In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) (39 page)

Cenia
pressed her fingers to Roger’s lips.

“Life,”
he said. “I was going to say life!” he grumbled around her hand.

We
laughed. Cenia promptly removed her hand.

“For
saving my
life
on more than one occasion,” Roger continued. “I love you
more than life itself.” Cenia and Roger raised their glasses toward their
wedding guests, then toward one another. They linked their arms before drinking
from the champagne flutes.

Roger
led Cenia to the dance floor so they could share their first dance as husband
and wife. He reached for her hand when the guitar began the prelude to “When You
Say Nothing at All.” Their family and friends sat spellbound by the waltz
they’d perfected over the last two months.

Alejandro
waited for the applause to die down before joining Cenia and Roger on the dance
floor. He bowed politely before asking Roger for his daughter’s hand. The DJ
played “Butterfly Kisses” for their father-daughter dance.

I
squeezed Rafael’s hand encouragingly. I knew it was going to be difficult for
him to watch me dance with Kadyn. The wedding party was supposed to dance next.

Kadyn
stood and reached for my hand as the father-daughter dance drew to an end. I’d
been working behind the scenes to ensure the entire wedding party would be
dancing a waltz for this song. Unbeknownst to Cenia and Roger, every single one
of their bridesmaids and groomsmen had been taking dance lessons to ensure this
dance was magical for them.

Alejandro
tucked Cenia inside Roger’s arms so they could dance with the wedding party. He
bowed politely before leaving the dance floor.

I
gazed into Kadyn’s soft brown eyes with my chin held high, just as Katia had
taught me. Still, I wanted to cry. I couldn’t stop thinking about how close I’d
come to losing him. He stepped toward me as Louis Armstrong began to sing “What
a Wonderful World.”

I
didn’t speak for the first half of the song. I simply savored being in my
friend’s arms. “I was so scared,” I finally confessed. “I thought I’d never see
you again.”

“I
was very determined to have this dance with you,” he noted teasingly.

I
just shook my head. “I’m so thankful you’re okay. I would have never forgiven
myself…”

Kadyn
shot me a scathing look. “Roger and I are alive because of you. If you hadn’t
recruited Maxim and Konstantin to help, I doubt we’d be standing here today. And
Rafael paying all that money…” He shook his head. “I don’t even know how to
begin thanking him.”

“I
couldn’t bear to lose you,” I whispered tearfully.

“You
will never lose me,” Kadyn stated emphatically. “I will always be here for you…
to support and protect you… regardless of where your relationship with Rafael
takes you.”

I
offered him a tremulous smile as the song drew to an end. “God sure knew what
he was doing when he brought you into my life.”

Kadyn
nodded, just once, before lowering me in a dramatic dip. He lifted me to his
chest when everyone applauded. He gazed into my eyes before resting his
forehead against mine. “Thank you,” he whispered.

I
brushed a kiss against his cheek before pressing my lips to his ear. “It is I
who should be thanking you, Kadyn. You have saved me in more ways than you
know. You are my most cherished friend.”

We
stopped to talk to Cenia and Roger before returning to the table. I glanced
around the room, looking for Rafael. I excused myself from the table and joined
him at the bar.

Rafael
handed me a glass of wine. “I’d like to be added to your dance card,” he noted
with a smile. The bartender handed him a second glass of wine.

“And
I’d like to be added to yours,” I replied. We stopped by our table to set the
wine glasses down. The song the DJ was playing was about to end, so we waited a
few seconds before walking out onto the dance floor.

My
eyes widened when I heard the next song. “Did you request this song from the
DJ?” I asked.

Rafael
smiled as we began to dance. “Why do you ask?”

I
gaped at him. The DJ was playing Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love.” “Because this
is the same song you asked that young man to sing to me when I was crying on
the park bench outside the Senate.”

“Really?”
he asked in far too innocent a tone.

I
laughed. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”

He
grinned. “Yes… No… Maybe.”

It
was my turn to smile. “I’m going to show you every day for the rest of your
life.”

He
sighed contentedly.

I
rested my head on his chest, closed my eyes, and savored the song that so miraculously
defined our relationship.

We
continued dancing into the next song. The DJ was playing “Everything I do, I do
it for You” by Bryan Adams.

“May
I have this dance?” Maxim inquired.

Rafael’s
jaw clenched, but he offered Maxim my hand.

Maxim
nodded politely before he pulled me into his arms. “I did not think I would
have an opportunity to dance with you again.”

I
smiled. “You never know. Our lives have taken us in some rather unexpected
directions.”

He
spun me in his arms. “I will bring Oni to Virginia at the end of December.
Maybe we will dance then.”

“Maybe,”
I murmured distractedly. I wondered who was watching over Oni now.

Maxim’s
eyes softened. “Lev is watching over Oni.”

My
eyebrows furrowed. “How did you know what I was thinking?”

He
laughed. “You are very easy to read.”

“I
heard Konstantin will be working at the Ukrainian Embassy in DC,” I remarked.
“How do you feel about him moving to the United States?”

Maxim
looked thoughtful. “I think I envy him.”

“Do
you think he will be happy here?” I asked curiously.

He
nodded. “I think he will be very happy in the United States.”

“Maybe
you should think about moving here,” I encouraged softly. I hated the thought
of him returning to such a violent place.

He
stared at me intently. “I am needed in Ukraine.”

I
sighed. “I know. I just wish…” I trailed off uncertainly.

“I
know what you wish,” he replied, “but wishing is not enough. The situation in
Ukraine will not improve without hard work and sacrifice. I cannot ask others
to do something that I myself am not willing to do.”

He
glanced toward the table where we had been sitting. “There are things I wish
too, but they have proven equally difficult to change.”

“I
know. I just wish things weren’t so complicated,” I admitted sadly

He
drew me to his chest as the song came to an end. “I am glad you asked me to
come, Kristine. This trip has proven very enlightening.” He cradled my face in
his hands. “Do not hesitate to call me if you need me again.”

“I
won’t,” I replied tearfully. “Thank you for being here.”

His
lips hovered over mine. “You still owe me a kiss. Shall I claim it now or when
I bring Oni to Virginia?”

I
was certain Rafael would lose his mind if he saw Maxim kissing me again. “When
you bring Oni,” I replied.

He
smiled. “Something to look forward to then.” He escorted me back to the table.

“I’d
like the bride to report to the dance floor so the groom can retrieve the
garter,” the DJ announced.

We
laughed when the DJ played music that suggested Cenia might be offering a strip
tease instead. She sank into the chair Roger had dragged onto the dance floor. She
had strictly forbidden him from removing the garter with his teeth. Still, he
had a mischievous look on his face. He reached his hand under her dress.

Maxim
leaned forward in his seat. “Is this typical for American weddings?”

Shae
laughed. “I’m afraid so.”

Cenia’s
eyes widened when Roger’s hand drifted a little further up her leg. She gasped
when he flung a lace thong in the air. “That is not mine!” she screamed.

Konstantin
laughed. “I think I like this custom.”

Cenia
looked as if she might lift her dress to prove her panties were still in place,
but Roger talked her down from the ledge. He was on his best behavior when he
removed the garter. He pulled a slingshot out of his pocket, wadded the garter
into a small ball, and shot it out over the audience. One of Cenia’s male cousins
caught it.

“I’d
like all of the single women to gather at the far end of the dance floor,” the
DJ announced. “We’ll be auctioning them off shortly.” He laughed at his own
joke.

Cenia
stood near the DJ so she could throw the bouquet. Shae and I joined the other
women at the opposite end of the dance floor. Everyone cheered when Shae caught
the bouquet.

I
patted her on the back. “Looks like you’ll be getting married next.”

She
laughed. “Maybe I should tell Konstantin.”

My
eyes flitted over Rafael, Kadyn, Maxim, and Konstantin when Shae and I returned
to the table. “We have got to be the most random collection of friends.”

“I
don’t know if I’d use the word ‘friends,’” Rafael grumbled under his breath. He
was still sore about Maxim cutting in on our dance.

My
eyebrows furrowed. “If we’re not friends, then what exactly are we?”

“Family,”
Shae opined. “Isn’t that what Alejandro said?” She handed Konstantin the
flowers as he pulled her onto his lap.

I
frowned. “That would be incestuous.”

“Comrades,”
Konstantin suggested. He kissed Shae before smelling the bouquet.

Maxim
laughed. “Business associates?”

“Reluctant
allies,” Kadyn surmised.

The
four men exchanged glances. “Reluctant allies,” they echoed unanimously.

I
just shook my head. “A friend is someone who’s got your back, who fights for
you, and picks you up when you’re down,” I scolded. “Seems to me every single
one of you fits that bill.”

Shae
lifted her wine glass. “Kri’s right. I’d like to propose a toast to this
amazing circle of friends. Thanks, guys, for having our backs.”

Maxim
and Konstantin grew boisterous as they raised their glasses. Rafael’s mood
lightened, and Kadyn cracked a smile as we tapped our glasses together and
drank to Shae’s toast.

Konstantin
lifted Shae as he rose from the table. He settled her back onto his seat. “I’m
going to find some vodka.”

“You
really should try the tequila,” she called after him.

“Speaking
of having your back,” Maxim segued. His eyes locked on Kadyn. “Did Kristine
tell you what she offered up in exchange for my assistance in securing your
release?”

All
eyes fell on me.

“It
wasn’t sex,” I blurted hastily.

“Actually,”
Maxim drawled, clearly stirring the pot, “she said I could demand anything but
sex.”

“Anything?”
Rafael repeated incredulously. He gave me a defeated look.

I
fidgeted nervously. “What? I thought you’d be happy I refused to have sex. He
was making demands, and I needed him to find Kadyn. Besides, if I’ve ruled out
sex, how bad could it be?”

Kadyn
shook his head. “Kri, he could choose a lot worse things than sex.”

“Like
what?” I demanded. I had been pretty damn proud of myself for dodging that
bullet, which had been no small task given Maxim’s interest in me.

“He
could take you to an S & M club,” Shae murmured a bit too dreamily.

I
stared at her in shock.

“He
could demand you join him for a week at a nudist colony,” Kadyn added. A
mischievous look danced in his eyes.

I
glared at Kadyn and Shae. “You two better zip it. Maxim’s over there taking
notes, and you’re feeding him ideas!”

“Marriage,”
Rafael noted quietly.

My
jaw bounced off the table. “What?”

Rafael’s
eyes met mine. “If you agreed to anything but sex, he could demand that you
marry him.”

Maxim
linked his hands behind his head as he leaned back in his seat. He smiled at
Rafael. “I like the way you think.”

Kadyn
frowned. “I pay my own debts.”

Maxim
nodded. “You’ll be one of the first people my men call if I ever turn up
missing, but that has no bearing on the agreement Kristine and I negotiated.”

Konstantin
returned to the table with a bottle of vodka and a handful of shot glasses.
“What’d I miss?”

Shae
shook her head. “Oh, baby. You don’t want to know.”

“He
can’t demand marriage. Marriage involves sex,” I argued irritably.

“I
don’t know about that,” Konstantin replied. “There are a lot of sexless
marriages.”

“What?”
I exclaimed. “I’m not entering into a sexless marriage!”

“I
could
demand marriage without any presumption of sex,” Maxim mused. “If
you decided you couldn’t live without sex, I’d be willing to modify the
agreement, especially since we’d be bound together for all eternity. I wonder
how long you could resist me.”