Page 50 of Forced Mafia Bride
I smirked, sticking my two hands into my pockets and looking past her head toward the exit, where the remaining guests hopped into their cars to leave.
For the wedding after-party, she said she wanted something simple with a bit of magic, so I arranged for it to be held on the field, a distance away from the main house. It ended an hour ago. We’d waited for the guests to leave and were heading now to our cars lined up on the driveway.
“I don’t dance. Not anymore.”
“I bet that’s not what Katherine will say.”
She thought she’d mumbled it under her breath before she turned her head away, her smile looking like a permanent fixture on her face, but the light in her eyes now dulled.
I opened my mouth to respond when blonde hair appeared in front of us in a flash—a woman. With blue eyes glittering like shiny disco balls and a sleek silver dress, she spread her arms around Rosa for a hug.
“Oh, my God, Rosalyn? It’s really you.”
We stopped walking. Timur and Anatoly and the rest of the men behind us grew stiff,on guard.I eyed Hannah, who looked equally surprised, and raised a brow.
She shook her head. “Never seen her before, sir.”
“I arrived yesterday. A friend of mine got the invite and wanted me as a plus one. That’s how I got here, but when I saw the name on the card, I was like…no way, it’s Rosalyn Gallagher from the eleventh grade. Just…no way. And you can’t believe my surprise when I recognized you walking down the aisle. It’s you!”
Rosa laughed, hugging her as they talked some more before pivoting on her heels. The joy she had at seeing this unfamiliar woman made me relax, and the men behind me lowered their guns.
Beaming from ear to ear, she held the lady by the hand and came up to me. “Come, let me introduce you. Niko, meet Serena, my best friend from high school. We lost touch for years, and coincidentally, she was invited by a friend of hers to our wedding. Serena, this is Nikolai....” Her eyes held mine, and, for the briefest moment, I thought I saw a hint of pride in them before she added, “My husband.”
***
Rosa’s giddiness visibly quenched when I shut the bedroom door behind us. She stood at the center of the room like a fixed monument and fiddled with her fingers.
I walked around her, facing her. Silver moonlight poured in through the curtains, bathing her skin in the faintest glow, and her sullen gaze met mine.
“You were happier a moment ago. Why the long face now?”
She shifted, slowly taking her time to kick off her heels while she shrugged. “I am. I am happy. Maybe slightly overwhelmed. The reality of what my life has become is dawning on me now. But I’m fine.”
I closed the space, keeping us a hairsbreadth apart from each other, and slid my fingers behind her neck. “You’ve been saying that a lot, like you’re trying to convince yourself.”
Her brows scrunched up in an even cuter way. “You’ve been taking note.”
“Only because hearing it numerous times constitutes a nuisance.”
“Whatever makes you sleep at night.” Laughing, she spun on her heels, pointing to the zip. “Can you, um….” She smacked her lips and shifted her weight to the other foot. “I need to get out of this. It feels like I’m suffocating.”
I stepped up behind her, my finger lingering at the base of her neck, and the air thickened with tension. My fingers brushed against her skin, sending shivers down her spine, and just that gentle touch ignited a spark within me.
My pulse quickened.
“You have the cutest laugh.” I breathed against the back of her neck. “I like it and enjoy hearing it. Don’t hold it back. Ever.”
My hand hovered over hers, my fingertips grazing her skin. Electricity coursed through me as I grasped the zipper, my knuckles skimming her back. The warmth of her skin seeped into my flesh, kindling a fire that spread through my veins.
With deliberate slowness, I began to lower the zipper and heard her breath catch in her throat. The sound of its descent heightened the anticipation building between us. Her shoulders relaxed under my touch, and I pressed a kiss on her naked spine.
As the zipper released its hold, my fingers lingered on her skin. The heat emanating from her body enveloped me, drawing me in. She spun to face me, shimming out of the dress.
Her breath mingled with mine, our exhales entwining like tendrils of smoke. Her warm gaze caressed my lips, and her fingers left a light trail down the buttons on my shirt.
“I’m not sure I can hold anything back from you, Niko.”
In that fleeting moment, time was suspended. The world narrowed to the space between us, pushing me to claim what was mine.