LITMIR.BIZ

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God the ceremony had been small and private. No one but the immediate family attended. However, the reception was large, with hundreds of guests flying in from all over the world to witness the marriage of Elexis Dukas and Damen Alexopoulos.

      Kassiani stopped pacing to double over, wanting to throw up as she imagined appearing at the reception. The guests would laugh when they saw her. It was one thing to be Elexis in private, hidden beneath layers of thick lace. It was another to be Elexis in front of those who knew her sister best.

      Kass couldn’t imagine joining Damen on the terrace for dinner, or dancing, or cutting of the cake. She’d convinced herself she could do this—but she’d thought only about the ceremony and vows. She hadn’t taken in the terror of appearing in public as his new wife.

      His wife.

      Kassiani’s legs buckled and she dropped onto the edge of the bed, her full skirts billowing up around her, her feet aching from her stupid shoes.

      What had she done?

      She was wiping away tears when her bedroom door suddenly opened and Damen entered her room.

      He hadn’t even knocked. He’d simply barged in.

      Her head jerked up, her lips parting in surprise, but she uttered no protest. His fierce expression silenced anything she might have said.

      She waited for him to speak.

      He didn’t.

      He simply stared at her, and the silence was unbearable. A tremor coursed through her.

      Time slowed to a crawl. The seconds felt like minutes. She tried to meet his gaze but his scathing look of contempt was more than she could endure in that moment. “Please say something,” she finally murmured.

      “Our guests have been waiting.”

      Again she pictured the stone terrace filled with linen-draped tables and gleaming candelabras. The reception was a sophisticated palette of cream, bisque and white and Kassiani did not belong there. It wasn’t her wedding. They weren’t her guests. This wasn’t her party. “I couldn’t go down.”

      “Am I to bring the guests up to you?”

      “No. Please don’t.”

      “Do you want to be carried down?”

      “No.” She couldn’t look at him. Her eyes burned. What had seemed so brave and necessary this morning now seemed like the worst idea imaginable.

      “It’s a little late to turn coward.”

      She hung her head. “I agree.”

      Silence stretched. The room was so quiet she could hear his low, irritated exhale. “If you’re expecting sympathy—”

      “I’m not.”

      “Good. This is your own fault.”

      She started to speak, but then closed her mouth, pressing her lips together. He was right, of course. How could she argue the point?

      “You can’t just sit up here all night,” he added after a moment.

      She plucked at a pearl embroidered into the skirt of her gown. “I’m not much of a party person. I never have been.”

      “Even if it’s your own wedding?”

      “As we both know, it wasn’t supposed to be.”

      “Therein lies the problem.”

      She briefly met his gaze, her breath catching in her throat before she swiftly averted her head, blood rushing to her cheeks.

      He made her so nervous. He was nothing like her father or brother. He was nothing like anyone she’d ever known before.

      “How did you think this would go?” he asked, his tone shifting, less harsh, almost mild.

      The change in tone surprised her, but still she couldn’t speak.

      Kassiani bit her lip, unable to answer.

      “Truthfully,” he prompted.

      Her shoulders twisted. She hated this helpless, pathetic feeling. She hated feeling like a failure. She hadn’t married him to be a failure. “I didn’t think about the reception and the guests. To be honest, this part didn’t even cross my mind. It was just the ceremony...and then...” She drew a quick breath and lifted her head, her eyes meeting his. “...the rest.”

      “And what was the rest?”

      “Being a proper wife.” She could see from the cynical glint in his eyes that he didn’t believe her. “I understand what wives do. Your comfort is my responsibility—”

      “Your father told you this?”

      “I’m a Greek woman. I know what Greek men expect.”

      There was something in his dark, speculative gaze that made her skin prickle and her pulse lurch, and she didn’t know how to manage so many new and strange feelings at the same time.

      “Go on, then.”

      She swallowed hard, trying not to betray just how nervous she felt. “Besides taking care of you, I’m to manage your home...or homes. I’m to provide you with children. And I understand and accept those responsibilities.”

      “It seems one of the Dukas daughters is dutiful, then.”

      “Elexis and I have different strengths.”

      “She likes parties.”

      “She would have enjoyed the reception, yes.”

      “And the photographers.”

      “The camera loves her.”

      “What did your father do to convince you to take your sister’s place?”

      Her brow creased. “Excuse me?”

      “Did he threaten you? Or was there a bribe involved? How did he get you to walk down the aisle and go through this whole...charade?”

      “It’s not a charade. I married you.” She paused, gathering herself. “Of my own volition.”

      “So you volunteered?”

      “No. I didn’t volunteer. This isn’t exactly a volunteer position.”

      He made a rough sound in the back of his throat and Kassiani calmly added, “But when my father presented me the...situation... I agreed that it was a problem and my family was indebted to you. It wouldn’t be right for the Dukases to humiliate you. So I agreed to take Elexis’s place so that the merger of businesses and families could still take place.”

      “Wasn’t there a saint named Kassiani?”

      “She was a hymnographer, not a virgin bride.”

      He gave her another long look. “I’m to be grateful the Dukas virgin has been forced onto me?”

      She winced but refused to dwell on his sarcasm. “You’re not being forced into anything. You can annul this afternoon’s ceremony. Tomorrow. The next day. The day after.” Her chin lifted. “As long as we don’t consummate the marriage, you’re free to annul this marriage at any time.”

      “Is that what you’re hoping I’ll do?”

      “No. I said vows today and I intend to keep them. It is my expectation that we’ll consummate the marriage tonight.”

      “And if I don’t feel like falling into bed with...you?”

      A lump filled her throat. She was aware of how disappointing she was as a woman. She could never compare, or compete, with Elexis. But she was still a woman and she had feelings. And hopes. And dreams. “I will do my best to make you want me.”

      The glance he shot her seemed laced with scorn and then he walked away from her, crossing the

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