Page 10

The priest announced us husband and wife, and if looks could kill, my bride would have been on her way to a murder charge by now. Not that the fiery glare could mar her beauty. All of her wild curls had been tamed and twisted into a knot on top of her head, but a few tendrils had fought their way free to fall against her cheeks. Cheeks that burned with dark spots of anger, and glossy lips that were pressed into a thin line.

I was a married man now, to this rare woman who’d been slowly consuming my thoughts for the last two years. That subtle flame had grown to an inferno over the last few months, and nothing I tried could douse it. She simply had to be mine.

And she was, well and truly, and I couldn’t quite wrap my head around how easy it had been. Well, not counting everything I’d paid to take care of her father’s debts, or the chance that the Kuzmins could get wind of me being the one who’d paid them off, or even the fact that Benedikt might still need bailing out if the problem with the missing guns didn’t get resolved.

None of that seemed important at all, with Olivia standing across from me, her small, cold hand held tightly in mine.

“You may now kiss your bride,” the priest said, beaming at both of us in turn.

I raised a brow at Olivia and she gave me a look that said she might bite my face off if I tried it. However, I was so ecstatic I leaned down to risk it. I had to taste her, feel her give in to these feelings that were burning me up.

Her lips were hard and unyielding at first, but the heat of her, the soft scent of raspberries coming from her hair, ignited the ever-present flame she lit within me. I completely forgot the priest and the few locals recruited as witnesses and yanked her closer, snaking my arm tight around her back.

Her hands curled into my jacket lapels, and for a brief moment, she shoved against my chest. Then her lush curves melted against me, and her hands went slack, moving to rest against my shoulders as her mouth opened to me. My groan had her gasping, and just as I was about to slip my tongue between her parted lips, she seemed to come to her senses and shoved away. Swaying slightly on her feet, she blinked up at me in confusion.

I had made her lose those senses, at least for a moment, and grinned down at her as she was back to trying to kill me with another glare. Stomping ahead of me down the aisle, the organist quickly tried to catch up with some music to play us out of the church.

I followed, smiling and nodding at the gathered locals, recognizing one or two from the last time I’d been down this way. If they thought anything was off, they didn’t let on, clapping and cheering for us.

Outside, my car was waiting, surrounded by more curious locals who’d heard that there was an impromptu wedding in their little village. I held the door for her and waited to see if she’d make a scene or bolt. Scowling, she looked around at all the delighted people wishing us well, and got in.

“You’re adorable when you’re being stubborn and pissed off,” I said, starting the car.

She turned to me and fixed me a look I’d seen her give to some of Max’s restaurant vendors when they were late with a delivery. “Well, you’re still pretty damn handsome even when you’re being an asshole, so…”

Wait, was that a compliment? I sincerely couldn’t tell, but it cracked me up. Probably not her intent because she turned away as I drove out of the village and into the jungle. The road I had built a few years ago was supposed to be maintained, but there were still palm fronds and low-hanging vines smacking against the windshield and roof as I made my way further down the long, twisting lane.

“You know I hate camping, right?” she asked when we were about halfway there.

Glancing at her for a brief second, because it wasn’t wise to take my eyes off the road for long, it was clear she was actually getting a bit worried.

“It’s far from camping,” I promised, praying I was telling the truth. It had been a while since I’d been there, but I had been paying a couple for upkeep since I bought the place.

We finally broke through all the foliage to the clearing, and her gasp of surprise came at the same time as my sigh of relief. The place looked fantastic.

Twenty or more years ago, some intrepid investor had decided this lonely swathe of Mexican jungle that bordered the beautiful mountainside would be the perfect place to build a resort. He’d built his own house first, intending to live there while overseeing the construction. For whatever reason, probably not properly greasing the right palms, he’d given up the plan and abandoned the gorgeous mansion that had only just been completed.

My brother Ivan and I had been hiking out this way around five years ago and stumbled across it, almost completely subsumed by the jungle. We spent a few days hacking through the growth, camping out in what was probably meant to be a ballroom. He thought I was crazy, but I saw potential in the place, tracked down the owner, and snapped it up for pennies.

I spent about a year fixing it up, pouring my heart and soul, as well as a shit ton of money into it, and it was nearly there. Then, as usual in the Bratva, something happened to call me home, and I’d just never found the time to return to this little slice of heaven.

“Okay, this isn’t camping,” Olivia conceded, hopping out of the car and running up to the front porch.

“I thought about turning it into a resort on its own,” I said. “But the area is so unspoiled I couldn’t stand the thought of being overrun with loud tourists.”

“I don’t think loud tourists would ever come out this far,” she said, pulling aside a swathe of vines to peer in through one of the front windows.

“Yeah, it’s a bit off the beaten path.”

“A bit,” she agreed wryly.

Despite talking to me again, her expression was unreadable. She had grown used to luxurious places after tagging along with Max for two years, but even so, she couldn’t hide the flicker of appreciation for the verdant natural beauty as she wandered down the side of the main house.

I had gotten in touch with the caretakers who came out once a week to keep the jungle from reclaiming it, and I hoped they had been able to get it liveable inside in the short notice I gave them. Olivia leaned over to sniff a large white flower, and the smile on her face as she breathed in the fragrance erased my worry that I’d chosen the wrong place to hide out.

It was clear she loved it so far, even though she was doing her level best to hide it. I just knew her expressions much too well for that to be possible. And since this was a place I rarely talked about or visited in the last few years, it would take anyone searching for us a while to catch on that I even still owned it.

“Time for the moment of truth,” I said, finding the key where the caretaker was supposed to leave it, and unlocking the huge, carved front door.

I had kept as much of the original features as I could and a dramatic scene of a snake winding through fruit trees played out on the locally sourced wood. Olivia hurried to my side, taking in the carvings and giving me a look that said she was equating me with the snake. She was definitely still pissed, but her eyes danced with curiosity. I was just as curious, since I’d been writing checks to maintain what I’d accomplished when I first bought it, but didn’t have a clue what time and the jungle had ravaged on the inside.

“Better stay behind me just in case,” I said.

“In case of what?” she asked, alarmed.

I tapped on the big boa constrictor carved into the door and she hustled closer to me as I shoved it open and stepped inside. I admired her fearlessness in not running back to the car.

“Oh,” Olivia said, her lush mouth a perfect circle as she followed me in.

I sighed with relief. The vast space wasn’t a five-star hotel by any means. It needed work, and a lot of it. But it was sparkling clean, and the few bits of furniture were sturdy and functional. No vines had encroached through the high foyer ceiling that went up the entire two stories.

Hurrying back to what was going to one day be the jewel of the place, I pulled aside the sliding door to step outside to a covered veranda, with adobe arches lining the length of the house. Beyond that was a glistening pool, freshly cleaned for our arrival. It definitely needed a lot more landscaping help, all the trees and bushes growing nearly to the edge.

“Oh,” Olivia said, catching up to me. I watched as she took it all in, wondering if she could see the potential. “Okay, this is…” she stopped and shook her head. “I can’t think of a word.”

“Good or bad?” I laughed.

“Pretty good,” she said reluctantly, remembering how pissed off she was at me.

Even being surrounded by heaven on earth couldn’t make her completely forget. But maybe I could. The way her body had responded to me during that brief kiss at the church told me I had a chance.

“Let’s check out the kitchen. There’s supposed to be food.”

She scowled and crossed her arms. “I’ll just stay out here for a while. If that’s okay with you?” The last part couldn’t have been more sarcastic if she tried.

“Suit yourself,” I said with a shrug, and went back in to inspect the kitchen.

The caretakers must have hired a team of at least twenty people when I messaged them from the airport to get the place ready by the time we arrived. The kitchen was spotless, and the refrigerator was well stocked with fresh fruit and an assortment of local beers. Peeking under a covered dish revealed a mouthwatering-looking stew, and there was a pot waiting on one of the burners.

A note gave instructions and explained where everything was, and I smiled at Rita’s grandmotherly care. She and her husband had done a great job keeping the place from disintegrating, and I wished I’d come out more over the years to visit them and take advantage of this amazing place.

Well, I was here now, and better yet, I had Olivia to share it with. While the stew heated up, I sliced up a mango and some peaches, surprised at how much I enjoyed the feeling of domestic bliss.

“Dinner’s ready,” I called out through the arches.

Olivia sat in one of the lounge chairs, staring at the sparkles the lowering sun made on the turquoise water in the pool. It was hard to believe everything that happened only started this morning and not several days ago.

“I’m fine,” she said, not looking at me.

Yep, definitely still pissed. She’d probably worked herself up into being even angrier in the time she’d been alone.

“Come on,” I urged. “You must be starving. Don’t be stubborn and miss out on this amazing stew.”

She turned to me with narrowed eyes. “Don’t you think you’ve bossed me around enough for one day?”

Ah, she was no meek little mouse, never had been. I loved witnessing her spark since I was so used to seeing her being prim and proper in her role as Max’s assistant. When I didn’t answer her, she shrugged and turned back to watching the pool. I did what anyone would do in that situation: I served myself a big portion of the meaty stew, along with the fresh fruit slices and a tall glass of beer, and brought it outside to eat beside her.

I pointed at the sun about to drop down below the mountains, and she sighed. “We’re surrounded by them, aren’t we? Like giant stone walls.”

“I never took you for the dramatic sort,” I said. “Don’t forget the jungle, too. You’d likely never make it to the mountains.”

“I was only making an observation,” she said with exaggerated innocence. “About the beautiful scenery.”

“Oh, well, in that case, so was I,” I said, taking a big bite. “You should really try this. I swear I need to get the recipe for my restaurant.”

“I told you I’m perfectly fine,” she said at the same moment her stomach growled so loudly the people in the village could have heard it.

I held out a bite. After a second, she begrudgingly took it, pretending with all her might that it wasn’t just about the most delicious thing she ever ate. She nodded to me to give her another, and I happily obliged.

“I need to keep my strength up, after all,” she said, glaring toward the mountains with a fury.

I was glad she seemed to be joking around, but then I wondered if she might really try something so foolish. “In case you’re thinking about setting off on foot,” I said, keeping my voice neutral. “I mean, just for a hike or something, you should remember the snakes. And the coyotes and pumas, not to mention the terrain alone, can be deadly.”

She turned away, not wanting another bite. “I guess I’m truly trapped,” she muttered.

I didn’t like that she felt that way, or how her words stabbed at my heart.

“Look at me,” I ordered, shocked when she actually did. Her eyes were full of everything from anger to despair, killing me a little bit more. But there was that kiss at the church, too. Her eyes couldn’t lie, but her body couldn’t either.

“Good, now look me in the eyes and tell me you’ve never been attracted to me,” I said.

Her gaze didn’t falter. “Yes, I used to find you very attractive. Hot as hell, in fact. But now I see you for what you really are. A monster like my father. And Rurik Kuzmin.”

It felt like the blow it was meant to be, and she jumped up, flouncing toward the house. I was faster, cutting her off before she reached the archways. Grabbing her around the waist, I whipped her body flush with mine, holding her tight to me.

“You sure didn’t kiss me like I was a monster at our wedding,” I said, slamming my mouth onto hers.

She grappled at my chest, her nails clawing into my skin through my shirt. Then she reached and grabbed a handful of my hair, intent on ripping out a chunk. I kept my lips on hers, easing the tight line apart with my tongue. An instant later, she collapsed against me, her hands moving sinuously through my hair instead of trying to tear it out. She gasped as she opened her mouth to me, and our tongues tangled.

God, she was perfect. So full of heat and passion, and now it was all for me, not against me. I breathed her in as I tasted her, my hands smoothing down her back to grip her plump little ass. Her moan had me hard as a rock, and I yanked her closer to rub her soft curves against the growing steel of my cock.

Tugging her a step back toward the lounge chair, she followed me, her mouth a frenzy against mine. My mind reeled as my hands moved back up her body to skim her full breasts. Her hands slid down the sides of my face to grip my shoulders, and I searched for a zipper on the back of her dress. Her wedding dress.

Olivia was mine.

My wife, my bride, and I was about to claim her.

Until she suddenly jerked away, shoving hard to put a foot of space between us. “I really did think better of you,” she said.

I blinked through the haze of hot lust that had so quickly consumed me. Disappointment shined in her eyes even though her chest was heaving with passion. My own breath came fast and hard, my heart hammering as if I’d just stopped running for my life. With a last look of pure rage, she stormed off.

It was better to let her have some time alone to think about what we’d just done, let her find her own room to sleep in for the night if that’s what she wanted.

As for what I wanted? Too fucking bad.

With a growl, I yanked my shirt off and dove into the pool in a futile attempt to cool off.