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My heart sinks when I read the words on it. “How not to fuck shit up with your wife. Subtle.”
“She knows, and she is pissed. Told me she wants a divorce in three years.” Dion just sighs and starts his slideshow. “I guess it’s too late for you to learn this lesson, but we don’t, under any circumstances, lie to our wives. There are very few occasions during which lying is acceptable, and I’ve listed those for you below.” I frown when there’s only one word on his list: never. “Funny,” I murmur. “Real funny how fucking whipped you all are.”
My brothers all snicker in satisfaction. The pleased looks they share just irritate me further. I don’t even understand what their deal is until Xavier rolls his eyes as he repeats the words my wife mockingly. Fuck. For years, I’ve given them shit for how often they slip the words my wife into sentences unnecessarily, only for me to subconsciously do it myself. Fucking shit.
Nah, Ares is wrong. I didn’t take that teaching position because she intrigues me. It wasn’t so I could see her again, because I couldn’t stay away. Surveillance. That’s all it is. It can’t be more than that.
Adam sighs and turns to face me. “Not at all,” he says, his tone snappy. “I’m incredibly concerned, because not only is that man our professor, he’s also a completely unattainable billionaire, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Let me make one thing abundantly clear,” he says, his tone sharp and his eyes locked with mine. “I’m engaged, and I won’t tolerate any rumors that could even remotely upset my future wife.”
Everyone begins to talk amongst themselves at once, discussing the designs that are delivered to them, and all the while, I can’t take my eyes off Lex. I didn’t think he’d so publicly announce that he’s off the market when we aren’t even married yet. We’ve barely even spoken since that day in his penthouse, and I wasn’t sure where I stood with him, until now. The possessiveness in his gaze speaks volumes, and it confuses me.
Adam narrows his eyes slightly. “He wouldn’t have chosen mine simply to split us up, would he? I can’t even switch with anyone to work with you, because we’re both team leaders. He’d better remember that he’s engaged. I won’t let him mess with you, Raya.” I chuckle and shake my head in surprise. “Of course he wouldn’t have done that,” I murmur, just as Lex glances our way, his eyes blazing with something that looks a lot like jealousy.
“I think my sister may be there, and if you’re really unlucky, you’ll find that throughout the afternoon, all of my sisters-in-law will find completely random excuses to drop by and meet you. They’re all very excited to welcome you to the family.”
He presses a kiss to her forehead and steps back to introduce us. Raven’s eyes light up when she spots me standing behind Ares, and she pushes against his chest, making him step aside as she rushes toward me. Before I realize what’s happening, she’s wrapped me in a tight hug, nearly knocking the wind out of me.
“We’re not late, are we?” I hear a woman say. “I told you over and over again to hurry up,” another woman replies, sounding worried. “But you still insisted on wrapping that cookie eleventy billion times until you got it perfect. We don’t even know if she likes cookies!”
“What do you two think you’re doing?” I tense just as two women turn the corner and come into view. They look apologetic, and one of them is holding the biggest bouquet filled with an assortment of yellow flowers, while the other is holding a small pink box with a truly excessive number of ribbons on it.
We’re really sorry to interrupt, but Lex wanted me to give you this.” She steps forward and hands me the bouquet with the sweetest smile on her face. “I doubt he’d ever admit it, but he spent hours yesterday walking through my husband’s greenhouse and observatory, cutting each flower in your bouquet by hand before binding them all together.” I take the bouquet with trembling
“Thank you so much,” I tell her, grinning from ear to ear. “I love cookies.” Her eyes light up, and she sighs — seemingly in relief. I seem to have passed a test of some sort, because she leans in and wraps an arm around me, side hugging me. “Welcome to the family, Raya. I’m so excited to have another sister. You have no idea.”
“We all are,” Celeste says, smiling sweetly. My heart warms as I smile back at her, a spark of hope that I thought I’d doused reigniting. Maybe this marriage won’t be as loveless as I’d feared — it just won’t be the kind of love I was hoping for.
“I’ve been trying to figure out who he’s marrying and can’t even find the slightest clue. The Windsors have been so secretive about his fiancée, but I don’t think he’ll be able to hide it for long. I read in The Herald that Lexington bought a ridiculously priced yellow diamond at a prestigious auction, so now we just wait for that diamond to rock up on someone’s finger.”
For a moment, my eyes drop to my empty ring finger, and longing crashes through me. I always thought I’d get a grand proposal, and a yellow diamond is what I’ve always dreamed of. It hurts to know that dream will never become a reality. Lex made it clear he has no interest in romance, so even if that story is true, the diamond wouldn’t be for a ring. A birthday gift for Sierra, perhaps. Whoever it’s for… it isn’t me.
I turn to face him fully and tilt my face up toward his, my heart beating a little faster. Even now, he looks at me like I’m the only girl in the room, and I hate it. I hate how much hope he gives me every time he’s near.
“It’s good work, but it needs to be refined.” He smiles then. “Which reminds me, there’s something I meant to discuss with you regarding your design. Please see me after class.” I nod nervously, thrown off and more than a little flustered. This is the first time he’s specifically told me to come see him, not giving me an out. With only two weeks left until the wedding, it’s clear he’s done giving me space.
I sigh as I tap my finger against my desk. Raya has barely smiled at me since she found out about our engagement, and I know I only have myself to blame for it. My fiancée confuses the hell out of me. I thought I’d be grateful for the distance she’s clearly keeping, but instead, it just makes me fucking miserable.
I brush my thumb over her bottom lip, longing unlike anything I’ve ever felt rushing through me. “If I asked you to play truth or dare with me again, would you?” Surprise flickers through her eyes, and for a split second I’m certain she’ll decline my request. But then she sighs and nods. “Truth,” she whispers. “Would you prefer to get married in my brother’s rose garden, or my grandmother’s ballroom?” Her eyes widen, and she searches my face. “What is your preference?” “Whatever will make you happiest.” She inhales shakily, her gorgeous brown eyes fluttering closed for a moment. “The rose
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“It’s true that I wasn’t interested in a relationship, but as it turns out, you are the exception to that rule, Raya. I’ve given you space because I’ve been thinking about what you said, what you demanded. I don’t know if I can give you what you want, but I’d like to try being in a real relationship with you. I owe it to you to try.”
That one night with her made me feel more alive than I have in years. I can’t let fear deprive me of that.
I know it isn’t fair to ask for your understanding when I can’t even give you the full truth… but my little fairy… I promise you, I’ll try. I’ll try to be what you want me to be, to give you what you need.” My heart wrenches when she cups my face and looks into my eyes, her touch gentle. “It would make me so happy if you’d give us a real chance, Lex. I’m not asking you to change, you know? I’ll take you as you are.”
Some time and distance did exactly what I hoped it would — it gave me perspective. It helped me not take Lex’s actions personally. Taking a step back allowed me to see his behavior for what it was: protectiveness. It doesn’t hurt any less, but I understand where he’s coming from. Besides, against better judgment, I trust him when he says he’ll try.
Dad hooks his finger around mine, sealing my pinky-promise. “These kinds of promises are unbreakable,” he reminds me, a smile breaking through. “So I know you’ll keep your word.”
“I love you,” Dad says, his voice shaking. “I will always be there for you, Raya. No matter what. You don’t ever need a reason to come home to Mom and me, okay? Our home will always be yours, too.” I look up at him as music begins to play, our cue. “I love you too, Daddy. Always will.”
Dad and I pause in front of him, and my nerves skyrocket. Dad grabs my hand and holds it tightly, hesitating for one beat, and then another, before he places my hand in Lexington’s, his own covering both of ours. “That’s one half of my heart you’re holding,” he tells Lex, his voice trembling. Lex nods solemnly and tightens his grip on my hand. “I’ll treat her with care, always.”
His tongue teases mine, and a soft, needy sound escapes the back of my throat. It makes him press against me harder for a moment, before pulling away, his eyes sparkling with desire. “Mr. and Mrs. Windsor, everyone!” the officiant says. Applause erupts around us, but Lex and I can’t take our eyes off each other. He drops his forehead to mine and draws a ragged breath. “Mrs. Windsor,” he repeats, the sweetest smile on his face as he straightens and grabs my hand.
My heart races as Raya and I dance in Zane and Celeste’s rose garden to the song Dion composed for us. She looks so ethereal, I almost want to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. I haven’t been able to take my eyes off her for even a second.
around Raya moments before we walk out, shielding her from the evening breeze. “I love seeing you in my jacket,” I murmur without thinking. “You look far better in it than I ever did.” I grab the lapels and pull her close, my eyes roaming over her.
Grandma says, handing Raya an envelope. I smirk when I spot the name Raya Indira Windsor on it. It sounds so fucking good.
“The card is linked to my personal assets, and it doesn’t have a limit,” I tell her, my voice soft. Her gaze cuts to mine, and she raises a brow. “What if I bankrupt you? I might just go out and buy every Lewis Motors car there is,” she says, making everyone in the car laugh.
“There’s more,” Raya’s dad says. “While your main residence will be at the Windsor Estate, I would like you both to come home every weekend. I may have consented to this marriage, but I have to make sure my little girl is doing okay. I want to see how you treat her firsthand, and if you ever do anything I don’t like—” “—we’d just really love to see you on weekends,” Raya’s mother interrupts, smiling tightly. “You’ll come home every weekend. We understand that you may have social obligations, but even when that’s the case, we’d like you to spend the night at home. In return, you’ll be exempt
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His expression turns into genuine worry when the car comes to a stop in front of my home, and he reaches for his daughter, taking her free hand in his. He searches her face, and even I can read the quiet message, the reassurance in his eyes. I have no doubt he’d have attempted to take my wife home with him if she hadn’t smiled at him and leaned in to kiss his cheek before doing the same to her mother.
I grin at her as I take a step forward. “What I’m supposed to, my little fairy. I’m carrying my wife over the threshold, into our home.”
I hesitate for a moment before stepping closer, the back of my hand brushing over her cheek softly. “Truth or Dare, Raya?” I whisper. She exhales shakily, her eyes fluttering closed. “Dare.” I cup her face, my thumb brushing over her mouth. “I dare you to just be in the moment with me. Don’t think about the past or the future and just be here with me.”
Raya’s eyes are blazing when I grab her waist and lift her into my arms. She wraps her legs around me, and I take a moment to just look at my wife. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to experience this version of her again — the version I’ve come to consider mine. My enchanting little fairy.
She flushes, and I smirk, pushing in a little deeper still. It’s been years since I last had sex, but fuck, I don’t remember it ever being this good. Her breath hitches, and I instantly pause, giving her time to adjust.
I bite down on my lip when I find him leaning back against his kitchen counter, his torso exposed and gray sweats hanging low on his hips. He’s got a cup of coffee on the counter and his tablet in his hand, his full attention on what he’s reading. My eyes widen when he reaches behind him and grabs a pair of black-rimmed reading glasses. I didn’t think he could get more handsome, but the glasses do it for me.
Lex frowns and cups the back of my neck, his thumb resting on my throat. “I’m never taking mine off again, and I don’t want to see you without yours. I understand you can’t wear it on your hand at school, but I still want it on your body at all times. I’ll buy you a necklace to hang it on, little fairy.”
“Fuck,” he mutters, and we both stare at each other wide-eyed for a moment. Seconds later, I hear my parents’ voices, and Lex puts me down. I take one look at the scratches I left all over his body and grab his hand, making a run for it. “What are we doing?” he whisper-shouts, following my lead. I throw him an incredulous look and push him into the bedroom, slamming the door shut in a rush. “What do you think I’m doing?” I ask, my voice borderline hysterical. “We’re both half-naked! Get. Dressed.”
I turn and rise to my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He sighs and grabs my hand. “I wish we could finish what we started in the kitchen,” he complains. “But instead, we’d better go greet your parents before they hunt us down.”
My parents exchange glances and nod before following Lex to the dining area, where several robots are already setting the table, their wheels carrying them back and forth. “That’s an impressive feat of technology,” Dad grumbles, like he doesn’t want to admit it but can’t help himself. “But these are all jobs humans could’ve had. Doesn’t your family employ plenty of household staff?”
doesn’t say anything as he pulls out Mom’s chair for her, seating her next to me. “My siblings do, but I don’t like having people in my home,” he eventually says quietly. “My robots will never betray me — they’ll never sell a story to the press, nor will they ever harm me or my family. They’ll only ever do what I’ve programmed to do.”
“I was gonna ask you if you wanted to study together, but I couldn’t reach you.” I smile tightly, silently praying my nerves aren’t obvious. “Not much,” I murmur, looking down as I think back to the wedding on Saturday. “Just studied,” I add, conveniently leaving out the part where all I studied was my husband’s body, in every room of our house.
My brows rise when he shows me a photo that must’ve been taken the day after our wedding, in the parking lot of a well-known fast-food chain — a location The Herald has deemed to be far beneath a Windsor. My heart races as I read the scathing speculative pieces they wrote about Lex and his mysterious girl, which, as it turns out, is me.
“What is ridiculous?” My eyes widen, and Adam’s head snaps up at the sound of Lex’s voice. My husband smiles and joins us on the picnic bench, seating himself next to me. He glances at my textbook and raises a brow. “Surely multivariable linear systems aren’t throwing off two of my star pupils?”
“Professor Windsor,” Adam says, his expression shifting. “We were actually just discussing the article The Herald posted about you and your supermodel fiancée.” My husband raises a brow when I involuntarily glare at him. “Must be nice, being with a supermodel,” I mutter without thinking, annoyed the media linked him to someone else just a day after we got married. I know the story isn’t true, and I know I literally am the woman in the photo that accompanied the article, but somehow, I’m still a little aggrieved.
“I didn’t know this about her until we got married and started living together, but she gets super cranky the second she’s hungry,” Lex says, his thumb drawing circles on my bare skin, slowly inching higher. “Her face just transforms the second she bites down on a French fry, though. It made my whole day to see her smile like that.”
