9
Tywin
It had been a long, hard two weeks since I’d spent the night with Patrena. After the explosive experiences we’d shared, she was all I was able to fully focus on. When I was in her presence, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her and there was nothing I hadn’t noticed about her.
I loved the way her beautiful freckles appeared to dance on her cheeks when she smiled. The way her head tilted slightly to the right when she was thinking, made me smile. And the way she attempted but failed to control the jittery movements of her body when we were close, caused my hunger for her to intensify. I couldn’t curtail my amusement at the way she eye-fucked me when she thought I wasn’t paying attention. I hadn’t figured out that little dent she got over her right eye yet, but I would.
Thankfully, family drama on a massive level had kept me busy. Since the night at Patrena’s apartment, more turmoil had become stirred in the name of Vallin. Arjen had discovered that Khane had slept with Desiree, and he and Khane had commenced to beating the shit out of each other. After the way they had ripped Arjen’s study apart, I was surprised they hadn’t needed medical attention.
I had also discovered after the fact that Arjen had executed a guard from his security detail after requesting I sanitize his home security feeds. I knew my cousin well enough to know that if he had executed someone in his house, they had it coming and for a good reason.
Arjen and Khane’s fight had caused Desiree to run away. In her haste to get away from them, she was captured by a dangerous group called the Fallen Angels, carted off to Mexico, and placed in the hands of cartel king, Angel Ramirez.
To feed a massive gambling addiction, Desiree’s sorry ass father, Raymond, had used the same marriage lie with Angel that he’d used with Arjen. As a result, Arjen had ended up paying Angel ten million dollars to get Desiree back as well as revise the arms deal he had negotiated with him years ago.
Arjen and Khane’s rescue attempt hadn’t gone down without a lot of death and destruction. They could have started a war with a Mexican cartel, had broken major syndicate rules, and left a trail of dead bodies in their wake a mile long.
There had been so much carnage to clean up that I hadn’t been able to attend Arjen and Desiree’s wedding, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Arjen had come to his senses in the nick of time and had given Khane permission to marry Desiree.
The biggest surprise had been Arjen’s proposal to Mecca. How the hell do you give away your bride to your brother and ask her cousin to marry you while you’re still at the ceremony? I hated that I had missed the event, but digitally sweeping up my cousins’ deadly moves and keeping an observant eye on Patrena had kept me busy.
Currently, I was heading to Arjen and Mecca’s wedding thinking of what type of drama might unfold. After building a profile on Mecca and knowing Arjen the way I did, this marriage would be an epic undertaking, and I wasn’t sure which way the chaos would swing. Mecca would give Arjen pure hell or vice versa. They were either going to rip each other to shreds or team up and rip the world apart, and I’d be left to clean up the carnage once again.
Nonstop work had helped me take the edge off, but Patrena was proving to be something that couldn’t be worked away or purged from my system. Time away from her hadn’t dulled the ache she had left coursing through me. I burned for her, my dick throbbed, and my mind delved deeply and lingered on all of the hidden treasures she possessed.
Two weeks of no contact and not so much as a hello from me had probably been enough time for her to have written me off for good. She’d never called me either and I had secretly hoped she would. Since she was a part of Mecca’s wedding, I knew I would see her but wasn’t sure what to expect.
Stepping out of my vehicle, I noticed the castle-like structure was constructed mostly of glass. I was impressed with the way they had transformed the building into a floral fantasy land. The spectacular surroundings that showcased breathtaking mountain views didn’t keep my attention long because nothing ever captured my focus like Patrena. Admittedly, the prospect of seeing her in person again excited me. Her empty seat was right next to the one I was planning on taking.
I walked around the area twice for security purposes and for a glimpse at Patrena. Instead of finding her, I ended up in the closed-off back portion of the venue that housed the reception food and refreshments as workers danced around me making preparations. Patrena must have been hidden away with Desiree, helping Mecca prepare for her big day.
Arjen’s bride. The words didn’t sound like English, but if Khane had pulled off a wedding and was making his marriage with Desiree appear legit, then why not give Arjen the benefit of the doubt?
At the first sight of Khane and Desiree holding hands in public, my damn eyes bulged, but I remembered the way they were with each other at the cabin weeks ago. They had left no doubt that their connection was the real deal.
A warm tingle sizzled within and lured me out of my head. I sensed Patrena and spotted her stepping into the lead position in a line with two other women. She was a part of the wedding march and glowed with warmth and beauty like an angelic creature from a secret island.
She wore a baby blue silk floor-length dress that showcased her ridiculously sexy body and flirted with curves so sensual that the sight of her made my mouth water. In my opinion, she was a size perfect, a shapely medium build. You could tell from a glance that she worked out, drank lots of water, and put effort into her appearance.
She had the power to make me lose my concentration and forget where I was. I still found it difficult to believe I’d had the strength to walk away from her after spending the night in her bed.
I wanted her. The strong pull she had on me was undeniable and although I’d attempted to build a defensive wall to fight the possessive strength of it, my defenses had crumbled to the ground.
A wide smile broke out on her face and shined through her gaze the moment her eyes met mine. The reaction wasn’t expected considering the way we had parted and hadn’t reconnected, but my smile remained as strong as our locked gazes.
She kept her eyes on mine until the wedding theme filled the space, signaling the beginning of her graceful pace. She led her group of three on the wedding march followed up by Desiree who was walking Mecca down the aisle.
When I finally managed to pull my attention from Patrena, my face bunched, and I tilted my head to the side and squinted at the expression on Arjen’s face. He was looking at Mecca the same way Khane had been eyeballing Desiree, all hopeful and dazed like a spell had been cast on him. What the hell had these cousins done to my cousins?
Better yet, how the hell was all this going to play out when the drama that came along with being a Vallin continued to invade the women they had chosen to marry? I didn’t know about all this wedding business, but once a Vallin was loyal to someone, our vow to protect them knew no bounds. Did Desiree and Mecca know they were marrying men who would destroy nations to protect them?
Patrena and her group veered off before they approached the glass platform where Arjen, Khane, and the pastor waited for Mecca and Desiree. Every eye in the place was on Mecca except mine. My gaze was on the beautiful woman weaving her way through the tables to take her assigned seat next to me. I stood in place and waited with my hand on the back of her chair.
“Patrena,” I greeted, pulling out the chair for her while the loud crush of the crowd taking their seats sounded.
“Tywin, how have you been?”
She took her seat, and I sat in place beside her, catching the glint of a few tears standing in her red eyes.