Page 29 of Beautiful Beast

I gasp. “But you said?—”

“I know what I said, Anya. I want you to get on the bed. On your stomach. If you’re going to be my wife, then you need to learn to do as I say and not ask questions.”

“I can’t. I can’t do this.”

“I said I wouldn’t rape you, and I won’t.”

“So, then, why do you want me to get on the bed?”

“You’ll just have to see.” Gently, he nudges me toward the bed. My feet somehow manage to move.

Slowly, I lie down onto the mattress, my bare back exposed to him. I’m suddenly aware of how my dress covers my butt. How it clings to my body. How Erik can see my every curve.

He rests his hand on my back—not too firm or soft.

“What are you doing?” I whisper. My eyes are glued to the wall next to me.

Erik doesn’t say a word as he holds his hand to my back. He stays like this for a long enough time that I actually find myself relaxing.

My breathing calms down, and my heart returns to a normal rhythm.

The moment I relax, Erik removes his hand from my back. “I just wanted to see how long it took you to relax under my touch.”

“You could’ve just told me that.”

He leans over me to say into my ear, “But it’s more fun this way.” Then he stands up. “You can get up. It’s been a long day. It’s time we go to bed.”

I scramble upright. “I’m not tired.” The thought of sleeping next to Erik is too much for me to bear right now.

“I have some work I need to attend to, so I’ll leave you for the night.” Without a goodbye, he leaves the room and shuts the door behind him.

Just like that, I’m alone in a strange house married to a strange man.

What scares me most of all is that my body began to respond to Erik’s touch. I actually relaxed. What does that say about me that my body could do that with a man like him?

I’m too scared of the answer.

My luggage is in Erik’s bedroom already. Someone must have gone to retrieve it for me. The thought that someone picked out my clothes and brought them here without me knowing makes me uneasy.

But I’m grateful I have my normal clothes with me.

I change out of the wedding dress and into simple loungewear pants and a top. No sexy nightie for Erik. I want to be as comfortable as possible.

Erik didn’t say I had to remain in his room all night long, so I decide to explore. This is my home after all. I have a right to look around.

The door, fortunately, isn’t locked. I tiptoe down the hallway, self-conscious of where Erik might be.

There’s no one else in the house. No guards. No housekeepers. It’s just me … and Erik somewhere. That thought doesn’t settle my stomach at all.

The one thing I didn’t bring was a cell phone. I can’t call Nadia and see how she is. Everything inside me is desperate to see her, and it’s only been a few hours since we said goodbye at the reception.

I need to know she’s all right.

I go into the kitchen to look for a phone, but there isn’t a landline. Of course, there wouldn’t be. No one has landlines anymore.

Erik must have a cell phone, though. If I could just get to it and call Nadia and know she was ok, I could get through this. But getting Erik’s phone would mean talking to him, and that’s not something I’m sure I can do after what we just shared in his bedroom.

The way he touched me was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

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