Page 26 of Beautiful Beast

He leads me outside and back into the car that took us to our reception. The same driver gets behind the wheel and takes us away from the hotel.

“Do you know what will happen tonight?” Erik asks. His voice seems so loud in the quiet car.

“We’re going to have …”

“Sex. It’s expected of couples on their wedding night.”

“Right.” I let out a rough breath. “And you expect that of me?” I can’t even look at him as I ask. If I do, I might completely break and crumble.

“You did say you wanted to do your duty, did you not?”

“You’re right. I did say that.”

“Look at me, Anya.” His voice is surprisingly soft. Well, soft for him.

Slowly, I turn to face him, forcing my eyes up to his.

“You’re trembling.” He cups my face with his palm. “Shaking. You’re scared.”

“Of course, I’m scared. I’ve never done this before. You’re going to hurt me, aren’t you?”

His gaze searches mine before he drops his hand. “I have no desire to have sex with a woman who’s scared out of her mind. I want you willing in my bed.”

“What do you mean?”

“I won’t have sex with you tonight.”

I’m so shocked by his words that it takes me a second to process. “You won’t?”

“I like to hurt people, Anya. But I don’t want to make you suffer on our wedding night. I have no desire for that. I want sex to be enjoyable, and right now, you would make it the furthest thing from enjoyable. So, we can wait. I don’t really care all the much about tradition anyway.”

I stare at Erik and search his face, looking to see if he’s telling me the truth. Nothing in his expression suggests he’s lying.

It makes me say something that I never thought I would say to a man like him. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me.”

I inhale and exhale deeply. “I loved to dance,” I admit. “I was sad when my father forced me to give it up. I was devastated. So, I lied before.”

I have no idea why I tell him this other than it feels like the right thing to say.

Erik doesn’t speak for a long time. “Anya, don’t trust me with your secrets. I’m not a man you trust.” He sounds strangely open and vulnerable, yet his words directly contradict them.

All I can do is sit there and hope Erik will keep to his word and not hurt me tonight.

Chapter

Five

ANYA

Erik’s home is practically a castle.

It’s colonial in nature, with large columns out front. The front white brick is beautiful and welcoming. Yet this isn’t a house I want to enter.

Erik lives about an hour outside of the city, which means it’ll be even harder for me to see Nadia.

“You don’t look happy. Don’t like the look of my house?” He opens the car door and gets out, giving me his hand.

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