Something flickers in his expression. Surprise, maybe. Or approval.
"Of course," he says, and leaves.
I sit alone in my office, staring at the whiskey in my glass.
My wife is upstairs. In my bed. Wearing white lace and my ring.
And I left her there.
The old Adrian wouldn't have. The man I was three months ago would have taken what he wanted without hesitation.
But that man didn't have Sera.
Didn't have a child on the way.
Didn't have something worth being patient for.
I finish my drink and pour another.
Maybe, if I'm patient enough, she'll learn to crave this. Crave me. Want me the way I want her.
The thought should feel like a weakness.
It doesn't.
CHAPTER 14
Sera
I wake to warmth and the scent of expensive cologne.
I'm so groggy, but unlike before, I remember exactly where I am. Hard to forget considering my husband is currently wrapped around me.
It feels odd to think of Adrian as my husband.
It’s even odder to consider what happened after we said our vows.
Last night was…weird.
I fully expected Adrian to fuck me the moment he took my dress off. After all, there'd been heat in his eyes, the kind that was similar to what happened the first night we were together. And there'd been a part of me that had wanted him again.
And yet…
He'd taken me to our room and left. I took a delightfully warm, not hot, bath, and went to bed. Untouched.
The very opposite of what I'd expect from my mafioso husband who'd knifed a man in the neck. It highlights how little I know and understand Adrian, which scares me.
It also intrigues me, and I can't ignore how the warmth ofhis body wrapped around mine makes me feel safe in a way I haven't in a long time.
Shame burns through me, hot and acidic.
Because I should be doing more to fight this. I'm not the type of woman who lets a man force her into anything, which is exactly what I've done. I've given up my agency to Adrian, and I fear that I might never get it back.
And yet…Bianca and Gemma both suggested I had power over Adrian.
Too bad I don't really know how to use it.
"You're awake," Adrian murmurs against my neck.
