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“Where is my woman?” I hear a familiar growl.
I lean toward Raven. “Do you see what I mean? An absolute neanderthal. Daddy couldn’t find me a nicesubmissiveman. He had to find me a brute that solely communicates in grunts and growls.” I sigh. “I’m over here…Maksim.” I call out, still finding it difficult not to call him Mr. Giordano but with mixed company, I can settle for Maksim.
He steps around Jonas and spots me on Raven’s bed, her hands in mine and tears in my eyes. I’m sure my makeup is ruined. I must look a sight. God, the massive human bear sucks out all the air from the room. He's too massive. Tall as fuck and broad shouldered. There’s just no other way to describe my future husband.
“What did they do to you?” he practically bellows. Christ, he can’t just speak like a normal human being.
“What?”
“You’re all… puffy.”
The absolute gall of this arsehole. He steps closer but Raven shoots up to her feet, her entire five-foot-four self looks ridiculously tiny compared to Maksim, but I appreciate her (literally) standing up for me. I get to my feet and wipe away whatever I can from my face. “Nothing,darling, we were just catching up.”
“I thought you said she couldn’t speak.”
“Doesn’t mean her ears are broken, you overbearing oaf.”
He quirks a dark brow over his dark eyes, unamused, or maybe he is, and I simply don’t care. Goddamn, he’s handsome. There’s stubble on his jaw from having worked all day and then taking a flight to meet me here for Sofia’s Holiday party. His hair is also longer than when we first met, curling at the ends, but disheveled in a way that lets me know he’s run his fingers through it one too many times. I can’t help but wonder if he’d like it ifIran my fingers through it? “I’m anoafnow?”
I’d call him a cockwomble but oaf fits. “Absolutely. You can’t just barge in here like that, what if she had been naked?”
“Andyou’reallowed to see her naked?” he questions but there’s amusement in his tone.
“Nobody’s allowed to see my girl naked except me,” Jonas growls, stepping between all of us, and yanking Raven out from between us which is when I realize Maksim was towering over her to lean down to me. But she steps between us again and does her best to shove him. He doesn’t move even a millimeter and smirks down at her cruelly, which causes Jonas to grab her again and shove him behind her.
“I’ll be right down. She’s agreed to be my maid of honor and you’re ruining a happy moment for me,” I argue.
“I’mruining it?” Something flashes in those dark eyes of his and my belly swoops. “You disappeared and I find you upstairs with some guy-“
“My name is Jonas.”
“-and you expect me to befinewith finding my future wife in a room alone with him?”
“He was just here with her. I wasn’talonewith him. Let me say goodbye. They’re already leaving.” I defend myself.
“Say your goodbyes. We’re networking downstairs and I can’t exactly be introduced without you there now, can I?”
I sigh, turning to my best friend and pulling her in for a hug. “I’ll text you with more details?”
She nods and kisses my cheek, Jonas takes her from me, and they leave us in her room, the door clicking shut behind them.
“Soher,you can touch?” He questions me, that fierce look still on his stupid handsome face. Why are his lips so perfect and look so soft and… inviting?
I scrunch my eyebrows together and my mouth drops open. “What are you going on about?”
“Every singledatewe’ve been on, every lame, mandatory outing you’ve forced me to attend, the most I get is a gloved hand to hold or your arm in the creases of my elbow, but her… you pulled her in for a huganda kiss.”
“You are being barbaric, Mr. Giordano!” He’s not. He’s right.
“Oh, there you go with that shit again.” He stands to his full height, hand scrubbing down his face and stepping away from me, then turning to face me, putting a hand on his hip.
God he’s freakishly tall. And his fingers are so long and thick. And his nose… even though you can tell it’s been broken once or twice, it’s so… prominent and strong. Nothing on this man is unattractive. God, he even smells delicious.
I shake my head, not letting myself be distracted and gesture between us. “Have you not noticedthisis the longest conversation we’ve had since the day we signed our contract? God fucking forbid me to keep my space when I don’t fucking know you!”
He rolls his eyes. “You don’t want to get to know me.”
“You’re right! Idon’t! I don’t want to get to know the man who can barely force out a grunt when he speaks to me.” I grunt at him, “Argh, argh, argh,” he rolls his eyes at me again because I know I’m being fucking ridiculous, “And if you’re jealous that my best friend kissed mycheek, well then you’ve forgotten there will beone dayI’ll be forced to kiss you as well!”