Page 27 of Darkest Desire

“How often do you work out?”

“Every day. You have to stay in shape in my kind of work. Can’t let others get the best of me.” He turns to the bed and I catch aglimpse of his back where a scar is right in the center of it. It’s where Mikhail shot him.

Knowing Nico isn’t invincible makes me feel a tiny bit better.

I rush into the closet and find my bag that my mom packed for me. Thankfully she included my normal pajamas – a simple crop top and sweats.

After changing, I feel silly standing by the bed, not knowing what to do. Nico is under the covers, just staring at me.

“Would you stop?” I mutter.

“Stop what?”

“Looking at me. It’s…”

“It’s what?”

Disarming. “Annoying.”

“We’re husband and wife, Sasha. I’m allowed to look at my wife.”

With an eye roll, I get into the bed. I’ll say this: it’s insanely comfortable. Soft and plush. I could sink right into it for days.

But the man next to me is making that impossible.

“What do we do now?” I ask.

“Well, normal couples usually have sex after they’re married.”

“Well, that’s not happening.”

Nico laughs again as he reaches across from me and turns off the nightstand light. I may note: he has a light on the nightstand beside him. He just wants to unnerve me.

“Goodnight, Sasha.”

I force my body to relax in the bed. I do not tell him goodnight in return.

The closet is full of beautiful summer dresses that I know I didn’t buy. I check the sizes on them – they’re all my size. Nico bought a whole wardrobe for me. It’s a little creepy.

But he did choose some good items, I’ll give him that.

After slipping on a soft, pink summer dress that reaches my ankles, I head downstairs to the kitchen. I woke up this morning and Nico wasn’t there, which was something I was relieved by.

I find him at the breakfast table, reading something on his phone as he eats an omelet.

“Maria can make you something,” he says, nodding to the housekeeper.

Maria offers me a kind smile and I motion towards Nico’s plate. She nods her understanding and starts making me an omelet myself. At least I don’t have to be alone with Nico this morning. Sleeping next to him all night was bad enough.

Though… it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. There was something sort of nice about feeling the warmth from his body and knowing I wasn’t alone.

But that’s it. I wont say any other nice thing about it because there wasn’t anything else nice about it.

“About my party tonight,” he says after I sit down, “there’s going to be a lot of people here tonight. You will join me.”

I want to object but I have to pick and choose my battles. Besides, it might be good to know some other people in the area in case I ever need help.

“The party will start here, in the house. We will talk and mingle. But then you’ll go to our room for the rest of the night.”