Page 46 of Bride By Coronation

Brax warns, "Don't tell me I'm late. I left as soon as you beckoned."

I match his scowl, leering at him.

He scrubs his face. "Come on, Kirill. I have an entire list of things to do today. If I don't get them done, Liam is going to be all over my ass."

"Once again, not my problem," I state, scolding myself another time for not sending the shorter letter.

"Well, well, well! Look who the cat dragged in," Valentina's voice chirps.

I turn as she walks through the door, smirking at Brax.

He whistles. "It's the sexy little minx, gracing us with her presence." His gaze drifts to her cleavage, then the bottom hem of her miniskirt.

She bats her eyes and chirps, "Are you in trouble again? Does the king need to get out his belt and whip you?"

Brax unties his sweatpants and turns his back to her. He drops his pants, displaying his muscular ass, and looks over his shoulder, taunting, "Assume you want to volunteer?"

"Enough!" I bark, then order, "And pull up your goddam pants in my house!"

"Such a barbarian," Valentina adds.

"Enough from you as well," I reprimand.

She widens her eyes. "Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed."

"He's been like this since I arrived," Brax interjects, tying his pants.

"What's wrong?" Valentina questions, pinning her concerned gaze on me.

The sound of the door buzzer shrills through the air.

I rush over to it and push the button. "Yes."

"Vaughn is back," Jasper informs me.

"Send him up," I instruct, my pulse racing.

"Letting our little baby Brax learn something new from Vaughn today?" Valentina asks saucily.

Brax scoffs. "Please. He got initiated two seconds ago."

"And you had your special night over eight months ago. Yet your mark is still colorless. Why is that?" She purses her lips together.

"You can't forget that night, can you? My ceremony haunts your dreams," he jeers.

I roar, "Will you two shut up?"

Valentina's head jerks backward.

Brax clenches his jaw.

My chest tightens. I step out into the foyer, slamming the entry door behind me. Those two never stop. I normally find some humor in it, but not today.

I pace the small area, cursing the building management for not fixing the issue with the elevator. Time drags by until it finally opens.

Vaughn has the garment bags over his arm and the white box in his hand.

My mouth goes dry as a desert. I point at the perfectly tied gold bow, probing, "She didn't open it?"

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