Page 13 of Mine to Keep

They finished their meal. He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her out of the restaurant. On the way home, he made it a point to hold her hand. He planned to touch her at every opportunity to get her used to him.

When they got home, he took them into his office and shut the door. He sat on the leather sofa and pulled her down onto his lap. Although she stiffened at first, she quickly relaxed against him.

“How are you feeling so far?” he asked.

“I’m tired, but all right. How are you?”

He smiled. “I’m doing well. Let’s talk about what’s goingto happen later.”

Her pretty little face blushed, but she didn’t look away from him. “What about it?”

“I want you in our bedroom and in our bed tonight.”

“Oh. Like, would we … you know?”

“We don’t have to,” he told her.

She nibbled on her bottom lip as she thought about what he said. It was interesting to watch her.

“I want to be with you,” she said simply. “I just don’t know about the…”

“Sex,” he said.

She nodded.

“How about we play it by ear? You can start moving your things into our closet, and I’ll get some work done. We’ll have dinner later and then a movie. Or we’ll just go to sleep. I’m not going to push you into anything, so I don’t want you to stress about it.”

“I’ll try my very best.”

He tipped her head back and kissed her. He stopped before it got out of control. “Go on up. Call me if you need any help. Dial three on the phone on the nightstand.”

He lifted her off him and held her for a second, and then released.

Roland watched her walk out and then grimaced when he stood. He adjusted his cock to a more comfortable position before walking around his desk and getting to work. When he eventually looked up, he hadn’t realized over three hours had passed. He stood and made his way upstairs, wondering how far Laila had gotten.

His body froze, and his cock instantly hardened. His lovely bride lay sleeping on her side on the top of the comforter on their bed with the thin blanket covering her. Her dark hair was spread out over the pillow and trailed onto the mattress.

Her hands were tucked under her chin, making her look so innocent that the possessive feeling inside of him grew. Between that and the jealousy he’d felt before, they were emotions he’d never dealt with, and they were making him feel uncomfortable. Roland would give it time and hope things would settle down.

He sat on the edge of the bed, resting his hand on her hip. “Sweetheart.”

A smile grew when she didn’t move or make a sound. He shook her a little. “Sweetheart. Wake up.”

Laila murmured something, sighed, and grew quiet again. Good Lord, she was a deep sleeper.

Roland lay down on the mattress facing her, propped his head up with the palm of his hand, and let his fingers run through her hair as he studied her face. Her features were delicate and very feminine. She was everything he’d dreamed about as far as looks. Although they hadn’t known each other long, he could tell her personality was sweet and submissive—also something he dreamed about.

There weren’t a lot of women nowadays who liked to have the man in charge or give up control. The women he knew were ambitious businesswomen or high-society brats who expected the world to evolve around them. Neither type had ever turned him on, so he’d had very few relationships over the years.

The only thing he wondered about was the brain damage she was supposed to have. He’d seen her try to act childlike in the beginning, but when she was distracted, she acted like a normal woman, and he wondered why she would pretend to have a disability. It was one of the questions he needed answers to, but there was time, and he didn’t want to push her too much.

“Laila, Sweetheart, wake up for me,” he said in a more dominant tone which seemed to catch her attention because she started to rouse.

She blinked a few times, and then a sweet smile crossed her face. “Hi.”

He cupped her cheek. “Hi. It’s still early, but do you want to get ready and go to bed? If you get hungry, tell me, and I’ll go down to the kitchen and get us something since we’re missing dinner.”

He watched her concentrate as she thought about it.

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