Page 71 of Crimson Wrath

Did he just propose to me?

Is this really happening?

“Scarlett Ulianov.” He makes a humming sound in his throat. “I like it. It sounds good.”

“Who says I’ll take your name?” I laugh. “What’s wrong with Jones?”

“My wife carries my name, so that everyone knows you are mine.”

“How about Scarlett Jones-Ulianov?”

“No.” His hand cracks down on my ass and I shriek out a laugh. “You will be an Ulianov. That’s final.”

“Is this our first fight?”

“If it is, we might do it often. And then, I’ll get a chance to punish you.” He slaps my ass again, and now my laughter is breathless, colored with something else.

“C’mere, you,” I tell him, twining my arms around his neck and pulling him down to me. “I just decided how to celebrate our engagement.”

The laughter that rumbles in his chest is deep enough to have me shuddering. And it’s not the last shuddering I do that night.

In fact, there’s a whole lot more of it.

Chapter 22

Anton

“All set,bratan?” I address Luka as he walks up beside me.

A cold breeze touches my face as I fix my eyes at the end of the aisle, surrounded by the beauty of the snow-covered mountains. Crisp air fills my lungs, cold and sharp, reminding me of the danger that once lurked in the shadows. Today, it is overridden by a sense of wholeness. A sense of peace.

It’s a feeling that I never knew I was looking for.

“All set, boss,” Luka says, adjusting his tie. “How long till I can take this off? It’s uncomfortable as fuck.”

I grin at him, feeling more relaxed and benevolent than I can ever remember. His presence as my best man is a reminder of the bond we’ve shared through many highs and lows. Today is one of the highs. The highest.

“Look at you all dressed up in your fancy monkey suit. You look like you have a bellyache,starik,” Ivan taunts me from my other side, his eyes scanning the crowd of guests who have come to witness this wedding.

“Poshel na khuy, dolboyob,”I respond beneath my breath. The bastard can tell I’m fucking anxious and I know he’s not used to it.

“We’re on, boss.” It’s Luka again. Not that he needs to tell me. The sound of footsteps crunching in the snow has drawn my attention to Art and Scarlett, now standing at the entrance.

“Holy fuck,” I exhale, swallowing down a lump in my throat at the sight of my woman. Her white velvet gown flows around her, while the jeweled neckline sparkles against her porcelain skin. She’s wearing a little furry white jacket to protect her shoulders from the chill, and her crimson hair tumbles down her back like a fiery waterfall.

Jesus, she’s beautiful.

And she’s all mine.

“Last chance to make a run for it.” Ivan chuckles beside me. I dismiss him with a jerk of my head. I’m too busy watching my bride. Art’s face is a mix of pride and happiness as he walks her toward me, her arm linked through his.

Scarlett’s deep dark eyes scan the aisle, then stop when they finally land on me. I hold my breath. Our gazes meet, and the intensity of emotion between us speaks volumes of the journey we’ve shared.

This is the moment…the one where it all becomes clear.

“Isn’t she gorgeous?” Jess, who’s maid of honor, mouths as they approach. Tony and Carl stand beside her, unlikely bride’s attendants, but myZaykawanted it that way, and they’ve taken their role to heart.

“Hey,” Scarlett breathes the word as she reaches me. Her beauty leaves me speechless, and I struggle like a teenage boy to find my voice. I answer with a smile, instead. This moment of redemption, after years spent in darkness feels surreal.

---