The Wrong Bride (The Windsors, #1)(64)

I rise to my feet and walk up to her, my gaze intent. She smiles as though she knows exactly what she’s doing to me, standing there in that tiny towel, and a soft giggle escapes her lips as she takes a step back, until her back is pressed against the wall.

“It’s ridiculous how beautiful you are,” I murmur, caging her in with my forearms.

Her eyes roam over the suit I’m wearing this morning, and she sighs as she grabs the lapels of my jacket. “It’s unfortunate that you’re hiding my favorite parts of your body.”

She strokes my chest, and I grab her hand, keeping it in place over my heart. “Your favorite parts, huh? If my cock isn’t your favorite part of my body, then I’m not doing my job properly. I promise you that I’m about to remedy that.”

She smiles at me, a hint of wonder in her eyes. I suppose this is as surreal to her as it is to me. We were never meant to be together. We were never meant to be so perfect together.

“Allow me to make you another promise, Raven.” I lift her hand and grab the ring she designed, placing it at the tip of her finger before I look into her eyes. “You and I started our marriage under the worst possible circumstances, and even now, it feels like so much stands between us, like the odds are stacked against us. I don’t know what our future will hold, Rave, but this much I promise you: throughout our entire marriage, you will be everything to me. I will prioritize you above all else, and I’ll do everything in my power to ensure you’ll never feel like you’ve had to sacrifice anything to marry me. I know the road we’ve chosen to walk isn’t an easy one, but I can’t think of a better partner on this journey.”

Raven smiles at me, her eyes filled with unshed tears. My hands tremble as I push her ring onto her finger. I wasn’t even this nervous when I proposed to Hannah. That had just been a formality, but this? This is a real moment between us, one I didn’t think I’d ever have.

I hand Raven the ring she designed for me with a sheepish smile on my face. “Do you want to put that on me, or should I put it on myself?”

She shakes her head and grabs my hand, placing my ring at the tip of my finger, mimicking my earlier movements. “Ares,” she says, her voice trembling. “You were never supposed to be mine, but now that you are, I promise to give this marriage my all. It’s been odd for both of us, and I know we’re still adjusting to being together. You’re right to say that so much is still uncertain, but this much I promise you: for the rest of our lives, I’ll be true to you in every way. You’ll be everything to me, and I’ll do everything within my power to be the best wife you ever could’ve asked for.”

She slides my ring onto my finger, her hand trembling the way mine just did. Our wedding was a farce, but this moment between us? That’s as real as it’ll ever get.

“Are we really doing this?” she whispers.

I nod and drop my forehead to hers. “We already did, Rave. We’ve been married for a month now. It’s about time we face the facts and work toward a future together.”

“Do you truly see a future with me, Ares? When we first got married you… well, you mentioned leaving me in three years. Do you still want to? I need to know. I can’t… I don’t want to get hurt.”

I cup her cheek and look into her eyes, my thumb brushing over her lips. “I will never let you go, Raven. Fuck what I said. I was a fucking moron who didn’t realize that he’d struck fucking gold. You’re my wife, for better or worse. Only you. For as long as I live.”

She sniffs and smiles through the tears that fill her eyes. “Promise me. You told me you never break a promise, so promise me that you’ll be mine for the rest of our lives. No matter what.”

I drop my forehead to hers and inhale shakily. “I’m yours, Raven Windsor. Forever. I promise.”

I pinch her chin and tilt her face toward mine as I lean in, taking her lips in one long, leisurely kiss. Her arms wrap around my shoulders, and I push up against her, deepening our kiss. Fuck. How many times have I fantasized about kissing her when I really shouldn’t have? Being able to take her lips so freely is surreal.

“Tomorrow,” I whisper against her lips. “Let’s announce our marriage tomorrow.” I know that announcing our marriage means a lot of additional eyes on us, and it’s bound to make Hannah panic, but fuck it. I need the world to know that she’s mine.





Chapter Forty





Raven





I smile at my phone as I type out the message accompanying the wedding photo I’m about to post. This is the one thing I never thought I’d get to have with Ares, but it’s something I’ve always wanted. Everything about this is surreal.

Something has changed between us ever since we got married. There used to be an invisible barrier between us, but it disappeared the moment I walked down that aisle.

This version of him is the one I fell for, so many years ago. He finally feels within reach, and there’s no way I’m letting this chance pass me by. I love my sister with all my heart, but I won’t sacrifice another moment of my own happiness for her — not when she had it all and chose to walk away.

I’m grinning to myself as I post the picture seconds after Ares’s announcement goes live. I picked a photo of Ares kissing me on our wedding day, and I have no doubt it’ll go viral in no time. Perhaps it’s playing dirty, a way of increasing the distance between Hannah and him, but I don’t care. I’m done putting others above myself.