Page 7 of Claiming His Wife
"Care to test out those words?” The husky tone seized more than her voice, as he caught her hands and trapped her body against the wall.
“Let me go,” she bit out. He brushed his fingers gently down her face as if trying to draw a portrait of her in his mind. Kalilah squirmed. Each touch seemed to chip away at the wall she had built between them. He paused, his finger above her lip and all she could think about was kissing him.
“So soon? And here I thought you weren’t affected by what I said." He then leaned in until the words were whispered into her ear. “Or did.” The feel of his breath against her skin set her nerves on fire and activated her sleeping limbs. He gently brought her palms up against the wall and over her head and them placed his larger palms over hers. She stiffened for a moment but relaxed her palms underneath his. No words were said. He gazed down at her intensely and she knew that look. She felt nineteen again. She had seen this look many times right before he claimed her lips.And damn!It still affected her. She needed to get away from him and his strength and his cologne that brought up memories she wanted buried. She began to struggle against him. Her movements did the opposite of what they were meant to. Her body rubbed against his and instead of wanting an escape, she wanted to feel more of him. She wanted him to kiss her. She felt his manhood spring to life against her thigh.
"Kalilah, you really shouldn't…" he warned, his voice sounding strained, wavering, then breaking the temporary spell she was under.
"Let me go," her tone panicked.
"But I love your current disposition," he returned.
"Crowded?" Her voice sounded breathy.
"No, under my control." He must have realized the moment the words left his mouth that they were the exact wrong words to say, because he leaned away from her a bit.
“Let go of me this minute!" Her voice was icy and dismissive. He took his time releasing her from his hold and then walked around to his desk and sat in his chair. Kalilah tried to ignore his presence as she fiddled with the button on her floral blouse.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” he said.
She disregarded him and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face.Under my control.Not anymore. She was grateful for those words; they had jolted her back to reality. God knows that one more second with her body besieged by Finn’s against the wall and she would’ve given in to the intense lust she felt. It terrified her that she had never gotten to this height of intimacy with Jonathan, and yet here she was all over Finn. She groaned internally; this wasn't how she planned this meeting to go. So much for making progress. What a waste of time! She should’ve known better than to show up at her ex-husband’s office and expect things to go as smoothly as she planned. She let out a slow breath and tugged at the hem of her floral blouse once more before marching to the door. She had to escape and regroup before she made a fool of herself.
"I'll give you what you want." Those words stopped her in her tracks.
She whirled her head toward him, her dark eyes widened, mouth agape as if she’d lost her hearing. She searched his face for any hint of amusement. His stony mask gave nothing away.Did he finally accept things were over?Hope bubbled in her chest.
“On one condition only,” he added and that’s all it took to shatter her hope in its entirety.
She glared at him speculatively.
"Look, I don't know what game you're playing, but I'll not be a party to it. I'm asking for what I know you surely want as well. We both need to move on with our lives.”
He winced at her declaration, and this time she didn’t get any satisfaction from his torment. She had no idea why he was hesitant to get the annulment. She doubted he ever loved her. Theirs wasn’t a story with a happy ending. He probably wanted to stay married for his stake in the company. Her heart sank at the thought. She didn’t know why the belief that he only wanted to stay married for the sake of finally becoming CEO of company wounded her heart.
The silence thickened between them until she broke eye contact and turned away.
“Please wait." Despite her annoyance she found herself turning to look at him. That position suited him. Lord of all, at the very peak of his ambitions.God, why did he have to be so handsome?"My only condition is that you allow me to date you for three months. If you still feel the same way about this marriage,” he explained calmly, his unwavering stare fixed on her, “By the end of that time frame, then I'll sign whatever papers you want me to.”
Regardless of the physical and emotional distance between them, her body trembled as she felt the temperature rise an extra ten degrees. Overwhelmed she blinked to ward off any unwelcome thoughts in her mind.
She realized she was still staring blankly at him when she noticed his arched brow. Finding it hard to look away, she felt like her body was held captive under his intense scrutiny. She had forgotten how his eyes could pin her like a laser and saw right through her soul.Fucking power moves.
“Is this a joke? Are you playing some kind of game with me?”
“Who, me?” He asked with amplified innocence. “Never.”
“Why three months?” She found the timeline a bit strange.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Strange. Very strange.
“So why go through all this? I am confident that I will not change my mind. A few dinners here and there won’t change the way I feel and my abhorrence towards you.”
“You sure about that?” His tone was cocky now.
“Yes. I’ve never been surer of anything in my life. Finn, I won’t ever forgive or forget your deception.” Her chest tightened, tears threatened, but she was not going to break down in front of him. That would be a sign of weakness. She truly felt like they were meant to be once upon a time. But all he wanted was a place in her father’s company.
"Give me a chance to disprove everything you think you know about me. If by the end of the three months your mind hasn’t wavered about me, I'll give you your annulment without a fight." He added quickly.
