Papers Don't Lie (Lavish Love, #1)

by Maeve Hazel

Even if he said we’ll figure it out, at this moment, I don’t feel like we ever will. But it’s also my first night here as his wife, and I can’t cut the brakes the second the marriage between us starts. For some reason, he seems confident, and I don’t want to take that away from him because of my trust issues.

“You’re a loud thinker,” Kai says, taking me out of my thoughts. I turn my head to him, surprised by the way he dries his hair with a towel. He’s dressed in dark blue pajamas, his brows furrowed as he glances down at me.

“But you’re mine now, Ray. I need to know what’s upsetting you so I can fix it.”

I’m his now. And for some reason, the thought doesn’t make me want to crawl out of my skin like it did with Carter. His. “You can’t always save me, you know?” I smile,

His lips twitch, and his body turns stiff for a second before he returns to his previously relaxed state, almost as if my statement bothered him. Why would it? “Maybe not,” Kai says, his tone turning harsher. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t try my hardest to do it.” “Why?” I whisper. “Because you’re my wife,” he replies, giving me a look...

“You were ready to give up, and that isn’t the woman I met two months ago. That woman was ready to step on dead bodies to get what she wanted, and when she told me she was giving up, I couldn’t stand there and watch as the life was sucked out of her. It was an impulsive decision, I give you that, but it was one I had to make or I wouldn’t have forgiven myself,” he says, looking me straight in the eye. “And even if I’m not a religious type of man, I believe we met for a reason.”

“You’re saying you put me in a hospital bed for a reason?” I manage to laugh, his previous words settling deep inside of me. Kai shrugs. “We were supposed to never see each other again, and yet… here you are.” He’s right. Who am I to judge God’s plan? If this is what I’m destined to live and it comes with a hot husband, then I’m not going to fight it.

He doesn’t stand up how I expect him to do. Instead, he keeps his place, not hiding away from the inspection he’s giving me. Kai’s eyes roam and explore every bit of my face, slowly cascading to my body, where they don’t linger for long. He manages to be respectful about it, almost as if he’s satisfying a curiosity he’s had for a while.

“What do you expect from me in this marriage? How do I make you happy?” I mumble, thinking if I talk quieter, he won’t hear me. Kai gives me a knee-shaking smile. “I expect you to do whatever you feel, and before I leave, have you decided what we’re going to tell my family?”

“Your father was happy to learn you have a girlfriend, so I say let’s not disappoint the man,” I tell him, who not even once stopped from looking at me. “That means we have to act like a couple.”

Kai gets up. “Goodnight, Ray,” he murmurs, walking away. “Get up early. We’re flying to Los Angeles tomorrow morning.”

I frown. “What for?” He throws me a look over his shoulder. “We’re getting married.”

For a few seconds, I wait for Ryker’s reply to come, but as always, it never does. He’s colder nowadays, and no matter how much I struggle to find the reason behind it, nothing comes to mind. Tristan says he’s maturing, going through that stage of his life where he feels like no one understands him or that he has more important things to do. I just hope that if something happens, he’ll tell at least one of us.

“Why the white outfit?” he asks, pointing his chin at the suit I’m wearing. My eyes look down, scanning my outfit with a shrug. “Esmeray chose it for me this morning.” “Did she?” he asks, a pleased smile on his lips. “Yeah, she said I wear too many dark suits and it makes me look like a, and I quote, ‘gloomy, grumpy man.’” I leave the part out where she gestured with her hands as if she were part of a sketch at the theatre. My dad laughs. “She was right.”

“Are you going somewhere?” he asks, probably getting the idea from the short gaze I took at the clock. “About that…” I watch him in the eyes. “We’re flying to Los Angeles and spending the night there.” Half is already said, Kai. You can say the rest. Come on. I suck in a deep breath, giving Dad a rare smile. “Esmeray and I are getting married.”

Dad immediately sits up in his bed, watching me with an adoration only a parent would be capable of. His hand lands on mine, squeezing tightly before he does something unexpected. He screams at the top of his lungs, laughing in the process.

Throughout the wedding officiant’s speech, Esmeray won’t stop fidgeting in her place. She glances at me from time to time, almost as if she’s making sure I’m still here and that I didn’t run away.

I woke up covered in sweat, the tracks of a dream where Esmeray was taken away from our ceremony still fresh in my mind. She couldn’t stop screaming “it’s your fault” over and over while Carter dragged her away.

My palm sneaks on her back which is covered by a beautiful, silky white dress that hugs her curves tightly, and her eyes snap to mine, tears glistening in them. She blinks a few times at the intimacy, taking a hesitant step forward as one of her hands lands

“What are you doing?” Esmeray murmurs, gaze on my lips. My eyes point at the man next to us, and her cheeks flush at the realization. “Right, sorry.” I lift my thumb and wipe the corner of her mouth as she sucks in a breath. “Can I kiss my wife?”

I just continue tracing the skin of her face with my finger, enjoying the confusion on her expression. She takes her time, her palm curling on my suit as she bites down on her lip, considering my question.

Finally, she gives me a small nod, and I don’t hesitate, leaning down and claiming her. My palm catch the back of her head, and she releases a moan that makes my dick harden the moment our tongues meet. She’s clumsy, not knowing what to do first, but not once does she try to remove herself from my touch.

Her chest falls and rises with rapid breaths, her breasts gluing even more to me. “We’re married,” she says like she can’t believe it. “We are,” I say.

“It’s stunning, Kai,” she whispers afterward, glancing at the diamond shining brightly on her hand. “I wish I had chosen one for you,” she murmurs while we exit the building.

“This place is beautiful,” Esmeray murmurs, head tilted on her back as she spins on her toes, looking in the distance. “You think so?” I ask, following her steps. She nods. “Would you like to live here one day?”

Esmeray squints at me, trying to read my intentions. “Are you kidding?” I shake my head. “No, why would I? I’m serious.” She stays still for a second before she playfully hits me with her fist. “Get out of here.” She moves her head from side to side as Kendrick opens the door for us. She gets in, and I quickly follow.

“I have a present for you,” I tell her. She fidgets in her seat, giving me a disgusted look. “I hope you didn’t do anything to get back at me for the dick thing.”

“But… I didn’t get you anything,” she mutters, glancing out of the window. She didn’t have to. “You married me.”

I keep tossing and turning in the king-size bed, Kai’s words refusing to let my mind rest and go to sleep. You married me. Just the thought of him thinking that our marriage is a gift to him makes understanding things harder. Where does that leave us?

When I look inside, Kai’s in nothing but his boxers, all his muscles on full display with his hand flexed under his head. I can’t see from here if he has his eyes closed or not, but since he’s not saying anything, I step further into the room.

“Ray?” “Yeah?” “Remember what you asked me, what I expect from you?” he asks, tilting his head to me. Of course I remember.

“There’s one rule I find important for our marriage to work,” Kai says, and even if I don’t see his green eyes very well, I can feel them on me. “Honesty. I want us to be honest with each other, no matter how bad or embarrassing the truth is.”

“Yeah, I know you didn’t mean to say⁠—” “Don’t put words into my mouth,” he interrupts me. “I never say things I don’t mean, Esmeray, remember that.”

“You are married to someone who you don’t love and who carries heavy emotional baggage with her as well,” I tell him, then drop on my back at his feet, glancing at the ceiling. “Emotions have never scared me before.”

Kai Graves is an enigma, and he’s my husband. If his wife doesn’t know him, who does? “Why is this marriage a gift to you?” I murmur,

How weird is this fate? I’m married to the man who ran me over with his car and is ultimately a stranger, but I find myself excited at the idea of the unknown and pure madness behind this.

“Because I don’t feel so alone anymore.” His thick voice surprises me. “My brain is quieter since you stepped inside my house.” He talks quietly, as if even the walls of this room shouldn’t hear. I ca...

“I hope this ends well for the both of us,” I whisper, my eyes still pointed at the ceiling. “As long as you don’t fall for me,” I hear him say...

“Remember, you’re eight years older than me, Mr. Graves.” He laughs, filling the silence. “That didn’t stop you before.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, faking a gasp. “You kissed me a few hours ago. Do I need to take you to the hospital for a check-up, Ray? I’m getting worried about how easily you’re forgetting things.” I get up on the edge of the bed and slap him on the shoulder. “No, I didn’t! You kissed me.” He shrugs, then turns his back to me, curling up with a blanket between his knees. “If that makes you sleep at night, you’re allowed to believe it.”

“You look beautiful, Ray, and it’s not the dress, the lipstick, or the bow. It’s you.”

“Thank you. Continue talking to me that way, and I’ll actually think you like me, Mr. Graves.”

Kiaran punches Tristan, whispering something and pointing in our direction, while Ryker’s absent as always. Dad’s smiling so hard I’m afraid he’s going to split his cheeks in two, and Lacey is already running towards us.

Lacey eyes her the whole time as if she’s an intruder, but she’ll get used to it. I take Esmeray’s hand in mine and put it between our empty plates.

Even now, he’s testing my patience. I look up at him, my lips almost touching his cheek as I breathe out. His head snaps to mine, one tilt of a head away from a kiss, and his eyes drop to my lips. I brush my cheek over his, aiming for his ear when I whisper, "Please?”

Kai’s spine snaps into a straight line, his hand grabbing mine under the table before he stands up. The table falls silent, all eyes pointed at us. “If you’ll excuse us, my wife can’t stand another second without the gift I promised her.”

A blanket of tears covers my vision instantly, and I don’t know why I’m so sensitive, but this… what he did is… it means a lot to me. “Do you like it?” he asks, and I can sense the excitement in his voice, even if small.

Do I like it? I was expecting something else, not this. I thought he was going to get me a necklace or a dress, just to show me how good of a husband he can be. But this? This is different. This isn’t just a gift that he bought just for the sake of the gesture. He did it because the little part he knows of me is enough.

I do as he says, stepping into the room that has within the four walls, closets with tiny little drawers, each one of them filled with bows. My eyes land on one where there are five shades of white, all of them made from different materials. I can’t help but trace them with my finger, taking my time to analyze each one of them.

“Since you were supposed to find out about this tomorrow, your makeup table, chair, and mirror aren’t here yet,” he says, leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed.