Kai drove for hours into the night, his worried gaze occasionally drifting to the beautiful lady seated by his side, who had refused to say a single word to him.
Every one of his attempts to console her had been met with a brick wall, which seemed to grow stronger and thicker by the second.
Except for her sniffing and silent sobs, her broken gaze remained transfixed on the side window, her tears streaked face partially illuminated by the soft glow of the passing street light.
After almost four hours of driving, he pulled over at a peaceful beach resort, known for its tantalizing seafood.
Keeping the engine running, he turned his full attention to the pretty damsel, still looking captivating in her wedding dress, a wild idea spinning in his head.
"How would you like to get married tonight?" Kai asked out of the blue and immediately got the reaction he was waiting for.
"Are you out of your freaking mind?" Ruby whipped her head sideways to face him, anger rising in her raspy voice.
"No..." Kai smiled, his deep husky voice wrapping around Ruby like an octopus tentacle caressing its mate.
"We are both dressed for the occasion." Kai gestured at their outfit. "We might as well tie the knot. Marry me, Ruby Angelo."
"You are crazy." Ruby spat out.
"I know." Kai's smile deepened.
"Does this look like a joke to you?" Ruby narrowed her gaze at him, her heart constricting with bitterness. "Do I look funny?"
"Not at all my dear. On the contrary, you look stunning." Kai meant every word as he held her angry gaze.
"You know what, I'm not going to sit here and give you the pleasure of watching me crack. Thanks for coming to my rescue. I can take it from here." Ruby made an attempt to unbuckle her seat belt but Kai beat her to it, helping her remove the seat belt gently.
"What are you afraid of..." He whispered, his voice smooth as silk, as his fingers gently stroked her bare skin, sending an electrifying shiver down her spine.
"Don't you want to get back at that jerk for humiliating you today?"
"By marrying you?" Ruby scoffed.
"Yes," Kai smirked. "You make the rules. You decide how this relationship would go. I won't ask for anything in return, except for a chance to show that jerk what he has lost."
Ruby stared into Kai's deep blue eyes which seemed to sparkle with a bewitching glint that had her temporarily spell bound. Her eyes unintentionally flickered to his full, sexy lips, and memories from that sinfully delicious night flashed across her mind, causing her body to stiffen.
Kai smirked as their eyes locked again, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"Look at it this way. Your ex-lover would be expecting you to be the good girl and forgive him for your family's sake. He would expect you to come back crying to him. What if you returned home already married? It will be the perfect payback for his infidelity."
"And what do you stand to gain in all of this?" Ruby sneered.
"Your company, your smiles and your feistiness. But like I said earlier, we are doing this on your terms."
"You make a juicy offer. But I still don't trust you. I don't even know you or how you found me." Ruby eyed him suspiciously.
"My bad." Kai sat up, his right hand outstretched towards her. "I'm Kai Treshvire, the CEO of Treshvire Fashion and an art enthusiast."
"You mean like the Treshvire Fashion, formerly managed by the legendary Leon Treshvire, known for his famous luxury brand and functional design?!" Ruby's eyes widened in shock.
"Hmm... You seem to know a lot about my dad." Kai's smirk deepened. "But yes. That's me. So, is that a yes to my offer?"
"How did you find me?" Ruby refused to take his hand, still not trusting him.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you that I've been searching for you since that fateful night we met."
"Why?!" Ruby raised a brow.
"Well, for starters, you left without even telling me your name." Kai slowly brought down his hand, his back leaning on the seat. "When I woke up and realised that you were gone, I thought I must have sucked so badly that you couldn't wait to get away from me."
"No..." Ruby's face turned beet red with embarrassment as more scenes of the night unfolded in her head as if she were watching a porn movie. "I...don't think you were....bad." She averted his gaze. "I just...you know what, it doesn't matter. Even if I had slept with a thousand men, it won't change the fact that all men are scum." She hissed.
Kai chuckled, seeing that feisty side come to life.
"So is that a yes to my proposal?" He offered his hand again, smirking devilishly at her. "No paparazzi. No annoying friends or family. No jerks with disgusting secrets. Just you and me. Your terms and conditions. You are the boss and you call the shots. We could get our marriage certificate by tomorrow morning.
For the first time since Bailey's heartbreaking revelation, a smile slowly crept up Ruby's face as she accepted Kai's hand.
"Fine, let's get married."
-
-
Ruby, now changed into a simple flowing dress, sat on the sandy beach shore with a blanket draped over her slender shoulder.
The cold sea breeze blew her flaming red hair across her face, as she stared at the make-shift wedding ring on her finger–a symbol of her marriage to Kia Treshvire.
When she woke up this morning, she didn't anticipate her day would end up this way–married to a complete stranger and staring hopelessly at the calm sea, wondering what the heck she had gotten herself into.
"Mom would freak out for sure..." She chuckled to herself, tears of regret and betrayal slipping down her flushed cheek.
The approaching sound of someone forced her to quickly wipe her streaming tears.
"Hey wifey..." Kai called casually, kneeling by her side while holding a tray of tantalising barbecued fish and some colourful rainbow drink.
"What's this?!" Ruby flashed him a cold stare.
"Dinner," Kai smirked, carefully dropping the tray down.
He was looking even more handsome now that he was wearing a sexy two-piece cream shirt and short set, with the first two buttons undone.
Ruby found herself shamelessly admiring those beautifully sculptured broad shoulders and those sexy full lips as he spoke softly.
She found herself wishing he could unbutton his shirt and reveal those perfectly chiselled abs that were already making her toes curl and her core slightly moist as she remembered what they looked like on that unforgettable night.
When her eyes slowly met his, staring right back at her, she almost passed out from embarrassment. She quickly turned her face away and mumbled an apology.
"You don't have to be, wifey. Remember, we are married now and everything you see here belongs to only you."
"Yeah right!" Ruby sneered. "As if you do not have thousands of girlfriends waiting for you back home."
"Actually.... I don't." Kai picked up one of the disposable paper plates and served some of the barbecued spicy fish on it.
"You don't expect me to believe such lies right?" Ruby sneered.
"I don't expect you to believe anything?" Kai brought the plate up to her. "I just want my wife to eat something tonight and stop thinking about everything."
"I told you before... I'm not hungry." Ruby snapped angrily at him.
For some weird reason, she found the smell of the barbecue fish, which had been her favourite in the past, nauseating. "Take this smelly stuff out of my face." She slapped the plate out of Kai's hand, and it fell on the white sand.
When their gaze met, she immediately regretted her actions as she saw the look of disappointment in his eyes.
But she didn't get the chance to apologise as her nauseating feeling hit harder with the smell of the barbecue fish filling her nostrils. She quickly cupped her mouth and sprang up to her feet, her eyes widening with panic.
The blanket draped over her shoulder fell to the sand as she hurried away from him before expelling the yellowish liquid substance in her gut.
Crying and vomiting at the same time, Ruby thought the night couldn't get worse until she felt those tender reassuring hands stroking her back gently, while his other hand held up her hair.
"Please go away...I look terrible. I don't need your pity." She wiped her lips with the back of her hand, embarrassed by her current state.
Kai ignored her as he signalled one of the resort workers who came running with a bottle of water towards them.
"Here... rinse your mouth with this and drink a little water. It will help you feel better."
Ruby collected the bottle from him with trembling hands and washed her mouth while splashing some on her face.
"I'm sorry about the food," Kai said softly, collecting the bottle of water from her when she was done. "But I can't let you go to bed on an empty stomach. Just tell me what you want and I'll get it immediately for you."
Ruby bit down on her lips, needing someone to hold her at the moment, more than anything in the world.
Pushing aside her pride for at least tonight, her voice cracked as she whispered.
"Can you please hold me?"
Kai's eyes lit up like fireworks as he pulled her into his warm and loving embrace. He whispered softly into her ear, while his hands stroked her back.
"Let it all out, Ruby. I'm not going anywhere."