8
Cia.
December 24th
I liked being married…and worse, I liked being married to Nex Barrett. Embracing a union with Nex contradicted everything I had been fighting against my entire life, a connection to the world my father and brother embraced.
A dark, twisted, and morally gray world.
Nex was the darkest, most twisted part of that world and now he was my husband.
As much as we agreed this union would be in name and his bed only, that line had been crossed, demolished, no longer existing because he and I wanted more. What was I supposed to do with these treacherous and overwhelming feelings of wanting him? My father and brother were going to feel betrayed but this was all their fault. Had Merrick not promised me to Warren, I would have never married Nex in the first place.
My eyes darted over to the man lying next to me in bed. After he’d fucked me several more times last night, we showered and climbed in bed together. I fully intended to escape the intimate position, but he had other plans, which meant keepingme locked in place against his hard firm body with a muscled arm draped over my waist all night. I’d managed to escape this morning with the plea of needing to use the bathroom. He turned over onto his back, throwing one arm above his head and the other rested on his chest.
Such a perfect visual I felt compelled to get more of, so after I emptied my bladder, I climbed back in bed with him and sat against the headboard with my knees drawn into my chest while I rested my head on folded arms, admiring the beauty of my new husband.
He is so damn sexy and this is all too good to be true…
But what was good about a man like Nex Barrett who promised death? He killed people for a living. Only because men like my father, brother, and Warren paid him well to do so. Was the person who placed the order any worse than the person who handled the execution?
Can I still love my father and brother and not love Nex?
My eyes went wide with the thought at the same time I sucked in a sharp breath of realization.Love Nex?
“Do I want to love him?” I whispered lowly.
There were so many overwhelming emotions suffocating me and sitting next to the source of the problem wasn’t helping. I slowly eased to the side of the bed to escape but before I could lower my legs over the edge, the deep rumble of his voice had my spine stiffening.
“Let’s talk about it, Little Flame.”
I swung my head, narrowing my eyes at him over my shoulder. “Talk about what?”
“All the reasons you are second guessing your decision to become my wife. Because let's be clear, you are my wife, Cia. No matter what regrets you have, I’m not changing my mind, which means you don’t have the option of changing yours.”
My mouth gaped open as I watched him brush both palms down his face, throw the covers back, and move with a dominant gait to the bathroom with a slow, confident stride that allowed me time to admire more of the insanely tempting body I had been ogling for the past hour.
While Nex spent time in the bathroom, I tracked his movements. First, the sound of him using the bathroom, then the sink running. After what felt like an eternity, I had a visual of my new husband. He leaned against the doorframe looking every bit of the sex god I’d been lusting over. Tight black briefs hugged his upper thighs and sat low on his waist, exposing the reason for the soreness between my thighs.
“What has that pretty little head of yours overthinking?”
“Who says I’m overthinking?” I set my jaw and slowly raised a brow. Nex smiled beautifully and my God…
“I can feel your thoughts as intensely as I felt your orgasms.” He pushed away from the wall. “Speaking of, we should eat. We had a busy night and morning.” The smugness of his voice had me glaring. I could hear the fucking smirk in his tone and it grated my nerves but had my pussy pulsing with need at the same time.
“I’m going to order breakfast. Is there anything you object to?” He was almost out of the room before I found my voice.
“Yes, there is. All ofthis. I object to everything that has happened in the past twenty-four hours.”
He turned, locking his arms over his chest. His gaze was intense and had my stomach twisting but then that cocky grin surfaced. Barely there but oh so lethal. “Not everything,” he rasped as his eyes slowly traveled the length of my body to my bare legs and back up to the place where my pussy was hidden beneath a t-shirt.Hist-shirt.
“Asshole,” I hissed.
“Asshole, husband, to my understanding they’re interchangeable. Let’s go, you need to eat. We have plans today.”
Plans?
I watched him disappear into the hallway before I headed to the bathroom to wash my face, brush my teeth, and rake my fingers through my sex mussed hair. When I made it to the living room, I found Nex standing in front of the paneled glass, his massive back to me, finely carved with muscles and decorated with art. He held a cellphone to his ear. I frowned and listened, realizing he wasn’t ordering food.
