Page 16 of Heartbeat

“Damn, you! Cullen.” Raven huffed in her sleep, and I frowned, dropping her unceremoniously on the couch.

“Who the fuck is, Cullen?” I questioned out loud, but Raven was dead to the world. She snuggled into the couch like I wasn’t even there.

In the few days we had together before the wedding, Raven had never mentioned a boyfriend. If she thought for one fucking second that I would let her fuck another man while we were married, I’d kill his ass and make her watch.

I paced up and down the large open living room, glaring out of the floor to ceiling windows. The twinkle of the boats in the port was like happy lights mocking me. They reminded me that my new wife got drunk because she hates me, and now she’s calling out another man’s name in her sleep.

“How the fuck did I get here?” I asked myself this same question repeatedly since I was told I had to marry Raven Bishops. The pretty princess with no backbone and a chip on her shoulder.

Raven groaned again as she placed her arm across her face. Her pink princess cut diamond ring glittered in the moonlight. I chose the ring because it reminded me of Raven. Dainty and bold at the same time.

I ran my hand down my face feeling the five o’clock shadow that was beginning to grow. I’m sure at the moment I looked as tired as I felt. The past few days had been a whirlwind of activities that I never thought I’d have to endure in my life.

My mother, bless her, was my saving grace. Anna Nash was always the nurturer, and when I let her know what my father was up to, she blew a gasket. I thought for sure Conrad was going to renege on the deal, but he held steadfastly.

My mother was still livid, but she helped Raven and me plan without batting an eye. With the expertise of Karessa Hale, she and Josephine threw together the biggest wedding reception with all the bells and whistles I’d ever seen. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if they had more time.

When Raven floated down the aisle toward me, my breath caught in my throat. I thought my heart would beat out of my chest. She looked beautiful in her gold and white lace gown. An angel on Earth sent to cleanse me of my sins.

And was I ready to do all the sinful things I could think of to her? I couldn’t help but get caught up in the moment, and when we kissed, it all felt real. It felt like she was my wife, that I had asked her to marry me on bended knee and she’d said, yes. That we were in love and ready to live happily ever after, but then the kiss ended, and so did the fantasy. She deserved to have a real wedding for someone she loved. And I deserved to be free of my father’s manipulations.

I left Raven on the couch because I was too pissed to carry her to the bed. The thought of her kissing and touchingCullenmade me want to rip his ass apart… whoever he was. We may not have been in love, but she was now my wife.

I walked into my bedroom and stripped out of my shoes, socks, shirt, and pants. My tie and jacket were long gone, and I often went commando if I didn’t have on scrubs. I took a quick shower and crawled my exhausted ass into my bed.

I don’t know how long I lie awake, staring at my ceiling, doing my very best to think of a solution on how to get a divorce without losing everything. But my mind kept drifting back to how beautiful Raven looked in her wedding gown and how I wished with everything in me that I was peeling it off her right now.

* * *

I woke to someone nudging my shoulder. It took me a minute to realize where I was and who was waking me up.

“Lennox.” A whisper came from beside me. I could feel her small warm hand tapping my shoulder, “Lennox,” Raven whispered again.

I wanted to pretend to be asleep, but I got the feeling she wasn’t going to go away.

“What?” I said a little too harshly. I wanted to scare her away so that I could stop thinking about her. But she sighed loudly instead of moving away. I turned over and looked at her with my eyebrow raised.

“Can you help me out of my dress?” She whispered timidly. “The zipper is stuck, please.” Raven’s almond-shaped gray eyes pleaded with me. After the rough night she had, I knew that the last thing she wanted to do was ask my grumpy ass for help.

I looked at the clock and noted it was three in the morning. Raven’s make-up had been washed off, and the sleek hairstyle she sported for the wedding was replaced with a messy bun at the top of her head.

I sat up against my headboard and motioned for her to turn around. She did as I instructed, and I couldn’t help but admire her tight ass in her reception dress. The fitted white and gold number was a shorter version of her wedding gown. Raven was indeed a beautiful woman.

I wrapped the sheet over my lap and moved to the edge of the bed. I tugged on the stuck zipper, and with a little force, it slid down, leaving an expanse of rich chocolate brown skin for my viewing pleasure. I pushed the two halves of the dress off Raven’s shoulders, exposing her naked back.

I ran my hand over her skin as goosebumps covered her flesh. I heard a whimper slip from Raven’s lips, and I moved closer. I wrapped my hand around her waist and pulled her between my legs. Her body was flush against mine, and I smiled down at her.

“Do you like my touch, Princess?” I whispered in her ear, making sure my lips lightly caressed her earlobe.

Her response was a low moan as she dropped her dress to pool around her bare feet. Raven stood in front of me in nothing but a tiny white thong. I took in the round cheeks of her ass, rubbing my hands over them, squeezing and stroking her ripe flesh. The sheet covering my lap began to tent when my dick started to wake up in response to my wife’s beautiful body.

Raven didn’t move or stop me. Her breathing became shallow, and I turned her around to face me. She covered her naked breasts with her small hands, and that’s when I noticed that she wasn’t wearing her rings.

“Where are your rings?” I growled low. Even though I was sitting and she was standing, I still had to bend down to get into her face. I could smell the minty scent of toothpaste on her breath, and I knew she was trying to wash away the memory of our disastrous reception.

“I-I took them off. T-t to get in the shower,” she stuttered her eyes going wide.

“Don’t ever take your rings off, Princess.” I grabbed her by the jaw so she couldn’t move away from my hard stare. She swallowed hard and nodded. I grinned.

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