Tori
Chapter 2
Ifound myself unable to speak, temporarily struck aphonic—from the Greekaphonos, without sound. Words had always been my salvation and now…nothing. All I felt was the blood draining from my face, my mouth falling open as I tried to process what my father had just said.
Husband?
Husband?
There was no possible way I had heard that correctly. It had to be a joke.
I forced a small laugh, but no one joined in. Everyone was staring at me, their faces expectant. My father was still grinning. The handsome stranger—my newfiancé, ostensibly—wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t frowning either. He looked…inquisitive. Like he was gauging my reaction.
But he didn’t look surprised.
In fact, no one did. Instead, they all seemed to be waiting for me to say something.
“My…husband?” I somehow managed.
“Congratulations! And happy birthday!” My father put his arm around me and gave my shoulder a squeeze.
I gaped at him.
“Mitch.” My stepmother stepped closer to both of us, then lowered her voice to a respectful whisper. “You didn’ttell herfirst? What were you thinking?”
Finally, someone else was as shocked as I was.
Except, not for the same reason. Michelle had known what was going on. They had all known. All of them except for me. The person who was supposed to be getting married.
“I was thinking it would be more fun this way,” my father said, sounding a little put out. “It’s asurprise.”
Michelle’s frown was brief and just for us. And then immediately it was gone, the furrow between her brows smoothed out, and she turned to my new fiancé with a warm smile.
“Welcome to the family, Stefan,” she said, reaching out toward him.
“Thank you.” The handsome stranger took her hand and bowed slightly as he clasped it between his own, his bearing as regal as a fairytale prince. Even in my shock, I couldn’t help but be charmed. Just a little.
Then he turned that charm directly on me.
God, was I in trouble.
His smile made my knees literally go weak, those full, gorgeous lips curving into a secret promise of…something. Something good. Then he took my hand firmly in his, drawing it toward that tantalizing mouth, and pressed a kiss to my knuckles.
His lips were hot, their warmth spreading through my entire body as his eyes met mine. When he turned my hand over to place another kiss on the soft skin of my inner wrist, I had to drop my gaze. It was like I could feel that kiss between my legs.
“Victoria Lindsey,” he said softly, finally releasing me. “A pleasure to meet you.”
Was it just my imagination or had he put a small emphasis onpleasure?
I shivered. I’d been overwhelmed by surprise and shock, but now I felt arousal, too. Bodily, chemical attraction, beyond the initial appreciation of his face and figure from before. It hit me hard, and I found it difficult to look away.
Stefan.Even his name sounded exotic and like the promise of something new. Something different. It was also familiar. Or at least, his last name was.
“Zoric—are you related to Konstantin Zoric? The owner of KZ Modeling?”
Something shifted in his gaze, but Stefan nodded. “My father. It’s a family business.”
Of course I’d recognized the name. KZ managed some of the hottest models in the country, possibly in the world. The company was in the headlines frequently.
