Page 92 of Corrupted Pleasure
I reached for the glass and took a sip of my cognac. His gaze tracked my every movement, locking on my mouth as I licked a drop of the liquor off my bottom lip.
“How come you never got married?” I asked bravely.
“I got myself a curious wife, I see,” he chuckled, amusement coloring his voice.
A tense, yet almost comfortable silence filled the room. It was deceitful, because I could practically sense secrets dancing around us in the air.
“I’ve never wanted to get married because I saw first-hand how it destroys lives.” His admission sent shock waves through my body. I wasn’t even sure why.
“What do you mean?” I whispered.
“I didn’t believe in getting married just to get married. But I also saw how much it changed my father and my sister. So I never bothered with it,” he explained. I remembered what he said about it. “And truthfully, no woman really made me want to take that step.”
I frowned, confused. “So why now?”
“From the moment I laid eyes on you, Davina, my cock stirred to life. Yes, it was physical, but it’s really more than that. Obsession, passion, admiration, fixation, affection. Call it what you will, but I’m keeping you. Life kept throwing you my way, because you belong to me. I want all of you. Forever you and me. Every day for the rest of our lives.”
I stilled at his admission. His voice was so full of reverence that my chest grew twice its size with feelings I refused to acknowledge and a flutter of butterflies danced in my lower belly.
“We barely know each other,” I rasped, voicing my worries. My heart knew it was too late, but my brain refused to fall in line. It insisted on reason and barriers so I wouldn’t be discarded by another person in my life.
“Davina, you can trust me.” The statement was unexpected. As if he read me like an open book, the timing of it was frightening. Sex was one thing, giving up your heart and trusting someone to handle it gently was entirely another.
The only man I had ever fully trusted was my grandfather. Even with the girls, I could never quite bring myself to reveal certain things. And I trusted them. I really did. They had been there for me over the last four years, and I’d been there for them. We did some fun stuff and some dumb things.
He slipped a hand into his pocket, and I got the distinct feeling I really could trust him.
“Ok.” It wasn't until I voiced my agreement that I realized, to my shock, that Iwantedto trust him. My grandfather was the only man I could ever rely on. He had told me so many times that one day I’d find what he had with my grandmother, but I’d never believed it.
Nevertheless, right now every fiber of me wanted to rely on him and his strength. Except, my secrets weren’t only mine to reveal now. They protected my friends too.
“How would you feel if we moved your grandfather?”
I blinked. Then blinked again.
“What do you mean?” I questioned him, confused.
“We’re married now,” he explained. “We could move your grandfather to a private facility closer to us.”
Was he saying what I thought he was?
“Y-you mean, here in New York?” I asked, holding my breath.
“Yes.”
There was nothing more I would like. Except the prices here were exorbitant, and I’d never be able to afford it.
“Assisted living homes are too expensive here,” I told him, resigned.
“I’ll pay for it.” I shouldn’t accept it. It was too much. And it was another bond to tie me to him. Nevertheless, I wanted to accept it.
“It’s way too much,” I protested, though my heart wasn’t in it.
“No, it’s not,” he objected. “We can afford it.”
“We?” I whispered.
“Yes, Davina. We.” He took a sip of his drink. “You’re my wife now. And my responsibility. We’ll ensure your grandfather is close to us so you can visit him anytime.”
