Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
“There you go,” my husband rasped against my lips. “I kissed it all better.”
Except... nothing was better.
We had only made our situation worse.
The chemistry that had been crackling before, the tension that had been suffocating us had collapsed.
The physical connection between us had deepened, and that terrified me more than any threat Adrian had ever made.
My hands came between us and I pushed at his chest.
There was something else troubling me.
“I was a virgin,” I claimed, needing to assert some control over the narrative of what had happened between us. “Last night, I was a virgin. But I thought...”
The night before our wedding, I had woken up in his bed… he had shown our family the blood on my nightgown, a humiliating proof that he had claimed me.
“You thought that I had already slept with you the night before our wedding.” His voice was matter-of-fact, without a trace of guilt.
He pulled back, eyes boring into me.
“That’s what you claimed!” I pushed myself up, clutching the sheet to my chest.
“I’m not into fucking unconscious women,” he drawled lazily. “When I fuck you, you’re going to remember all of it, every second, every minute of it.” His eyes held mine, unflinching.
Like last night.
The throbbing between my thighs reminded me of it.
Adrian never ruined me, like he had claimed, like I had believed.
I had never sinned.
Except I couldn’t even find comfort in that realization because last night…
I had allowed him to take me.
He was inside me. I could still feel him.
And there was no going back now.
I pulled the blanket tighter around me, creating a barrier between us. The reality of what we had done, what I had allowed him to do, settled over me like a shroud.
I had given myself to the man who had tormented me, who had made me watch as he slit another man’s throat.
“We need to talk,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
He leaned back on his knees. Thank God he wasn’t naked. Shirtless in all his attractiveness, yes. But he was wearing his sweatpants. “I’m listening.”
“From now on, we have an understanding,” I continued, lifting my chin.
He quirked up an eyebrow in amusement. “What type of understanding?”
“You will never again use me as a weapon against your brother,” I said, swallowing my fear. “You will never again threaten my life. And you will certainly never again make me feel like I am nothing more than a prize to be won.”
Adrian cocked his head to the side, lips twitching. “Okay,” he said casually. One word. So simple. Just matter-of-factly.
“Okay?” I asked, confused. This had to be another of his tricks, his manipulation.
“I came here to talk to you last night.” His grin widened. “But we got a little…distracted.”
My cheeks flushed with heat. His eyes gleamed with mischief. “As much as I love to verbally spar with you, wife and trust me, it gets me hard every single time. But it was getting a little too…redundant. You’re not the same woman who came to this house weeks ago. I’ve changed you.”
“You’ve hurt me,” I whispered.
“And you’ve hurt me.” His hand came up, touching his throat. I knew what we were both thinking about. I almost killed him with strawberries.
Then his hand dropped to his shoulders and I finally noticed the damage I had caused last night. Where I had clawed at him. My eyes widened. God, I did this?
“We’ve both drawn blood,” he said. “We’re even now.”
I shook my head. “It’s not that simple.”
“It never is.” He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. “But we’re married, Serafina. This isn’t going away. We need to find a way to coexist.”
“Coexist?” I laughed bitterly. “You want us to play house while you continue to torment me?”
“No.” His voice was serious now, all traces of amusement gone. “I want us to be honest with each other. No more pretending. You hate me, I know that. But there’s something else between us too.”
My lips pressed together. I couldn’t deny it, not after last night.
The passion between us was undeniable, a force of nature that neither of us could control.
An obsessive need. A corrupted desire. A twisted craving.
“What are you proposing?” I asked warily.
“A truce,” he said. “We accept what this marriage is and find a way to live with it.”
“And what is this marriage?” The words came out as a challenge, my voice shaking a little. “A prison? A punishment?”
His eyes darkened. “It’s whatever we make it, Serafina. It can be hell, or it can be something else.”
“You will give me basic human respect,” I announced, my shoulders straightening with my words. “No more threats. No more cruelty. No more games.”
Adrian nodded. One single nod. That was all.
“But I also need time.”
His brows furrowed. “Time for what?”
“To process everything that has happened.”
“How long do you need?” he asked, his fingers scratching the rough stubble along his jaw.