Page 53 of Ceremony of Lust
I sigh. “Sounds too good to be true.”
“I won’t force you to do something you don’t want. I’ll get started on the house, and I’ll talk to your grandmother about your inheritance. Think, Yael. Think about what you want from me and our marriage. If you decide being shunned and divorced is truly what you want, I’ll give it to you. Your happiness is my happiness.”
He releases his hold on me and rolls away. The space between us feels like an ocean. “Let’s go to bed, sweetheart. It’s been a long day.”
I bury my face and smile. The way he calls me “sweetheart” does things to me. My entire body ignites and tingles, my heart stutters, and my toes curl. I have only ever been Yael, but now I’m Zev’s sweetheart.
When we’re settled under the covers, he pulls me back against him, settling his hand on my hip, his heat radiating against my back.
“Yael,” he grumbles.
“Yes,” I murmur in reply.
“Don’t ever force me again,” he says. His voice is low, but the warning is clear. “When I said I’ve changed, I mean I don’t want to be rough with you. I don’t ever want to use you or mistreat you.”
I squirm away from him and shift until I face him. My fingers brush against the rough stubble on his cheek. “I’m sorry,” I breathe out. “I could only focus on the pain of my disappointment, and I needed to feel something else.”
My hand glides down his cheek to his neck and over his shoulder as I scoot myself closer to him. He still smells so fresh and clean but also masculine. I lift my face slightly and kiss him softly. “For the record, I like you, too.”
He dips his head and brushes his nose against the ridge of my shoulder as his hand slides up and over my hip and cups my backside.
“I like taking my time with you,” he whispers against my skin. “And since I’ve been gone for three days, I have to make up for the lost time.”
He rolls me onto my back and covers me with his large body. One hand slides down the length of my body and hitches my leg over his hip. He’s hard and ready against me, but instead of demanding sex from me, he nuzzles into my neck.
“Don’t you want to?” I ask, hoping he understands my unspoken question. When it comes to sex, I’m still scared of saying and doing certain things. My vocabulary grows with every encounter, but it’s still embarrassing to talk about, even with my husband.
“You were made for me,” he says with a sigh. “Of course I want to, but you deserve to rest. I’ve been in your mouth and twice in your pussy tonight. I’m a satisfied man.”
“But you’re hard again.”
He chuckles against my skin. “Because you’re still naked.”
“What if I said I wanted more?”
He lifts slightly and looks at me with one raised eyebrow. “Do you?”
I nod slowly.
“There are other ways I can please you,” he purrs against my skin as he disappears beneath the covers and between my thighs.
I sigh, delirious with pleasure as his mouth devours me. So, this is what it’s like to be worshipped.
* * *
Zev arrangesfor us to see the house in the city. It’s more than I could have ever imagined. Whoever lived in the home previously took good care to make it warm and welcoming. The interior walls are all painted in cozy neutrals, and there are plenty of windows to let in natural light.
“There’s also a wine cellar in the basement,” the realtor tells us. “Don’t worry, it has a key to keep your daughter and her friends away.”
Zev and I both stop. He tenses beside me. “This is my wife,” he explains through gritted teeth.
“Oh.” The realtor looks horrified as she looks at me. “I’m so sorry. You look so young. You must tell me your secret.”
“Puberty,” I say with a twitch of my lips.
It’s easy for me to forget no one outside of Ripley would consider my relationship with Zev normal. The age gap is so common in our sheltered world, but beyond its walls, we’re bound to be at the center of gossip.
The house is absolutely perfect. I couldn’t have designed one better, and my gut tells me it’s exactly what I want. What we need. But I can’t help the niggling sense of doom that still tickles my brain, whispering doubt into my thoughts.