Bed of Nails

Chapter 131

I could feel his burning gaze on me, but I didn't dare to look back. 

“Let's go,” I said with a nervous smile on my lips. I know she heard our conversation, but she didn't want to bring it up. I preferred it in the same way. The tension in the air increases because of the sudden silence. I cleared my throat while looking at her. 

“You look good,” I said to cut the tension in the air. She smiled at me when I said that. 

“You too,” she said with the same smile, and it made the awkwardness I was feeling slightly go away. 

"See, Izzy is also here," I said when I saw Isabella getting down. Thank God she is here. Someone needed to cut the tension. She had an annoyed look on her face. She walked to us with that look still on her face. Her hair, which was in a high bun before she left, was now open. She had put so much effort into tying that perfectly, and she was so happy after becoming successful on the third attempt. I remember how excited she was while telling me about it. Then what happened now? 

"Why did you let your hair down? The high bun was going with your outfit," I questioned, looking at her with furrowed brows. He looked grim when I asked that question. 

"My head started hurting because of it," she explained while pulling more hair from her neck as if she were trying to hide something. I found it strange. I looked at her with narrowed eyes and was about to question her but stopped hearing Xanthus's mother's voice. 

"See, they are here, and I was finding them everywhere." I heard Mrs. Vilian's exclamation, and it made us look in her direction. 

"Girls, come on, everyone is already on the table," she said in a hurry while gesturing to us with her hand. We all nodded at her and then followed her. Everyone was present at the table. He was sitting there. I avoided looking at him. 

“Sage, where are you sitting? You have to sit beside Xanthus. It's your rehearsal dinner,” her mother said, and her face flushed. It made everyone laugh. I know she is nervous to sit beside him. It's written all over her face. Xanthus had a grim look on his face. It seems like he is mad about us celebrating her bachelorette at a strip club. I decided to sit beside Isabella when Xanthus's mother stopped me. I looked at her with a perplexed look. 

“You will sit here with your fiance,” she said while taking me to sit beside him. I didn't want to sit beside him, but I had no choice. 

"Common, sit,” she said with a big smile on her face. I smiled at her nervously before smiling at her. I had to sit beside him because I had no other choice. His intoxicating scent engulfed me as soon as I took a deep breath. A big lump formed at the base of my throat. I grabbed the glass of wine and gulped it in one go. 

"Can I get everyone's attention?" I heard Isabella's mother asking for everyone's attention as she taped the spoon to the glass. I exhale deeply while looking at her. I tried to distract myself for a few seconds. 

"Today we have gathered here to celebrate Sage and Xanthus. I am so happy that my son is getting married to this beautiful woman sitting beside him," Xanthu's mother said lovingly while looking at both of them with her twinkling eyes. She was truly so happy for them and for us too. She continued her small speech, and afterwards, his father talked. 

"I thought he was going to grow old with his kitchen utensils, but I'm happy that he found his woman's hand in the kitchen instead of a spatula," his father said, making everyone laugh. It made me laugh loudly. It was really funny. I know we all used to think his love of life was only in his kitchen. It surprised me when I even noticed Xanthus falling in love with a man because he was never interested in a man before, but in the end, it was a woman. In the end, things turned out well. Now it was Grandma's turn, as she took a long sip of a drink before moving her old, experienced eyes to all of our faces. 

"I'm happy that both of my grandsons found the woman they want to get married to," Grandma said with a genuine smile on her face while moving her old eyes from them to us. I gave a faint smile as I felt people's eyes on me, and Erick just nodded his head in acknowledgement with his stone face. I found Sage looking at us, and it made me flush with nervousness. She knows our union is not out of love. She had witnessed it a few minutes ago. 

"Now only my granddaughter is left. I hope she finds her love of life as her brothers did," she said while looking at her, making her give a small, faint smile. 

"Amen," Isabella said boldly while drinking her drink in one go as people cheered for her. She has always been bold and fierce. I loved that about her. I was smiling and looking at her when I felt a hand on my tights. I stopped breathing for a second, feeling his hands moving inside the slit of my gown. My hand immediately moved to his to stop it. 

“What are you doing?'' I said in my hushed voice. I tried to act normal because Sage's mother and father were giving their small speeches. Instead of answering me, he turned his head and brought his mouth near my ear. I could feel eyes on us when he did that. My face flushed red, and the lump in my throat became hard to swallow. I don't know why he was displaying acts of affection in front of everyone. His deep, warm breath fanned my ear, tickling my skin. My heart started to beat fast in fear. 

“Grabbing what belongs to me,” he said in a firm voice while holding me tight even more firmly. My mouth went dry when he said that. When he next shocked me even more, He fucking pressed a kiss on my neck where he left a hickey last night. My heart was now drumming so loudly inside my rib cage. I started to feel hot all over my body with his smile on my neck. His hand moved more up on my thighs. 

What the hell is he planning to do in front of everyone? 

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