Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“How are you doing?” Peter asked, coming to stand with her.
“Fine. How are you doing?” she asked, knowing that with all the alcohol flowing, it couldn’t be easy.
“Fine. Our parents have their guard attached, or should I say two. I imagine it’s so I don’t embarrass them this time.”
There was a guard in front of him and a second one behind him.
“If it makes you feel any better, they mean well.” It didn’t feel right saying so and she knew it was because they didn’t want him to make a scene.
“You and I both know why they’ve done this crap.”
She couldn’t argue with him on that.
“I know nothing I say is going to change what is happening, Galina, but Mikhail is a good guy. I know you and him have your differences, but he will take care of you. He’s a much better choice than Vik.”
She turned toward her brother. “Do you really think so?”
“Yes, I know so. Trust me, Vik was a bad choice. Dad and I argued about this.”
It was nice to know her dad and brother argued about who they believed to be the best man for the job.
“Do you mind?” Mikhail asked.
She hadn’t noticed him approaching, but he held out a hand to her. The first dance had already happened, and couples were enjoying their time on the dance floor.
“Don’t mind me,” Peter said.
Galina had two choices—refuse and ignore the hand offered to her, make a scene, or simply take his hand. She didn’t want to make a scene.
She had a horrible feeling her parents would blame Peter for doing or saying something that made her react. They wouldn’t understand that she had her own mind and her own feelings. So, she slid her palm within Mikhail’s and followed him back onto the dance floor.
“Do I need to ask what that was about?” Mikhail said.
“No, there’s no reason. Peter just offering his congratulations and hinting that you’re going to be a good husband to me.”
“And what do you think?”
“About what?”
“Am I going to be a good or bad husband to you?”
“I guess that’s up to you, isn’t it?” she asked, tilting her head to the side and forcing herself to look up into his eyes.
This made him smile. “You’re not curious to know what I have planned?”
She was and she wasn’t.
“I don’t know. I guess I intended to take it one day at a time.”
This made him chuckle. “You don’t exactly have a whole lot of faith in me, do you?”
She took a deep breath. “I’ve never been married before. I don’t know what to expect.”
“Neither have I,” he said.
“True, but do you have any expectations?”
“None.”
This made her frown. “You haven’t thought about how our life is going to be?”
In all honesty, she’d spent the last few months in several different states of confusion, and she didn’t know what she wanted. On the one hand, she wanted out of this marriage, because it was Mikhail Belsky—bully, asshole, pain in the ass, and everything in between. Then, spending time with him and learning that he’s not the world’s biggest asshole, made her actually enjoy her time with him. This freaked her out, because once again she was back to the main problem, which was all the labels she’d given to Mikhail Belsky.
They hadn’t been friends. They hadn’t even gotten along.
She always tried to stay out of his way, and now she was married to him. Expected to obey his every command, sleep beside him, have sex with him, and do everything that a wife was meant to want to do. It was almost laughable considering how long she had hated him, but also, she was shocked by how much she liked his touch. At least, she thought it was.
Galina stared at her hands where they rested on his arms, and tried not to think, tried not to do anything, but she knew the countdown was already on. It had started the moment their parents announced their engagement. They would be expected to retire for the night, where they’d be going to a bedroom to … consummate their marriage. She would have sex with Mikhail. She didn’t know if she was excited or nervous about this.
“Galina, I have no set plans. I have no strict rules. I’ve never lived with anyone but my parents and siblings.”
And because he was supposed to take over when the time was right and his father stepped down, she knew they weren’t close. She had met his younger brother and sisters. They were at the wedding, but again, their presence had been nothing more than a passing few seconds. Boris Belsky had seen to that. He wanted his son in the limelight. Their time as the next generation of Bratva.
She didn’t know if she would be able to handle everything that was coming, but she was going to keep her head held high and just deal with whatever happened. She was already married to a man she didn’t want, and Mikhail was proving to be contradicting everything she knew about him.