Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 15192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 76(@200wpm)___ 61(@250wpm)___ 51(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 76(@200wpm)___ 61(@250wpm)___ 51(@300wpm)
“I need to tell you something else.”
“What is it?”
“Our marriage…” Nikolai stiffens, his broad shoulders rising slightly as he squares his jaw, and I run a finger along it, kissing the scar on the side of his mouth. “Our marriage is the only good thing Father ever did for me. I love you.”
His face transitions from tension to disbelief, and then, he visibly relaxes. His shoulders slump, and he lets out a deep breath. A wide, relieved smile spreads across his face, his eyes softening. “I love you too, Nina. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Nikolai’s kiss is soft and possessive, his touch ragged and needy, and I cling to him, feathering my fingers over his arms, curving with heavy muscle. I pull back and shake my head, trying to clear the lust fogging my brain. “Wait. I have a request.”
“Anything, little wife.”
“Will you pay for my med school? I will pay you back when I get my first job.”
Nikolai hooks a finger under my chin, his voice husky with emotion. “Please do not insult me, Nina, I beg you. You will go to med school, and I’ll build a hospital in your name. If you want, I’ll beat enough men to always keep you busy.”
I choke out a laugh and smack his arm. “Don’t you dare, Nikolai!”
The kiss is deeper and hotter this time, and as the world melts away, happiness blooms within me. It was a long road to get here, but it was all worth it.
Nikolai is worth it.
EPILOGUE
NIKOLAI
For as long as I can remember, fear has always been a distant concept. Even when I was kidnapped as a teenager, I wasn’t scared. I was in pain, physically and emotionally, and felt a dozen emotions, but fear wasn’t one of them.
I’ve faced challenges at “work”, navigated through tough, dangerous, and deadly situations, and even tackled life-and-death moments with a calm, steady demeanor.
But tonight, standing in front of a five-star hotel and waiting for Nina to arrive, a shiver of anxiety grips me like nothing I’ve known before.
The grand hall is adorned with soft twinkling lights, delicate flowers, and drapery the color of Nina’s eyes. Two dozen of our family members, closest friends, and household staff, whom I discreetly invited a month earlier, are quietly seated.
I pace the ground, wiping my clammy hands on my trousers. I left Nina a box on her bed containing a beautiful white gown, white shoes, and new jewelry.
Finally, her car arrives, and as I catch sight of my beautiful wife, my heart pounds, nerves dancing just on the edge of panic.
She walks to me, her eyes scanning my face, and I take a deep breath, going over the speech I’ve rehearsed at least a hundred times.
Nina smiles and plants a soft kiss on my mouth. “What is this, Nikolai?”
I take her hand and brush my lips across her knuckles. “Our first wedding was a sham, little wife. You were so scared that your tears left tracks on your face.” As if on cue, tears well in her eyes. “That won’t do. I want you to have a wedding you deserve, one that makes you smile when you think of it years from now, where the only tears you’re crying are from happiness.”
“Oh, Nikolai.”
“I love you, and I will do anything for you, even if it’s pretending mint ice cream doesn’t taste like toothpaste.”
She smacks my chest, her eyes shimmering with love. “It doesn’t!”
I cup one side of her face, still wondering if this is all a dream and I’m not actually married to the most beautiful, amazing woman. “I love you, little wife. My heart is forever yours.”
Nina stands on her toes and wraps her arms around my neck. “I love you, Nikolai. My heart is forever yours, too, even if your taste buds suck.”
“I beg to disagree. My tongue happens to like your pussy just fine.”
Nina smacks me again before fixing her dress and hissing, “Someone might hear you!”
“So? Let them all know I worship my wife.” I smile down at her. “How about it, little wife? Will you marry me? Please put this poor bastard out of his misery.”
“Of course, Nikolai. I will marry you.” A single tear slides down her cheek, and I wipe it with my thumb. “You’re my person.”
“And you are mine.”
The End.