If her voice hadn’t trembled ever-so-slightly, her words would have angered him. Instead, he backed off, letting her have space. It was clear that she needed it.
Dominique climbed off the bed and walked into the bathroom, her bare ass swaying as she crossed the bedroom. He watched her, unsure what he was feeling when she shut the door behind her.
He was still standing in the middle of the bedroom when she came back out a few moments later. Her hair was down and brushed out, and she’d washed the makeup off her face.
Dominique paused in the doorway, her expression guarded. He realized that she wasn’t sure what to do and she was waiting for him to say something. Now that he’d spent more time with her, he was learning to read her better.
Since he didn’t know what to do either, he said, “Come here.”
She moved closer, moving slowly. When she was within reach, he stretched out an arm and looped it around her waist, pulling her naked body against his.
“I’m staying in here tonight,” he stated.
Without her shoes on, she was several inches shorter than him, so she had to tilt her head back to look up at his face. He liked that. Liked that she fit against him so perfectly, just tall enough for the softer places in her body to cradle his.
And he liked how she looked with her face free of makeup, her hair down and wild around her shoulders, and without the usual ice princess clothing she wore.
“This was a mistake,” she murmured, her eyes still glued to his.
“Probably,” he agreed.
He almost smiled when her eyes turned ice blue. Now that he’d learned her tells, he knew the change signaled that she was getting annoyed. Or angry.
“We shouldn’t do it again,” she continued, her tone deceptively even.
“Oh, we’re definitely doing this again. More than once. And that’s just tonight.”
Dominique shook her head. “It’s a bad idea.”
“Those are my favorite kind,” he replied.
“Our marriage is supposed to be in name only, remember?” The way she said the words was oh-so-reasonable, but Ronan wasn’t going to let her off the hook so easily.
“Then, how about you don’t take my name, and we still fuck every chance we get?” he asked.
She glared up at him but didn’t respond. His hand trailed over her waist and up her spine. He liked the way she shivered under his touch. She might wear her glacial mask to keep everyone at a distance, but her body couldn’t lie to him.
“You hate me,” she murmured, lowering her gaze to his chin.
“I don’t hate you,” he argued without thinking. But as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew they were true. Yes, she made him angry. Yes, he blamed her for a long time, but he didn’t hate her.
“I thought the whole reason you wanted me to be your fake wife was to punish me for getting you cursed.”
“That’s why I tracked you down, but I wouldn’t have gone through with it if you didn’t also fit the role perfectly. You’re from a respectable family. You’re independent. You don’t give a shit about the throne. And you won’t fall in love with me and refuse to end the marriage when the time comes.”
Dominique stared at him, not speaking. He couldn’t read her expression. She wasn’t closed off, but he had no idea what she was thinking. His gaze wandered from her face down to her naked body. His fingers trailed around her ribs to her breast, stroking over the silky skin. Her nipple pebbled under his touch.
“If you really don’t want to do this again, you should tell me to stop.” He leaned down, his mouth gliding over her collarbone.
Her only response was to step closer, one hand going to his hair and the other gripping his ass. Ronan took that as a yes and dragged her into his arms.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The next morning,Dominique woke to sunlight streaming through the window…and a naked man in her bed. She stared at the ornate ceiling, painted to resemble a bright blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds.
Her eyes wanted to wander over to Ronan, but she forced herself to shut them. Last night was a mistake. A huge mistake.
She’d let someone under her skin, something she hadn’t done in decades.
