Til Death Do Us Part (Kornilov Bratva Duet #2) - Nicole Fox Page 0,12

my specialty.”

I snort, almost sending the mocktail out my nose, and clamp a hand over my mouth. When I manage to swallow, I laugh. “That feels like an understatement.”

He seems to relax as he makes his own drink, his shoulders easing, a small smile on his mouth. It’s nice to see him like this. I tilt my head to the side and watch him until I feel butterflies fluttering in my stomach. It’s too early for it to be the baby and the drink is sans alcohol, so there can only be one cause.

Viktor puts the lid on the shaker, grips it with both hands, and mixes it vigorously. His muscles flex and strain under the thin fabric of his shirt, and he nips at his lower lip. I spin away from the sight and walk out onto the balcony for some fresh air.

Fake wedding. Fake wedding, I remind myself.

I didn’t even want to do this. I had to be convinced to marry him, so I can’t possibly be enjoying this. It wouldn’t make any sense.

The evening is cool, and I feel goose bumps spread across my back and shoulders. As soon as they appear, a warm hand smooths across my skin, and I gasp.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Viktor says softly, his words whispered on the back of my neck.

“You didn’t,” I assure him. I turn around, pressing my back to the railing, and face him. “I don’t have a reason to be scared anymore, right? I’m safe now?”

Viktor tips his glass back, swallowing half of the drink in one go, and then presses his lips together. “You’re safe. One hundred times safer than you were before, at least.”

“Good.”

He nods and then swallows back the rest of his drink. Mine is still mostly full, but my stomach is too busy doing flips to enjoy it. I don’t know if it’s pregnancy nausea or nerves or both.

“There are guards at your door who know failing to protect you will be the end of their lives,” he says. “You will always be protected. Even when you’re alone in the apartment, you won’t really be alone.”

I set my glass down on the glass table and fold my hands in front of me. “What about tonight?”

“The guards followed us from the venue. They are on duty right now.”

I shake my head and step forward, grabbing Viktor’s glass. It is empty, so he doesn’t resist as I pull it from his hands and place it next to mine. When I turn back to him, I can’t look up at his face yet, so I stare at my hands as they work their way up the hard planes of his chest.

“I mean, will I feel alone tonight?”

He pauses for a second and then lays his large hands over mine. “Only if you want to, Molly.”

Finally, I let myself look into his face. His eyes are a wide-open sky blue, and I see hope in them. Desire. And, even though our wedding was a farce, I see a promise there, too.

Viktor will take care of me. He’ll protect me and Theo and our unborn child. He is going to do everything he can to keep us all alive, and for right now, that is the only vow that matters to me.

I shake my head. “I don’t want to be alone. I want you to stay.”

He lets out a breath and then we are kissing. His hands pull me against him, one around the back of my neck, the other curled around my waist. My body molds to his in the same way my mouth does—soft and warm and eager.

A breeze cuts through the balcony, and I shiver. Viktor shifts his arms to my waist, picks me up, and carries me inside without ever breaking the kiss.

I reach for the couch as we pass it, assuming we are going to stop there, but Viktor growls and shakes his head. “On the bed. I want you on the bed tonight.”

Tonight. Our wedding night.

Again, I remind myself this is fake, but it doesn’t feel fake. When he lays me down in the bedroom, he steps back and lets his eyes devour the sight of me. He bites his lower lip. “That dress is sinful.”

“It’s white,” I smile, hoping it’s dim enough he can’t see how easily I’m blushing.

Viktor crawls over and lifts me up against his chest. He pulls the zipper slowly down my back and then works his hands over my shoulders, pushing the straps down