Page 12 of Thorns of Deceit

He scoffed. “Compared to you… yes.”

“I might have exaggerated slightly when I called you old,” I replied slowly.

He reared back at that, his fingers twitching against my temple. “I’m almost twice your age.”

I smiled. “Age is just a number.”

His nostrils flared. “A big fucking number in our case. You’re probably used to boys, not men about to enter the fourth decade of their life.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

He sighed. “Listen, neither one of us really signed up for this arrangement and it was thrust upon us in one night. We can take our time to get to know each other. Take things slow. I don’t want you to be scared of me, and I certainly don’t intend to force myself on you. One day we’ll have to consummate our marriage, but it won’t be today.”

My throat tightened and I merely replied, “Well, that’s a relief.”

“Relief that I won’t force myself on you?” he asked.

“Yes, because if those were your intentions, I’d have to kill you.” He seemed amused at my retort, but it was my next words that made an impact. “I’m a virgin, so I’m not exactly rife with experience.”

He froze.

“Are you shitting me?” I shook my head. “A virgin?”

“Yes,” I answered truthfully.

His fingers traveled down my throat with a feather-light touch, leaving goose bumps in their wake and drawing a wistful sigh from my lips.

“I almost wish that I didn’t like…” He hesitated. “Certain…thingsdone a certain way.”

“What things? What way?” I questioned.

“You’re way too young for this conversation,” he muttered under his breath, and a thought struck.

“But not too young to marry, huh?” He shook his head but didn’t answer, which only piqued my curiosity, so I continued questioning him. “Do you mean… kinks?” I asked curiously. “Or are you into BDSM?”

He stiffened, but I noticed the way his pupils shot wide. “What do you know about that stuff?”

I cleared my throat. “I said I was a virgin, not a saint.”

His shoulders started shaking. For a second, I stood there staring at him, worried maybe he was having a stroke, when he threw his head back and started laughing. It wasn’t a light chuckle, but a deep, booming kind of laugh.

“Damn, I needed that,” he stated softly, still chuckling while his eyes danced with a mixture of heat and amusement. It made my heart flutter, which had to be proof that I’d lost my mind.

I swallowed, my throat bobbing with the movement. Any residual amusement vanished from Aiden’s gaze, replaced by a dark heat. Much to my horror, my pussy clenched in response.

“Get some sleep, Raven.” He removed his hand from my throat and I blew out a frustrated breath, missing his touch. What the hell was happening to me? I pursed my lips, about to protest him telling me what to do, but his next words stopped me: “As for me, I think I’m going to take a cold shower.”

SEVEN

RAVEN

Istepped out of the luxurious glass stall and wrapped the big, fuzzy towel around me, my eyes landing on a neatly folded T-shirt and pair of boxers.

“What the fuck,” I muttered. Aiden must have come in here while I was showering. “Talk about a violation of privacy.”

I quickly dried myself off and put on the clothing, then started pacing. I should be dead tired, but instead, I was antsy and my skin felt tight. The adrenaline continued to pump through my veins, and I didn’t have much hope of settling.

Maybe I could find Aiden?