Come .

A potentially dangerous Russian drinking game that involved everyone tossing money into the center of the table before each taking a shot of vodka. Then the leader, who happened to be Yelena, would shout, "The tiger has come!" And they would all have to dive under the table as quickly as possible. It was deceptively simple.

The problem was the more a person drank, the harder and harder it became to get back up from under the table. The more rounds of shots, the more money in the pot.

The winner was literally the last person standing.

And of course, as the leader who announced the Tiger, Yelena had the advantage, since she was only required to drink every other round. So there was no surprise when she was the one to win the pot.

I snatched Vivian around the waist and pulled her down to the bed before turning her around to unzip her dress. "Yes, I think the tiger came a little too hard for you tonight."

She giggled. "You said came too hard."

I pulled the dress off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. As she stepped out of it, I pulled off my own jacket, then the bowtie.

While untucking my shirt and kicking off my shoes, I asked, "Did you have fun tonight, baby girl?"

Her bright green eyes glowed with excitement. "I did! I almost forgot it was to celebrate our wedding."

I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it aside. "Not sure how to take that."

Vivian reached behind her to unlatch her bra but only managed to turn in circles like a puppy chasing her tail.

Placing my hands on her shoulders to still her, I unlatched it for her, then cupped her breasts from behind and nuzzled her neck. She was far too tipsy for sex, but that didn't mean I couldn't give in to a little taste.

She continued. "It's so weird to think I married you. Like we're married. Married married."

My tongue flicked over her earlobe before giving it a small bite. "Woman, you are definitely married married, so don't you forget it."

She turned in my arms and placed her palms against my skin.

My cock hardened. Tomorrow over breakfast, I was going to murder Yelena for getting my beautiful little wife too drunk to fuck.

"Yeah, but it's silly, right? I mean this can't be real. It has to end at some point."

My stomach tightened. Grasping her neck under her jaw, I tilted her head back to study her face. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

If I'd learned anything about reading people over a poker table, it was to always trust the honesty of alcohol.

"It's been weeks, and there is no sign of that other Russian dude, so clearly he's moved on and forgotten all about me. And as long as I don't put out any new forgeries, the syndicates are appeased. So if you think about it, there's no real reason for us to stay together anymore. Is there?"

Her body stiffened slightly as she held her breath, waiting for my response.

Before I could respond, the elevator pinged. "Wait here. We're not finished with this discussion."

The midnight porter nodded after I thanked him and hurried back down to the kitchens.

As I removed the silver cloche, Vivian appeared in the kitchen.

The sight of her washed over me like a warm wave.

She looked so damn beautiful standing there dressed in my tuxedo shirt, with her hair a mess of wild curls and her makeup slightly smudged from an evening filled with laughter and kisses.

My life before her seemed like a dull, monotonous slog compared to now.

She brought so much passion and color and fire into my world. I couldn't imagine a single day without her by my side.

And I had every intention of making sure she understood that.

It was past time I told her how much loved her. "Vivian, I?—"

"Oh, my God! Is that a banana split?"

She leaned on the counter and lunged for one of the spoons before dipping it into the strawberry ice cream and swirling it around the hot fudge sauce. Her lips tightened over the bowl of the spoon as she slipped the sweet bite into her mouth. "This is so good."

She scooped another bite into her mouth and closed her eyes as she moaned in pleasure.

When she opened her mouth, she smiled. "I love you."

I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck and pulled her against my chest, needing to feel her warmth against my skin. "It's about time you realized that," I said with a wink. "I love you, too."

She bit her lip. "This is awkward… I was actually talking to the banana split."

My mouth fell open as she pushed away from me, laughing.

I raised an eyebrow as I used the other spoon to lift an entire scoop out of the crystal dish. I held it aloft. "Oh, were you now?"

Her eyes widened as she circled around the kitchen island. Stretching out her arm, she pointed at me. "Var, don't you dare!" She was laughing so hard she could barely get the words out.

I stalked her around the island. "Take it back."

"I'm not saying it first!"

"Technically, you already did."

"Did not!"

I lifted the spoon higher. "Last warning."

She paused and put her hands on her hips. "You wouldn't dare."

I let the ice cream fly.

It hit just below her collarbone, where the shirt collar was open, coating the diamond necklace and the top curve of her breast.

With her mouth open in shock, she stretched her arms out to the sides before reaching to brush the dripping ice cream off her skin. "Oh, you're going to pay for that, mister!"

She dug her fingers into the sticky dessert and lifted the scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Not to be out-armed, I did the same. Lowering my voice to try to sound as stern as possible, I growled, "Put it down."

"Not a chance."

Just as her arm pulled back to throw, I lunged and snatched her around the waist at the last minute, our bodies crashing together. In a fit of laughter, she smashed the ice cream against my lips. I then did the same to her.

It was our own cutting of the wedding cake.

Pushing my whipped cream-coated hand into her hair, I claimed her mouth in a sticky sweet kiss.

When I pulled back, I stared down into her eyes. "I love you, krasivaya ."

She licked ice cream off her lips, but didn't say anything.

That was my girl, stubborn until the very end.

I tightened my grasp around her waist as a low growl vibrated in my chest.

She smirked. "Fine, you big gorilla. I love you, too. Happy now?"

Sweeping her into my arms, I leaned in and licked a dollop of whipped cream from the corner of her lips. "I'm not unhappy," I responded smugly before carrying her back to the bedroom.