Free Kidnapping the Brazilian Tycoon by Carmen Falcone Page B

quickened.
    The priest began the ceremony, and there were times she caught Bruno turning to gape at her. A nice touch for the photographers hovering by.
    “Do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband?” the priest asked her.
    I’m not really taking him… It’s more like a loan . “Yes.” She pressed her lips together. The priest proceeded to ask Bruno the same question and got the answer quickly.
    “You may kiss the bride.”
    Bruno had promised not to kiss her. Would he break that promise? If he didn’t kiss her, people would suspect something was amiss.
    “Make it quick,” she whispered.
    He leaned down, and she shifted her weight closer to him. Part of her dreaded his kiss. The other part of her sizzled with raw anticipation. This kiss would not count as part of his promise not to touch her again unless she asked. This kiss was mandatory, complying with what the occasion demanded. No more, no less.
    When he dipped his head, a shot of adrenaline coursed through her. She had no option but to stand perfectly still as more than one hundred guests watched them.
    His lips brushed her forehead long enough for her to inhale his woodsy scent. The light touch seared her skin.
    The guests clapped, and his lips descended to her ear.
    “If you want more, you’ll have to ask.” His voice dropped an octave. Was it a threat or an invitation?
    She raised her fingers to her lips and touched them. Where she longed to be kissed. Why didn’t this matter until now? Out of all the men who could have wakened her sexual side, why the hell did it have to be her temporary husband?
    “Bruno, you have a special guest,” Leonardo announced.
    Addie’s cheeks were cramped from smiling, and her neck ached from nodding at the guests that surrounded them for most of the reception that followed. Nevertheless, she preferred to mingle with them—Bruno’s distant family members, up-and-coming Rio business men and women, and what appeared to be traditional, settled families from the upper crust of society—than being alone with Bruno, which, thank heavens, hadn’t happened since that mocking kiss on her forehead.
    “Silas Lancaster,” Leonardo continued, and Addie snapped out of observational mode, her smile fading. She spun on her heels, and there he was, Silas Lancaster, with his salt-and-pepper gray hair and the imposing posture of a man taller than his five foot eight.
    “Silas. What a surprise,” Bruno said.
    “Surprise is an understatement. I’ve been coming to Rio twice a month to oversee an investment. I thought I’d surprise you, but, when I called, your sister picked up and told me about the wedding.”
    Addie clenched her teeth. Whatever reason brought Silas over couldn’t be a happy one. She touched her belly, willing the queasy sensation away. What if Silas hoped to reunite his daughter and Bruno? No . She glanced down at her gorgeous green diamond and rubbed the ring. Too late for that.
    What if…the real goal was to pressure Bruno to sell the land quicker?
    “The more the merrier, right?” Leonardo shot Silas a smile and toasted with his champagne flute.
    Oh no. Bruno’s brother had no idea about the marriage deal. Obviously. In fact, standing there among the four of them, amid occupied tables on the gorgeous garden, Leonardo was the picture of innocence.
    “Right. It wasn’t so long ago, my daughter dated your brother. And now, a couple days after she explained to me they were over, here he is, marrying—”
    “Addison.” Bruno stepped forward and stretched to his full height. “I trust Erika told you the real version of facts.”
    Silas gave them a dismissive wave. “Doesn’t matter now, does it? I’m a man who knows how to separate work from personal affairs. Although at times, the union of both can be lucrative.”
    Leonardo shook his head. “I’m not following. You told us, Bruno, that—”
    “Erika is a dear friend,” Bruno interrupted. “And Addie is my wife. That’s all that