Wild Billionaire Romance - Chapter 74: Chapter 74

JOSEF
Nervousness crept up my spine like the sneaky bastard it was. I cracked my neck, tugging on my suddenly too tight collar.
Where is she? Is she having second thoughts?
Before I could work myself into a lather, I heard soft footfalls in the hallway, followed by some murmuring, and I froze.
Mario opened the door. My heart stuttered. I smelled her before I saw her, and the sweet scent made me groan.
Goddamn.
It took me years to hunt down that particular brand of cocoa butter body cream.
It was made by a Swiss shop, something she must still order despite the expense and her limited funds.
Yes, I’d already looked over all her financials.
I knew about her job, which was almost volunteering with as little as she made there. She hardly touched the money Franklin had been paying her over the past fifteen years.
Well, save for a few large withdrawals. My men were still digging into that.
Did she give the money to an old boyfriend? Spend it on something frivolous?
I had no idea, and it made me curious. I was aware I didn’t really know Little Red anymore.
Hell, maybe I never had.
But I trusted she wasn’t doing anything diabolical with it. If she spent some money to pamper herself with expensive body cream, who was I to judge?
Fact was, I hunted for the origins of her cocoa butter scent until I finally found the closest thing to it in a Swiss chocolate shop when I’d been overseas for Volkov Industries.
It was a short jump to where she got the cream. Since I couldn’t walk around smelling like a chick, I did the next best thing. I bought the chocolate. By the fucking ton.
Apparently, it was all made in the same little town where her body butter was made. Both the chocolates and the body cream used the same grade cocoa butter.
Every single fucking night I ate a piece.
No, I did not gorge myself.
I couldn’t.
My position demanded I keep fit. So being a glutton was out of the question.
But I was definitely an addict.
Limiting myself to one piece with the promise of another the next day was the only way I made it through some nights.
But I was marrying Meredith now. I’d have access to her softly scented skin whenever I wanted it.
Hmmmm.
I wondered if the chocolate would still be necessary.
Breathing in her sweet flavor, I sure as fuck didn’t think so.
After all, it wasn’t chocolate that I was addicted to.
It was her.
My gaze raked over her from the pile of red curls pinned on top of her head in glorious disarray, down the flutter-sleeved dark pink gown she wore that hugged her curves in all the right places.
The deep v showed a scandalous amount of cleavage, and my mouth was fucking watering for a taste.
She looked like the perfect combination of innocent and wicked. She looked like a fucking goddess, promising heaven, but more likely to send me to hell with a blink of her emerald eyes.
“You look,” I said, pausing when my voice sounded rougher than I wanted.
“Oh, um, I exchanged the dress,” she confessed, as if I didn’t know.
I’d asked for something classy in an ivory or off-white. Something that said bride or first wedding, but nothing in stark white cause I knew she hated it.
I remembered.
But this was so much better. I couldn’t believe I didn’t think of pink. She used to always wear one shade of pink or other. I just never considered it for a bride.
More fool me.
She was breathtaking.
“You went to the boutique?” I asked, suddenly angry that she left without me knowing.
“No. I called down. The salesperson did a video call and showed me the selections they had available. I hope you don’t mind. I have money if⁠—”
“Little Red, I don’t ever want you to offer me money again. Understand?”
The idea of her paying for anything made my hackles rise. Wasn’t money the reason she left me to begin with?
I didn’t have any back then. But I had plenty now. More than Franklin Gray ever had.
“I understand,” she repeated, her voice soft and hesitant.
Shit. I was fucking this up.
“You look beautiful, Meredith. Pink suits you,” I said, trying to make up for my temper.
“Thanks. So do you,” she replied instantly, a smile teasing the corner of her mouth.
“I look beautiful?” I repeated, and fuck, was I smirking?
When was the last time I did that? I hardly knew.
“You know what I mean, Josef,” she replied, rolling her pretty green eyes at me.
“Boss? They’re ready for you,” Mario said, letting me know the officiant was all set up.
I extended my arm and waited. A pregnant pause filled the room, but Meredith finally, gingerly, slid her small hand into the crook of my elbow.
I pressed it against my side. I knew better than to enjoy the way she felt tucked close to my body.
But I couldn’t help it. I did enjoy it.
A lot.
Exhaling softly, I led the way inside the small private room I booked for the ceremony.
The overhead lights were turned almost off, but the wall fixtures were on, and the effect was a soft, ethereal glow. It was nice.
The officiant was an older man. He stood between two large flower displays, and I looked down, frowning at Meredith’s empty hands.
Fuck.
I should have bought her flowers. Regret slammed into me, almost making me trip. I felt her questioning gaze on my face, but I just kept walking.
There were papers to sign, and we went through the motions. First her than me. She handed me the pen when she was done, and I frowned.
Meredith didn’t take time to read them. She had no way of knowing I’d arranged for ownership of her stepfather’s company to be transferred back to her the second the ceremony was complete.
I didn’t want her beholden to me from the start. Even though I’d used Gray Corps as leverage to get her to marry me to begin with, I wanted her to know it was hers.
But how the fuck was I supposed to admit that now?
So I kept my mouth shut.
“Are you ready?” the officiant asked.
I looked at Meredith and noted with pride the way she nodded immediately.
Goddamn. She’s perfect.
I was dangerously close to believing she wanted to marry me.
And that was not okay.
This woman had played me for a fool before and there was no way I could allow that to happen again.
This time, I held the reins. I decided the when and how and what of our relationship.
I wasn’t that stupid jackass she led around by his collar anymore. I was Josef motherfucking Aziz. A man to be reckoned with. Powerful. Rich. Influential. Still lethal as fuck.
And soon, I would add husband to that list of attributes.
“Dearly beloved,” the officiant began.
It was difficult to concentrate. I was aware of her on a level I hadn’t quite expected.
We were quite the pair. A hunter and his prey.
Big Bad Wolf and Little Red.
The vows we recited were simple. I didn’t want to futz around, so I stuck to the classics.
To have and to hold.
I couldn’t fucking wait to have her in my arms.
For better, for worse.
We already had worse. I was looking forward to better.
For richer, for poorer.
Neither of us would ever have to worry about that one. I’d made sure of that.
In sickness and in health.
I was healthy as a horse, and I would always take care of her. The idea of her being sick made my heart squeeze and my stomach turn.
No, I wasn’t willing to look too closely at that just yet.
To love and to cherish until death do us part.
This was a problem. I couldn’t love my wife.
Oh, I had no plans to let her go.
But I couldn’t allow myself to be vulnerable with her.
Not again.
Despite that, I could cherish her body with mine.
Could she love me?
The thought appealed to me in more ways than one. I never had someone who loved me. Never had someone who cared.
I thought she loved me, once upon a time, but that was just a fairytale.
Maybe I could seduce her into caring for me. I definitely wanted to try.
All I knew was if she ever tried to leave me again, well then, I’d just have to prove how ruthless I could be.
I wasn’t kidding when I said until death. Oh, I’d never hurt her. But I’d kill anyone who tried to take her from me.
Meredith Gray was mine now.