Page 109

I have a sharp twist of guilt at the thought, and that’s been happening more often lately too. It’s not the time for that, though. Not right now. So I shove it down and into a box conveniently labeled ‘deal with this later’ in my mind. I’ll tell the men the truth when the time is right.
I just haven’t figured out when that time is yet. But it’ll happen.
A knock on the door snaps me out of my thoughts, and I turn to see Xavier coming into the room. I smile at him, feeling lifted just to see him.
His eyes are on me, and it’s almost a physical thing the way his gaze travels over my body, taking in the sight of me in the dress. I flush a bit from his examination, especially when his eyes flare with heat.
“I knew it was the perfect dress for you,” he says smugly. “You look so fucking amazing, shortcake.”
“Thank you,” I murmur, smiling warmly. “I actually feel amazing in it.”
“I can tell. You deserve to feel good because you’re going to be the most beautiful woman in the room tonight.”
My cheeks go darker at that, and I flap a hand at him. “You have to say that because you’re my husband.”
“Not true. You wouldn’t believe what some men say about their wives. I’m saying it because it’s true.”
Needing to change the subject before I start blushing even harder, I give him a once over. “You look incredible too,” I tell him. And he does. He’s in a perfectly tailored black suit with a deep blue shirt underneath. His tie and pocket square match the shirt, and somehow the color makes his eyes look greener.
“I have to look my best to stand next to you tonight,” he says, winking at me.
“How are you turning me complimenting you into a compliment about me?”
“Talent, baby.” He pulls his hands from behind his back, revealing two black velvet boxes. One is slender and flat, the other more cube shaped. “Anyway, I have two things for you.”
He holds out the first box, and I open it, gasping softly when I see a beautiful necklace nestled against the satin lining. It’s deceptively simple, just a silver necklace inlaid with tiny diamonds with a deep green stone at the center, but it sparkles in the light and is probably very expensive.
In the second box is an honest to god tiara. It’s also fairly simple but stunning, and I gape at Xavier for a second, touched and surprised.
“What’s all this for?” I ask him.
“For you,” he says. “Because you should look like the queen you are tonight.”
My smile wobbles a little with emotion, and Xavier clearly picks up on it because he puts both boxes on the bed and crosses to me. Careful not to smudge my makeup, he tips my chin up with two fingers and leans down to kiss me.
The kiss turns heated in a matter of seconds, and I make a soft noise into it, going up onto my toes to meet him in the middle.
His hand cups my lower back, and he presses his height advantage, dipping me back just a little.
When I come up for air, I’m panting softly, and my cheeks are definitely still flushed.
“You guys spoil me so much,” I murmur. “You probably shouldn’t.”
Xavier raises an eyebrow and fetches the necklace from its box. He motions for me to turn to face the mirror and then clasps the necklace in place around my neck.
“Why wouldn’t we spoil you?” he asks. “We love to do it, and it’s what you deserve. Why would we stop?”
I don’t have a good answer for that that isn’t ‘because I don’t deserve it’, and I already know how Xavier will react to that. So I just smile at him and let him help me settle the tiara in my curls.
Once I’m ready, he holds an arm out for me, and I take it, the two of us walking downstairs to meet Dominic and Tristan.
Dom is at the foot of the stairs already, slipping into his shoes, and when he sees me, his eyes flash. He wastes no time before hauling me into his arms, pulling me flush against his body.
I look up at him, lost in the hungry expression on his face. Before I can say anything, he’s kissing me. His mouth is unyielding and intense, and I surrender to it, melting against him.
When he pulls back, he looks even hungrier. “Why do we have to go to this stupid fucking thing?” he mutters. “We could just stay here.”
Tristan walks in and gives me a little smile. He pulls me from Dominic’s hold and kisses me next. It thrills me that his kiss has all the same passion and heat that the other two did, proof that he’s not hiding his feelings anymore.