Page 18 of The Devious Husband

I raise a brow and lean back against my conference table. “What does that mean?”

“We’ll pretend in front of our families, and we’ll show them exactly what they want to see, but behind closed doors, I don’t want anything to do with you.”

I smirk despite the way my heart aches. “Sure didn’t look like that when you wrapped your legs around me, your lips on mine.”

Her eyes flash, that fire I’ve gotten used to making her emerald irises sparkle. She steps forward and places her hand on my chest, anger radiating off her. “If we’re to be married, I expect you to adhere to some rules.”

“What rules?” I ask, wrapping my hand around her wrist, keeping it in place.

“I expect discretion from you. Don’t let your flings into the home you share with me, don’t get caught cheating, and don’t tell anyone about our marriage. If my grandmother sets the same rules for us as she did for my brothers, we’ll only have to be married for three years. You can manage those three simple rules for three years, can’t you?”

I stare at her wide-eyed and shake my head, a humorless laugh escaping my throat as barely contained rage takes hold of me. “Discretion, you say?” I reach for her and grab her waist, catching her off guard as I turn us around and lift her onto the table. My hands move to her thighs, and she gasps as I push her legs apart to stand between them, her skirt riding up. “Kingston men don’t cheat,” I tell her, my grip tight. “There won’t be any need for discretion, Sierra. I won’t look at anyone but you, won’t touch anyone but you. For as long as you’re my wife, I’ll be loyal and faithful to you, and I expect the same in return.”

She searches my face, and I’m certain I see a flicker of hope in her gorgeous eyes. “Don’t pretend you’re actually going to stay away from Valeria, and I won’t pretend I’ll stay away from Graham.”

I clench my jaws, my thumbs brushing over her soft skin in an attempt to control my temper. “I don’t know what’s going on between you and him, but it ends now. Don’t fucking test me on this. The only bed you’ll find yourself in is mine, Sierra.”

“I’ll never want you,” she snaps. “Not in a million years.”

I cup the back of her neck, my thumb brushing over her pulse point. “Then I’ll wait a million years and a day, Kitten. I’ll wait forever if I need to, so long as you understand that you’re mine as much as I’m yours.”

“So not at all then,” she says, something unfamiliar flickering through her eyes.

I sigh and drop my forehead to hers. “She’s family,” I say carefully. “I get how it looks. Truly, I do. But I swear to you that you’re entirely wrong about Valeria. It isn’t what you think, and quite frankly, the mere insinuation is sickening.”

She pulls back a little to look at me, betrayal written all over her face. “I know your family, Xavier — every single one of them. I’ve seen them at various events for nearly a decade now. Do you take me for a fool?”

I thread a hand through her hair and force her to face me. “Fuck the past and everything you think you know,” I snap. “Fuck every goddamn misconception you insist on having, and listen to me. I will never, ever, cheat on you. I am yours, and yours only, Sierra, whether you like it or not.”

Seventeen

Sierra

“You’re not mad at me, are you?” Grandma asks as I stand on a platform in Raven’s bridal boutique, wearing a stunning dress she designed for me long before my engagement was even announced. It’s far from done, and it’s already the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen.

“I could never be mad at you, Grams,” I tell her as I twirl for her, showing off my dress. I accompanied her to the hospital this morning, and I’ve been trying to keep my heartbreak hidden ever since. I know how much this dress fitting means to her, and I don’t want to ruin it by crying, but all I can think about is that I’m losing her, and this is one of the last monumental memories I’ll get to make with her.

Grandma smiles as her eyes roam over my wedding gown, and for one single moment, my mind involuntarily drifts to Xavier. What would he think if he saw me in this dress? Judging by the way he kissed me, I’d say that he’s at least a little bit attracted to me, but I don’t hold a candle to someone like Valeria. Could he have meant it when he told me he’s mine, and mine only? I’ve never felt more conflicted, more scared of the future.

“Sweetheart,” Grandma says. “Everything is going to be okay. You trust me, don’t you?”

“I do,” I reply cautiously. “But you don’t know him the way I do, Grandma.” Raven looks up from my wedding gown design on her drawing tablet and shoots me a warning look, but I ignore it. “That humble philanthropic persona he portrays at events is all just a sham. He’s ruthless, unyielding, and dare I say it, unscrupulous.”

“Ah,” Grandma says, her eyes twinkling. “A match made in heaven.”

I gape at her, and she laughs, the sound weaker than it used to be. She’s grown so frail, and I’d noticed it, but I’d dismissed it. Even now, despite all the hospital appointments I’ve accompanied her at, I find it hard to believe that my sweet grandmother is sick. I keep waiting for someone to tell me that there’s a cure, or there’s been a misunderstanding and she was misdiagnosed, but it’s all been to no avail.

“Are you calling me unscrupulous? I’m nothing like him!”

“Yeah, right,” Raven mutters as she approaches me with even more pins. She’s in full concentration mode, but clearly not even my wedding gown is enough to make her keep her commentary at bay. I narrow my eyes at her, but she merely smiles the way Grandma does. “God, it’s surreal to see you in this dress. We’ve been working on this design for years,” she murmurs as she messes with the pleats. We decided on a mermaid style dress with a sweetheart necklace, made entirely of silk, with gorgeous hand beading. It looks even more beautiful in person than it did in my imagination, and it’ll be wasted on Xavier.

My heart twists painfully as I look into the mirror. I was supposed to get my own happily ever after, just like in the romance novels I love to read. The story has played out in my head a thousand times — grandma would choose the perfect man for me, just like she’s found perfect partners for each of my brothers. We’d be awkward around each other for a while, but we’d soon find out that we have a lot in common, and that we enjoy spending time together. Of course, there’d be crazy chemistry between us…

Just like that, Xavier hijacks my mind again. Chemistry. At least we have that in spades. I bite down on my lip as I think back to each time we’ve danced together, each time he whispered the word Kitten in my ear. And then there are the two kisses we shared, and the way his body feels against mine. I’m having a hard time seeing the good in this situation, but I suppose the chemistry between us is something to be grateful for. It could certainly have been worse — not that I plan to ever sleep with him.

“He’ll make you happy,” Grandma says, her voice soft, almost like she’s trying to convince herself as much as she’s trying to convince me.

“Why him, Grams? You do realize he only agreed to this marriage because it’s the only way he can grow his company even further, right? This is just a glorified business deal for him. I don’t know what you think you see in him, but I promise you that you’re wrong.”

---