Page 80 of Hear Me Roar

And we alwayswould.

Together.

Forever.

The two weeksthat followed what happened on that cargo ship were long and, at times, very trying, filled with heart-wrenchingly emotional moments brought on by the hellish nightmare that was Dimitri Petrova. But knowing he was behind bars for many, many years helped bring us back to reality, time and time again. We were alive and well, and with time, all of it – Dimitri included – would be nothing more than just that...anightmare.

So tonight, we weren’t thinking about Dimitri or what could’ve happened that night, we were celebrating all the good things in our lives, love being the primary theme. As I adjusted my bow tie in the mirror, I couldn’t believe my big sis was getting married. In some ways, that competitive sense of sibling rivalry was off the charts with jealousy that she’d beat me to it, but in others, I was happy to have someone to go to with questions when it came time for me to do the same. Which she kept hounding me better be soon, but that was my own fault for showing her the ring after I made my lastpayment.

Sliding on my double-breasted jacket, I walked back to the mirror and did up the buttons, leaving the very last one undone as my sister had expressed was a very important detail. I didn’t see the difference, but apparently, proper tuxedo etiquette called for such things. Chuckling softly at the memory of that conversation, I barely recognized myself as I gave myself a once over. Aside from the ink sweeping up my neck and what covered my hands, I looked so...normal. It was weird as fuck, but I greatly appreciated the fact Karley had insisted on the tuxedo being tailored. It fit perfectly and I had to admit, I was rocking it damn well. Hopefully my girl would think sotoo…

A smile drifted across my face as she came to the forefront of my mind. I was beyond anxious to see her. She hadn’t given me a single clue as to what her dress looked like, other than the color and Karley had insisted she wear it. Given my sister’s taste, I assumed it probably something extravagant, but the occasion called for it, and something in me was looking forward to seeing Hazel so dressed up for the first time. To seeingusso dressed up for the first time. The next time would be...well, I’m sure you canguess.

Flipping off the light in our bedroom, I trailed into the sitting room just off the entry of the suite and all but came to a screeching halt at the vision in royal blue before me. Every last bit of air just about left my lungs as I took her in. Hazel had her back to me, looking out the massive windows at the bustling city of New York around us. The sapphire gown she wore fit her petite hourglass figure like a glove, all the curves, dips, and swells of her body accentuated like never before. Made almost entirely of lace – minus the sheer material sheathing her arms – it flared out ever so slightly mid-calf and spilled onto the floor behind her in a small train. But what had me out of my right mind was the back. It dipped low in a V-shape, exposing miles of her soft, fair skin that would likely draw my hands there all evening long. Subduing the urge to peel that dress off her was not going to beeasy.

Wanting to catch her off-guard, I padded toward her with slow, precise steps. She stilled as my front brushed against her bare back, my hands sliding around her tiny waist, settling along defined curves to hold her in place. With her blonde hair draped over one shoulder, it left most of her neck on display, luring me into her smooth column. I dipped my head low and nuzzled her skin with my lips, breathing her indeeply.

“You're stunning,” I murmured while planting a trail of soft kisses from the shell of her ear to the lace-covered edge of hershoulder.

Hazel turned her head toward me, peeking up through sky-high lashes. “Says the man who's insanely good-looking.”

Pivoting in my grasp, she took a step back and gave me a onceover I swear I felt down to my toes. Her appreciative stare burned through my being, sizzling my skin to the point of combustion beneath all the suited layers. I was suddenly very,verywarm.

“I have no words,” she saidquietly.

“Neither do I,” I agreed, drinking her ingreedily.

Seeing her from the back had struck me stupid, but the entire package was out of this fucking world. She was the definition of perfect, so disarmingly beautiful in any way, shape, or form, I almost had a hard time believing she was reallymine.

Almost.

Slithering back toward me, she grabbed the lapels of my jacket and brought her lips up to my ear. “Is it awful I wanna peel off every single layer of this tuxedo and jump your bones rightnow?”

“No, cause I already thought the same thing,” I admitted, my hand hitching up her thigh through the slit of herdress.

“You’re not supposed to agree with me. You’re supposed to tell me I’m a bad girl,” she purred in that little way that drove mewild.

“But I like it when you’re a badgirl.”

“Stoppp, seriously.” She giggled, shivering as I bit down on her neck. “We’ll never leave this room if I let you get menaked.”

“Just remember” – I bit her again – “youwillbe very,verynakedlater.”

“Yeah, very,verylater, when I know your parents aren’t gonna come knocking on thedoor.”

“I can guarantee you that by the time everything is said and done downstairs, my dad will have to carry my mom up to their room. They’re not ones to stay up late. I’m sure they still have to be jetlaggedtoo.”

Hazel slid out of my arms and collected her small purse clutch thingy from one of the wingback chairs, peering at me from over her shoulder. “Jetlag or not, their only daughter is getting married, but we’ll worry aboutthat-”

“Later,” I conceded, reaching for her outstretched hand. “Are Manny and Maya downstairsalready?”

“Yep. They’ve been at the bar waiting for us for the last twentyminutes.”

“Oops.”

“Yeah, oops. You’re worse than a woman, I swear. I’ve never seen a man take so long to get dressed,” she teased, pulling open the door to oursuite.

“Listen, okay, this thing has a million layers and you know Karley will go batshit if everything isn’t perfectly aligned. It’s not myus-”

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