For the rest of the tour, her mood seems to have shifted a little. She is a tiny bit more talkative and friendly. And even when I place my hand on her lower back to guide her in the right direction, she doesn’t push me away.

She is such a difficult person to read. Why would giving her own room instead of insisting she sleep in mine make her more receptive to my touch? Surely, by doing that I am saying that I don’t want her with me.

I don’t get it.

All I know is that she is driving me crazy, and the knowledge that no one else has ever tasted her is making it one hundred times worse.

Every movement she makes, every curve of her body and her curl of her lips feels like she is teasing me.

By the end of the tour, I have to walk away from her, making some excuse to leave, because if I don’t, I am going to push her up against the wall and take her.

To clear my thoughts from everything that is Darya, I head over to the security room to see how the team is doing with the set-up of the additional CCTV cameras.

Walking in there, I know I look agitated, and I don’t really care.

“How is it going?” I say to the head of security, Daniel.

“We are just about to test them. Give me a sec, then we can show you…."

He leans over a keyboard and types in a few codes. The system starts rebooting.

“When it comes back on, all of the new cameras will be connected to the circuit as well.”

I wait as the screen flickers and camera views start filling the display blocks.

“Looks good,” I mutter.

Then my heart jumps. What the fuck is happening over there?

“Pull that one forward. I want to see it full screen.” I point at the boxed view in the top corner.

Daniel clicks the image, and it fills the screen.

Darya is walking out of the house towards a waiting car. The driver is standing next to it, ready to close the door behind her.

Without a word to Daniel, I bolt out of the room, heading straight for the front door.

I have to get there before they leave.

The car is already starting to roll away from the front door when I run up alongside it, pull the door open and quickly climb in.

Darya looks at me in shock.

Chapter 8 - Darya

After the tour of my new home, I have to admit that I am feeling a lot better. Stefano has given in and let me have my own room without making a big scene about it like he did the first time I asked. It was unexpected, and I appreciate it. I guess at the same time it annoys the hell out of me, too, because I know the only reason he has done it is because I am a virgin and he is no longer interested in me in that way. I bite my lower lip. My own husband isn’t even interested in having sex with me anymore. After that wild look I saw in his eyes on our wedding night, I want to feel that sexy again.

But whatever, it doesn’t even matter. I knew from the beginning our marriage was fake, just for show, and that we would be leading separate lives. I guess that is what is going to happen, after all. It doesn’t matter that I was one hundred percent ready to sleep with him. Fuck. He is so sexy. It really bothers me that I am so attracted to him. Especially since I know what he can do to me, and how he is able to make me feel.

Dammit.

Even just his kiss was enough to drive me wild, never mind the other things he did with his tongue.

I walk around my new room for a little while, trying to make myself accept that this is my home now. But I very quickly realize that I am too on edge to just hang around here doing nothing at all.

I have to get out for a bit and clear my head.

My favorite way to do that is to go shopping. It is relaxing to just wander around and not have to worry about anything or anyone.