Page 119 of Bride By Coronation

Why does she seem okay with being married to me?

She steps back, puts a leg through the bottoms, and wiggles into them.

I toss the red trunks into the drawer, slide on the gold ones, and press another button.

A vanity slides out.

She gasps and says, "Damn. You're really after a girl's heart, aren't you?"

You have no idea.

I wink and open the mirror.

"And daddy knows sunglasses," Fiona praises.

Surprised, I question, "I thought you didn't want to call me daddy?"

She cringes. "It was a joke."

I dramatically wipe my head. "Whew. That's good. The last thing I want is for my super-hot wife to be reminded that I'm getting close to old man status."

"Super-hot?"

"Extremely hot."

She laughs. "Glad you think so."

"Oh, I do," I insist, then circle my finger. "Spin, and I'll tie your top."

She obeys and holds the cups over her boobs.

I reach around her, carefully tie the straps, then assert, "I need to put fresh cream on your brand."

She turns her head and cringes. "My mom is going to kill me. I honestly don't know how she's going to accept this. She freaked when Sean and Zara came home married and branded."

My gut sinks, and I release a deep breath. I admit, "It's going to be hard for her."

"How am I going to tell her I married you?"

"We'll figure it out."

She agonizes, "She's going to flip once she finds out you're a Petrov."

I sternly offer, "It'll be okay after the initial shock."

Fiona pins her eyebrows together, asking, "How?"

I tug her into me, kiss her forehead, and confess, "I'm not sure yet, but we'll figure it out. For now, let's enjoy the sun, okay?"

She takes a deep breath, looks up, and nods. "Okay."

Relieved she won't let our problem ruin her day, I kiss her hand and grab a pair of aviator sunglasses. I instruct, "Pick a pair. It's bright out there."

She refocuses on the glasses, her face lighting up again. She finally settles on a gold-rimmed, oversized pair and tries them on. "What do you think?"

I admit, "I think you can wear any pair, and I'll have a hard-on all day."

She giggles, then elbows me, scolding, "Focus!"

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