12

ARIANA

I loathed my brother-in-law.

I dug my nails into my palms as Mikhail helped lower me into a chair in the center of the dance floor. I wanted to bolt out of here. Fast.

The last thing I wanted was Aleksei's head between my legs, but my devil-incarnate brother-in-law was having none of that. He'd successfully gathered all the bachelors in the room—my scowling brothers included—and forced the DJ to switch to a more sensual song.

Now he was in his brother's ear, whispering things that made the latter's frown deepen every passing second. I didn't even want to know what they were talking about. He patted Aleksei on his shoulder before going to join the men with a huge grin on his face.

Did I mention that I loathed my brother-in-law and I wanted to punch the ever-living shit out of him?

Aleksei started toward me, his expression stoic, and I instinctively sat up straight. This situation doused the buzz of the alcohol in my system. I was stone-cold sober now, and hyper-aware of everything around me. Him.

His eyes were infuriatingly blank as he sank to his knees in front of me, slowly parting my legs until he had enough space to duck under my dress and search for the garter.

I dug my nails into my palms, praying to everything holy that my face remained stoic through all of this.

My prayers went unanswered because less than a second later, I jolted slightly when I felt his warm breath on my skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind.

He was slow with his ascent up my thigh, almost like he was doing it on purpose to elicit a reaction out of me.

He was getting a reaction alright.

My panties dampened as his slightly parted lips carried up my thigh, sending a dark thrill through me.

Was he going to touch me like that knowing we had an audience?

I felt his warm breath on my skin, dangerously close to the apex of my thigh. All he had to do was move his head to the right a little, and he'd have his face full of my pussy that grew alarmingly wet every passing second.

Never mind that he'd completely skipped the garter on my thigh.

My skin heated up as arousal swept through my body.

I wondered how I looked to the guests. Was my face flushed? Did they know what was going on underneath my dress? I met Matteo's eyes in the crowd, and I jerked slightly, clamping my thighs around Aleksei's ears.

My body tensed as goosebumps broke out on my arms. The bastard had moved his head between my thighs, like he was planning to eat me out in front of everyone.

My breath came out in shallow pants as I fought the urge not to roll my hips forward.

Shit.

Why did the thought of that make me slicker than I was before?

Forget that. Why was I turned on by him at all?

I could bring myself to orgasm in the comfort of my bedroom, but never with a partner. My complete disinterest in sex was another reason I stayed away from relationships or entanglements.

Aleksei moved his head from between my thighs—thank God—clamping his teeth down on the garter before he began his slow descent down my thigh.

I forced myself to remain still through all of that.

My family was here, I reminded myself as the garter glided down my leg smoothly. Whatever Aleksei thought he was doing, I couldn't become part of the plan or I risked shaming my family.

I lifted my heel, allowing him to tug the garter the rest of the way down. He pulled his head out from underneath my dress, and it took a lot of self-control not to gasp at the open lust in his gaze.

My throat bobbed as I swallowed, watching his eyes droop sensually with hunger.

He looked like he was ready to pin me to the ground and fuck me senseless, our audience be damned.

This was bad. Abort. Abort!

I broke eye contact with him, my chest rising and falling at an alarming rate as I struggled to articulate my thoughts and make sense of everything that just happened here.

He tossed the garter over his shoulder before rising to his feet, holding his hand out to me. I looked from his hand to his face, unsure whether to take his hands.

Stupidity won over logic today, and I slipped my hand into his much larger one, letting him pull me up to my feet.

With me pressed up against his chest, he leaned forward to speak in my ear, "Now that I've gotten a glimpse of that pussy, you best believe I will kill that fucker who gave you that bracelet if he ever thinks to come near you. You're still in contact with him, are you not?" He took my silence for an answer because he continued speaking. "For his sake, I hope you cut ties with him because when I find him, I'll start by severing those hands he used to touch you."

The lunatic then proceeded to gently tuck a piece of my hair behind my ear like he hadn't just issued a threat to me.

"Let's go home."

Home.

I'd forgotten how much I hated that word until Aleksei brought it up right now. I stared into his eyes as I steeled my resolve.

I was going to get out of this union one way or another, and he could have his home all to himself.

*

The air in the limousine was frigid, and no, it wasn't because of the air con. It was because of the man who—for some reason—was still angry even after the reception when he had no right to be.

I was the one who got threatened by him before we had to go home. Not him. Me, but he didn't see me sulking about it.

His eyes were glued to the laptop he was currently tapping away at, pretending the world around him didn't exist. Perhaps it didn't. Perhaps he was sucked into a world of his own where no one else but him mattered.

Unable to bear the silence in the air, stupid me pulled my phone out of my clutch to type a quick message to him.

Do you not have any other family members aside from Mikhail?

A good conversation starter. I sent the text, and immediately, his phone buzzed on the leather seat next to him. He didn't bother reaching for it. He merely cast the lit screen a glance before going back to what he was doing.

Frustrated, I wrote another text.

Isn't this what you wanted? The wedding, I mean. Why are you pissed like I forced this on you?

He didn't check his phone this time, purposely ignoring me. Just because I couldn't keep my anger in check, I sent a last message.

It was the other way around. Need I remind you that you threatened to steal from my family? What did I even expect? You're Bratva scum, after all. Always looking for lives to ruin.

I hit send before I let rationality set in, shoving my phone into my purse roughly. From the corner of my eyes, I saw him look away from his laptop briefly. Less than a second later, he went back to what he was doing, dismissing me totally.

Screw him.

*

My eyes fluttered open when the door to the limousine was pulled open from outside, and the chauffeur filled the doorway.

I looked around the empty car. Looks like I'd fallen asleep, and now my husband was nowhere to be found.

"Boss had to stop on the way for something," the chauffeur said, answering the question that must have been written all over my face. "I have strict orders to take you to the butler who will show you to your room."

I slipped my hand into his outstretched hand, letting him help me out of the car. I looked up at the towering mansion in front of me. It was gigantic in every sense of the word. He even had a fountain in his house.

There was being rich and there was being ridiculously rich. He was ridiculously rich. The Amex card was a sign, but I didn't expect his house to be this ginormous.

Someone remind me again why he wanted my father's shares of the business? Ah, yes. Greed.

The chauffeur helped me up the stairs that led to his massive front door. As if on cue, the door was pushed open from inside, and I was greeted by a man and woman dressed in suits. The man even had a fancy glove on. He had to be the butler.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Tarasov," the woman said with a kind smile.

Home.

Mrs. Tarasov.

That stupid first word again.

These were two words I would never get used to. Just last week, I was Ariana Rossi, and now, I was bearing another man's last name. Not just any other man. Aleksei.

"I'm Maebeth, the head of staff here." She pointed at the man next to her. "This is Anthony. He's the butler."

"Welcome home, Mrs. Tarasov," Anthony said, stepping to the side before gesturing for me to come in. "Your room awaits you. I assume you're tired, yes?"

I smiled back at them, nodding my head in reply to Anthony's question.

"We'll complete a tour tomorrow."

"Goodnight, ma'am," the chauffeur said.

Before I could turn to offer him a smile, he was gone. I followed Anthony into the house. Spotless black marble floors carried across the foyer, and golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Priceless art hung from the walls. An art piece that must have cost a fortune stood in the center of the huge space.

The walls were painted a light shade of blue, white, and gold in a decorative pattern, complementing the chandeliers above.

"This way, please," Anthony said, pointing me in the direction of the double stairs. "The staircase on your right leads to Aleksei's wing of the house. The left is for Mikhail, just so you don't ever get lost."

I held onto the cool banister, following Anthony up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, he took a curve down a hallway with the same flooring as the foyer, only there were no art pieces on the wall or even a family picture. Strange.

Did he really not have any family aside from Mikhail?

At the end of the hallway, Anthony led me up another set of stairs and another until were on the fourth floor. This one was wider than the rest, and it had only four doors in the hallway.

We stopped in front of huge French doors. Anthony wrapped his hand around the handle, pushing one door open. He gestured for me to go in, and when I did, he followed behind me.

"We had the room revamped to suit you more. Your mother was consulted. Aleksei wanted it to be a surprise."

And boy was it a surprise.

It looked like my bedroom in my penthouse, only it was bigger, and it had transparent French doors I could see led to a balcony. This was the one thing my penthouse lacked, and Aleksei had given it to me.

Anthony pointed to a sliding door. "That leads to your closet, and that." He pointed to another door. "Leads to your en-suite bathroom. Your things are all in order in your closet. I'll leave you to explore."

Just like the chauffeur, Anthony was out of the room in the blink of an eye, closing the door behind him.

I looked around my room, admiring the light pink walls and plush rug. I even had a chandelier hanging over my king-sized bed with double nightstands next to it.

A huge flat-screen TV hung on the wall across from my bed, and to the side of the room was a small sitting area I also didn't have in my penthouse.

I'd just kicked off my heels with a smile on my face when I realized what was happening.

This was nothing more than a glamorized cage Aleksei had put together for me so I could feel at home and remain trapped with him without complaining.

I had to give it to him. It was a smart move, but one I wouldn't be falling for. Over my dead body would I willingly stay here with him, or consider this a home.