She kept her eyes downcast as the priest began the ceremony. As he spoke heavy words of commitment and eternity, reality began to permeate the feral possessiveness that’d taken hold of my mind. This trembling young girl was going to be my wife. Forever.
I’d never wanted to marry. I’d never wanted any woman for more than casual sex in years. Not since…
I firmed my jaw and forced those memories away. I’d been little more than a boy back then. I might not want to be married, but I was now more than capable of protecting a woman. I had to be. Isabel would be safe with me, even if she was miserable.
She didn’t look up at me throughout the entire ceremony. She parroted the priest’s words in a low murmur every time she was directed to speak, but she wasn’t really here with me. Her mind was elsewhere, as though the prospect of this wedding was so horrific that she had to disassociate from it.
Irritation stiffened my spine as I slid a ring onto her finger. I hated seeing her like this, distant and terrified. Was I really such a monster in her eyes?
Then, it was over. The priest was telling me I could kiss her.
Fuck.
I’d envisioned claiming her mouth dozens of times since the night of the coup, since the night I’d held her in my arms and shielded her from harm. I’d imagined even more twisted things I could do with her mouth ever since I’d spanked her in the ballroom, taking her in hand and forcing her surrender.
But I’d resolved not to touch her like that. We would be married in name only.
How had I forgotten that I would be expected to kiss her at the altar, to seal our union publicly?
Steeling myself, I curled two fingers beneath her chin, lifting her face to mine. Those huge caramel eyes punched all the air from my chest, and the desire to hold this fragile creature, to shield her from the worst of the world, overtook my mind. One arm closed around her waist, my hand spanning her lower back. Her head tipped, and her lush lips parted in surprise at the sudden heat that ignited between us.
It was just like the night of the coup, when I’d taken her back to her bedroom, back to safety. She’d looked up at me like this, mouth soft and inviting, eyes wide. I’d resisted the urge to kiss her then, but that was no longer an option. I had to kiss her, had to claim her.
The savagery that’d overtaken me when I’d killed Carlos to claim her for myself surged back to the fore, overtaking reason. My lips crashed down on hers, hungry and possessive. She sucked in a shocked gasp, and I took the opportunity to plunder her mouth. She was soft and sweet and hot. So fucking hot. My free hand curved around her nape, fingers tangling in her hair and trapping her where I wanted her.
At my mercy. Melting in my arms.
Her hands flew to my chest, but she wasn’t pushing me away. Her slender fingers curled into my shirt, clinging on for support as she yielded to me. Fierce desire ignited my blood, pulsing heat through my veins.
A sharp wolf whistle pierced my consciousness, slicing through the haze of lust that clouded my mind. Whooping cheers thundered around us, jolting me back to reality.
I was practically fucking my young bride’s mouth with my tongue in front of the entire cartel. This beautiful, delicate woman who’d been forced to marry me, to tie herself to me forever.
Forever.
She blinked up at me, and my stomach turned. Those remarkable eyes stabbed my heart with a bolt of white-hot guilt. I was bound to her for the rest of my life now. For my eternity.
CHAPTER 9
ISABEL
I poured the last of the Champagne into the crystal glass, my shaking hands causing some of the precious liquid to spill onto the floor of the limo. I wasn’t sure how many glasses I’d had at the reception, but as we neared my house, I knew it wasn’t enough. No amount of alcohol would be enough to dull my mounting anxiety over what was about to happen.
I would be alone with Sebastián. On our wedding night.
That could only mean one thing.
My insides clenched, already denying the impending violation. The possessive brute of a man who’d murdered his rival on the church steps would take me to bed. Whatever reservations he’d had about this marriage a week ago seemed to have dissipated.
She is mine! His intense declaration echoed through my head. He’d bellowed that into Carlos’ bloody face, right before he’d snapped the younger man’s neck.
Now that the ceremony was over, everything I had was his. Including my virginity.
I took a long gulp of Champagne, choking on the bubbles when they hit my constricted throat. I swallowed hard to force the alcohol down into my system. Maybe I could black out and forget what was about to happen.