the lips before leaving.
Chapter Forty-three
Butch combed his hair, slapped on a little cologne, and slipped into a suit that wasn't his. Just as the medicine cabinet in the bathroom was lined with different aftershaves and shaving creams, the closets were full of brand-new men's clothes of various large sizes. All top-drawer, designer stuff.
He'd never worn Gucci before.
And though he didn't like being a mooch, he just couldn't see Marissa in the same clothes he'd been wearing last night. Even if they'd been particularly sharp - and they weren't - he was sure they now smelled like a bar: V's Turkish tobacco and booze combined.
He wanted to be fresh as a daisy for her. He really did.
Butch took a turn in front of a full-length mirror, feeling like a pansy, but unable to help himself. The black pinstripe fit him well. The bright white, open-collared shirt made his tan come out. And the sweet pair of Ferragamo loafers he'd found in a box were just the right amount of flash.
He was almost handsome, he thought. As long as she didn't look too closely at his bloodshot eyes.
The four hours of sleep and all that Scotch showed.
A soft rapping noise sounded.
Feeling like a poser and hoping it wasn't one of the brothers, he opened the door.
The butler looked up with a smile. "Sire, you look quite dashing. Fine choices, fine choices."
Butch shrugged, fussing with the shirt collar. "Yeah, well."
"But you need a handkerchief in your breast pocket. May I?"
"Ah, sure."
The little old man buzzed right over to a bureau, pulled out a drawer, and rifled around. "This should be perfect."
His knobby hands worked the white square into some kind of origami masterpiece and stuffed the thing into place on Butch's chest.
"Now, you are ready for your guest. She is here. Are you receiving?"
Receiving? "Hell, yeah."
As they went out into the hall, the butler laughed softly.
"I look stupid, don't I?" Butch said.
Fritz's face grew serious. "No, not at all, sire. I was just thinking how much Darius would have enjoyed all this. He liked a full house."
"Who's Dar - "
"Butch?"
Marissa's voice brought them both to a halt. She was at the head of the stairs, and she took Butch's breath away. Her hair was up high on her head, and her gown was a pale pink sheath. Her shy pleasure at seeing him made his chest swell.
"Hey, baby." He walked forward, aware that the butler was beaming with delight.
She fidgeted with her dress, as if she were a little nervous. "I probably should have waited downstairs. But everyone's so busy. I felt like I was in the way."
"You want to hang up here for a while?"
She nodded. "If you don't mind. It's quieter."
The butler chimed in. "There's a second-floor sitting porch. Just go down the hall. It's at the end."
Butch offered her his arm. "That okay with you?"
She slipped her hand through his elbow. As her eyes skittered away from his, her blush was enchanting. "Yes. Yes, it is."
So she wanted to be alone with him.
This was a good sign, Butch thought.
As Beth carried a heaping platter of crudités into the dining room, she decided that Fritz and Wellsie could have run a small country together. They had the brothers racing around, setting the dining room table, putting fresh candles out, helping with the food. And God only knew what was happening in Wrath's chamber. The ceremony was going to take place there, and Rhage had been down in the room for an hour.
Beth put the platter on the sideboard and headed back into the kitchen. She found Fritz struggling to reach a large crystal bowl high up in the cupboard.
"Here, let me get that."
"Oh, thank you, mistress."
She put it down on the counter and then watched as he filled it with salt.
That's some serious hypertension right there, she thought.
"Beth?" Wellsie called out. "Can you go into the pantry and grab three jars of peach preserves for the ham basting?"
Beth went inside the boxy little room and flipped on the light switch. Cans and jars ran from floor to ceiling in an overwhelming array of options. She was looking for the peach section when she heard the door open.
"Fritz, do you know - "
She pivoted around. And slammed right into Zsadist's hard body.
He hissed, and they both leaped back as the door shut them in together.
He closed his eyes as if in pain, his lips drawing back from his fangs and teeth.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, trying to move farther away. There wasn't much