Page 36 of Ceremony of Lust
“Before we get out of this car, tell me what you want to happen when we go up to the penthouse.” Even though my voice is low, it seems to fill the compact space of the car.
She sucks in a sharp breath, and her hands reach up to fidget with the end of her braid. “I don’t know,” she whispers. A beautiful pink blush blooms on her cheeks, and my fingers flutter along her soft skin.
“We have some unfinished business.”
Her tongue darts out and licks her lips, but she’s quiet.
“It’s impossible to ignore what must be done, don’t you think?”
She turns her head sharply, and my hand falls away from her face. “Can’t we wait a little longer?”
One corner of my mouth lifts. She’s so innocent. “Haven’t we waited long enough? It’s been three days.” I lean forward over the console separating us until we’re practically face-to-face. “Threelongdays, Yael.”
She reaches up, places her hands on my shoulders, and pushes me back. “And whose fault is that?” She turns away and pushes the door open, leaving me to scramble after her.
“You can’t punish me for something I had no control over,” I call out.
She stops in her tracks and spins sharply on her heel. “You have more control than me,” she says as she marches forward. “You have more choices and more freedoms than I do, Zev. Don’t lecture me on having no control.”
I surrender to her, holding up my hands. “All right, Yael. You win. I will stay far from you until you welcome me to your bed.”
She nods her head, and I follow her toward the elevators. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and there’s a scowl on her full lips.
“Tell me how to make this right,” I beg. “I’ve never had to answer to another person before. It’s always been just me.”
She swipes at her cheek with one hand. “You didn’t even have the decency to tell me you were leaving,” she murmurs.
The elevator arrives with a ding, and when the doors open, she surges forward without a glance back at me.
“Did you think that’s what I wanted to do?” I ask, backing her into the corner. My hands slip around her waist and settle on her slight curves. She turns her head to the side, her lips tight. “Look at me, Yael.”
When she refuses, I don’t give up. I will break down the walls she keeps building. My head dips, and my nose brushes against the slope of her shoulder. “I only had one hour. If I saw you before I left, I would have stayed. I would have rather been with you in separate rooms than forced to leave.”
She’s still quiet, and I decide to go all in and take a risk. My hands slowly travel down the length of her body until they grip the hem of her dress, lifting it inch by painstaking inch until it’s bunched just below her waist. With the fabric in one hand, I free the other and brush it against the center of her body.
“Do you know what I thought about while I was gone? How delicious you tasted. I woke in the middle of the night with the taste of you on my tongue, and I want more, Yael.”
I press my hand against her, teasing her. She gasps softly, her lips popping open.
“I think you want that, too,” I whisper in her ear.
The elevator comes to a stop, jolting us both out of our trance. Her dress falls out of my hand, and I step away.
Her scowl returns as she approaches me. She jabs a finger into my chest, and tells me, “You don’t know what I want.”
She storms off the elevator ahead of me, and I follow her through the penthouse to the master bedroom. Well, this is an odd choice for someone who is adamant about not consummating our marriage.
She sits on the edge of the bed and places her palms flat on her thighs before she looks up at me. Her mouth is turned down, and storms are raging in her big brown eyes.
From a safe distance, I ask her to tell me what she wants.
“Love and equality,” she answers automatically.
“You already told me that.” Slowly, I advance toward her and kneel in front of her, resting my hands on her knees. “Tell me what you really want.”
She sighs and shifts her hands to the bed. Her face relaxes slightly. “Don’t treat me like most husbands treat their wives,” she says firmly.
“What does that mean exactly?” My hands travel the length of her thighs as I shift her closer to me.