Page 54 of One Wealthy Wedding

Her breasts are perfect teardrops. The exact size to fill my palm. Maybe a little would spill over the edges. I can practically feel how crazed I would be, digging rough fingers into her flesh. Her nipples are dusky rose and probably bigger than she likes. I love them. I want to worship them.

“Done glaring?”

I drag my eyes up to her annoyed face. I swallow thickly. “That’s not glaring, princess. That’s ogling.” I try for cocky and smart, but my voice sounds strangled and wanting.

She huffs and presses an arm to her breasts.

“Since you’re so obsessed with fashion, you pick a dress.” She gestures to the closet. “I’ll just stand here like a doll.”

My lips twitch, and I roll them between my teeth to keep from laughing. She’s so deliciously annoyed with me.

“If this is what happens, I’m going to start ripping more of your dresses,” I say.

“Don’t you dare. I only have what’s here.”

A quarter of a closet. The five dresses she picked. Some jeans and sweatshirts. Three pairs of shoes. A coat. I rub at the ache building behind my ribs. I must have strained myself this morning while working out. I make a mental note to put some muscle cream on it later.

I think about her words. “You’re not a doll, Cat. What would you choose?”

She slips a black dress off the hanger. “This. It has a cape. And it looks great with these bracelets that remind me of Wonder Woman gauntlets.” She sounds wistful as she speaks. She likes the fashion. She just hates the way I pushed her into it.

“I’ll need your help getting it on.” She bites her lip awkwardly.

“Now you’re uncertain? You’re baring it all right now.”

She thrusts the dress into my hand and turns. I try desperately not to stare at her ass.

“Just help me,” she grits out.

So it’s the asking for assistance she hates.

“Tell me why you didn’t want the clothes.” I help her step into the dress. My face is so close to her skin. I could run a finger up her spine. I could taste her. She’d be sweet and forbidden. I’m halfway to licking her before I freeze. What the fuck am I doing? This is Cat. I’ve been down this road before, and it ended in misery. There’s a very good reason this needs to be fake. She’s a headstrong, spoiled princess.

“Because I spent years living under someone else’s thumb.” Soft words so at odds with my own angry thoughts. She swallows under my hand as I zip her up. “And besides. This will all go away. Our marriage is temporary. I don’t want to get too used to it.”

I smooth the cape over her shoulders. My chest still aches as I turn her.

Her eyes are pleading. “No more gifts, Theo. Okay?”

“Don’t you get money with the inheritance? I don’t understand. Are you trying to prove something to yourself? It’s fine if you are.” My hands squeeze her shoulders. “I think it’s admirable, really. Giving up everything.”

Her mouth parts. She stares at me. “No,” she chokes. She turns to the dresser and scoops up a pair of gold cuffs out of a box. They look like bracers from an intricate set of armor. “I’m not finding myself. This isn’t Eat Pray Love. There’s no money with the inheritance. My father spent it all.” She fumbles the cuffs on, batting at my hands as I try to help. “Let’s go.” She turns and swirls out of the room, cape swinging behind her.

I follow, my own confused thoughts trailing behind me. Have I misjudged her? Is Cat the person I knew or someone different? And when did she change? Or, worse, was she never who I thought she was, and I was too blind to see the truth?

When we’re finally on the way to the venue, I watch Cat carefully. She’s staring out the window like she’s never seen New York City before, and for all I know, maybe she hasn’t seen much.

“What happened to the money?” I finally ask. I’ve avoided asking about her family because I despise them with every fiber of my being, but none of the facts add up. “How did he spend it?”

She glances over at me, a bemused look on her face. “The usual ways, I suppose. He’s a spendthrift. He married my mom for her money. He wanted the company. It’s a cash cow. You’ve seen the news. He has a high salary compared to other CEOs.”

I nod. I have seen them. I’ve analyzed every inch of Peterson International for cracks in its armor. I might have given up trading stocks like a frenzied day trader, but I’ve been waiting a long time for revenge against Gregory Peterson. The company isn’t public. The stock is closely held by a group of twenty or so investors, but most of the voting power sits with Cat’s family. And soon, Cat herself.

“So he’s poor now?” Wouldn’t that be good?

“No.” She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. “Actually, I’m not sure. He tried to marry me off to his business partner’s son. At first, I thought it was just to control me, but now I’m not so sure. There were a lot of tense conversations in the weeks before I left. He might have spent everything he got from my mother. Most of the family wealth is in the shares, you know.”

I should care about Gregory Peterson’s downfall, but all I can think is mine. Cat was almost married to another man. “Who is the son?” My voice comes out harsher than I intended, and Cat’s eyes slice to mine.

---