Page 71 of 2 Books in One Bundle
He would have her support to do just that.
‘You may now kiss the bride.’
Vasili heard the words. The moment he had craved and dreaded was upon him. For two weeks he had wanted to kiss her. Images of her against the door of his office flashed in his mind once again. He had wanted a taste of her then, and after replaying that moment so frequently he wasn’t sure that he would be able to stop once his lips met hers.
So, with her hands still in his, Vasili mustered every bit of control he had and leaned in, placing a chaste kiss upon her lips. But as if it were a trap, designed just for him, that one simple touch caused the very air to snap around them.
He couldn’t stop kissing her if he tried.
A buzzing warmth trailed over him from the contact of their lips, winding through his body, until his arms went around her and her hands found their way to his chest.
He couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. This innocent kiss was more overwhelming than any he had had before. Every other kiss he’d experienced in his life had been a means to an end. Merely a seduction to make the pay-off greater. Every one of those fell into the shadow of this one.
Without even realising it, he brought up a hand to cup her face, angling his head to kiss her more deeply. And, as if they had danced this particular dance before, she moved with him, opening to him as his tongue caressed hers. Igniting his blood.
He swallowed the sigh she breathed into him.
He’d thought there was nothing sacred about this wedding, but he found the divine in Helia’s pillowy lips. She was soft and sweet and tentative. Everything he realised he had been imagining she would be, but more. Calm and crazed. Trapped and free. This embrace devoured him. Her eager responses spurred him on to kiss her harder, deeper.
He was utterly lost to the current that swept them both away, and it was only the sound of polite clapping and an amused chuckle close by that broke through the haze, wrenching him back.
With careful tenderness he pulled away, noticing the look in Helia’s eyes, like a raging sea. And he knew she was just as affected as he was.
Maybe there was an up-side to this marriage after all.
CHAPTER FOUR
THECORONATIONFOLLOWEDimmediately after the wedding ceremony.
Vasili knelt on the step in the cathedral with Helia by his side and Helia glanced sidelong at him. She could see how hard he was gritting his teeth. She herself trembled on the inside. This feeling was far beyond nervousness. This was fear. Anxiety that she couldn’t control but couldn’t show either. She just had to dig down deeper, to find a way to fake the calm serenity the world expected from her.
But the fear refused to abate. She was terrified she would fail. She knew she already had with her little act of defiance. Adding to her vows made her a failure as Queen because she hadn’t done what was expected of her. But she and Vasili had agreed on honesty. Besides that, he was King. She needed to show she was on his side, and maybe then he would be on hers.
Once their coronation oaths were said and the ceremony was over, Vasili offered Helia his arm, which she took with a small smile, letting him lead them out of the cathedral and into the square where their carriage awaited.
Helia waved to the people, ensuring her smile never faltered. A mask that would hide her nerves and help her do exactly as she was told.
Helia couldn’t forsake her defiant heart. After all, it was what had helped her survive her years in the orphanage and beyond. Adding to her marriage vows was proof of that, but she would still take instruction on how to provide the right image for Thalonia’s queen. She had to appease Andreas to a certain degree—and more than that she had no idea how to be Queen. It was a tightrope to walk, but she had to do it for the orphanage.
For herself.
For Vasili.
She could feel his burning gaze on her skin, but she refused to look at him. She was afraid of what she would see. Afraid that she would expose her attraction to him. Afraid that her mind would morph whatever that look was on his face into some sort of lie, telling her he wanted her too.
She couldn’t lose her head.
The palace drew closer, and when the gilded carriage finally stopped Vasili stepped out and then placed his hands on Helia’s waist. Her eyes locked with his as he lifted her out. His hands tightened around her, the touch rendering her breathless. His hold had safe. Steady. As if he wouldn’t let her falter.
Helia knew that was just the hope in her heart talking and she had to control it.
‘One more show, Helia,’ he said to her softly, setting her on her feet.
‘I know. Are you ready?’
‘No, but let’s do it anyway.’
‘I feel like that might be a theme for our reign,’ she said.
