lured me in more than any of his other features.
At a glance, I could tell that he took good care of his body and his appearance. Considering the type of lifestyle I was brought up in, I made it a point not to slack in that department either.
There was something about Arjen that I couldn’t put my finger on, that spoke to me, but for the life of me, I couldn’t decipher the language. He stood beside me again, his muscled arm brushing my shoulder as we watched the happy couple.
Khane and Desiree clung to each other’s hands like their lives depended on it. Seeing them together was an enlightening experience. Witnessing an Evans experience that level of happiness inspired a different kind of hope, outside the hope of staying one step ahead of my enemy.
My smile deepened when a man tried to put his hand on Desiree’s waist, and Khane knocked his hand away so smoothly that no one around them noticed. The gesture was proof that my cousin had become the safest Evans on the planet.
“I’ll admit, fire raced through my veins when I thought you were about to embarrass my cousin on that stage. But, I believe you made the right decision with those two.” I stated, finally glancing at Arjen.
The statement pulled a smile from him. I didn’t like many people right away, but I liked Arjen, based mainly on the decision he had made today. Time would tell if he would take away the positive spark he had put in me.
“Did I?” he asked. “Make the right decision?”
“Look at them. There’s enough happiness flowing off them to strangle and kill everyone in this building. They are actually in love with each other. The fact that I can see it, sense it even, is astonishing.”
I was not easily awed but watching those two inspired the emotion.
“I can also rest assured that if anyone tries to come for my cousin, he’s going to gift them with a toe-tag,” I added, chuckling and sorry for whoever thought they were getting anywhere near Desiree. Arjen didn’t reply, only allowed a crooked smile to rest on his face at the sight of his brother with Desiree.
“I’m happy for them, but that is one devastating emotion I’m glad to be immune to,” I announced, causing him to put his gaze back on me.
“I fully agree. I was willing to allow myself to try with Desiree, but I do believe I dodged a bullet. Never again.”
“Never say never, future husband. My irresistible charms have gotten me stalked a time or two.”
He let loose a hardy burst of laughter at my remarks. If he hadn’t figured it out, I embraced my self-esteem, took it to a level below arrogant.
Who the hell was I kidding, my ass was arrogant as fuck? Needed to be, since I was surrounded by testosterone producers twenty-four-seven, ones that not only wanted me to fail, they expected me to.
“We’ll see,” was all he said. There was more meaning behind those words, I could sense it, but I didn’t comment on it.
All I could think while getting swallowed by his potent energy was, what have I gotten myself into with Arjen Vallin?
4
Mecca
My wedding day came in a rush, crashing into me hard enough to knock me on my wanna-be tough ass. The date was set a few weeks ago. After several short meet ups and phone conversations between my future husband and me, we confirmed that we would be married on a Friday, the last day in June.
Why was I so nervous now that the day had arrived? I had agreed to this with a smile, certain it was necessary to elevate me, and the status of the Black Saints.
Arjen had given me what I had asked for, the big expensive wedding at a large venue, surrounded by a bunch of stuck up people I didn’t know. The venue we settled on was called Sevens, located in an area that paid homage to the mountains.
The view from any place inside the glass castle-like building atop one of the peeks was a majestic masterpiece. The slopes and valleys surrounding us sang a chorus of sweet nothings to the eyes, shimmered against your peripheral, and dragged your mind into the everchanging pictures they produced.
The view was a rolling portrait that changed with such slight ease, you were reluctant to turn away for fear you would miss something. The energetic clouds reached to cover the peeks, creating optical illusions. The rise and fall