Page 61 of Scorch

“Ketchup?” Aleksandr scoffs. “It’s half sugar, Viktor.”

“Says the man who used to put ketchup on his fries, mac and cheese, and filet mignon.”

Aleksandr huffs. “Operative word, used to,” Aleksandr retorts.

“You act like you grew out of it when you were five years old,” Viktor says. “You were twenty.”

I snort and Viktor winks at me. My heart does a little flutter in my chest, and I quickly turn away; I’m so unaccustomed to how this feels.

Aleks shakes his head but caves. I watch as Viktor holds Ivy to his chest with one arm and talks to his brothers. I stand at a distance as she nestles her little head on his shoulder. She’s found rest with the gentle giant.

I get it, girl. I really do. And I'm not sure how I feel about it either.

“We all need to discuss something,” Viktor says as we sit down for dinner. Ivy remains perched on his lap, clinging to him like he’s her personal fortress. “We should put the wedding off.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Viktor

Everyone stares, especially Lydia. Her hand is frozen on the fork in her left hand and the knife in her right. Wordlessly, I reach for a roll, open it, and spread it liberally with warmed butter.

I hand it to her. “Eat.”

“What do you mean, put off the wedding?” Lydia asks. “Did you finally realize that forcing me against my will doesn't exactly make for a romantic love story?”

I respond with a smirk. “Oh, believe me, romance was never the point.”

My mother has the grace to stand and ask if anyone wants a refill of wine while Lydia and I continue.

“Then what is the point? Why drag this out?”

“The point is, you’re mine. Whether the wedding is tomorrow, next week, or next year, our vows to each other aren’t going to change any of that. But I want you to understand what this means.”

“Understand what?” she hisses. I know exactly why she’s touchy. She thinks I’m not eager to marry her, that somehow my putting this off is a criticism of her. “That you’re someone who wants to control me?”

I lean over and chuck a finger under her chin. “Careful, baby. You’re skirting really close there.”

Her cheeks flush, and I suspect she’s remembering something like my stubble against her thighs or my palm against her ass.

Good.

I continue. “This isn’t about control but inevitability.”

She scoffs and tosses her head. “I’ll never be yours. Not in the way you want.”

I reach out, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “We’ll see about that.” I clear my throat and raise my voice so my brothers look over at me.

“I've been thinking about this. We know that Yudin wants her. He's hiding, and nothing we've done has brought him into the open, which means he has friends in high places. We need to draw them out. If we put off the wedding, he's going to circle us. It will give us time to prepare. Make no mistake, I'm going to marry her. But if we delay, it will make him anxious.”

I look at Lydia. “Would you describe him as a patient guy?”

She huffs a little but finally responds.

“Hell no,” she says. “He's one of the least patient people I've ever met.”

“Exactly. When he sees that we're not making a move, he's going to snap. He thrives on revenge. Let's get all our ducks in a row first. We'll put off the wedding and set a new date later.” My eyes lock onto Lydia. “In the meantime, I'll teach you self-defense.”

Aria’s eyes light up. “Oooh. I get it. You'll use Lydia as bait.”

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