Page 30 of Deceptive Vows (Bound by Vows #3)

Chapter Twenty-Five

THEA

The dress.

The dress.

The first time I tried it on, it was no big deal—I was never going to wear it. Now, I was back for final alterations… because tomorrow, I was getting married. For real.

For a moment, I was lightheaded as I pictured myself in the church, walking down the aisle… with Nazar waiting for me. That alone should have terrified me. This plan to double-cross Marco felt more li ke I’d betrayed myself.

Only…

That kiss. Those kisses . The way he looked at me, touched me, held me. I wanted more.

A message lit up my phone screen. Perhaps the man could feel me panicking.

How is the fitting going?

Horrible. The dress was perfect. I knew he’d love it on me. Disturbingly, that made me all the more delighted to wear it. His eyes would lock on mine, his lips would lift in a way that made my heart thunder, and we would be in a world all our own as we said our vows.

The dress fits.

When he didn’t respond, I thought that was the end of it, but just as I set my phone down, another message came through.

My imagination has me in a quandary.

I picked up my phone as I chuckled.

What ?

Three little dots appeared and disappeared a few times.

I can’t decide if I want to continue securing the church or drop everything so I can steal you away and kiss you.

Seems like the security is probably higher priority.

But the thought of him barging into the dressing room and pressing me against the wall was extremely appealing.

I’ve spent the entire day plagued by the desire to see you… hold you, kiss you, tyomnyy angel. Your absence is painful.

We do have the rehearsal dinner… in just a few hours.

My pulse jumped at the thought of seeing him.

Then I will restrain myself and anguish in anticipation.

My lips lifted in an involuntary smile. He was romantic and sweet, and I couldn’t stop myself from replying,

I’ll make sure our next kiss makes up for all the ones we were unable to share today.

Three little dots popped up, disappeared, and reappeared several times. I couldn’t fathom what he might be thinking with that little tease.

I will see you later.

A chuckle popped out. I palmed my warm cheek, loving the tease and the responses I got from him. Then I realized how anxious I was to see him.

I sat down hard on the ottoman and touched my fingers to my forehead. What was wrong with me? Before I could recover, the doorknob wiggled.

“Thea? May I come in?”

“Of course, Aunt Helen.” I quickly composed myself… or so I thought.

Her face fell. “Is everything okay? Are you having second thoughts? If you are?—”

I sprung to my feet. “No, not at all.” The honesty of that statement caught me off guard. Instantly, I turned away, pretending to fuss with the dress.

Silence filled the space until the point I was uncomfortable, which wasn’t common for me.

"Thea." Her voice was barely audible, and yet, my heart felt it like a gong.

"What?" I turned, fixing a smile on my lips.

Her head was tilted, a serene look on her face.

For what felt like an eternity, she held my gaze before closing the distance to take my hand.

"Those edges you keep sharpened cut more than your enemies.

It's okay to soften, to let people in. In our world, marriages are many times, loveless, but they don't have to be. "

"Oh, Aunt Helen, I?—"

"I see the way he looks at you. That man has fallen for you.

I don't know what that means long term, but there is a chance for happiness here, and I want that for you.

My sister would want that for you. I'm not saying you should allow him to break your heart.

I'm saying that maybe he won't. I'm saying, perhaps taking the chance might not be the worst decision you could make. "

Tears stung my eyes.

"You are not your biological mother. You are my sister's daughter. Worthy. Valuable. Loved. Wanted."

I swallowed hard. Her words felt like they were taking root in my heart and soul. I'd been an alley rat my entire life because I chose that identity. Perhaps it was time to let that go. Maybe it was time to let myself live.

"Thank you, Aunt Helen." I gathered her into a hug.

"I only spoke the truth." She held me out, her gaze raking over me. “Oh, your Ma would be in a puddle. Just look at you. The most beautiful bride ever.”

“Maybe not ever, but I’m in the running for top five at least.” I smiled.

Aunt Helen’s shoulders bounced as she laughed. “Ever so humble.”

I waved her off. “I can’t help it that I’m gorgeous.”

She pulled me into a hug. “I love you so much, Thea. I’m so proud of you. Ma and Pa would be too.”

My chest tightened. Would they? If they knew I would be annulling this marriage as soon as I could? Making a vow and then breaking it. Even though the idea made my stomach turn for reasons I didn’t want to dwell on at the moment.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about Nazar beyond fascination and an addiction to his kisses. Even as the thought tiptoed through my head, I knew it wasn’t the whole truth.

He made me feel alive. He wanted me. All of me. I could see it in the way he looked at me. It was like my ruined heart had finally found a place to rest, in his hands—not to be healed, but held.

Picturing us back-to-back, ready to take down an army of enemies, made more sense than picturing us at an altar. And yet, both images felt strangely right.

“I need to get changed so we can head to the rehearsal.” I gently broke our embrace.

Aunt Helen nodded and dabbed at her eyes. “Of course. I’ll just step out.” She paused at the door. “This time tomorrow…”

“I know.” I smiled.

After she left, I stood alone in the fitting room, staring at my reflection. The woman looking back at me was someone I barely recognized—vulnerable, hopeful, afraid. The dress was beautiful, but what it represented terrified me. Not the ceremony tomorrow, but what came after .

An annulment. The thought sat like a concrete weight on my chest. How could I promise forever when we both knew it was temporary?

The small voice that seemed to have taken up residence in the back of my mind whispered, or is it?

Nazar believed we could go beyond pretend. That this thing between us could grow into something real. For some strange reason, remembering that admission filled me with peace.

Closing my eyes, I took a breath. What was I thinking? It was all insanity. It would be fine. We would marry, get the annulment, and go our separate ways. Simple and easy. I hadn’t changed my mind. I was still marrying Nazar to save those girls.

I just wasn’t sure anymore if that was the only reason.

For the rehearsal dinner, I chose a lacy, black capped-sleeve dress that was a little shorter than I normally wore. I had no real plans for it when I picked it out, other than I knew it would drive Nazar wild, and at the time, my prime goal was doing exactly that. The more the better, actually.

I grabbed my silver clutch and walked out of my bedroom, pausing as he came into view, framed by the windows, seemingly deep in thought as he stared out. Even from the back, he was divine. His black suit coat stretched across his broad shoulders, and a crisp, white collar was barely visible.

“Deep in thought?” I asked.

The way his lips lifted in one corner as he turned and our eyes locked did things to me no man ever had. He sucked in a breath, his gaze breaking from mine to travel over me, head to toe. “ Velikolepnyy. ”

“I’m assuming that means I look okay?”

“It means magnificent, my tyomnyy angel. And you are in every sense of the word.” He strode toward me. His hand snaked around my waist and pulled me flush against him. “I missed you today.”

“You told me.”

“With words.” His lips covered mine, and what little space was between us disappeared as I melted into him .

I’d missed him. Every inch of me had missed every inch of him. Now that I was in his arms, I didn’t want to leave.

He pulled his lips from mine, leaving a warm trail with his tongue as he paused to press light kisses every inch or so.

As much as I wished to drown in him, I could feel time slipping away. “We’re going to be late.” I tilted my head to give him access to my neck. “And I think my lipstick is ruined.”

Our breath mingled as he leveled his eyes with mine. “You’re lucky I’m not ruining your dress.” Instead of crushing his lips against mine again like I thought he would, he ran his nose along my jaw. “When we return home…”

I ran my hands up his back. “I’m staying with Anna, Claire, and Aunt Helen at the Waldorf Astoria tonight. It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding…”

He lifted his gaze to mine, his brows knitted together. “Silly tradition. How am I supposed to kiss you if you’re not here?”

A chuckle popped out. “Well, I guess you’ll have to save your kisses until after the ceremony.”

A low growl vibrated in his throat. His lips pressed into a thin line. “You’ll owe me double.” Frustration laced his words.

“You’re so much fun.” I grinned. “We need to go.” I reluctantly stepped away. “Lucas will send out a search party if we’re late.”

Nazar nodded, and with obvious reluctance, took a step back. “True, and I suspect Aunt Helen would send dogs with them.” He laughed.

As we headed for the door, Nazar caught my hand, stopping me. “Thea.”

I turned back, raising an eyebrow.

“Tomorrow, when I say my vows,” his voice turned low and serious, “know that I will mean every word.”

My heart stuttered in my chest. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. I wasn’t supposed to be feeling this. And yet, as I squeezed his hand before letting go, I knew that when my time came to speak those same vows, I might just mean them too.