one person whose attention was entirely on her.
She knew more people were watching than just Kaz.
More people were looking.
But while they were looking at her, she was only staring back at him.
His suit was a black-on-black ensemble tailored perfectly to his form, not that Violet expected anything less. He’d been fiddling with the gold cufflink on his right sleeve when the doors had opened, and he’d froze like that, slightly turned, hand at his wrist, and his gray gaze on her.
The sexiest of smiles curved his lips at the edges, and Violet couldn’t help but grin back beneath the birdcage veil.
She still didn’t see the people.
The music didn’t really register, either.
It was just Kaz, the satin lined aisle, and her walking forward.
Violet figured that visual was more appropriate than anyone could ever possibly know.
She’d always choose to walk toward him—she’d already done that several times over.
There was no walking away.
There would never be any walking away.
It seemed like a blink and Violet was at the end of the satin lined aisle.
Kaz stretched his hand out, reaching for her.
She didn’t hesitate to take it.
He’d always been hers.
Weddings were fucking exhausting.
That wasn’t to say Kaz wasn’t enjoying this time with Violet—he was—but he was ready to get out of his fucking suit and get on with his night. From the moment he’d said ‘I do’ and pressed a lingering kiss to Violet’s mouth, they were bombarded by people.
He hadn’t minded at first, sharing their moment with everyone else. He was even glad that she seemed to be having a good time in the midst of his family and associates.
But as the night waned on, he was ready for everyone else to disappear.
All it had taken was her sitting forward beside him, offering a tantalizing view down the length of her back, the dress stopping just above the swell of her ass. It was just a glimpse, enough to prevent his thoughts from going anywhere beyond how quickly he would get that dress off her.
The ballroom had its own bathroom, separate from the rest in the hotel, and if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a room across from it. And with the thought of that room in mind, his gaze shifted over the crowd, spotting Violet sharing a dance with his brother.
She looked happy.
Carefree.
He wanted to see that look on her face for the rest of his life.
Abandoning the table, he crossed the floor to her. Rus caught sight of him first, murmuring something in Violet’s ear before he stepped away—probably in search of his date.
Drawing her closer, he captured her hand in his, wrapping his other arm around her and contenting himself, if only momentarily, with the feel of her skin beneath his hand.
Looking down at her, he smiled. “Are you happy?”
“Absolutely.”
Though this was a celebration for them, many of the guests were talking amongst each other, networking. Kaz didn’t mind, not for what he was trying to do.
“How much longer will this go on?”
She laughed lightly. “We haven’t even eaten dinner yet.”
For fuck’s sake. “When is that?”
“Not for another thirty minutes, but—”
It wasn’t a lot of time, that thirty minutes, but it would do.
Interlocking their fingers, he led her through the throng of people toward the back of the room where the office was. It was used mostly as storage for extra glassware and whatever else the hotel needed for this space.
“Why are we in here?” Violet asked the minute he got both of them in the room with the door shut.
He intended to answer her question, but first, he made quick work of removing the jacket to his tux and tossing it across the back of a chair. She knew his intentions; he could tell from her sharp intake of breath and the way her gaze shot down to his trousers.
“I’m in my wedding dress,” she said, though it sounded like a poor excuse to him. “And I want to keep it.”
Already working on the buttons of his shirt, he merely gave a nod of his head and said, “Then take it off.”
But she didn’t. She just stared at him, or rather at his chest, as though she had never seen his tattoos before. Captivated, he always thought. But he rather liked that look on her.
“Do you want to know what these stars mean?” he asked, remembering that he had never explained the significance of the ink that marked his skin.
Crossing the floor before she could even answer, Kaz put his hands on her hips, spinning her slowly as he