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That all changed when I took Hannah with me to Sierra’s twenty-first birthday party. I saw him first, but she’s the one he never looked away from.
Ares looks at me with such a blank expression that I burst out laughing, and that just makes him smile in return. “I haven’t heard you laugh in so long, Raven. I missed it.”
Something about the idea of Lexington with Raven deeply unsettles me, and it isn’t just because of the recurring dreams I have about her—dreams I shouldn’t be having at all.
My mind drifts back to the time my grandmother first mentioned a marriage between the Windsors and the Du Ponts. Back then, it was Raven they wanted me to marry. I sigh as she turns and walks back across the stage, a sense of inexplicable loss washing over me.
“I just haven’t found a guy that can keep me captivated. I’m not willing to settle for anything short of complete devotion. I want epic love, and I’m willing to wait for it.” Complete devotion, huh? Yeah, that’s exactly what she deserves.
I want nothing short of happiness for Raven, but the thought of her falling for someone fills me with dread.
Raven hasn’t been herself recently, and I’m worried about her. I’m worried it’s all becoming too much for her. The continuous dieting, the tough requirements that photographers have, the often harsh shooting environments. I’ve never understood why she does it at all. She’s beautiful beyond words, but somehow, this career doesn’t suit her. Her fashion brand on the other hand? That’s perfect for her. It allows her creativity to shine through, and she still operates in the industry she grew up in without being subjected to the very worst parts of fame.
It isn’t just my family and me who love Raven. It’s everyone she comes in contact with. She’s so easy to love, and the entire world sees it but her.
“By the way, you should probably know that Raven has unknowingly had my protection for years now—for free. You just paid one hell of a premium just to keep men’s advances at bay, something I never bothered with. You should probably ask yourself why.”
“Ares.” There’s something about the way she’s always said my name. It feels different. It’s a strange kind of addiction.
She’s so ridiculously beautiful.
“If I was always meant to marry him, she should’ve stayed away from him. You can’t expect me to marry my sister’s ex, Dad. You can’t do this to me. Do you understand how messed up this is? You can’t condemn me to a marriage with someone who is in love with my sister.”
“So long as it’s within my power, there’s nothing I won’t give you, Raven. No matter what you ask, it’s yours—and that includes me.”
What must it feel like to walk in her sister’s shoes? Nothing about today is hers—not even the man she’s marrying.
“This is it,” I whisper. “From this moment forward, you’re my wife. Mine to care for, mine to cherish, and mine to protect. I know this isn’t what you wanted for yourself, but I swear I’ll give you my all, Raven.”
I thread my hand through her long hair and yank her closer, taking her lips with a new sense of desperation. She moans, and I force her lips apart, deepening our kiss. It’s a promise of everything to come. She’s my wife now, and I have every intention of treating her as such. This kiss is a vow, it’s reassurance. From this day forward, I’m hers.
Raven rises to her feet, looking like a vision in her sister’s dress. All day I’ve tried my hardest not to stare at her, but it’s impossible to resist. She looks stunning, and the deep V at the front showcases her cleavage beautifully. It feels inappropriate to look at her a second too long, but I struggle to tear my gaze away. It’s strange that this beautiful woman is now my wife.
She inhales shakily and looks into my eyes. “I’ll never be her,” she says softly. “I know that, Ares. I know I’m not the woman you want to wake up to. I know you can’t stand having me in your bed at night. I get it. I know you’re hurting. But please…please don’t distance yourself from me. If asking you to treat me as your wife is too much, then all I’ll ask for is your friendship. I miss you, Ares. What do I do? How do I make my presence more bearable for you?”
Why can’t I ever be anyone’s priority? What makes me so undeserving of that? Why can I never measure up against Hannah in my parents’ eyes? In Ares’s eyes? What is it that she’s got and I’ll never have? Why is my best never enough?
I clench my jaw as I listen to the sound of my wife’s sobs through the bathroom door. She’s trying her hardest to be quiet, and it kills me. I have no doubt I’m one of the sources of her pain, and I don’t know how to make it better.
“Talk to me, baby. Tell me what’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours.”
“I want you here, Raven. There is no one I’d rather have in my bed than you. No one. You may not believe that, but it’s true. From the moment I married you, you’ve had my loyalty right down to my every thought. There’s no one on my mind but you. When I look at you, all I see is my wife. Nothing else. No one else. There’s no space for anyone but you—not in my mind and not in my heart. This may all sound like pretty lies and a poor attempt to console you, and I get that, but, baby, over time you’ll realize that it’s the truth.”
I hold her tightly, my hand stroking her back until her breathing evens out. I stare up at the ceiling as she falls asleep in my arms, my thoughts whirling. I can’t believe I’ve been staying away from her when I could’ve had this all along. One night with her, and I think I’m already addicted.
Fucking hell. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of kissing her, of claiming her as mine.
“We’re going to build her a home so nice, she’ll never want to leave.” I smile at him and nod. I fucking hope so. Raven deserves the world.
My wife is a fucking enchantress, no doubt.
I pull her back against me and kiss her, my hand balling into her hair. “Fuck the campaign,” I whisper in between kisses. “I’ll pay the penalty. I’ll do anything if you’ll just let me keep kissing you.”
She doesn’t realize it, but she could ask me for the moon and I’d try to give it to her. There’s nothing I won’t do for her.
“Fuck everyone else, Raven. You’re my wife. It’s my honor and duty to make sure all your needs are met, whatever they might be—I don’t care if it’s the interior of our home, our wedding rings, or the way we interact with each other. If you want it to change, it’ll change. We didn’t start off right, but allow me to make amends, baby. This is new to me too, but I don’t do things half-heartedly. I’m a Windsor, Raven, and you know as well as I do that marriage means something in the Windsor family. The moment I married you, I became yours. Only yours. So take what you want. Ask for anything you
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“I will never let you go, Raven. Fuck what I said. I was a fucking moron who didn’t realize that he’d struck fucking gold. You’re my wife, for better or worse. Only you. For as long as I live.”
“I’m yours, Raven Windsor. Forever. I promise.”
“I’m also your new boss,” he says as he pulls his hand away. “Since this agency is such a good fit for my organization, I bought it.” I look up at him in shock. “You what?” Ares shrugs and leans in. “I thought it would be good for us to own the company you work for. You can have it if you want. I’ll sign it over to you, on two conditions.” “What conditions?” He smiles and brushes his lip over my ear. “No more intimate campaigns with other men, and you’re no longer allowed to overwork yourself.” I bite back a smile, reveling in his possessiveness. I know for a fact that he never acted this way
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I’ve never felt such intense need to take away someone’s pain.
“I’m fucking obsessed with you,” I admit. “I’m addicted, Raven. Every touch, every kiss. Every single thing you do hooks me more. You’re a habit I never want to kick.”
“You’re a fucking vision,”
“My wife,”
“Raven,” I whisper. “You’re it for me.”
I look into my wife’s eyes, happier than I’ve ever been before. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and I’m going to make sure she never doubts it.
Hannah walks in, her signature movie-star smile on her face. Not too long ago, that smile would’ve made me grin at her in return. Now, it just makes me miss Raven’s genuine little smiles, her giggles, her authenticity.
The bodyguard in the front seat looks back with an apologetic smile on his face. “I’ve just been informed to wait for a moment. Hannah Du Pont is about to make her entrance.” Ares chuckles darkly. “I don’t wait for anyone but my wife,” he says. “Inform the organizers that we’ll be making our entrance now.” Then he looks at me and smirks. “Come on, let’s go steal the show.”
Fuck. I think I’m done for. I think I’m falling in love with my wife. Hell, I think I may have been in love with her for far longer than I’d ever admit to myself.
“You, Raven Windsor, are the single most unexpected yet best thing that has ever happened to me. I wasn’t truly living before you. You drive me up the fucking wall in the very best way. You make me laugh every single day, and you, my beautiful wife, make me feel things I’ve never felt before. I thought I knew what love was, you know? I thought it meant compromise, selflessness, and patience. Now I know better. True love is maddening, all-consuming, and it’s fucking selfish, Rave. It’s impatience and counting down the minutes until you get home. It’s being petty about all the men sliding into
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There’s a lot I’m willing to overlook, but tears in my wife’s eyes aren’t one of those things.
Ares’s gaze drops to our joined hands, and he narrows his eyes. “Let go of my wife,” he warns, his tone unyielding. Sierra stares him down. “She was mine before she was ever yours. You wanna fight me, Bro? Who do you think she’ll back?” I pull my hand out of hers and shake my head as I walk over to Ares, who instantly grabs both of my hands, holding them in his as he smirks at his sister.
“I love you,” I whisper. “I fucking love you with all I am, Raven.”
“Yeah,” Silas tells me. “He’s definitely in love with you. I have never seen him lose his cool, regardless of what situation he was put in. I once watched him foil a kidnapping attempt on Sierra without a single hint of panic crossing his face, yet you go missing for ten minutes and his world collapses.”
