Page 123 of Hateful Games

It’s disconcerting how seamlessly I’ve accepted her as mine. The moment she uttered ‘I do’, I was a goner. For a second, I forgot all about my nefarious plans. The need to avenge. The pain of my childhood.

I didn’t see her as my enemy.

I saw her as my future.

Maybe I’ve descended into insanity.

“It’s either this or be naked, thanks to my best friends,” she grudgingly replies, pulling me from my conflicting thoughts. “And no, I’m not asking for your preference.”

I hide my smile, knowing it will only piss her off.

Striding to stand before me, she orders, “Move aside.”

“Where are your manners?” I tease while loosening the knot of my tie and yanking it off.

“Where are yours?”

“Wrong answer.”

Taking ahold of her wrists, I pick her up around the waist and carry her to the vanity. She yelps when I cross her arms behind her back and use my silk tie to bind them against the sink. She fruitlessly tugs and huffs in disappointment when it doesn’t budge. Her hair falls in her eyes when she whips her gaze up to mine, glaring furiously.

“Untie me right now, Nova.”

“No, this is better.”

“Seriously! What is your obsession with cuffing me?”

“You’re always running from me,” I answer, running my hand over my jaw. “I don’t like it.”

“You cannot possibly go from cruelly ignoring my existence to gluing me to your side and kissing me whenever you please.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have gone and seduced my close friend.”

“We aren’t fucking committed to each other. Our marriage is just another form of transaction done by our fathers to better their careers.”

I lean in her face, resting my fists on each side of her hips. “What is your plan then? When you feel horny and needy, you’re going to go look for another man? Should I expect a sock on the door when I come home and not disturb you while you fuck some random guy?”

“In public, I’ll be your doting wife, but behind closed doors, you do not exist to me. This isn’t a real marriage, Nova. I have no intention of making it one.”

I seethe in silent rage. My blood boiling as she vehemently discards any fantasy that I could conjure of us together.

What did I expect?

Why the fuck do I even care?

She’s saying the exact words I should be warning her with. Every single time I’ve been alone with her, the push and pull I’ve felt at having her close, especially the powerful way she fucks with my head, my rational instincts.

It all flashes like a train wreck in my mind.

I realize with sudden clarity that I’m falling into old habits. Down the same rabbit hole

I’m allowing her to consume and dictate my actions.

Until she becomes my sole focus.

If I continue to let it happen, it’ll disrupt my greater purpose. The reason I accepted her hand in marriage. Not when I can finally taste the victory so close.

But it’s easier said than done.

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