Page 23 of Darkest Love
Adrien sighs and places his hand onto my ass. It’s hard to even think with his hand there. “I don’t hate you, Anastasia. But you do frustrate me. We’re so different. You want love and I don’t. I’ve never been with a woman long enough to have to worry about how she feels. I’m out of my depth here.”
I’m surprised to hear his slight vulnerability. My father was a stoic man. Denis was an abusive, cold man. And it’s not like any of my sisters’ husbands are sharing their feelings with me.
So to hear it from Adrien shocks me to my core.
“I’m out of my depth as well,” I say. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know how I should be feeling.”
He goes quiet and begins to run his hand over my ass. Even though my nightgown is still in the way, I can feel his touch clearly. Strongly.
He roams his hand up to my back, giving me a massage of sorts. It does feel nice. To be touched like this. It would be so easy to give in to him. Let him show me the pleasure he wants to show me.
“I want to touch you,” he says in a low voice, making me shiver. “I want to touch you everywhere. Kiss you everywhere.” He lowers his lips to my ear. “Fuck you everywhere.”
I gasp. Goosebumps break out onto my skin. “You’re trying to… seduce me.”
“Is it working?” There’s a smile in his voice that makes me smile. But I have to remember that if I let myself be consumed by him, he could break my heart.
“We shouldn’t do this.”
“We can do whatever we want. You’re my wife. I’m your husband. Give in to me, Anastasia. I know you want to. Ana.”
I practically whimper from the way he says my nickname. It’s so intimate.
“Let me touch you,” he says, running his hand along my back.
“You’re already touching me.”
“But I could touch you more.” He trails his fingers down to the backs of my thighs. It feels so good I could cry. To finally be touched in such an intimate way. To finally feel pleasure.
And of course it has to be with a man who’s perfect in every way… except the one way that really counts.
“Adrien,” I whisper.
“Yes?”
“You should stop.” It takes everything in me to say it but I have to say it.
He pulls his hand back. “Fine. We don’t have to do this. But you still need to be taught a lesson.”
I frown and look over my shoulder to see what he’s doing. He goes into the walk-in closet and comes back out with silk ties.
“What are you doing with those?” I ask.
He grabs my wrist before I can stop him and ties it to the bedpost. Then he does it to my other wrist.
“Adrien? You can’t tie me to the bed! What are you doing!”
“Teaching you a lesson in listening to me. You invited your sister over without talking to me first. And I need to make sure you don’t leave again without me or a guard. It’s too dangerous out there.”
“So, you’re doing this for my protection? Bullshit. You’re doing this because you’re a controlling freak!” I try kicking him in the face but he backs away before I can reach him.
“I need you under control, Anastasia. It’s simple as that.”
“No. You’re doing this to me because I said I wouldn’t have sex with you. That’s why you’re punishing me.”
“I’m making sure you don’t go out into the city and get yourself killed. You are my key to staying in the alliance with Nico, Mikhail, and Liam. I cannot lose that which means I cannot lose you. You will stay here and think about what you’ve done. About the man you kissed. I’m sure you’re regretting it now.” He heads for the door when I speak.
“I never kissed a man.”
