The Wrong Bride: Ares and Raven’s Story (The Windsors)

“I hate you!” Sierra yells from the backseat, before turning to Raven. “Don’t you hate him too?”

Raven nods. “Yes,” she says, before looking at me through the rearview mirror, her gaze unfocused. “I hate you,” she whispers, her voice breaking.

Something about the way she says it hits me hard, and a dull ache spreads across my chest. I know they’re both just drunk, but I’ve never seen Raven look at me this way.

“And why is that, Cupcake?”

She looks away and rests her head against Sierra’s, the two of them cuddled up in the backseat. I sigh and keep my attention on the road as I drive us home, confused. Raven and Sierra mostly keep to themselves, and the last time I caught them drunk or hungover was when they were in college. Why the hell did they drink so much tonight? And what the hell did I do to deserve their hatred when it’s me who picked them up at three in the morning, without a single complaint?

I park my car in front of my condo absentmindedly, and it isn’t until the girls rush out of the car and toward my front door that I realize I should’ve taken them to the main house instead. Shit.

“Open it!” Sierra orders, her eyes still flashing with anger.

“If I do, will you stop being mad at me?” I can’t even recall the last time my little sister was mad at me. Even though I’m ten years older than her, she and I have always been close. I’m not sure what’s going on today.

Raven walks up to me and places her hand on my bicep. “Why won’t you let us in?” she asks, her voice carrying a hint of agony. Oh fuck.

“I will, sweetheart. Of course I will.”

I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her along to the front door, unlocking it with my fingerprint. Sierra throws a glare my way as she rushes into my house, kicking off her heels before running to the kitchen.

“Come on,” I tell Raven, but she shakes her head.

“I don’t wanna walk,” she says. “You carry me.”

I chuckle, surprised by her cute voice and her petulant expression. Raven has never asked me for help, and she’s never acted spoiled this way. It’s kind of endearing.

“Okay, Cupcake.” I reach down and place one hand behind her knees as I lift her into my arms. She giggles and rests her head against my chest as I carry her to the sofa. The way she looks up at me… there’s no hatred in her eyes now, but in the car I was certain that’s exactly what I saw.

“Why are you two so mad at me today?”

I place her on the sofa carefully, and she shakes her head. “Secret.”

“Since when do you keep secrets from me?”

Raven laughs, the sound melodious. “I’ve kept secrets from you for years.”

“Oh yeah? Tell me one.”

Her eyes roam over my body, pausing on the gray sweatpants I’m wearing. “Every time I see you wearing those, I wonder what they’d look like if your dick is hard. Would I be able to see every contour?”

My eyes widen, and I cough nervously. That is not what I expected her to say. “You what?”

Raven merely shrugs and bends over to take off her shoes, giving me a clear view of her breasts. She’s not wearing a bra. Fuck. Did she go out like that? Silas’s bodyguards better have done their goddamn job, so help me God.

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to,” she singsongs.

I look away and clear my throat. “I’m going to check up on Sierra,” I tell her, before escaping in the same direction my sister disappeared in. My heart races all the way to the kitchen. Raven has never once acted inappropriately with me. She’s never even given me an sign that she sees me as a man at all. What the fuck? What’s with the sweatpants comment?

“Sierra?” I call.

I sigh when I find my sister asleep on my kitchen floor, clutching a block of cheese that she’s clearly taken a big bite out of. What’s wrong with both of my girls tonight?

My thoughts are whirling as I carry Sierra to my bedroom. Even in her sleep, she’s mumbling that she hates me. What in the hell have I done to earn their ire? I try to think back to anything I may have done or said in the last few days and come up blank.

I carefully put Sierra in my bed and tuck her in before heading back to the living room, my steps hesitant. I’ve always been so comfortable around Raven, but tonight I’m nervous.

“Rave?”

I find her sitting on the sofa, her legs crossed. She looks up at the sound of my voice and smiles. “Ares.” The way she says my name has always been different. It’s always been sexy, but even more so tonight.

She pats the seat next to her, and I shake my head. “Let’s get you into bed, sweetheart.”

“No,” she says, her expression petulant. “Come sit.”

I sigh as I do as she asks. “What’s up, Rave? Why do you seem so upset tonight? Why does Sierra insist that she hates me?”

She looks at me and tilts her head, clearly drunk. “You wanna know?”

I nod, and she smirks as she draws her knees up before turning toward me. Before I realize what’s going on, Raven climbs onto my lap and places her hands on my shoulders, straddling me.

I groan softly at the feel of her ass on my thighs and wrap my hands around her waist. “What are you doing, Cupcake?”

“I want to sit here, Ares.”

“You can’t.”

“I know, but I’m going to do it anyway.”

“Raven, how much did you drink today?”

She pulls herself closer, and I grit my teeth. She’s sitting right on top of my cock, and though I’m trying my hardest not to, it’s all I can think of.

“Not enough,” she says. “I’ve never had the courage I needed, and I think I’ll always regret it, you know?”

I’ve never seen her look so tormented before. I always thought I knew Raven so well, but I’m realizing now that there’s a depth to her I’ve never noticed before. “What is it you’ll regret?”

She wraps her arms around my neck and looks away. “Not going after the man I love. If I had, would things be different now? Would I be happier?”

I tighten my grip on her waist, my heart racing. “Who is he? Are you talking about Silas Sinclair?” Does she regret letting him go and not fighting for him when Alanna walked back into his life?

Raven chuckles. “Oh Silas,” she says. I hate the way she says his name. I hate everything about that man. “No. Silas and Alanna are still very much part of my life, and I love them both dearly. I think I might love Alanna more than I love Silas, you know? She’s crazy in the very best way.”

I stare at her face, trying to decipher her. “So who is he?”

She looks into my eyes and shakes her head. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Someone I know, then. Don’t tell me it’s one of my brothers? Is it Lexington?”

She laughs, her voice ringing with amusement. “Should I fuck your brother, Ares?” she asks as she rotates her hips in my lap. Fuck.

“You will do no such thing if you value his life.”

I tighten my grip on her waist to keep her still, but it’s too late. I can feel my cock harden, and I can only pray she’s too drunk to realize that she’s turning me on.

“Come on, sweetheart,” I say through gritted teeth. “You should go to sleep. You’ve had far too much to drink, and you’ll regret your actions tomorrow.”

“I won’t,” she tells me. “The only things I’ve ever regretted were the things I didn’t do.”

Raven looks at me and pushes her hand through my hair, her fingers brushing over my scalp before she tightens her grip on my hair. Her face is so close to mine that I could lean in and kiss her.

I look away, and she laughs. “What are you doing, Rave?”

“Something I shouldn’t.”

She moves in my lap, and a soft moan escapes her lips when she’s got my cock positioned right between her legs. “This needs to stop,” I tell her. “It doesn’t matter how drunk you are, Rave. This isn’t right. I’m your sister’s fiancé, for God’s sake.”

“Yeah,” she says. “But you should have been mine.”

I blink at her in surprise. Yeah. If Hannah hadn’t begged me to speak to my grandmother, the woman I’d be marrying would’ve been Raven.

She smiles and trails her fingers over my chest until she’s got the edge of it fisted in her hand. “I want this t-shirt, Ares. Can I have it?”

I look down at it in surprise. “I… what? Why?”

She smirks and reaches behind her, unzipping her dress in one fluid motion. She tugs at it, and it pools at her waist.

“Fuck, Raven,” I panic. She isn’t wearing a bra, and I should not be seeing her half naked. I grab the front of her dress and use it to cover her up with. “Cupcake, you’re really testing my patience tonight. I’m trying, okay? I’m trying to be kind and patient, but you’re taking this too far.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Ugh, Ares. Do you know how many people have seen me naked? Calm down. I walk around naked or barely dressed before every show I do. It’s cool.”

I grit my teeth at her words. “And do you sit in people’s laps like this, Rave? You know exactly what you’re doing.”

She smiles at me. “Should I find someone else’s lap to sit in? Maybe I should’ve gone home with John, after all.”

“John? Your agent went out with you?”

She nods. “I should’ve let him take me home.”

“And what would’ve happened if he had, Rave?” I ask, fearing her answer.

“I don’t know. I guess I’d get some good orgasms and a great fuck out of it.”

I let go of her dress and let it pool around her waist as I wrap my hand into her hair, tightening my grip on it as I bring her face closer. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Rave? You’ve been prim and proper all your fucking life, and now you suddenly want to get laid? What the fuck is going on?”

She smiles and slides her hands underneath my t-shirt, her fingers grazing over my abs. “I asked for your t-shirt, Ares. I didn’t ask you to fuck me… though, based on how hard you are, I suspect you want to.”

“If I give you my t-shirt, will you go to bed?”

She nods.

“Fine. Fine, Rave. I’ll give you my t-shirt, but this ends here, okay? Stop provoking me. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but every bit of this is inappropriate, and knowing you, you’re going to regret this tomorrow morning.”

Raven smirks as she grabs her dress and pulls it over her head, letting it fall to the floor. “Fuck. You’re fucking naked. Why the fuck aren’t you wearing any underwear, Raven? Fuck. This… this isn’t…” this is wrong on so many accounts. I can’t have my fiancée’s sister naked in my lap. What the fuck am I doing?

“I don’t like underwear,” she says simply. My gaze roams over her perfect body and I groan loudly, my cock throbbing. I’m trying my hardest to control my thoughts, but fuck. She’s so fucking beautiful. Her nipples are dark and hard, in perfect contrast with her skin. Every inch of her is beautiful, even those long legs she’s straddling me with. Then there’s her bare pussy, sitting right on top of my cock. Fuck.

I tear my gaze off her and wrap my fingers around the edge of my t-shirt, pulling it up and over my head in one smooth motion. “Come on,” I tell her. “Put this on.”

She holds her arms up for me, and I sigh as I pull it over her head before pulling her hands through, trying my hardest not to touch her unnecessarily.

“Bed time,” I warn her.

She looks disappointed but nods. “Does no part of you want me even a little?” Her voice is soft, pleading, and her eyes are filled with an emotion I can’t quite describe.

“No,” I lie to her. “The friction from you moving on top of me made me hard, yeah, but I don’t want you, Raven. I’ll never want you. I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but you need to stop. Do you know how much your actions tonight would hurt your sister? Fuck, it’s hurting me, Rave.”

She freezes and nods as she turns her face away from me. My heart fucking drops when a tear runs down her cheek, and I instantly regret my words.

She sniffs, and my heart shatters. “Fuck, Cupcake. I’m so fucking sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it, not at all.”

“No,” she says, rising to her knees. “I’m sorry, Ares. I just… I thought… I’m sorry. I-I… I need to go.”

I grab her waist and pull her back to me, my arms wrapping around her as I cup the back of her head and push her face into my neck. “You’re not going anywhere, Cupcake. Not tonight. It’s okay, Rave. We’ve all had our messy drunken nights, and this is no different. I’m sorry.”

“Not as much as I am,” she whispers. “I should’ve known better. Of course you’d never want me. You’ll never want anyone but Hannah.”

I hug her tightly, my heart breaking. Fuck. Tonight has been one big mess. I have no idea what’s gotten into her, and though I shouldn’t be, I’m relieved it’s me she was with tonight. Had it been any other man, what would have happened?

“Come on, Cupcake. Let’s go to sleep, okay?”

I keep her in my arms and move us over so I’m lying flat on the sofa with her nestled against me. “Just sleep, Rave. We’ll forget this happened tomorrow, okay? I suspect you’ve drunk so much you won’t be able to remember, anyway. Let’s just go to bed, huh?”

She nods and settles against me, but even though I’ve got her so close, I feel like I’m losing her. I had no choice but to say what I did, yet I regret my words immensely. I hope tonight doesn’t change anything between us, but deep down, I know it will.