Mairi waited for the photographer to take his first shot before looking up at Damen. Tension was evident on his face, making her reach up to caress his cheek. “Sorry,” she said penitently. Now that she had her husband’s complete attention, her resentment disappeared, along with the need to flirt with Drake.
The apology had Damen shooting a brooding look at his wife, whose moods as of late were unpredictable as hell. One moment she was acting like the perfect wife, the next moment she was acting like she couldn’t wait to leave him for Drake.
It was as if she was constantly trying to pick a fight with him, hoping he would one day tire of holding on to her.
But surely she had to know that that day would never come?
“Could you turn to your side, Mr. Leventis, and face your wife?” the photographer asked even as his finger continued hitting the shutter button.
Damen shifted sideways, and as his gaze took in Mairi’s profile, he couldn’t help noticing how she seemed to get lovelier each day. She was practically glowing. It should have been a good thing, if only a part of him didn’t think his wife’s blossoming looks had nothing to do with him at all.
Mairi tried not to fidget as she felt Damen’s hooded gaze linger on her. She tried not to think of what his thoughts were either. If she did, she had a feeling she would just get depressed.
How long, Mairi asked herself silently, would she be able to survive this kind of marriage? Every night, Damen would tell her he loved her. But not once…not one damn instance could Mairi make herself believe him.
If only she could turn back time and be the same starry-eyed girl who had innocently dreamed of marrying a Greek billionaire. But she wasn’t that girl anymore, and she didn’t think she ever could be again.
Her heart had gotten smarter after being broken so many times. Now, it rejected every word, every touch, and every look that came from Damen that hinted of love. Now, her heart knew better. Now it knew the truth.
Damen’s honor and guilt might have made him believe he really did love Mairi, but he did not.
She wished he did, but he just did not. Maybe he never had.
“How about looking like you’re lost in love, Mrs. Leventis?”
The question startled Mairi back to consciousness.
Her inner turmoil leaving her a little raw, Mairi couldn’t make herself look at Damen. Instead, she searched for Drake in the room. In the two months she and Damen had been married, Drake had turned into her shield, everything about him serving as a reminder of how much she needed to be strong.
A steely glint flashed in Damen’s eyes when he saw his wife searching for Morrison. She needed to fucking look for Morrison in order to appear in love?
Jaw clenching, he reached for her, fingers curling around her nape. The moment she faced him, Damen captured her lips with a kiss. He had wanted the kiss to be a punishment and a warning, but the moment their lips met, his heart won over his jealousy and anger.
Soft. Tender. Gentle.
I love you.
Mairi willed herself not to cry. She had expected Damen’s inherent possessiveness to take over in his kiss, but instead she tasted something else. Something she didn’t want to name.
When Damen slowly ended the kiss, all they could do was look at each other.
The unspoken emotions in the couple’s eyes had the photographer swallowing. His fingers shook as he raised his camera to his eye and started clicking. It was as if nothing existed for Damen and Mairi Leventis, their love pristine and untouchable despite all the ugliness that surrounded them.
Did she know how much he started to hope whenever she looked at him like this? His hand lifted, the urge to possess her born from a need that came from his heart. “Do you need some more shots like that?” His fingers grazed her cheek as he spoke, Damen’s question was aimed at the photographer, but his gaze remaining on Mairi.
Her lips still tingling after Damen’s unexpected kiss, it took a second for Mairi to understand the import of Damen’s words. When she did, she blushed and stammered, “I think he’s got enough.” When Damen seemed prepared to argue, she sent him a pleading look. Dear God, didn’t he see that she was still trying to catch her breath?
The look Mairi darted towards him made Damen smile. He was about to tease her by asking for another kiss when his phone buzzed insistently in his pocket.
Since Mairi was standing right next to Damen, she, too, heard the buzz coming from his pocket. Paling at the sound, her whole body tensing, Mairi swallowed back an instinctive plea for Damen not to answer it. To not choose another woman over his own wife.
“I have everything I need,” the photographer was saying enthusiastically. “Thanks for the time. I’ll make sure you all look great and the piece that comes with the photos will be just as great.”
Mairi only half heard the photographer’s words since most of her attention was on Damen’s buzzing phone. Inherent courtesy had Mairi forcing herself to concentrate on the photographer. “Thank you, Mister—?”
Mairi gasped when someone cupped her elbow from behind. The next thing she knew, she was being whirled around, her body slamming against Damen’s lean hard form.
When her startled gaze met his, Damen snarled down at her in a low, furious voice, “Where do you think you’re going?” But Damen didn’t give her a chance to reply, instead tightening his grip on her as he led her towards one of the unoccupied balconies.
Waiters balancing trays swerved out of his way, and a couple of guests almost tripped on their own feet in their effort to avoid Damen, who was bearing down on them like a charging knight.