Page 44 of Twisted Alliance

Even as he silently watched her, expecting her to run away as always, she remained frozen in place.

Remove the threat by seducing him.

Her mind threw those words at her, reminding her of the plan she had concocted the previous night. But right then, she was terrified to be in the same room as him, let alone attempt to seduce him.

Oh God.

His dark eyes continued to be trained on her.

She knew she could not run away and hide anymore. She had to show her devil husband she wasn’t scared of him and had to win his trust to expose him as a fraud.

I have to do this.

Sucking in a deep breath, even as every alarm in her body went off, she walked inside.

He stood still with his expression unfathomable.

She stopped less than a few feet from him in front of the other sink. With trembling hands, she brushed her teeth before splashing her face. All the while, she sensed his presence next to her.

She straightened and turned, only to find him still watching her.

His hair was damp, and his chest was sprinkled with a few water droplets, indicating he had just stepped out of the shower. The familiar cologne he used tingled her nose.

She knew she was supposed to act coy and sweet talk to seduce him. But her throat seemed frozen along with her mind and body when she saw him.

She had to try harder.

Even as her stomach trembled, she stood her ground, wanting to show him she wasn’t scared of him. He watched her as she looked up from his chest, her chin tilting up to meet his eyes.

“W-when did you come home?” she asked, wanting to break the heavy silence that threatened to choke her.

Although his face remained unreadable as always, she caught something in his eyes. A flicker that was barely there before it disappeared.

“Early morning,” he replied.

Her heart nearly burst out of her chest as his eyes swept over her. She wasn’t wearing the veil since she slept without it. When his eyes darkened, and she saw a slight clench of his jaw, an idea struck her.

Oh God.

It was a crazy idea, but before she lost her nerve, she turned, showing her back to him. Then, twisting her head to the side, she met with his dark gaze in the mirror.

“C-can you help me with the dress ties?” she asked. “I need to untie them before I s-step into the shower.”

Even as she braced herself to his touch, there was a long, heavy silence.

“What are you doing?” he asked. She could see the clench of his jaw tighten.

With her heart thudding loudly, she held his gaze in the mirror.

“I-I need your help to untie the strings on my blouse. I can’t reach them.”

A moment later, she let out a loud gasp as he gripped her elbow and turned her to face him. “What. Are. You. Doing?” he bit out.

Her natural reaction was to say ‘nothing’ and run away from him, but she held her ground. “I-I told you that I need help with my ties.”

His jaw clenched even harder. “You need my help to undress you?”

Her stomach trembled at his words. “Y-yes. Since you are my husband, I have the right to ask for your help.”

---