Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 19922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 66(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 66(@300wpm)
"But if you say yes to becoming mine..."
Mykos didn't give her a chance to speak, not with him stealing her first ever first kiss as his mouth covered hers.
Oh. My. Gosh.
She could only clutch his shoulders as the kiss deepened, and by the time he pulled her close, she had given up trying to think, and she found herself slowly...clumsily...and actually kissing him back.
Because this kiss, oh this kiss...
My lips, two blushing pilgrims—
It was all her brain could offer. She always reached for Shakespeare when the world stopped making sense, but the rest of the line wouldn't come, because the rest of her mind had simply...surrendered.
Maika had never even let herself dream of what it would be like to be kissed. If she had to dream, she simply imagined herself living in that nice little midsummer world of magic that Shakespeare had created. That was the only dream she considered safe.
But not this.
Never this.
And so when Mykos finally lifted his head...
Her cheeks were on fire, her senses were reeling, and worst of all, she couldn't make herself run away, couldn't make herself look away or even say a thing when Mykos slowly traced her lips.
"I think I already have my answer. Don't I...matia mou?"
The Wedding Night
the wedding night (n.): the first night of a marriage, traditionally involving romance, or in Maika's case, a cream dress that fit too well, a growing suspicion that her new husband had memorized her body from across a parking lot, plus a midterm on Friday.
MAIKA STARED AT HERSELF in the bathroom mirror of the private courthouse. Pinch. PINCH. PINCH. Each one hurt more and more, which meant...this was real.
Just one hour ago, she had been an ordinary college student.
Now, though?
The dress he had chosen for her was perfect. Cream silk, cap sleeves, a hem that hit just below her knee. It fit perfectly, but that only made things worse because it meant someone had gotten her measurements without her knowing.
And her groom, looks-wise? He was perfect, too. And...and he had promised to take care of all those loans she hadn't taken out. And she was...well...she was attracted to him, too, but that was something she was NOT going to examine too closely right now.
If she thought about it, there were a lot of things working in favor of this wedding. Why they married might not be the usual reason, but how they went on from here, well...
They could still make things work like a normal couple.
Right?
She stepped out of the bathroom, and Orion was still standing outside her door. She couldn't make up her mind if he was acting more like her warden than her bodyguard, but since she was about to marry his boss...
Warden, for sure, Maika thought to herself. People in the world they belonged to were the distrustful type, after all.
"Shall we, Ms. Nolan?"
She nodded, and as he escorted her to where the judge was waiting, it was almost like he was walking her down the aisle, and the thought made her eyes smart.
Who knew she'd be this emotional?
She turned her gaze to where her groom was waiting, and...gulp. He really was beautiful. And dangerous. Like the most gorgeous predator in a tux, especially with the way he was staring at her. Those golden eyes tracked her from the moment she appeared, and they didn't waver. Not once.
Maika's throat tightened as she finally came to stand by his side. His nearness made her tremble, and she also started having difficulties understanding what the judge was saying. It was a good thing that Mykos was always the first one to answer, and so she simply had to echo what he said.
But while his voice was low and strong, Maika couldn't quite keep her voice from shaking every so often.
The wedding felt like it had lasted for eternity. But at the same time, it also felt like the wedding was over in a blink because the next thing she knew, they had already exchanged I dos, and he was now taking her hand in his. The possessive heat of his touch had her swallowing hard, and when he slowly slid a ring down her finger...
His.
And when she slid a ring down his...
Hers.
"You may kiss the bride," the judge called out.
Maika couldn't help holding her breath as he slowly cupped her face. Her eyes closed, her heart pounded. She was trying to convince herself that he would only brush his lips over hers, but no, of course that was impossible.
This was Mykos Ravensworth, after all, and so he simply claimed her lips in the deepest, hottest, and most possessive way a man could claim his wife, and it lasted so, so long that by the time he lifted his head—it was as if she had run a mile. She couldn't catch her breath, and every cell of her body felt as if it was burning and melting at the same time.