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I stared at the cold diamond on my hand and swallowed my nerves.

I can’t believe we’re married. I’m his wife.

His. Fucking. Wife .

That brought up another question about, well, fucking , actually. I mean, would we be? Having sex, that was.

I had no idea. But my thighs clenched on their own at the mere idea of it, and I had to admit I was not unaffected by him.

Standing in this penthouse, I was on the verge of freaking out as the truth took root inside me.

The air in the room felt charged, crackling with something unspoken.

My heart raced, my pulse quickening as I tried to collect myself.

I wanted to say something—anything—but my throat felt tight, like the words were stuck there, unwilling to come out.

I wasn’t used to feeling this unsettled, especially not around men. But Liam was not just any man. He was my first real crush. And now, well , he was my husband.

Holy. Fuck.

His movements were slow, deliberate, but I could sense the tension in them, too.

Liam was trying to appear calm, but I could see the way his jaw clenched just slightly, the way his hand held the tumbler a little too firmly as he set it down on the bar.

His eyes never left mine, not for a second. The weight of his gaze was almost unbearable.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, my stomach twisting in knots. The silence was getting louder, thick with the things neither of us were saying.

I could feel him waiting, watching, and it was starting to make me feel uncomfortably exposed.

Like he could see through the cracks in my facade, the way I was falling apart inside.

“I know you’re shocked,” he finally said, his voice low and smooth, but with an edge to it.

The kind of edge that made my skin prickle.

I swallowed hard.

“Shocked? Well, a little,” I murmured, trailing off at the end.

I did not know how to finish the sentence, let alone how to explain the thousand things that were running through my mind.

He raised an eyebrow, the barest flicker of a smirk tugging at his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“First, let’s clear the air a bit. I did not know Maggie had all this planned?—”

“You mean you had no idea you’d be marrying me today, either?” I asked, trying to make light even though my stomach twisted at his admission.

“Nope,” he shook his head, “but I see the merit in it.”

I looked away, the weight of his words sinking into my chest.

I was a means to an end for him. Shit. I really wished I didn’t know that, but what did I expect? That my former crush was suddenly going to confess his undying passion for me?

I really have to stop reading Mom’s novels , I thought with a sigh.

I donned my best corporate smile and took a seat opposite where Liam was standing.

“I need your father’s connections to push my company to the next level, and this is the best way to secure his aid. So, you see, when Maggie met me at the hangar today and told me what she had planned, I was intrigued. But I wouldn’t have gone through with it if you said no back there,” he said, and I could tell he was earnest.

I nodded, appreciating his honesty. But I still felt the walls were closing in, and I had no idea what to do next.

“So, what about the marriage? Will it last long?” I asked, clearing my throat.

“I already told you, no take backs,” he growled, emerald eyes glittering.

I swallowed, nodding. I remembered agreeing to that.

“Okay. Um, did you want me to approach my dad for you?”

“No, I’ll approach him when the time is right. What I need from you is to help me make this look real.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Your father is a smart man. He’ll know if we walk into his house or office like strangers.”

His heated gaze raked over me from head to toe. The look was so poignant I felt it in my bones.

“What are you saying?” I asked, licking my lips.

“I’m saying I think we should be partners.”

“Partners?”

“You’ve worked for Volkov Industries since you graduated, but you’re wasted there. They won’t trust you because of who you are, and you know it,” he said, hitting me with a truth I’d been trying to deny.

“I do a good job,” I said, needing to defend myself.

“I know you do. I’ve seen your work. But they will never let you forget who you are. You know I’m right,” he said, moving across the room till he was standing right in front of me.

I tilted my head back to look at his face, otherwise I’d be staring at the rather impressive bulge in front of me.

“I can change their minds,” I replied mulishly.

“Can you? It’s been five years, Sweetheart.”

I gritted my teeth, hating he was right but loving the way he said ‘sweetheart’ with his Boston accent peeking through.

Like ‘sweethaht’.

Feelings of disloyalty filled me as I wished for just one split second, I was anyone other than Adrik Volkov’s daughter.

It was a fleeting moment, but it made me feel like shit. I loved my parents, and they loved me. I knew they did. Even though their own fairytale romance was so big, it took up most of their attention. They were good to me and my sister.

I’d always been a cheerful observer to the impossible standard they set, but that was just their relationship.

It broke my heart a little to know I’d never be the recipient of a love so grand. Liam made a sound like a hum, and I turned my attention back to him.

“You could be in on this with me. We can do exciting things. New things. Our thing .”

His words were seductive. The idea of being part of something my father did not own was exciting, scary, thrilling.

“Like what?”

“I’ll have a prospectus sent to you in the morning. But right now, you and me, we need to be together for real.”

“Together?” I asked and winced because my voice sounded way too breathless.

“Yeah, together .”

He reached down and gripped my elbow, tugging me to my feet. Liam didn’t step back. He didn’t give me any room, and every inch of my body brushed against his.

“This is a partnership. I won’t ever force you. But I think we owe it to ourselves to try to make this work.”

I followed the movement of his lips as he spoke, trying to keep my feet beneath me as he ran his other hand up my side, to my shoulder, and lastly my neck.

Liam had long, thick fingers, and he used them to anchor me, tilting my head back so my gaze landed on his, and my lips aligned perfectly.

“If your answer is no, say so now, Sweetheart,” he growled.

Thunder roared inside my head, or maybe that was just the racing of my heart. The scent of his spicy cologne seeped into my senses.

Sultry, alluring, and so damn sexy moisture pooled between my legs.

“Answer me, Michaela. Yes or no,” he growled, his lips brushing against mine.

I averted my gaze, feeling his thumb press into my chin.

My heart was pounding.

My pulse racing.

I met his verdant glower, wondering if that was really anger or something else.

Something like the turbulent emotions I was feeling.

I opened my mouth, and I answered.

“It’s not no, Liam.”