Page 18 of Caged in Desire
“This is the last round before I’m spent,” I admit.
She smirks and pulls her own mask down before immediately catching me off guard with an explosive offensive series. Retreating, I manage one riposte before she has me on my back foot again. I’m about to yield when I stumble, falling backward and landing in a heap. Her momentum carries her forward, and before she can slow herself, my long legs cause Katarina to trip as well.
Fuck.
She falls forward onto her hands and knees, but luckily, I’m there to cushion her landing. Inconveniently, she falls into a straddle.Maybe it’s convenient,I think as we both pull our masks off and she sits up. Directly onto my lap.
Shit.
Our chests are heaving, and she’s flushed with exertion and grinning triumphantly.
“I win!” she says brightly, doing a little victory wiggle that resembles a lap dance. It’s enough for my dick to immediately rise to attention. I see the moment she feels it underneath her. Her smile turns into a smirk as she grinds ever so slightly onto me, just enough that Iknowit’s on purpose.
Then she’s up like a flash and holding her hand out to help me off the floor. She doesn’t weigh enough to actually help heave me up, but I appreciate the gesture and take her hand, holding my mask in front of my crotch to hide what’s now a full-blown erection.
“Good match, Mr. Sinclair,” she says as she shakes my hand, then gathers her gear to head for her room. “I think with a littlevigorous training, we’ll have you in fighting form soon!”
Her laughter tinkles behind her as she leaves me to watch her go. Rock hard. Exhausted.Entranced.
Chapter ten
“I’ll see you at dinner tonight?” I ask, lowering my paper in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the way my husband’s ass looks in his slacks as he leaves the study.
Henry turns around and smirks as he catches me ogling him. “Yes, I’ll be home before dinner.” He goes to leave but stops himself before he’s out of the room and smiles. “Enjoy your day, Katarina.”
I give him a big grin of my own, “Oh, I plan on it. I hope you do as well, Henry.”
Nodding, he taps the doorframe with his knuckle and leaves for the day. It’s Saturday, and I won’t lie, I was half expecting—well, hoping—that he would be home for the weekend, but duty calls. Shaking off any lingering sadness, I finish the article I was reading and get changed for my morning hike.
Having Henry home more the past week has been interesting. I’ve had no trouble warming up to my new husband. The fact that he’s the most attractive man I’ve ever seen only has a little to do with it. We actually have more in common than I could’ve dreamed, making our time together enjoyable.
I believe he’s warming to me as well. We’ve spent our dinners together discussing current events, an activity I missed dearly during the week I was here alone. After dinner, he would disappear into his study, and it only took me a couple of days to gather the nerve to join him. The memory of the first night I followed him brings a smile to my face.
“Good night, Katarina,” Henry says as he leaves for his study.
“Hmph.” My arms are crossed, and my face is contorted into a pout. Not thatmy husbandwould notice, since he left without turning around.
Before I realize it, Potts is collecting the dishes. “Go after him, dear. He’ll be in his study doing a crossword for the next thirty minutes.” She takes my plate from my hand, trading it for another copy of today’s paper. “Show him your stuff.”
I sit straight, remember my worth, and march toward him, each step driven by ambition. The doors are shut when I reach his study. The thought to knock briefly crosses my mind, but I ultimately decide against it and barrel my way inside.
Henry’s chair faces the wall to the left of the door. He turns his head toward the intrusion, and I see the surprise in his eyes the moment he realizes who’s standing there.
“Katarina? Is there something wrong?”
“Of course not!”
His brows scrunch together, clearly confused. “Then what on earth are you doing here?”
“It’s crossword time, is it not?”
He looks at the paper lying on his lap, then at the paper in my hand. “Well…yes.”
“I’m here to do the crossword with you, of course!” I say with the biggest smile I can muster.
I can feel his gaze follow me as I practically skip to the chair opposite his and unfold the paper to the day’s crossword. “You wouldn’t happen to have an extra pen, would you?”
Without saying a word, he offers me the pen in his hand, then gets up to grab another for himself from the desk in the corner of the room.
