Page 55 of Stolen Bride for the Don

“What if our marriage didn’t need to have an expiration date?”

She gasps, her lips falling open as she stares at me like I’ve finally grown a second or third head. “What are you talking about? The expiration date is the only thing keeping me sane. I can’t be here for–”

I spin around not needing to hear anymore. It’s ridiculous that her words have the power to hurt me, but fuck do they burn. I slam the bathroom door and walk into the shower. The water is chilling, but I don’t change the temperature. What did I really expect from her? I kidnapped her. Just because last night was more than sex to me doesn’t mean she feels the same way. Hell, I could read the regret in her eyes clear as day.

I don’t linger in the shower. When I walk into the bedroom, Andrea is sitting stiffly in the armchair. I don’t say a word as I make my way into the closet. After getting dressed, she’s still sitting in the same spot with a helpless look in her eyes.

“Killian will be here in a few hours. He’ll see to your request,” I tell her just before I leave the room.

“Hudson.” Her words stop and I turn to face her. “I-I just–” she sighs, running a frustrated hand through her hair.

“You don’t have to say anything. I get not wanting to have a baby with someone like me.” With that, I walk out and make my way downstairs.

“How’s your arm?” Crew asks, standing up when I walk into the dining room.

“I’ll survive,” I dismiss his concern as I take the seat across from him. Diane brings in more food and places it in front of me. “Andrea will take her meal in our room,” I tell her and she nods.

He chuckles. “Fight between you and the missus? I thought she would punch Killian when he first arrived to inspect you last night.” I raise a questioning brow. This is the first I’ve heard of this.

“After you lost consciousness, she hovered over you, using her body as a shield. I was busy apprehending the shooter with the rest of the men when Killian rushed in. She didn’t recognize him, of course, having never met him, so she wouldn’t allow him access to you.

“I had to check what was going on when I heard her raised voice. There she was, fists raised as she faced Killian; a man almost double her size.” He chuckles again.

My heart squeezes as I try to imagine that. “You explained who Killian was?”

“I had to. Then she ripped into him again for arriving late. It was…shocking. Who would have thought she’d end up truly caring for you after the way you plucked her from her world like a wildflower.”

I narrow my eyes and he stops talking. After breakfast, I go to my study and review last night’s footage from the ballroom, skipping to the time after I lost consciousness. Watching Andrea defend me is magnificent and, fuck, my cock throbs just remembering having that tight body beneath mine in the early hours of the morning.

There’s a short knock on the door. I stop the footage as I bid the person to come in. Killian walks in with his medical bag in hand. “You’re late,” I pronounce.

“I know and I’m sorry. I was held up longer than I expected,” he explains as he moves deeper into the room. Despite paying him an exorbitant sum to keep him on retainer, he still goes into the city to see patients at his practice. He claims he gets bored. It’s not every day that my men or I have the need for a doctor.

“How’s your arm?” he asks, dropping his bag with a heavy thud on my desk.

I shrug and pull up the shirt sleeve so he can see it. “You broke through the damn stitches,” he groans as he opens his bag. “Do I even want to know how that happened?”

I keep quiet, and he rolls his eyes as he puts on his gloves. “I take it you don’t require any painkillers today?”

“Bring a needle near me and lose your hand,” I warn, to which he chuckles.

“Yeah, yeah.” He pours a liberal amount of disinfectant on my arm. It stings like a motherfucker, but I just grit my teeth. It doesn’t hurt half as much as Andrea’s words did. When he’s done re-stitching the wound, he wraps a bandage around it.

“Make sure you don’t break through the stitches again, otherwise the wound might get infected.”

“Did you bring what I asked?” I roll down my sleeve as he packs his instruments back into his bag. He pauses to glance at me and nods.

“Good. Wait here. I’ll go get her.” I start to get up from my chair, but he stops me.

“Actually, it would be better for me to chat with her in the bedroom. She’ll be more comfortable there,” he quickly adds.

I get to my feet, anyway. “Let’s go then.” No way I’m letting him be alone in our bedroom with my fiancée. I narrow my eyes into slits.

CHAPTER 34

ANDREA

I’m trying to get into a mystery book I found high on the bookshelf, but it’s near impossible. I keep thinking about the way Hudson’s face closed after our fight this morning. Did I actually hurt his feelings? No way, right? Fuck, why should I care? But I can’t deny the uneasiness that such a thought brings.

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