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The priest steps forward to take our hands, and he brings them together, joining them in a formal display of union before the gathered witnesses. A jolt blasts through my body like an electric shock as my fingers meet Leo’s, and my heart breaks into a nervous sprint.
I don’t want to be anywhere near him. I don’t want to touch him. And at the same time, that slight connection brings my body to life, stealing my breath away.
The priest turns his head regally to look at me and asks, “Do you, Tia, take Leonardo as your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?”
Hell no. “I do.”
My chin lifts defiantly at the smirk that spreads across Leo’s cruelly beautiful face.
“And do you, Leonardo, take Tia as your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?”
“I do.” His voice is low, calm. It rings with the authority of a man capable of ordering the deaths of hundreds on a whim. A man who likely ordered someone’s death on our wedding day.
And I’ll soon call him husband.
My stomach gives a dangerous quake.
As the priest passes me Leo’s ring, I quickly dart my tongue out to wet my suddenly dry lips. Leo’s eyes miss nothing, and something flickers just behind them, an emotion that makes me wonder if he sees how nervous I am.
It’s bad enough, I could almost vomit.
“Now, Tia, place the ringer on his finger,” the priest says.
My hand shakes as I follow his instructions, my heart in my throat as my body urges me to flee before it’s too late. It’s the first outward sign of the battle waging within me, and Leo’s eyes flick down to my hand with quick understanding.
Rather than waiting for me to thread his finger into the ring, he does it for me, shifting his palm and straightening his ring finger so it slides seamlessly into the gold circle. And when our eyes meet, an inscrutable emotion bubbles beneath the surface of his hazel gaze.
“Now, Tia, repeat after me,” the priest says. “Take this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
I do, my lips numb as I stumble over my tongue and somehow manage to complete the sentence.
Then Leo takes my ring from the priest. He repeats the same phrase, his words ringing clearly through the church as he holds my gaze, and a shiver runs down my spine.
I look down, catching a glimpse of my wedding ring for the first time, and I’m stunned by the size of the oval-cut solitaire that rests at the center of the delicate, twining platinum band. It’s simple, beautiful, and looks far too extravagant beside my dainty hand.
When his warm fingers slide softly up mine, guiding the ring into place, he uses the same gentle care with which he touched me the night he took my virginity. It turns my mouth dry in an instant, and I can’t help but look up to meet his eyes once again.
The heat in his gaze is unmistakable.
He likes touching me. He wants to.
And now, he owns me.
So he can have me whenever he wants.
The priest’s next words slice through me like a knife. “In the sight of God and these witnesses, I now pronounce you husband and wife! Leo, you may kiss your bride.”
My stomach drops somewhere between my feet as Leo closes the distance between us, one arm snaking around my waist as his other hand cradles the back of my neck. I lean away instinctually, wanting to put as much distance between us as I can.
But his strong arms pull me firmly against his body, arching my back as he molds me against his hard chest. I gasp as our lips meet in a pointedly romantic kiss that makes the crowd go wild.
And though I know it’s just for show, I can’t deny my attraction to Leo. Even after how horribly he treated me, after how little respect he’s shown me, my body still awakens at his touch.
A fire lights across my skin, bringing me to a feverish temperature in a matter of seconds.
And though I’m terribly torn between wanting to give in to my attraction or flee, I know that I have a groom to convince and a crowd to please. Though it goes against every instinct, I force my muscles to relax, allowing me to melt in Leo’s arms.
He dips me just far enough to make my heart flip-flop, and when I release the tiniest of squeaks, he responds with a wickedly low chuckle. Then, only after he’s convinced everyone and their grandmother that we are very much in love, Leo brings me back up to set me gently on my feet.
