Page 19 of Sweet Wicked Vows
Sugar, cinnamon, and dough—a match made in heaven.
Violet grabbed our order while I pulled out my mobile and finally replied to Jaxon. There was no point putting off the inevitable. He was coming back to New York, whether I wanted him to or not. We were going to live together, whether I wanted it or not.
He was my husband, whether I wantedhimor not.
“Trouble in paradise, already?” Violet joked, handing me a cup of hot chocolate and nodding at my phone. “You text any harder and you’re going to smash through the screen with your bare thumbs.”
I set my phone down. “Jaxon is coming back tomorrow.”
“I still find it weird that you’re married. Like death till us part married—without the actual love and care. Yet, he’s basically a stranger to you.”
“He’s not a total stranger,” I countered. “We met once before at a charity event. It was a passing meeting, nothing more. But I’ve met his brother several times at many functions. Jaxon never goes to them. Honestly, I kind of forgot that the two of them ran the company together.”
“I’m surprised your dad took it so well.” Violet sipped her green tea. “You always were adamant that you wouldn’t be pushed into one of those arranged marriages.”
“My father thinks we are in love, and that’s fine.” I wrapped my hands around my mug. “Even if that’s not entirely true, I don’t see what the big problem is. You and I know how things work in our world. Marriage is a way to form alliances. Look at Freya, her parents arranged her marriage to the owner of that huge techcompany.”
“She fought her parents tooth and nail the entire way down the aisle, though.”
“But the two of them made it work. When you see them now, they’re madly in love.”
“Is that what you want?” Violet asked. “To hopefully one day fall in love with him?”
The very idea of falling in love with someone like Jaxon was absurd.
We married each other for nothing more than business. Jaxon scared away any potential threats to my upcoming position, and his business-savvy mind would ensure I didn’t royally fuck up. In return, I allowed the Dades to move into the European territory of our business.
It really wasn’t a bad deal.
A simple tit-for-tat.
But the idea of falling in love with him? That was an impossible thought.
“All we have to do is tolerate each other for one year,” I said. “A year, and then it’ll be like it never happened. I’ll no longer have to work forReynolds Regality Jewels,nor will I have to stay married.”
“Think you’ll survive the year with him?”
“Don’t get me wrong, it would be nice if we found a way to at least become friends for the year.” Another absurd idea. “But I’m under no illusion. He wanted this marriage as much as I did.”
Violet frowned. “At least it’s an added bonus that he is nice to look at.” She grabbed her phone and pulled up his photograph. It was the same photo I found myself staring at for the past week, the one used in hisForbes Man of the Yeararticle. “I mean, if slightly terrifying, broody and sullen is your kind of thing.”
I laughed. “Stop that.”
“Oh my, is that a tattoo I see peeking from beneath his collar?”Violet zoomed in. “Well, hello there.”
“Vi, put your phone away.”
There was no point in lying and saying that I didn’t find Jaxon attractive, but he was everything my ex wasn’t. Laurence and Jaxon were day and night. My ex-fiancé was blond and blue-eyed, with his old-money natural good looks and outgoing charm.
I truly thought Laurence was my soulmate and someone I’d grow old with.
We’d gotten so close with our wedding set for the end of the year. Laurence was everything I ever wanted.
Not the frowny, tattooed man who was seven years my senior, and from what I knew about him, was known for his quick temper and lack of social skills.
There may have been a reason Frederic attended all the social events and not Jaxon.
“I’m going to need your help,” I said as Violet scrutinized over every inch of the photo. “Something I know you are going to love.”