Chapter 2

CORA

I woke up the next morning with a throbbing headache.

As I rolled onto my side, something solid shifted beneath me. Not the mattress.

"A body".

My eyes flew open.

And there was a man on my head. Not Annie. Not any of the girls. Not even Candice.

If I weren't still in my contact lenses, I would have thought Leon had suddenly got tanned, and he sneaked in in the middle of the night, but this didn't look anything like my husband.

Before I could stop myself, I let out a piercing scream as I jumped out of the bed.

The man stirred in his sleep, and then his eyes opened.

"Who are you?" I yelled.

His brows furrowed in confusion. I looked down at my body, my heart hammering fast.

Thankfully, I was still fully clothed. The man was fully dressed, too. It didn't look like anything disastrous had happened. I didn't even want to think about that at all.

But how did a man end up in my room? I looked around the room to be sure I didn't enter another person's room. I knew I had gotten drunk. I couldn't even remember how I got back to my room.

I was definitely in my room. Then, why was another man on my bed?

"Who are you?" I shouted, glaring daggers at him.

He let out a yawn. "Who are you?"

My face scrunched up. "You're in my room. I should be asking the question. How did you get here? Are you a thief? Did you hide in my room after you were almost caught?" Different scenarios played in my head. My eyes widened. "Did you try to do something to me?"

He looked down at his clothes. "From the look of things, I'm sure nothing happened."

"Then who are you? Why are you here? Did you break in?"

Before he could reply, a knock came from the door. My pulse quickened as we shared a look. This was terrible. Today was my wedding day, and I woke up to find another man in my bed. I'm not even a hundred percent sure nothing happened. How did I end up making such a drunken mistake?

He raised both palms as he stood up. "I promise, nothing happened."

I wanted to ask him more questions, but the knock came again. He wanted to open the door, but I stopped him.

"I'll do it. Please, find somewhere to disappear to."

Oh God! I tried to steady my breath as I approached the door. After ensuring he had disappeared into the bathroom, I unlocked the door.

"Oh my goodness, Cora. I've been knocking since forever. I told you not to drink last night, and now you're almost running late for your wedding. The make-up artist is in the reception already. Have you taken your bath?"

I cleared my throat. "I...I'll take my bath now."

She shook her head. "The wedding is starting soon. I tried calling you. I was almost on the verge of calling for the master key. Didn't you set up an alarm? How can you even sleep this much on your wedding eve?"

I forced a smile, looking behind me to be sure the man wasn't in sight. God! This was nerve-wracking. How did I find myself in this situation?

"We shouldn't be wasting time talking since the party is starting soon."

"Right." She snapped her fingers. "I'll go get the make-up artist." She hurried off before I could say anything.

I shut the door instantly.

He peeped through the bathroom door. "Is she gone?"

"Please, take your leave."

He bobbed his head. "I'll do that now."

He hurried to the door, and as he placed his hand on the doorknob, he stopped and turned to me.

"I'm sorry."

Then he disappeared. I squeezed my face. Sorry? What the hell was he sorry for?

Oh Goodness!

The sound from my phone interrupted my thoughts. I looked around to be sure of where the sound was coming from. It wasn't on the nightstand or the bed. I only found it under the bed.

How drunk was I?

It was a message from Leon.

Leon: Can't wait to finally call you my wife. I'm looking forward to seeing how stunning you'll look in your wedding dress. I might snap some necks today.

And he did.

As I walked down the aisle in the afternoon, his mouth curved into the widest grin I'd ever seen, but I could still see him shooting fires at other men from the corner of his eyes.

That was one thing about Leon. He always made me feel loved.

Even though Candice's actions almost gave me some doubts last night, I knew I could trust my husband.

And yes, the officiant had just pronounced us husband and wife.

The happiest moment of my life.

"You're so breathtaking," Leon breathed, kissing my earlobes as we walked into our hotel room that evening.

"I know."

He kicked the door shut with his feet.

"I've been imagining tearing this off since you walked down the aisle."

I giggled. "This cost a fortune. We can't just tear it."

He pulled me closer to himself, our heads touching. "I don't care." And in one single touch, he unzipped the dress.

I stepped away from my dress, and his smile widened.

"You're absolutely gorgeous, wifey," he uttered in a low tone, his voice turning me on.

Leon unclapsed my bra in a blink, catching me off guard. I let out a gasp as he pressed me flush to himself, claiming my mouth as he had never done.

Quickly, I helped him unbutton the shirt that was in our way. I needed to feel his body close to me. He flung the shirt wherever it landed and then pushed me on the bed.

Leon stared at my body like it was the first time he was seeing me. His eyes darkened, and I gestured at him with my index finger.

He crawled up to me. So slow that I was getting impatient.

His fingers twirled my left nipple, and I let out a moan.