I nearly snort at the formal way he asks if I require pampering prior to being fucked by whomever he has in store for me tonight.
“No, I think I’ll handle that on my own,” Master Kaiden replies, holding out his hand for me. “Wife.”
The sinful tone caressing that single word causes my thighs to clench. I’ve never heard it spoken that way before. Warren always uttered it like a curse. But from Master Kaiden’s mouth, it resembles a benediction.
Perhaps that’s just my mind losing itself to a fantasy that’ll never be. However, for a moment, I allow myself to believe he’s about to make all my darkest dreams come true.
I press my palm to his and allow him to pull me up from my seat. His green irises smolder as he studies my features. “You are the most exquisite female of my existence,” he says almost reverently. “Now, let me show you around your new home. And afterward, we’ll talk about what it means to be mine.”
I want to tell him that I already know what it means, that his brother provided a hefty two-year introduction to my ownership within his family, but I keep my mouth shut and follow his lead instead.
He dismisses Claude with a nod, then takes me on a guided tour of his estate. It’s lined with windows, most of which overlook the beach. There’s no fancy ballroom or ostentatious grand hall. It’s just polished and pristine, all whites and silvers and black granite.
Two kitchens.
A spacious pool off to the side with stairs that lead down to the beach, and a patio that wraps around his home.
Three living rooms.
One family area.
A fully furnished basement with amenities that include a smaller lap pool and a steam room. He shows me the workout area down there before taking me up into the library wing.
“These shelves are yours,” he explains, gesturing to a section filled with novels similar to the ones my mysterious benefactor used to leave in my room. “I suggest you start with that shelf, as it will continue where you’ve left off in your training.”
Training? I repeat to myself, but Master Kaiden is already moving again, this time toward a staircase at the back of the library that extends two flights upward. He opens the door at the top to reveal a corridor of doors that he explains lead to the various suites on this level.
We pass two staff members along the way, both of whom bow with a smile—something I note is very different from Warren’s estate. His house members never smiled. Most of them reminded me of timid mice.
“This is our room,” Master Kaiden concludes, pushing through a dark wood door to reveal a seating area framed by windows and a balcony that overlooks the beach below. A door at the opposite side of the room leads to a bedroom adorned in gray silks and white bedding.
I hate white sheets. They don’t hide the blood.
He presses his palm to my lower back, guiding me toward the bed. It seems the pleasantries are done. At least he tried. It was more than Warren did on our wedding night. He just told me to strip, then he let all his groomsmen play with me for the night while he watched.
All of them except Master Kaiden, anyway.
I recall now the disappointment I felt when he didn’t join. Mostly because the notion of him touching me had never displeased me. Just as it doesn’t now.
We stop beside the bed, and he turns me to face him. Then he gently moves my dark hair away from my neck and bends to kiss my pulse, his familiar scent comforting and warm.
“I’ve waited for this night for so long,” he breathes against my neck. “You have no idea how patient I’ve been, Camilla.”
His palms find my hips, his lips skimming upward to nibble my jaw on his way to my mouth.
I close my eyes, allowing myself to fall into my safe place where no one can touch me, only his teeth drag me back to the present with a sharp pinch to my lower lip. I yelp and he growls. Then his tongue glides across the wound while his eyes hold mine.
It stings.
But it also… burns.
I swallow, conflicted by the pain-induced pleasure.
He watches me intently, his pupils darkening as he licks me once more. A quiver works down my spine, and he smiles. “We’re going to have so much fun together, sweet beauty.”
It’s a threat and a promise wrapped up in a single statement. One he punctuates by taking my mouth with his and slipping his tongue inside.
My heart stops. Oh…
I’ve dreamt of kissing this man hundreds of times. And all those fantasies combined pale in comparison to the reality of Kaiden Graves.
He’s… perfection. Each stroke is measured and pure. His pace is slow, thorough, divine. And his hands caress me in time with his mouth.
Heat blazes across my skin. I’ve never been kissed like this before. It’s passionate and sensual and underlined in promise.
I curl into him on impulse, wrongly craving more while secretly wishing he would stop. But he doesn’t. Instead, he deepens the embrace, his tongue growing more powerful inside my mouth and dominating me from the inside out.
I’m losing myself to him. I can feel the vestiges of my sanity leaving, replaced by a fantasy that shouldn’t be real.
This is the wedding night I always craved.
The life I’ve secretly fantasized about behind closed doors.
It may only be for an evening, but a sick and twisted part of me accepts that.
I want him. I’ve always wanted him.
And he’s my husband now.
Because Warren is dead and Master Kaiden is very much alive.
Perhaps this is all a dream. If it is, I never want to wake up. I just want to feel. To not think. To indulge. To enjoy.
His grip tightens around my hips, his body hard and hot against mine. He’s pulling me under a wave of masculinity and grace, intoxicating me with
