The Wrong Bride: Chapter 50

I smile to myself as I stare at The Herald’s headline. Normally, the mere name of this damn gossip paper pisses me off. Their headlines are always overly sensational and irritating, but today they’ve done a great job.

Raven and Ares Windsor’s wedding rings reportedly cost MILLIONS

Looks like nothing is impossible for the top 1%. Ares and Raven’s rings were reportedly handcrafted by elusive master goldsmith Richard Laurier. Our sources tell us that the couple’s rings were inspired by the famous model’s drawings. Laurier’s designs are highly coveted and rare, reserved mostly for royalty. We have it on good authority that many celebrities have been shunned by the goldsmith, but it appears an exception was made for the Windsors.

Recent photos of Raven’s ring reveal that it’s at least fifteen carats. Based on our estimates, her ring is worth a cool 25 million. Meanwhile, her media mogul husband appears to be wearing a ring with a feather pattern on it — no doubt a tribute to his wife’s name. A bold move for a couple that is so secretive about their relationship, yet it’s perfectly in line with what we’d expect of the Windsors.

In the coming days, we hope to give you more news about the couple that continues to evade our cameras with surprising ease. Stay tuned, and remember, you read it here first!

I smirk at the cute photo of Raven and me, my arm around her shoulder as we walk out of her office building. Hannah is crazy if she thinks she can get away with hurting Raven the way she did. I’ve been patient and quiet, in part out of respect for our past and her relationship to Raven, and in part because of the guilt I feel every time Raven makes my heart race. But it ends here. There’s a lot I’m willing to overlook, but tears in my wife’s eyes aren’t one of those things.

Hannah always desperately wanted her rings to be designed by Laurier, but I’ve always steadfastly refused. I’m not even sure why. Perhaps it’s because my grandmother always insisted that he was only to be contacted for intricate heirloom pieces. I have no idea, yet I didn’t even think twice when Raven so much as insinuated that she didn’t like her ring. I know this’ll hurt Hannah, but I’m done catering to her. I’m done keeping the peace.

Raven doesn’t know it, but I’ve tightly controlled the press surrounding us. Every hint of a rumor about Hannah and me has been suppressed before it ever saw the light, but I’ll need to be more careful. It’s harder to control information on the internet. I can do it just fine in newspapers and magazines, but the internet moves too fast to completely bury stories.

Hannah isn’t used to not getting her way, and I think she’s finally starting to realize that she and I are truly over. She won’t take well to Raven and I being happy together. That wasn’t part of her plans, after all. It’d be so easy to destroy her career and remove her from our lives, but I know Raven would never let that happen. She’s always loved Hannah in a way Hannah never deserved. I can’t risk fueling Raven’s guilt.

Thankfully, my words gave Raven the reassurance she needed in our relationship, but I suspect her sadness stems from the knowledge that things will never be the same again between Hannah and her. For as long as I’ve known her, Raven has made excuses for her sister. I think she’s finally starting to see that this time, the only way to make her sister happy is by sacrificing her own happiness.

I paste on my best innocent smile as I walk into the house, welcomed by the sound of Raven’s sweet voice singing a rendition of some pop song I don’t know. She hasn’t been herself since her argument with Hannah, but she seems better today. I have no doubt she’s seen The Herald’s article, since I made sure that it’s trending everywhere.

I pause in the doorway to the kitchen and take her in. She’s wearing a long cream-colored nightgown today, and fuck, she looks far too enticing in it.

It’s odd, because I’ve seen her walk down the catwalk in nothing but underwear, yet this is so much sexier. Outside of work, she’s always been dressed so professionally that it feels strangely enticing to see this side of her… this part that only belongs to me. No one but me gets to see my wife like this, her hair in a bun, no makeup on her beautiful face, and her body on display for me.

“Hey baby,” I murmur as I walk up to her. She smiles at me and lifts her face for a quick kiss. “What are you making?” I ask, looking over her shoulder.

She turns, and her body brushes against mine. I should take a step back, but I love having her so near me. I love seeing the way her eyes widen ever so slightly, the way her gaze drops to my lips for a second before she looks away.

“I’m baking some bread. I’m making enough for both of us.”

I smirk at her and wrap my hand around her waist, startling her. “Are you putting me on a diet, wife? Aren’t you satisfied with my abs?”

She smiles at me, her eyes roaming over my body for a moment. “I’m not sure. How about you take off that shirt and show me?”

I smile as my hands move to my shirt. “You don’t think I will?”

“Do you dare to? I’m constantly surrounded by sexy male models. Can you compete with them?”

My lips fall open and I narrow my eyes at my wife as I unbutton my shirt. “You tell me, Rave.” My shirt falls open, and the way her eyes are glued to my chest brings me a strange sense of satisfaction. “Can I compete?”

She lifts a hand to my chest and lets her fingers trail down my body, taking in every curve of my abs. A sharp burst of desire rushes straight to my cock at her touch, and I inhale deeply in an effort to calm myself. The way she looks in that nightgown… fucking incredible.

“Yeah,” she says, her voice breathy. “You’ll do.”

I grin as I lift her on top of the kitchen counter and spread her legs so I can stand between them. “I’ll do, huh? That doesn’t sound so convincing. How about I show you the rest of my body, too?”

“I think that sounds like a great idea. It’ll allow me to truly assess your body and all, you know?”

A soft chuckle escapes my lips as she wraps her fingers around the lapels of my suit jacket. She looks into my eyes as she pushes it off my shoulder.

“Ares,” she whispers. “Did you mean it? When you told me you loved me… did you mean it?”

I smile at her despite the aching of my heart. I wish I could reach inside my heart and show her that it’s filled with nothing but her. “Every single word, Raven. Maybe it’s too soon, too quick. Or maybe… maybe we’ve been in the making for years, but neither of us had the courage to admit it to ourselves. I barely dare say the words, but it’s true. I’m in love with you, Raven Windsor. Hell, if I’m truly honest with myself, I fell for you long before you said I do.”

She looks at me with wide eyes, a sweet blush slowly coloring her cheeks pink. “Ares,” she murmurs. “I love you.”

Fuck. A rush of emotions I’ve never felt before nearly brings me to my knees. I’ll never get enough of hearing her say that. I roughly thread my hand through her hair and pull her closer, my lips finding hers with a new type of urgency. I’ve never so badly wanted to own someone, mark her as mine. “I’m fucking obsessed with you,” I murmur against her lips. “Every fucking piece of you.” She groans and wraps her legs around my hips, her body flush against mine. “And I, baby, love everything you are, right down to your beautiful soul. I love you, Raven.”

She pulls away to look at me. The look in her eyes tells me she doesn’t believe me, but that’s okay. I’ll spend the rest of our lives proving it to her.