“You look happy,” he observed quietly after a moment.
She looked up at him.“I am.”
The honesty in her own voice surprised her slightly.She truly meant her words.Maksim lowered his head enough for only her to hear his next words.
“I’m looking forward to the honeymoon,” he said.
Heat instantly flooded her face.
“Maksim,” she whispered.
“I’ve spent the entire ceremony imagining tearing this dress off you,” he whispered in her ear.Maksim even bit playfully on her earlobe. Her pulse nearly stopped.
“Maksim,” she repeated weakly, laughing breathlessly now.
Her husband brushed his thumb slowly against her waist.
“You have no idea how difficult restraint has been today,” he told her.
Lena leaned closer deliberately.“I can’t wait either.”
The look in his eyes afterward nearly melted her directly into the ballroom floor.When the song finally ended, Maksim reluctantly released her hand as Dimitri approached.
“May I borrow my new sister for one dance?”his older brother asked calmly.
Lena blinked.Then nodded quickly.Dimitri danced far more formally than Maksim.He was controlled, elegant.The kind of man who never fully relaxed, even during celebrations.Still, his expression softened slightly as they moved across the floor.
“I’ve never seen him this happy,” Dimitri said eventually.“And it’s all thanks to you.”
Lena looked surprised.A faint hint of amusement appeared briefly on Dimitri’s face. After a moment, Dimitri’s expression grew more serious.
“Take good care of my brother,” he told her.
The quiet sincerity in his voice caught her off guard.
Lena nodded immediately.“You can count on it.”
Something like approval flickered across Dimitri’s face before the song ended, or maybe that was her imagination.Then Alexei appeared almost immediately afterward like a handsome, irritating shadow.
“Well,” he drawled while taking her hand dramatically, “this still feels surreal.”
Lena sighed lightly as he spun her onto the dance floor.
“You’re really committing to the difficult younger brother role, huh?”Lena had to ask.
Alexei laughed outright.
“I still can’t decide if you’re a good fit for Maksim,” he admitted casually.“You might regret this eventually.”
Lena met his gaze steadily.“I won’t,” she said firmly.
Alexei studied her for a second longer.Then, unexpectedly, he smiled slightly.
“If you ever get sick of him,” he said lightly, “you can always come to me.I know how to treat a lady.”
Lena snorted softly.“That’s definitely not happening.”
“A tragedy for us both,” Alexei informed her.
