Page 13 of The Billionaire's Last-Minute Marriage
Never like this.
‘That was better.’ His voice was a rasp as he turned away from her, taking his phone out of his pocket and tapping a few keys as his chest continued to rise and fall swiftly. ‘Of course, we will need to minimise that kind of...contact.’
‘Why?’ she asked impulsively, then cursed her fast mouth.
One dark brow rose, cutting her down further from the high of that kiss. ‘Because this is purely a business arrangement, Quinn. It’s not necessary or appropriate. Practice time is over.’
She felt herself deflate instantly. That kiss had been a revelation for her, it had been earth-shattering and made her rethink everything she’d always believed about herself. But the shift of tension in the room filled her with doubt. Had she done something wrong? Had she committed some sort of kissing faux pas?
And as Xander quickly launched into his plans for their quick legal ceremony later that evening, she quickly wondered if she had been mistaken in his blush, his heavy breathing. If he had even been affected by their kiss at all.
Xander resisted the urge to check his watch and tried to keep his gaze focused on the skyline of glittering buildings surrounding him. The rooftop terrace of Mytikas Holdings was hardly the most elite wedding destination, but when one was in a race against time to fulfil the terms of a will, needs must.
He had changed into a fresh suit at least, he thought with agitation.
What was she doing?
Quinn had outright refused his offer to have garments brought in from his Fifth Avenue stylist, insisting that she could dress herself just fine. He had felt the beginning of an argument rumbling within him but decided that he would choose his battles. Tonight’s brief ceremony was essentially just signing their names on paper, a means to quickly ensure the legalities of their nuptials were taken care of. When it came to their actual society wedding, she would find that he could not be quite so lenient. He had an image to uphold and the kind of circles he moved in cared very much about the details, which he had found out very quickly upon entering the world of the wealthy as a poor teenager.
He would earn back their favour now after his failed first wedding, just as he had done then, with hard work and ruthless strategy. Mytikas Holdings belonged to him already, whether his brothers were prepared to accept it or not. He already owned forty per cent of the shares through his own tireless determination. The shadow corporation he had started up five years previously in Europe had originally been intended as an exit strategy if required. But then the opportunity had arisen for him to begin purchasing Mytikas shares legally and the plan had appeared in his mind fully formed. Titan Corp was on its way to becoming his own legacy, one that he would not allow to be taken from him.
Grinding his teeth at the thought, he wrenched his mind back to his upcoming wedding. Going to the jeweller’s personally had not been a part of the plan, but sending his new fiancée to select her own wedding ring had seemed a step too far, even if this marriage wasn’t real. He pulled the box out from his pocket, once more opening it to ensure the matching rings were still inside. Then he adjusted his collar for the fifth time.
It was just one year, he reminded himself. And it was likely to be the hardest year of his career, going by the malicious remarks made in this morning’s board meeting.
The other shareholders had clearly been excited at the prospect of using the opportunity of his runaway bride creating an almighty scandal to push Xander out, and the only reason they were happy that he was marrying Pandora in such an apparently romantic, whirlwind fashion was that they thought the company would get a huge surge of public interest in the story. They hated and resented him for the progressive ideas that he had for the company’s future because they were happy doing things the old way. The Zeus way. But that was just their tough luck, because Xander wasn’t going anywhere.
The sound of the double glass doors of the atrium opening slowly caught his attention, he raised his gaze and found himself completely frozen on the spot.
His bride was wearing blue, a colour he didn’t think he’d ever seen her wear before. In the office, aside from bright lipsticks and jewellery she usually stuck to her black skirt and white blouse combo. The dress she was wearing was feminine and floaty and flared out from her slim waist in a way that reminded him of an old Audrey Hepburn movie he had watched many times with his grandmother. He half expected her to burst into song or twirl.
She was breathtakingly beautiful.
He didn’t know if it was the moonlight that bathed the rooftop terrace or if her hair was simply glowing. He had never seen it unbound from its prisonlike bun.Christos, it was so long, like shining silk that tucked behind her ears and flowed down her back like molten silver. It was a crime to keep hair like that hidden away.
Just as much as it would be wrong for him to wonder what it would have been like to unravel it fist by fist over his hands.
He paused, shocked at the image in his mind’s eye, inhaling sharply and feeling a shiver run through him as he exhaled a slow and steady gust of breath.
By the time she had crossed the few feet towards where he and the officiant stood, he had recovered from his momentary lapse and calmly extended his hand to her.
She smiled at him, a shy smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes, and he resisted the urge to question her again, to make sure she truly wanted to go ahead with their bargain.
But then he thought of the possibility she might leave and he tightened his grip on her hand.
‘I’m sorry I’m late.’ Silver eyes flickered up to his, then slid away. ‘I thought I had enough clothes to choose from...but it turns out there isn’t exactly a dress code for a last-minute wedding ceremony.’
‘Is the prospect of marriage to me so daunting?’
‘Oh, no, of course not.’ She paused. ‘Oh, you’re joking. Well, now, there’s a first.’
Then she laughed, a deep belly laugh that was likely just nerves but still it did something strange to his insides. He felt his lips quirk, then quickly cleared his throat and introduced his driver, Mina, who would also be acting as their witness.
The officiant began to talk, laying out the rules of their arrangement and all the various legal jargon. As far as romantic elopements went, he realised that this was probably not every woman’s dream. When he looked down, Pandora seemed tense but focused.
When they were told to join hands, he felt the weight of her palms warm and soft in his own and he found himself fighting the urge to demand that she look up, that she acknowledge him in this moment.
He wasn’t quite sure what to make of that.
