— Admit It —
Yup, she'd gone tipsy.
Still in her wedding dress, Viviana spun on her bare feet, stopping to face Nikolas, who was seated on the sofa, legs crossed.
They'd had a few shots since they'd arrived at the penthouse. She'd suggested it boldly, and now she was… a bit tipsy, cheeks pink and all.
"What do you think?" Viviana asked, rolling her shoulders. "Do you like my apartment?"
Nikolas sipped his whiskey, taking his surroundings in. "It's a very nice place."
"And it's quite expensive. It makes me wonder about the cost of the king en suite."
"The… king ensuite?" He sat his drink down.
She nodded at him. "It is at the very top. The hundredth floor. It's far more expensive than any other suite within this penthouse. I'm not entirely sure who occupies it, but I believe it's Nikolas Bastiani. After all, this penthouse belongs to him."
Nikolas swallowed, suddenly dragging at his loose tie.
"You know…" Her eyes narrowed, head dropping to the side as she stared intently at him. "It's sort of weird how you bear the exact same name as him—"
He choked on the drink.
"—You can play it off as him, and I think someone might just believe you."
His laughter came out nervously. "Yeah. No. The real Nikolas Bastiani is all over the media, cupcake. It wouldn't work."
"Is that so?"
He met her eyes.
Was she messing with him? There was no way she could know he was the real Nikolas Bastiani.
"Why are you so nervous, Nikolas?" He watched as she walked up to him, bending to level his gaze. "You should relax. I know you've never been somewhere like this before, which is perfectly fine. Nothing to feel anxious over."
Pressing her palms to both his cheeks, she winked at him, blooming a wide smile he'd never seen on her before. "We're married after all. And you belong to me, as you said."
This one truly reached her eyes. And it was pretty.
Nikolas's pupils stayed blown wide, his mouth open as he held eye contact with her. "Why don't you smile more?"
Viviana's stomach twisted.
The smile fell off her face, and she turned away, having her back to him. "My father says one too many smiles is not befitting of a woman like me. To be a Di-grassi, you can only give a smile when necessary, and it must be polished. Like this."
She glanced at him, curling her lips slightly.
"It can't be too big, but it can't be too little." Her shoulders slumped. "It really wasn't easy learning to control even the steps I took. He always said I couldn't give the media a reason to speak about me in any negative way. I had to be perfect like a…"
"Doll?"
"Mhm, something like that."
Nikolas mused, "When something is too perfect, it becomes boring."
Viviana licked her lips, holding his eyes.
"Do you think I'm boring?"
"No," he hummed with just a little smile. "You're anything but perfect. You have flaws. At least I see them. But I like them."
Silence dropped between the both of them. Neither was willing to break eye contact until he did first, following the colors that spread and filled up the tip of her ears.
He arched a dark brow. "Why are you blushing?"
"Wh-what?" She blinked, the blank she tried to hold crumpling. "I'm not blushing!"
"Yes, you are," Nikolas said, standing to his feet. "Your ears are red."
He stared at her so boldly and intimately, it felt like he breathed some kind of fire into her soul. Standing there, unmoving, in the pure line of his sight.
"That's absurd," she responded, and then shrugged as she glanced away, taking whatever thoughts had been brewing behind those hazel eyes. "Besides, why are you speaking to me so casually?"
"Aren't you my wife, Viviana?"
She rapidly blinked. Why did he say her name like that? And wait— "I didn't allow you to say my name."
"Do I need permission?" He crowded her space, towering over her with his full height. "I think I should be able to say your name."
She considered it with a frown.
"That's…"
Her voice dropped and her gaze sliced to his face. "That's only fair, I suppose. I don't really mind."
"Or do you prefer, little lady? Wife? Cupcake? Or maybe even, your highness?" There was a sluggish blur in his eyes, the kind that came with too many drinks.
Vivana choked, "What?"
"Look at your face."
He reached over and tapped his hand on her back as she tried to draw in air from choking.
"I've never seen you so red."
"What are you trying to say? What in the world are you expecting me to say?"
"But it was a simple question." His eyes grew dark. "You like it when I call you those. You just refuse to admit it."
Viviana's jaw dropped.
And he chuckled as she was rendered speechless.
"You are talking nonsense!" She'd expected he'd be the type to hold his drink pretty well. But no, he seemed fragile to it, and she was more than sure she'd had more glasses compared to him. "You're a drunk mess."
"I'm vulnerable to alcohol. Can't really help it at all." He laughed. It was one of a vampire's biggest weaknesses. They couldn't hold alcohol even if they tried.
Viviana scoffed. "Why didn't you say? It's not as if you had to force yourself to drink with me—"
He leaned and pressed his lips to hers. "You didn't let me have my kiss at the wedding. I was supposed to kiss the bride, and you robbed me."
She was too stunned to speak, frozen on the spot and unmoving, not even when he kissed her again, this time without pulling back. She, like a cloth in the washing machine, shrunk under his hold.
It felt as if liquid fire had been poured over her body.
His full lips moved over hers, every hot breath that left her mouth swallowed completely by him like he owned it. Her fingers came at his arms, digging into the material of his shirt, as he explored, nipped, and bit at her lower lip before claiming her mouth again.
'Why am I going along with this?' No, a better question was, why did it feel good to be kissed? This marriage was just… it was contractual. But she couldn't stop for some odd reason. Didn't even want to stop him as he slanted his head sideways, deepening the kiss further, where his tongue swiped over hers, devouring her slowly.
She'd never even kissed a man before, heck, her father never allowed her to date anyone. And she'd never really thought much of a kiss, nor that it could ever feel so good.
More so as Nikolas pressed his hand to the small of her back, groaning into her mouth like he couldn't get enough of her.
Her moan tore back into his mouth, the shock of it finally snapping her back to her senses.
'No!' She wasn't supposed to get into anything romantic with him.
Tearing her mouth from his, she stumbled backwards, almost tripping over her own feet. Nikolas, however, caught her wrist and yanked her back to prevent her fall.
He didn't resume the kiss but rather ran his tongue over the two teeth that were oddly a bit longer than the rest. Maybe it was an effect of the drink she'd had, but she could see those two teeth growing a tad bit longer every second, up until he snapped his lips shut.
Were her eyes playing tricks on her?
She shifted her gaze to the darker green of his eyes sprinkled with a bit of dark sensuality, setting some sort of fire ablaze in her stomach. She took a slow breath, ignoring the burn inside of her.
"I—you can't just…" She felt overwhelmed. "You can't just—"
Nikolas collapsed. Against her shoulder.
She went still.
He was completely knocked out. But that aside,
He was HEAVY!
She couldn't hold his weight, falling backwards with a heavy thud. Nikolas landed completely on top of her, earning a strangled grunt from her.
"UGH!" She grabbed at his shoulders. "Nikolas!"