Page 121 of Sweet Animosity

The judge held up the marriage license.

My last hope. This farce wasn’t legal if I didn’t sign.

“I’ll just forge her signature and file this with the clerk.”

So much for that.

In a fit of rage and panic, I smashed my glass to the floor. “I said no!”

My outburst was met with a dangerous silence.

Var stepped close. “Excuse me, gentlemen, while I have a word with my wife.”

I turned to run, but didn’t make it a single step.

Grabbed by powerful hands, I was tossed over Var’s shoulder and carried out of the room, screaming bloody murder.

CHAPTER 41

VAR

“Get your gorilla paws off me, you fucking bastard!” she cried.

As I carried my blushing bride down the hall, I heard Anton say to Mac, “Aw. How sweet. It’s just like the day they met.”

Assholes.

As Vivian squirmed and pounded at my back, I gave her bottom a hard smack. “Easy, wife. I’ll have you in the bedroom soon enough.”

“Why you… why you…”

With a kick to the door behind me, I crossed the bedroom and tossed her onto the bed.

She bounced up and off it. Pushing her gorgeous dark hair away from her eyes, she faced off with me. “You cretin!”

After I shrugged out of my tuxedo jacket, my fingers moved to the buttons on my suit vest. “Now is that any way to talk to your husband?”

Vivian gestured violently between us with her hand. “We. Are. Not. Married.” She then waved her arm in the direction of the door. “That… that… farce… couldn’t possibly be legal.”

Pulling my vest off, I tossed the bowtie aside, untucked my shirt and pulled it over my head. “I assure you, it most definitely is legal. Now take off that dress.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I most certainly will not.”

“Krasivaya, this marriage is getting consummated one way or another. It’s your choice whether it is lovemaking in our bed, or—” I raised a single eyebrow, leaving the rest unsaid.

Her arm stretched out to her side as she narrowed her gaze. “I am not getting into that bed with you.”

With that she marched past me into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

I kicked off my shoes.

Damn, only married a few minutes, and I was already having fun.

With my bare foot, I kicked the bathroom door down, not even bothering first to check to see if she had locked it. I knew my girl. It’d been locked.

Vivian shuffled to a far corner holding a crystal ear swab decanter over her head. “Don’t come near me.”

I reached down to unbuckle my belt. Pulling it through my pants loops, I stretched the thin black leather between my fists. I would have to be careful. Unlike with my usual heavy brown leather belts, this dress belt would be like a whip and cut into her flesh.

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