“Oh, here let me fix that,” Vera said, batting Violet’s hand away from her face.
Quickly, Vera pinned the birdcage veil back in place properly, bent down to fluff the bottom of Violet’s gown, and then stood straight with a wink.
“Smile, Violet.”
She did, staring beyond Vera to the closed double doors that separated Violet from her present and her future.
A blissful one, surely.
An uncertain one, maybe.
But it was there.
And maybe she wanted to pull the doors open before it was time.
“You good?” Vera asked. “I’m going to go grab my seat with Ma.”
Violet nodded. “Wonderful. I’m great.”
“Okay.”
“Thank you.”
Vera stilled, her fluttering fingers fixing the rose pinned at the shoulder of her dress. For a long second, the two women simply stared at one another.
Violet broke the silence. “For everything, Vera. I know you have reservations about—”
“You make him happy,” Vera interrupted softly. “The rest will work itself out. That is all that matters to me, Violet.”
She respected that more than Vera knew.
“Go grab your seat so we can get this started,” Violet said, grinning a little wider.
Almost time …
Vera fussed over Dina and Nika’s matching silk and chiffon gowns, making sure to tell them to behave. She then disappeared behind the double doors, taking special care not to let anyone see who was waiting behind them.
Still, Violet had managed a tiny peek.
Her heart stuttered in its beats, and her hands tightened around the bouquet of cream-colored roses she held.
While the nerves were heavy in her stomach, she knew it was more about the people who would be watching the wedding and ceremony than the day itself. She didn’t know them—barely any of them—and she had a slight clue that those who knew her had already formed opinions about her and Kaz and their day.
But … Kaz’s voice was louder than her nerves.
Enjoy your day.
You’re only getting married once.
Just thinking about Kaz was soothing to Violet—calming, even.
So all those worries she’d had leading up to their day and all the concerns eating at her and making her look over her shoulder suddenly drifted away.
She suspected they’d be back, but for that moment, they were gone.
This day wasn’t about those things—it was about them.
And they were far too good to be wrong.
Lifting her gaze back to the doors again, Violet waited. Shortly after, Canon in D began to play, the melody of the tune keyed by a pianist behind the double doors.
“Go,” Nika said.
Dina shot a wink over her shoulder and headed for the double doors. Like her older sister, Dina slipped through the doors without opening them too much and exposing Violet and Nika. Violet counted in her head—fifteen seconds exactly—and the tempo of the music changed at a specific point. Nika gave a fleeting smile over her shoulder and followed behind her sister.
Violet waited.
Even the sound of the music seemed to bleed away for those twenty or so seconds that she stood there waiting.
She’d always thought her father would be waiting with her at this point in her life, but strangely, she was happy that he wasn’t.
He would never have given her those seconds in peace—those quiet moments just before those doors were pulled wide open.
She would have focused on whatever her father would have said, caught up in some strange mixture of happiness and sadness at being given away.
Instead, her attention was on the doors.
So when they opened, all she saw was Kaz.
She’d barely even heard the change in the piano, the melody changing from the previous song to another she’d chosen for her walk. She didn’t really hear the sounds of guests standing from their chairs as she moved in full view, standing in the doorway.
The unfamiliar faces were simply blurs in her vision as she began to walk toward the one person whose attention was entirely on her.
She knew more people were watching than just Kaz.
More people were looking.
But while they were looking at her, she was only staring back at him.
His suit was a black-on-black ensemble tailored perfectly to his form, not that Violet expected anything less. He’d been fiddling with the gold cufflink on his right sleeve when the doors had opened, and he’d froze like that, slightly turned, hand at his wrist, and his gray gaze on her.
The sexiest of smiles curved his lips at the edges, and Violet couldn’t help but grin back beneath the birdcage veil.
She still didn’t see the people.
The music didn’t really register, either.
It was just Kaz, the satin lined aisle, and her walking forward.
Violet figured that visual was more appropriate than anyone could ever possibly know.
She’d always choose to walk toward him—she’d already done that several times over.
There was no walking away.
There would never be any walking away.
It seemed like a blink and Violet was at the end of the satin lined aisle.
Kaz stretched his hand out, reaching for her.
She didn’t hesitate to take it.
He’d always been hers.
Weddings were fucking exhausting.
That wasn’t to say Kaz wasn’t enjoying this time with Violet—he was—but he was ready to get out of his fucking suit and get on with his night. From the moment he’d said ‘I do’ and pressed a lingering kiss to Violet’s mouth, they were bombarded by people.
He hadn’t minded at first, sharing their moment with everyone else. He was even glad that she seemed to be having a good time in the midst of his family and associates.
But as the night waned on, he was ready for everyone else to disappear.
All it had taken was her sitting forward beside him, offering a tantalizing view down the length of her back, the dress stopping just above the swell of her ass. It was just a glimpse, enough to prevent his thoughts from going anywhere beyond how quickly he would get that dress off her.
The ballroom had its own bathroom, separate from the rest in the hotel, and if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a room across from it. And with the thought of that room in mind, his gaze shifted over the crowd, spotting Violet sharing a dance with his brother.
She looked happy.
Carefree.
He wanted to see that look on her face for the rest of his life.
Abandoning the table, he crossed the floor to her. Rus caught sight of him first, murmuring something in Violet’s ear before he stepped away—probably in search of his date.
Drawing her closer, he captured her hand in his, wrapping his other arm around her and contenting himself, if only momentarily, with the feel of her skin beneath his hand.
Looking down at her, he smiled. “Are you happy?”
“Absolutely.”
Though this was a celebration for them, many of the guests were talking amongst each other, networking. Kaz didn’t mind, not for what he was trying to do.
“How much longer will this go on?”
She laughed lightly. “We haven’t even eaten dinner yet.”
For fuck’s sake. “When is that?”
“Not for another thirty minutes, but—”
It wasn’t a lot of time, that thirty minutes, but it would do.
Interlocking their fingers, he led her through the throng of people toward the back of the room where the office was. It was used mostly as storage for extra glassware and whatever else the hotel needed for this space.
“Why are we in here?” Violet asked the minute he got both of them in the room with the door shut.
He intended to answer her question, but first, he made quick work of removing the jacket to his tux and tossing it across the back of a chair. She knew his intentions; he could tell from her sharp intake of breath and the way her gaze shot down to his trousers.
“I’m in my wedding dress,” she said, though it sounded like a poor excuse to him. “And I want to keep it.”
Already working on the buttons of his shirt, he merely gave a nod of his head and said, “Then take it off.”
But she didn’t. She just stared at him, or rather at his chest, as though she had never seen his tattoos before. Captivated, he always thought. But he rather liked that look on her.
“Do you want to know what these stars mean?” he asked, remembering that he had never explained the significance of the ink that marked his skin.
Crossing the floor before she could even answer, Kaz put his hands on her hips, spinning her slowly as he searched for the hidden zipper. With such delicate straps, he knew something had to hold that thing in place.
Crouching down, he found the tab and gave it a sharp tug as he dragged it down, revealing the delicate lace beneath. Where most women would wear white for their wedding night, Violet didn’t—she wore red.
“Take it off.”
She did as he commanded, the dress pooling at her feet as she slipped it off her shoulders. Knowing that she would still need to be back in it shortly, he put it off to the side.
When he turned back to her, she was now facing him, every bit his fucking weakness as she stood there in nothing more than a scrap of lace and heels. A sight that had his cock hardening further.
Violet offered him a cunning smile. She knew the effect she was having on him. “Your stars, tell me about them.”
“I got them when I was twenty-one,” he said as he backed her up against the wall, enjoying the way her lips parted as she drew in a breath.
Cradling her face, he kissed her once, twice, waiting for that moment when she started seeking him out, wanting more, and when it came, he allowed it just long enough for him to get his hand wrapped in the silky fall of her hair.
Making a fist, he pulled, drawing her lips off his as she gasped in shock, her back arching.
“I had to learn how to take orders,” he whispered as he drifted his other hand down her heated skin, feeling the body tremor rolling through her.
But stopping at the edge of her panties, he didn’t delve inside, even knowing he would find her hot and slippery. Instead, he ran his fingers over it, feeling her through the material. And fuck if he couldn’t feel her arousal against his fingers soaking through.
“It took a while—I had no patience for that shit.” Rubbing languid circles on her clit, he asked, “And how patient can you be, krasivaya? Will you wait to come until I give you permission? Are you going to be good for me?”
The shuddering moan that left her lips made his heart kick up a bit. She’d always been so fucking responsive, and he loved it.
But she knew he needed more than that—she knew he needed her words. “Come now. Tell me what I want to hear.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
Her hips bucked into his touch. Her eyes squeezed shut. Getting her off was like a fucking drug, a need that rode him desperately, but he wasn’t finished with her yet.
“Yes, I can be patient.”
“And once I finally learned to be patient,” he said moving right along with his story, as though he hadn’t had to drag an answer out of her. “I was rewarded.”
Finally, he let his fingers slip under the lace, cursing low as he sought her out. He was always fucking amazed at how good she felt, but even better once he was inside her. Her pussy gripped him so fucking tightly that need shot through him.
Her small hands gripped his shoulders, nails digging into his skin as he fucked her with his fingers, dragging her higher with each stroke, but he wasn’t ready for her to come yet.
Pulling his fingers free, he moved his hand back up, pressing his thumb against her clit, but didn’t move it, even as she tried to twist her hips to do it for him.
“These stars mean I’m in control. Look at me.” Only when her eyes were on him, his own need reflected in their green depths, did he add, “That means when I give you a command, you obey.”
“Kaz …”
“Get on your knees.” She rushed to obey, looking up at him with wide eyes and expectation. “Take me out.”
Dainty fingers tugged at his belt, practically ripping it open with her need to get his pants undone. When she had his cock in her hands, she didn’t hesitate to put her mouth on him.
His head fell back as she swallowed his cock, sucking him hard and fast. Hand fisted in her hair, he guided her movements, quick on the up slide, slower as he pushed her back down, feeling the muscles in her throat contract around his cock.
Her mouth could make him forget himself—made him feel like he could focus on nothing other than the pleasure she was giving him. She just always looked so fucking into it.
“That’s it. Take my cock.”
And he wanted nothing more than to enjoy the sight of her just like that, but they didn’t have much time. And if he was going to come, he was coming inside her. Dragging her mouth off him, he pulled her up by her hair, releasing his hold once she was on her feet. With his hands now at her waist, he lifted her, her legs going around his waist.
He was too far gone to focus on anything other than the feel of her wet slit against his cock. Fisting his cock, he rubbed the head against her clit, thrilling in the moans spilling from her. He meant to keep her there and tease her a little more, but as he drew back, he hadn’t been able to fight sinking into her as deep as he could.
Violet’s answering moan made heat crawl down his spine. “Shh. You don’t want them to hear, yes? Be quiet.”
He didn’t cover her mouth, not when he could watch her struggle to contain the noises she desperately wanted to make, even to the point she was biting her lip. But even as he slammed into her, knowing that he didn’t want an audience, he couldn’t help goading her, pressing closer still as he thrust as deep as he could.
“Is that what you want, Violet?” he asked in her ear. “You want them to hear you taking my cock?”
His words were enough to make her go tight around him, a curse escaping him as he slapped his hand over her mouth, just as a keen whine came clawing out of her. But even as she came around him, he didn’t stop, pounding harder still, prolonging it.
It just was not enough.
Never enough.
Tilting his hips to find a better angle, he lost himself in the squeeze of feminine muscles and muffled, broken moans. And as she tightened around him once more, the need he had been pushing back came rushing to the forefront.
“Fuck, Violet! Take my—”
But he didn’t get to finish his command before his balls were tightening and she was milking him dry, taking everything he had to give and more.
Coming back to earth, he carefully pulled out of her, rearranging his pants. It would take him a matter of moments to pull himself together, but she stood before him looking like she’d just been fucked.
He still smiled.
Violet bowed her back off the bed, her fingers weaving tighter into Kaz’s hair as his hands pushed her thighs open even more. The ache it caused in her muscles was nothing compared to those jolts of pleasure coloring her vision with every flick of the broad side of his tongue against her clit.
Every single morning since their wedding a few days before, he’d woken her up this way.
Head between her thighs. Tongue on her clit. Fingers in her pussy.
Goading her.
Demanding her.
Promising her.
Violet had already decided that she liked it.
She liked it a whole lot.
Kaz had a way with his mouth. He was cocksure and arrogant on his good days, but when he really put that mouth of his to use?
On her?
Fuck. Yeah.
Violet sucked in a deep, hard breath as the familiar heat started to pool in her stomach and her muscles clenched all over. A low keening whine clawed its way from her throat, giving away just how close she was to shattering.
And then his tongue left her clit, only for his mouth to replace it and the slightest nip of his teeth as he sucked against the throbbing nub.
Just like that, Violet was gone.
“Kaz!”
He didn’t even back down as she shook and shouted her way through the orgasm. No, he kept sucking her, and then his tongue was back, turning her sensitivity up a notch or two with fast, brutal jabs that left her gasping for breath.
When he finally did stop, Violet’s throat was dry, and her fingers trembled in his hair.
Kaz looked up at her, cocking a single brow and laying his scruffy cheek on her inner thigh. He gave her a sinful smirk that said he enjoyed this—maybe a little too much.
Still, Violet sighed.
Happy.
Blissed.
Content.
Yeah, she didn’t mind doing this for the rest of her life.
“Oh, my God—love that,” she mumbled.
Kaz chuckled. “I’d make you get on your knees and return the favor, but …”
He trailed off with a nod toward the clock on the bedside table. Violet scowled, silently refusing to move. Why should she move when he’d done this to her?
She was perfectly happy right where she—
“You’re going to be late for your appointment, and you’ve got a meeting with admissions at the college at twelve. Get up,” Kaz said.
Violet turned her scowl on him. “But I don’t want to move.”
She let her fingers wander down the side of his face, stroking his jaw before skipping over his neck. Kaz only offered her a smile, and then he was pushing up from the bed and away from her.
It was impossible to ignore the bulge in his boxer-briefs, but he’d already turned his back to her as he headed for the bathroom.
Clearly, he was not going to indulge her this morning.
Just as he disappeared into the bathroom, he turned back around, leveling her with a grin and a wink. “Next time, it’ll be a bucket of ice water instead of my tongue. Get up, Violet.”
“Ass,” she uttered under her breath, sure he wouldn’t hear when he turned back to the bathroom.
“But it’s a nice one.”
Fuck.
Violet was not a morning person, and she didn’t pretend to be. Kaz, on the other hand, would wake up if the floorboard creaked, and he didn’t look worse for wear if he’d only slept a couple of hours.
She took her sweet-ass time crawling out of bed, slipping into the shower just as Kaz stepped out with another one of his smug smiles, and then getting ready for the day. By the time she was ready to leave the apartment, he’d been in his office and on the phone for a good hour.
Standing in the doorway of the office, Violet shifted her bag on her shoulder, waiting for Kaz to end his call. It was hard to tell if it was business or personal, given he spoke in Russian, and his features betrayed nothing.
“I’m heading out,” she told him as he hung up the call.
Kaz nodded, but his attention was on the screen of his laptop as he ran a finger over the mouse pad. “Don’t wander the streets, yes?”
Violet’s brow furrowed. “It’d be easier if I just walked from the clinic to the admissions office. It’s not that far to the college. Like five blocks. It’ll take me longer to find a damn parking spot.”
“Violet,” he said, gazing turning on her.
That was it—that was all he said.
Just her name.
And with that alone, she knew better than to argue because it wasn’t something he was going to debate.
“Not that it matters,” Kaz added, going back to the laptop, “but I do have someone keeping an eye on you while you’re out, for reference.”
Violet’s eyes narrowed. “Really?”
“Safer.”
“So someone is babysitting me? Who?”
Kaz shrugged. “Someone—you won’t see him unless he needs you to. It’s non-negotiable, krasivaya.”
“When will I not have a babysitter?”
He stilled at the desk, eyes cutting to her again in a blink. “Never.”
Well …
What in the hell could she say about that?