Page 32 of A Sinner's Truth

“It’s Drew. Trust me, he does not imagine me naked.” I laugh.

Chapter Fifteen

Ishould have stayed out of this fucking room. Or at the very least, when I heard the shower running, I should have walked away. Instead, I sat here and listened to her talk to that friend of hers as she fucking washed herself.

It’s really not all that much to expect your wife to not talk to other men when she’s naked, is it? I don’t care if this relationshipis fake. That marriage certificate with our names on it is real as fuck, which makes her my fucking wife.

“Aria, trust me when I say this: Every guy has pictured you naked in his head. Don’t talk to other men when you’re naked. I don’t care if it’s the Pope. If he’s got a dick, don’t talk to him when you’re naked. Got it?”

Aria screws up her face. “This is not happening. I’m not your child, Santo. You can’t order me around and expect me to do everything you say just because you say it.”

“No, you’re not my child. You’remy wife,” I correct her.

“Fakewife,” she counters.

“That marriage certificate is real, darling. That ink that’s dried on it is real. You are my wife, and I won’t havemy wifetalking to other men when she’s naked,” I tell her. “It’s not up for discussion.”

“Fine. If I can’t talk to other men when I’m naked, then you can’t talk to other women when you’re naked either,” Aria fires back.

“Easy. I don’t talk to other women in general. Unless you count my sisters-in-law, and I certainly don’t talk to them when I’m naked.” I shrug. It’s not a big deal for me. I’ve done everything I can to avoid the opposite sex since Shelli. Aria is the first. She’s also the first to get under my skin.

“You don’t talk to other women? Right, and I’m the Virgin Mary.” Aria laughs.

“You’re not a virgin.” I raise an eyebrow at her, my way of egging her on to tell me if I’m right or not.

“I could be.” She lifts one shoulder in reply.

“You told me you didn’t like sex, which means you’ve tried it at least once. Granted, it obviously wasn’t good sex, but you’re definitely not a virgin,” I remind her.

“Whatever.” Aria sits on the bed, digs through her handbag, and pulls out a brush. I shouldn’t let my eyes drift. But the waythe shirt clings to her breasts, her nipples hard underneath the cotton… Her wet hair has dampened the fabric, making it stick to her body.

“I’m gonna have a shower,” I grunt, turning and practically running into the bathroom.

“Don’t talk to anyone while you’re in there,” Aria calls after me.

What the fuck have I gotten myself into?

I expected to find Aria in the same spot I left her after I finish in the bathroom. She’s not here, though, and the door is wide open. With nothing but a towel around my waist, I storm into the hallway and look for her. Surely she didn’t leave. I gave the guys at the gate strict instructions to call me if she even tried.

I’m not an asshole. I’m not going to hold her here against her will, but if she’s leaving the grounds, then I’m following her. News of her being my wife is out in the world. The streets are talking, and I’m not about to take any chances with her. There’s also the whole Densper deal that we just blew to pieces. I have no idea what all was involved, but her father seemed desperate. And desperate people do reckless shit.

My heart beats faster as I jog down the stairs. I pass Vin in the foyer. “She’s in the kitchen,” he says, walking straight past me.

My steps slow.She’s in the kitchen. She didn’t leave.

The moment I turn the corner, I find Aria talking to Eloise and Daisy at the benchtop. She’s still only wearing the shirt I gave her. My shirt. I really didn’t think about what seeing her inmy clothes would do to me. I didn’t think about what any of this would do to me.

I can feel everyone’s eyes on me as I walk over to Aria. “Did you need something?” I ask her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. I pull her into me. Right against my chest. She tenses up. I lower my mouth to her ear. “Go along with it. People are watching, remember?”

It’s not real. It’s fake.I keep repeating this in my head. It eases the overwhelming guilt I feel, especially when my lips press against Aria’s forehead and she melts into me a little more.

“I’m okay. I just wanted to bring my plate down,” she says. “Santo?”

“Mmm?”

“You don’t have any clothes on,” she whispers.

“I thought you’d left,” I tell her, keeping my voice quiet. When I finally pull away and turn around, I find both Eloise and Daisy still staring at me.

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