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She chuckled, her brown eyes boring into mine. “Protect me or watch me. Don’t pretend you care.”
“You’re carrying my child. Of course, I care.”
Something flickered in her eyes. Sadness, disappointment? I couldn’t put a tag on it.
“Why black?” I asked to bring our conversation back on track. I didn’t like it when the atmosphere between us was gloomy. “Were you planning to attend a funeral after our wedding?”
She huffed a quiet laugh. “This is a funeral, Nikolai. It’s only a matter of which one of us dies first.”
“Is it?” Sometimes, I wondered if I loved or hated how daring she was. “I’m not an easy man to kill.”
“Of course, you’re not.” She turned her gaze to me. “Husband.” She didn’t care to conceal the venom in her voice.
Our gaze met, and despite her boldness, I could sense the fear rippling through her. She probably didn’t even know it, but she was shaking right now and couldn’t maintain eye contact from how rapidly she blinked.
“It’s time to say your vows,” the priest muttered, calling back our attention to the ongoing event.
I said my vows, then slid a diamond ring in her fingers.
When it was Giselle’s turn, my stomach flipped. She was unpredictable, along with wearing a dress she knew I would detest, she could refuse to say her vows and cause a scene. To prevent that, I’d worn a gun jacket in case she thought anything stupid, but she flashed a lopsided smile at me and then repeated her vows before I had the chance to remove my gun from my pocket.
She said her vows and slid my wedding band on my ring finger. It was suspicious how she did it so easily.
“I pronounce you husband and wife,” the priest said, and the small crowd. “You may kiss your bride.”
Giselle’s eyes widened as if she hadn’t anticipated a kiss would happen. When I stepped forward and wrapped my arm around her waist, she tensed so much that her neck stiffened.
“Relax,dorogaya.It’s not our first time kissing each other.”
Her cheeks turned red, and her breath hitched. “I didn’t say it was. It’s just…never mind.”
“You’re afraid of me.”
Her round eyes raised to meet mine. “You are part of the mafia. You brought me here against my will. You forced me to marry you against my will. Would I be human if I am not afraid of you?”
I leaned in closer and pressed my hips against hers despite her attempt to move away. The fragrance of her perfume filled my nose, but I didn’t like the scent of fear that oozed off her. She peeled her gaze from me, staring nervously at something on the floor.
She didn’t trust me. I hadn’t exactly given her a reason to, but she was my wife, not my enemy. I tilted her chin up so her eyes would meet mine. “I will never hurt you, Giselle.”
“That’s very reassuring.”
“If it makes you feel better, I would sacrifice my life to keep you safe.”
She swallowed hard, her eyes searching mine. “You’re just saying it to make me feel better.”
“No,” I whispered. “It’s a promise. Men in the Bratva never break their promises.”
She didn’t give me an answer, but something shifted in her, the way she looked at me as if she believed me.
I didn’t care if she didn’t. She was a Vadim from today onward, my wife and the mother of my unborn child, both I and my brothers would sacrifice our lives for her if we had to.
To seal my promise to her, I pressed my lips to hers. Her lips were soft but trembled against mine as I kissed her.
Chapter 10 - Giselle
Nikolai pulled away, but the effect of his kiss lingered way longer than the kiss itself lasted. His lips were surprisingly soft and he possessed a gentleness I never thought a man like him could.
He’d awakened my entire body with a single sucking of my lips, and now I wanted more of him. I needed him to satiate the hunger he’d roused in me when he snaked his arm around my waist.
