Page 111 of Bitter Secrets

“Never knew you had a temper when I met you,” he murmured as he stroked himself.

“If you think we’re having sex again, you’re crazy! You better jerk off in the sink because this pussy is closed!”

“Didn’t think you knew any cuss words either,” he mumbled into her breasts.

She smacked his shoulders. “You don’t want me with you, huh?”

“I told you,” he growled. “You’re distracting.”

“I’m not even doing anything!”

“You don’t have to. I can’t think straight when you’re around.” He raised his face from her chest and looked up. “I want you to be happy. Right now, I can’t give that to you, do you understand?”

Something about the way he said that got her attention. As she searched his face, she realized he was actually worried.

“You think we’ll break up if I go with you,” she surmised.

“No breakup,” he said as he eased into her.

She sucked in a breath as he filled her. “You want me to stay here and write?”

“Yes.”

“But… how am I going to repay you?”

“I’m your husband. There's nothing to repay.”

This man couldn’t be real. He didn’t want her to work and insisted she follow a dream she had given up on. She clasped his face between her palms as she kissed him.

"Do you know how much I love you?” she whispered.

“Show me.”

She braced her hands on the headboard as she gave him a preview of the skills she’d been practicing. He gripped her hips.

“Where’d you learn this?”

“All those nights where I had to keep myself occupied because my husband wasn’t here,” she purred as she pressed her breasts in his face and was rewarded when he took one in his mouth. “Ever since you, my taste in books changed. I’ve been reading some dirty stuff and waiting for you to come home so I can experiment on you.”

As she undulated her hips, he groaned and bit her breast. “You’re not coming to London.”

“Fine. I’ll just make sure you remember to come see me more often.” She panted against his ear as she whispered, “How did I get so lucky to have a husband like you? A man who fulfills my every desire, even the ones I never knew I had?”

CHAPTER13

Jasmine groaned as she stretched, limbs swishing beneath the covers. Her body felt heavy and a bit achy, but that wasn’t surprising, considering the level of activity she participated in the past three days. Something urgent niggled at the back of her mind, but a strange afterglow overpowered her worries. She basked in the moment. Copenhagen was having a remarkable effect on her. She felt great.

It wasn’t until she was sitting on the side of the bed and felt a draft that she realized she was naked. She fell asleep on the couch, not in bed, and she put on pajamas…

She whipped around and peered athisside of the bed. It was empty, of course. She couldn’t tell whether he slept there or not. She pressed a hand on her lower abdomen as her womb clenched. He wouldn’t…

She shook her head as she got to her feet and put a hand out for balance because she felt a little woozy. She would lay off the Gløgg today and stick with cocoa or tea. She walked into the bathroom and shielded her eyes from the blast of light before she padded to the shower. Her eyes touched on the mirror before she reached for the shower door and froze. She swung around, rushed forward, and went on tiptoe to get as close to the mirror as possible. She rubbed at two dark smudges, one on her throat, the other on her breast. Hickeys? That strange afterglow made sense now. She wasn’t lethargic from overindulging in last night’s festivities; she was feeling the aftereffects of being thoroughly used without her knowledge.

She stepped into the shower and savagely turned the dial to make the water as hot as possible. Did he try to wake her first, or was her consent unnecessary since he thought he owned her? Apparently, her lying comatose in front of the fire had been too good an opportunity to pass up. Fucker. She said, “I do,” knowing what he wanted from her—use of her body in return for saving Hennessy & Co. That was the deal, so why did she feel so violated?

Her nails sliced into her thigh as she scrubbed herself. She didn’t expect champagne and roses, but she also didn’t expect him to be so underhanded. It was a good thing he wasn’t here. She wouldn’t have been able to stop herself from attacking him. Even as she indulged in some violent fantasies, she knew he wouldn’t allow her to get in a good shot. To him, he was just taking what he saw as his—bought and paid for. Her feelings didn’t matter. She cursed as the bar of soap slipped out of her grasp. She had flings that were strictly about sex. She used her partners as selfishly as Roth did her, and she had no regrets. Why couldn’t she view Roth that way? Why couldn’t she turn off her emotions where he was concerned?

As she blow-dried her hair, she glared at her reflection. He’d never given her a hickey before. Why now? To taunt her? Her stomach churned. Maybe it was best that she slept through the encounter. Even as she tried to convince herself of that, she knew being left in the dark was worse. It didn’t matter how ugly reality was. She chose truth over ignorance. Burying her head in the sand had cost her too much in the past, and she wanted to avoid repeating past mistakes.

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