Page 105 of Sinful Pleasure

A real smile spread across my face as I swam, enjoying the purity of the moment. Meanwhile, Maddox stood at the edge of the lake with his arms crossed, silently watching.

“You’re missing out,” I called to him, a playful grin on my face.

“I doubt it,” he responded flatly.

But he didn’t try to stop me. I swam for a while longer, soaking in the peace of the lake. It felt like a sanctuary, a place where the rest of the world couldn’t reach me. I could stay here forever.

When I felt my skin start to shrivel and exhaustion crept in, I decided to take a break. I swam to the far edge of the lake, then walked out, my feet sinking into the soft grass as I approached Maddox, who was sitting on a rock, waiting.

His eyes followed me, a sharp intensity in his gaze as it lingered over the wet fabric of my white dress, clinging to my body in all the wrong ways. The material outlined every curve, and underneath, my bathing suit clung just as tightly.

He stared at me as if he wanted me again, or maybe it was just that I wanted to believe it.

But as I neared him, his gaze snapped away, and he shook his head— almost like he was trying to shake off whatever thoughts had been flooding his mind.

I sat beside him on the grass, letting the warmth of the sun soak into my skin. I loved how the sunlight kissed my body, giving me a fleeting sense of peace.

“Do you want my shirt?”

I shook my head without opening my eyes, too content in the moment to respond.

“We should head back to the mansion.”

“I don’t want to,” I murmured, lying back on the grass and letting the warmth of the earth ground me.

He tilted his head down, his shadow falling over me.

“It’s not a matter of choice.’’

“Nothing about this family is a matter of choice,” I muttered, my voice tinged with frustration. He nodded slightly, acknowledging my words.

“One day, you’ll get used to it.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“You will have to,” he shrugged. “You’ll be Angelo’s wife soon.”

His voice deepened slightly on that last word, and for a second, I could have sworn I saw something flicker in his eyes.

I swallowed hard, a strange impulse to speak my mind rising within me. Maybe the serenity of this place was loosening my grip on caution.

“And how does that make you feel?”

Maddox’s gaze snapped to mine, his dark eyes burning with intensity, making me shiver despite the heat of the sun.

“What do you mean?” he asked, his voice genuinely puzzled, as though the question hadn’t even occurred to him.

“After everything that happened between us, I thought—” I faltered, trying to find the right words. He raised an eyebrow, waiting.

“I don’t know… that it must be strange for you,” I finally finished, though I knew I was only scratching the surface of what was actually going on inside me.

It’s strange to me. This whole situation is messed up.

“We just fucked, princess,” his words landed like a slap, cold and cutting. “Don’t make it sound so complicated.”

I froze, my mouth hanging open. I wasn’t prepared for how brutal he would be, or maybe I wasn’t ready to face the harsh truth he just threw at me.

It was clear—for Maddox, it was just a game.

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