I keep my eyes firmly closed. "I'm trying. You sure are loud."
“And you’re a coward.”
Incensed, I open my eyes and turn over. Big mistake. Alessandro stands by the bed, completely naked. The moon shines throughthe window, casting its light over every sculpted muscle. He’s like a freaking Adonis.
My mouth goes dry. "What are you doing?" I clutch the sheets tighter, not to keep him out but to keep me from reaching for him.
"Getting ready for bed." His smile is infuriatingly smug. "This is how I sleep."
I scoff, forcing my gaze away from his body. "Well, find something to wear. This isn't your bachelor pad."
"It's my honeymoon suite." He slides under the covers beside me, and I press myself against the edge of the mattress. "With my wife."
"A wife you've barely spoken to for days," I snap. "A wife you treated like a stranger."
Alessandro turns toward me, propping himself up on one elbow. “I’ve been nothing but attentive today.”
Ugh. The gall of him. “You don’t get to ignore me and then expect me to warm your bed."
"And what about when I'm not ignoring you?" His voice drops to a deep, sexy timbre. "Like tonight?"
I swallow hard. "No manipulation either. No using this chemistry between us when it suits you."
"Is that what you think I'm doing?" His fingers ghost over my bare shoulder, and I fight not to shiver.
"What else would it be?"
"Perhaps I simply want my wife."
It’s hard to fight against those words. What woman wouldn’t want to be desired, especially by a man like Alessandro?
But I do my best, turning away from him. "I'm trying to sleep. If you're so desperate for sex, there's the door. I'm sure you can find someone willing."
The minute I say the words, I regret them. Infidelity runs rampant in my world. I’ve just given him permission to start on our wedding night.
"Is that what you want?" His voice is calm, as if it’s a solution he’ll consider if that’s what I want. "For me to find another woman on our wedding night?"
I clench my jaw, refusing to answer.
His fingertips trail along my shoulder, sending shivers down my spine. "Because I think we both know that's not what either of us wants."
I hate how my body responds to his touch. I hate even more that I do want him. "What I want is not to be toyed with. You act nice when you want something, but once you have it, you’re cold and cruel."
His lips brush against my shoulder, and it’s all I can do not to moan. I fight the instinct to melt into his touch, refusing to give him the satisfaction of my response.
"Stop it.”
Alessandro pauses, his breath warm against my skin. "Do you really want me to?"
"What I want doesn't matter. This is just another game to you."
Alessandro's hand catches my chin, turning my face toward him with authority. His touch isn't painful, but it's firm enough that I can't look away. A darkness flashes in his eyes.
"I can take whatever I want from you," Alessandro growls. "You're mine now."
The possessiveness in his words should repulse me, but something primal inside me responds to it. Still, I refuse to yield. What my body wants and what is best for my sanity in this marriage are two different things.
“You don’t own me.”
