Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 53693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
I cross my arms and glare at him, offended by his sureness. What makes him think I can’t control myself? Before now, I was completely inexperienced. I don’t crave him so much that I can’t keep my hands off of him. Not yet, anyway.
“You’re cute when you’re mad,” he says, pulling away from me and going to pick up his discarded bow tie and jacket.
I watch him as he bends down to pick them up, admiring the curve of his back and the tension in his arms. Multiple times today I’ve experienced exactly how strong those arms are. I picture him in the gym working out, and it makes me breathless again.
But I’m trying to put a stop to this, not get myself going again.
“I’m leaving,” he finally says once he looks more presentable. “But make no mistake, Katrina, I’ll be back in your bed soon enough.”
He stalks over to me slowly, lowering himself to place a sweet, tender kiss on my lips. It’s surprising how gentle it is, how innocent it feels after everything we’ve done. He pulls away quickly before turning and walking out of the room.
I’m disgusted by how much I like watching him walk away. What the hell is wrong with me? This man shouldn’t fascinate me as much as he does, but I can’t stop the way my body reacts to him. It’s as if I have no control over myself at all. That simply won’t work.
Once he’s gone and I finally have the room to myself, I feel emptier than I’d expected. When he was with me, I could push aside the thoughts plaguing me. Now that I’m alone, I’m left to my own devices, replaying the events of the day.
I see the anger on my father’s face and the disappointment on my mother’s. They’ve basically disowned me, sending me off with this strange man. Well, not strange exactly. But he was a stranger to me this morning. Now he’s likely my only ally in the world. My parents probably hate me now, and it hurts.
Of course, they aren’t my favorite people in the world, either. Now that I know the truth about the wedding and who my father is, I feel betrayed. I knew that Papa and Niko’s father were in business together, but I didn’t realize our relationship was part of their business. It wasn’t the 1800s. He couldn’t sell me off to the highest bidder.
But that’s exactly what he had done. It never occurred to me to wonder why I had to marry Niko. I just accepted it as fact. I’d heard of arranged marriages in other cultures and assumed that Niko and I had been pledged together since birth. I’d gone as far as to think it was kind of romantic.
Now I see it sharply for what it is. My father wanted to ensure he would always have Niko’s father in his pocket. When we became family, the two men wouldn’t be able to double-cross each other. Our relationship would ensure that neither man could back out of whatever arrangement they’d come up with.
For the second time today, I realize I have no idea who my father is. He doted on me my entire life, but was it all to butter me up so I’d be more willing to be obedient? It makes me sick.
The dress makes me sick. It was a shackle, leading me to my imminent life imprisonment. I suddenly can’t stand to have it on for one more second. I reach behind me, quickly undoing each of the intricate buttons. It’s difficult and takes several minutes, but I finally manage to free myself from it. It was meant to symbolize my purity and innocence. Now it just symbolizes the lies my parents told me my entire life.
I can’t bring myself to discard it on the floor, though. It was extremely expensive, and I’m suddenly very aware it’s the only piece of clothing I have. I go to the closet and pull out one of the dozens of hangers. Ivan must not have considered this in his master plan to kidnap. Or maybe he had. Maybe he likes knowing I’m naked in this bed with no other options.
I choose to believe it was a simple matter of thoughtlessness, though. I carefully hang up the dress and put it in the closet, knowing that until I have a better idea of what happens next, I can’t get rid of it. One day, though, I would very much like to douse it in gasoline and set it on fire. I think I’ve earned that much at least.
CHAPTER NINE
Ivan
It’s a new day, a new chapter in my life. Yesterday, I was a bachelor, perfectly content with my situation. Today, I have a fucking stunning woman living in my apartment whose body drives me out of my mind, and I fully intend to marry her one day. What a difference a day makes.