She was fucking spectacular, an exotic dream I never could have imagined being connected to.
Curvy, slender, and with that sass that simmered under the surface?
Fuck me.
Fuck me now.
Iwasfucked if just seeing her in that light-blue dress stole my breath. The second she stepped into the room at the Garcia villa, I couldn’t believe my luck.
But it’s not real.
It won’t be real.
It’s just an arranged marriage.
The more I dialed down on that chorus, the more insane I felt. Because what man wouldn’t want a second of this woman’s attention? Holding her hand for the few seconds that I hadresulted in the after-effects of a live brand. She’d seared me with her firm but soft grip. She’d intrigued me with how quiet she wanted to be on the whole flight.
We arrived, and I didn’t push my luck by trying to get her to act like anything but a captive we’d picked up along the way. I exited, not bothering to be a “gentleman” and let her disembark first. Outside, I stood near the car and let her enter on her own. She didn’t need me to offer her hand. I hadn’t forgotten the smirk she’d given me before. Like I was offending her with the implication that she needed my help.
Huh.
Maybe she’s never been on the receiving end of how a man should treat a woman.
I left that nugget of curiosity aside and closed the door after she got in. Instead of getting in her car, I turned to one of the guards. “Show her to the house.”
He raised his brows, likely itching to ask why I wasn’t riding with her.
“I probably should let my brother know we’re having a wedding tomorrow, right?” I smiled at how ridiculous I sounded.
Another wedding.
Anotherrushedwedding.
Carina and I were marrying tomorrow not because she was pregnant or because we were in love. Like the situation had been between Elena and Adrik.
I only wanted to get it over with. If having a wife was going to be an obstacle to my busy days of work, then it made sense to cross the ceremony itself off the list now.
He laughed lightly and nodded. “Probably.”
“Just have Jeremiah show her to the guest room,” I told him, referencing my butler. “And keep an eye on her.” That was a loose term, but he’d know what to do. My security team would catch on to the fact that I had a stranger in my home with limited trust.
I never had women over. And I never entertained many guests. Skepticism and staying guarded were the norms at my residence.
I rode with Viktor toward the main house where Adrik and Elena lived with my father.
With how quickly everything was coming together, I felt late in updating Adrik. Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Viktor had taken it upon himself to text our older brother in a group thread that I was bringing home a fiancée.
So it came as no surprise that Adrik was scowling with an expression that asked if I was serious.
“Is it true?” Elena asked as she beamed at me from the dinner we were interrupting. They both sat out back on the patio, but the food was instantly forgotten as she encouraged us to sit with them. “We’ll have another woman around here?” She leaned to the side, as if expecting Carina to be with me.
“Not aroundhere, per se,” I replied.
She grinned, looking back at Adrik. Then at his unamused frown, she sobered up and lost the smile to wince. “Uh-oh.”
“Are you serious?” he asked as I sat. Viktor helped himself to the food.
“Looks like it. We’ll have the wedding tomorrow.”
