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

Sierra’s door swings open moments after I press my finger to the scanner, and I walk in with my arms overflowing with snacks.

“Raven?” She sits up on the sofa and puts her laptop away, a frown on her face. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be all loved up with Ares?”

I huff as I sink down on the sofa, and she holds her arms open for me, offering me a hug. I throw myself into her arms and squeeze tightly, not sure what to say to her.

“That bad, huh?”

I nod and tighten my grip on her. “He’s with her right now.”

Sierra pulls me off her to look me in the eye. “He’s what?”

“He’s having dinner with her tonight.”

“You must be kidding,” she says, her voice terse. “He went for dinner with her a day after you two got married? What the hell? Where are they?”

“Don’t,” I warn her. “Don’t be crazy today. I’m here because I didn’t want to be alone in the Hannah Shrine he calls his home. Can we just watch some stupid reality TV show and eat snacks that I shouldn’t be eating at all?”

Sierra narrows her eyes before she grabs my bag of chips and throws it across the room. “Now is not the time for snacks, Raven. You spent years loving my brother quietly. You’re his wife now, Rave. In the Windsor family, that actually means something. All we need to do is make sure Grandma finds out where he is right now, and I can guarantee he’ll never even attempt to see her again. You’re Grandma’s eldest daughter-in-law, and there’s no way she’ll allow Ares to mistreat you in any way.”

I hesitate for a moment, wanting to choose the easy road but knowing it isn’t the right thing to do. “Sierra.” I shake my head. “Let’s not do that, okay? Forcibly keeping him away from her won’t work in my best interests. He’ll just want to be with her that much more, and the last thing I need is for him to go behind my back.”

Sierra purses her lips but manages to bite her tongue. “Come with me.”

I sigh as I follow her into her bedroom. I can tell by her terse posture that she’s concocting some kind of plan, and I’m not sure I should get caught up in any of her nefarious ideas.

“Here.” She holds up a department store bag. “I bought this for you earlier today. I had a feeling you’d be needing it.”

I peek inside the bag, my eyes widening when I realize what I’m looking at. I pull the lacy sleepwear out and chuckle. “This is… this is outrageous.” I burst out laughing as I stare at the scraps of fabric in my hands. “I’ve done a lot of underwear modeling and this is ridiculous even for me.” I reach into the bag and hold up one of the thongs she bought me. “What’s the point of this even? It doesn’t have a crotch.”

Sierra wiggles her eyebrows. “Easy access.” She takes the bag from me and rummages through it, taking out two nightgowns she bought me, one white and the other red. “These are both going to look beautiful on you. They’re revealing enough to make it impossible for Ares not to notice your body.”

I bite down on my lip as I reach for the red nightgown. “I’m not sure,” I tell her. Hannah and I have very different body types. She’s a little shorter than I am, and when she isn’t on a strict diet for a role, she’s much curvier than I am. I’m not sure Ares would find me appealing after being with someone like my sister. “I’m not sure highlighting my body is a good idea.”

Sierra snatches the gown back from me, her eyes flashing with anger. “You’re an idiot,” she snaps. “You’re one of the most beautiful women alive, and I’m not even being biased. You’ve been named that by several magazines. Channel the confidence you exude on the runway, Rave.”

I bite down on my lip and look down. “Look, Sierra… there’s something I haven’t told you.”

She frowns, and I sit down on her bed. “Remember that night we went out and Ares came to pick us up because we were so drunk?”

She nods and sits down next to me, her eyes on mine as I tell her all about how I climbed onto his lap, the way I tried to seduce him, the things I said. “He wasn’t even remotely tempted, Sierra. A small part of me thought that I could get him to fold if I truly gave it my all, but I couldn’t. He wasn’t moved.”

She looks away and shakes her head. “I really doubt that, Rave. Even if that’s the case, it’s different now. You were unattainable to him before, but you’re his wife now. If he repeatedly sees you in various states of undress, he’s going to end up wanting you, even if he doesn’t right now. He won’t be able to stay away from you for three years, and he won’t cheat on you.”

I cross my arms and nod hesitantly. “Yeah,” I admit. “I don’t think he’ll cheat.”

She smiles at me and holds up the nightgown she bought me. “If you two end up sleeping together, he’ll end up falling for you. I know you think he’ll never stop loving your sister, but I call bullshit. He’s always looked at you a certain way, and there’s always been this unshakeable bond between you two. He just needs a push. Ares is a man of morals, and so long as he thinks he’s doing right by both Hannah and you by staying away, he will. Give him a reason to fold. Honestly, if you just outright tell him you want him to meet your physical needs, he’d fall as fast as a house of cards. I know he wants you. He just won’t admit it to himself.”

I stare at Sierra, wondering if it’s all just her own wishful thinking, or if she might be right. I feel like I played my hand and lost the night he took us home. I’m scared to put myself out there in the same way again.

“Trust me,” she tells me. “I know my brother, and he does not just see you as Hannah’s sister. If you aren’t comfortable with pursuing him directly, then just do this much, okay? Just wear the nightgowns I bought you and see how he responds to that. Just seduce him, slowly, until he gives in and comes to you. Watch his actions, Rave. I’m certain he’ll betray himself sooner or later. He wants you… and the line between lust and love is thin.”

I reach for the white nightgown she bought me and examine it. It’d barely cover anything… it’s too much.

“Just try it, Rave.”

I nod. “Fine. I’ll try it, but if it backfires, you’ll never hear the end of it.”

“It won’t,” she promises. Sierra seems so sure… I wish I could borrow some of her confidence. What is it that she’s seeing between Ares and me that I’m not seeing?