Page 27 of Married with Blood
I raised one brow at him.
“Icy,” he said at last.
“She fucking bit my lip when I warned her that she'd better not be here as a spy for her brother.”
He smirked. “Well, damn.”
Damnwas right.
Watching her from afar, I saw how he and others could assume she was icy. While she wasn’t aloof and cool, she didn’t seem to be in a rush to strike up any conversations.
Again, maybe she was trained to be like that.
She did smile and cordially replied when spoken to, but her expressions weren’t genuine.
Hell, maybe she’s just not a fan of crowds like this and being in the spotlight.
Yet, she wasn’t shy or faltering to know what to do, clearly comfortable in her own skin, and that confidence was a hell of a bonus.
It’s not like this is any normal wedding, anyway.We had the ceremony in front of guests, we put up with the photographers,and we had lunch, then dinner. It was an all-day affair, but without the romantic and cheesy crap like what Adrik and Elena had with dances and music and all that.
They had a week or so to plan. Whereas I had… hours.
I set my glass down, studying her from across the room as she seemed to listen to Adrik and Elena.
I hadn’t given myself a chance to think about how I’d incorporate her into my life, into my family. However I went about it, I had to make sure that I avoided further problems like her spying. So far, she seemed like nothing but an unenthusiastic participant in all of this.
But I’m not sure that you’re as uninterested as you want me to believe.
The kiss stoked too much desire in me.
And her having the guts to bite me threatened to make me wild for her.
She was strong. Not weak.
She was confident and sharp and observant. Not a mindless fool.
She was…
I exhaled slowly, eyeing her in that dress and wondering if all her curves were as soft as they seemed along the contours of that white fabric.
She’s fucking exquisite.
Pushing off the bar, I headed back toward her. Originally, I’d planned to keep my distance. To treat her with indifference until I could know what she was here for. Laying down boundariesseemed imperative, and I would damn well make sure she understood that trust had to be earned.
As I reached her and she subtly gave me a quick side-eye, I realized that she was likely trying to assert her own boundaries too. That was what that nip on my lip was about.
I set my hand on the small of her back, a possessive move, just to test how she’d react.
She backed up slightly and turned to face my brother, removing my hand from her.
Trying to avoid me, too?
She wouldn’t succeed. There wasn’t a chance in hell I was taking my eyes off her. Instead of being peeved by her independence and iciness, I could only admire how confident she was. How sure she could be of herself.
The night wound down, and we were driven back to my house at last. Still, in the car, she maintained an aloofness. Tipping her chin up and looking out the window while she avoided eye contact, she gave no impression of caring that I existed.
But I saw through her.
