Page 36 of Souls and Sorrows

“That’s great news. I’d hate for anything to happen to my bride before we’ve even gone on our honeymoon.”

Ariana rolls her eyes, pressing a palm to the sequined corset of her dress. Doing so draws my attention down, and I grit my teeth as I watch her breasts rise and fall, nearly toppling out of the outfit.

She lifts her head, arching an eyebrow, and I sit up straighter in my chair.

“That would be terrible,” the nurse concurs, taking a soothing tone as she steps toward me, twirling a strand of strawberry-blonde hair around a finger. “Where are you taking her?”

I keep my gaze on the brunette. “It’s a surprise.”

The nurse sighs dreamily. “Ugh,Ilove surprises. Have you ever been to Barbados? It’s lovely this time of—”

Cutting off with a grunt, she snaps her head around, eyes narrowing into slits. Ariana’s leg pulls away from where it just connected with the back of the nurse’s knee, and she lets out a little gasp, feigning shock.

“Sorry,” she says, hand fluttering to her chest. “Leg spasm.”

The nurse jumps back into professional mode as the ER doctor finally makes his way in, and an hour and a half later, Ariana is discharged from the emergency room with bacterial ointment and an antihistamine.

She piles into the front of my BMW with an annoyed huff. I round the driver’s side, settling in against the black leather seat, just as she begins struggling with her dress, trying to rip it from her body.

I watch, silent, as she tries to reach the laced back of the corset, then gives up and does a deep dive beneath the massive skirt, attempting to pull it up over her body. Tears spring to her eyes as her frustration visibly grows, and I lean over the console, shoving her shoulder into the car door with one hand and reaching for the laces with the other.

She doesn’t say a word as I begin undoing the ties. My fingers work deftly, looping through each new level and pulling the silk material loose.

Each tug is punctuated by a short, staccato breath puffing from her lips, the evidence of which paints the inside of the window with condensation.

I yank harder. Her breaths fill the quiet air, labored as I work her free, each one sending a spark of electricity down the length of my spine. My cock kicks in my slacks, very interested in the barely audible sounds she’s making.

A soft moan comes from her throat, and my fingers dig into her shoulder. I get to the last tie, undoing it with a tremor working its way through me, and then I release her suddenly, like she just burst into flames.

Sagging against the door, she presses her forehead on the window. “I hate doctors.”

I don’t reply.

Don’tcare.

“My brother-in-law is one, and he’s the only one I can tolerate. You should’ve brought me to him.”

Amusement catches in my throat, softening the erection I sported mere seconds ago. “Have you told your family about us, Ariana?”

She sits up, chewing on her bottom lip without answering.

Nodding, I reach for the start button on the dash, fastening my seat belt. “I figured as much, since no one was at the church for you today. I’m not sure why you think I’d risk my life, bringing you to a doctor with a reputation for murder. Especially not after your assassination attempt failed.”

“I wasn’t trying to—” She cuts herself off, gritting her teeth. “Whatever. Believe what you want,Counselor.”

The way she hurls that title, spitting it like venom she wishes would reach me, stirs up my previous irritation. My hand lashes out as I advance down the road, gripping her chin between two fingers.

“What am I supposed to believe, Little Nightmare?”

“Stopcalling me that.”

“Then, stop proving me right.” I release her, and she growls under her breath, folding her arms across her chest. “Less than twenty-four hours in, and things are pretty grim, wouldn’t you say?”

“Why don’t you just give me back to Vitus?”

“No.”

Her nostrils flare. “You want to stay married to someone you think tried to kill you?”

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