Page 35 of Unveiled

"Why?" he asks.

"Because I assumed that if you treat marriage as a transaction, then you would also treat… sex the same way. If you need to be married, then you need to have children."

"Smart girl. Are you a virgin?" His eyes darken, daring me to answer anything but yes.

I lick my lips and nod. "Of course I am."

It isn’t a lie. I don’t know when I would have had the time for anything else.

Dragging his knuckles across my collarbone, he whispers, "Then I’ll have to take my time with you."

I look at him curiously. "Areyou?"

He shakes his head. "No. But I’ve never made love to a woman I… cared about."

Oh god.

"Why not?"

"Never took the time to bother figuring out how or why, but I suppose it has something to do with not having an emotional connection.” He shrugs. "We do."

This whole discussion is making me nervous.

“I…I know how it’s done."

"I would imagine so," he says, with a sound that’s almost a laugh. "I don’t mean sex, Anya. Anyone with access to the internet could figure that one out. I mean, I know how to make you enjoy it."

My breasts feel so heavy, my nipples taut. “You want a medal?”

Shaking his head, he only shrugs again. “No, Anya. Just your pleasure.” He leans in a little closer and ever so lightly presses his palm to my lower back. “It’s mine to give or keep.”

I try to toss my head. “Sure. Yeah. You have a plan, do you?”

“Mmm, of course,” he continues. "I do everything in my power to make you wet so that you’re ready. Then I take my time."

A beat passes between us. I wonder if he can hear how rapidly my heart is beating right now. I wonder if I can.

"Do you know what you like?" he asks.

I shake my head. "I mean, I’m human. I know where my fantasies go when I’m asleep."

"Right. Unfortunately, there’s a small matter of your punishment before we get to your pleasure, isn’t there?"

"If you insist on being a barbarian," I snap, refusing to allow my voice to waver.

"Barbarian?” his ice-blue eyes hint at amusement. Couldn’t be further from the truth. “You should know by now that I’m civilized to a fault, Anya. But I’m also a man of my word. This is my house, and it’s important my wife understands how things work under my roof. Wouldn’t you agree?”

"If you say so." My pulse quickens as tension crawls up my spine. I haven’t been punished since my childhood. What the hell is he planning?

He mentioned a spanking earlier, but the look in his eyes now… god, it’s like he’swaitedfor this moment, and now he’s savoring the tension before he uncorks the bottle and unleashes whatever he has planned.

“I’ll go easy on you this first time.” He tilts his head slightly, his expression inscrutable. “You’re my wife, after all.”

“How considerate.” My voice cracks under the strain. I watch as his lips curl into a subtle, knowing smile. He clears his throat and jerks his chin toward the bed.

“On all fours, Anya. Lean on your forearms, ass up. Thighs apart.” He runs his thumb along his lower lip and lowers his voice. “I won’t ask twice.”

Of course vulnerability is the first thing he demands. He wants control over me, wants to make sure this punishment gets him off.

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