Page 39

talie

The rocking of the yacht woke me, and I turned over, snuggling under the comforter.

I cracked my eyes open to see Damian already awake.

He was on his back, staring at the ceiling with his arms behind his head.

As if realizing I was awake, he tilted his face, and my heart thudded at the irritated scowl on his lips.

“You’re lucky I was letting you sleep,” he grumbled, returning his gaze to the ceiling.

“I haven’t done anything,” I tossed back, my voice still thick from sleep.

“Natalia, you locked a cage on my cock. I’ve been dealing with fucking morning wood for the last hour.”

I choked back a laugh, not wanting to make his annoyance worse. Rolling over, I grabbed my phone from the small nightstand. It was only six in the morning, but Char had already texted me. So had my father.

Char:

Dad texted me. We’re going home today instead of tomorrow.

“Did you know we’re going home today?” I asked as I texted Char back. My dad’s text stated what Char had told me.

“My dad called me,” Damian replied. “It was the reason I woke up.”

I frowned at my screen. The only reason my father would cut this trip short was something business related.

“You better have that key ready the second we’re home,” he murmured, warning lacing his voice. “Understand, Talie?”

I smothered my amusement as I turned back to face him. “And if I don’t? I think I like this. The way you ate me out last night? I came twice. I like my husband so attentive to my needs.”

His eyes flicked to mine, his jaw ticking. “I don’t need my dick locked up to give you everything you need.”

His words promised payback, and a shiver ran through me. One of heated excitement. Did I believe he was going to tease and edge me until I lost every shred of control? Yes . I would love every moment of that delicious torment.

A wicked grin tipped my lips, and he raised an eyebrow, staring at me warily.

I threw the comforter off before slowly climbing on top of him.

His hands went to my hips when I straddled his stomach.

A flush traveled through me when his fingers dug into my skin, keeping me in place as if he knew I was about to scoot back over his trapped cock to tease him more.

“I thought I had one more night,” I pretended to pout. “I still had plans.”

“Plans?”

I bent over, my palms landing on his bare chest. His eyes cut to my breasts that were nearly spilling out of the lingerie I’d fallen asleep in. He shifted under me, his face going tight as a giggle escaped me.

“I get it now,” I said, my voice low and husky. “Why you enjoy teasing me so much. I wanted to ride you with the cage on.”

I cried out when he flipped me effortlessly until I was pinned underneath him. His fingers curled around my wrists, keeping them trapped next to my head as he dropped his face to trail his lips down the side of my throat.

“I enjoy teasing you so much because you are the only woman I want to hear scream in pleasure,” he breathed in my ear. “The only one who can get my dick hard just by smiling. Do you feel the same way? Are you ready to admit that your husband is the only man you want, Talie?”

My heart thrashed when he lifted his head, his eyes locking on mine. While this conversation started off sexually, there was no missing the hidden meaning behind his question. He wanted more than just sex.

A sharp knock on the door saved me from answering. He frowned, looking over his shoulder, his grip on my wrists keeping me still.

“What?” he called out, not hiding his irritation.

“It’s Jack. Your father wanted to make sure you didn’t fall back asleep. He’s waiting for you.”

It took a moment to place the man’s name and my heart sank slightly when I remembered. He was the man who interrupted me and Char at home in the upstairs guest bedroom. Christian’s employee.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Damian answered as he rolled off me. “Get ready, Talie. The second we dock, you’re taking me to the key. Is it at our house or my apartment in the city?”

“I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

My teasing had him shooting me a glare as he got to his feet. “I want an answer to my question.”

Apparently, he didn’t mean right now because he disappeared into the bathroom, cursing the chastity cage with each step. I slumped against the pillow. My heart was racing— not because of what Damian was going to do once I handed over the key—but for the answer he was demanding.

The longer I was home, the more I realized it would never be only about sex between me and my husband. Damian wanted to claim me in every fucking way.

If I stayed, I had a feeling I’d let him.

Damian kicked open the apartment door, his arms full of our luggage.

He waited for me to go first, and hesitation slid through my limbs, but his stare dared me to argue.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I strode past him, entering his apartment as he followed, dropping our bags before closing the door.

I noticed some unopened packages on the kitchen island before turning my attention back to him.

“Where is it?” he asked, grabbing my elbow as if I could run from him in this small space.

I pretended to ponder. “I’m not sure I remember?—”

“Natalia,” he hissed, tugging me into his chest. “Do not test me.”

I arched an eyebrow, giving him a taunting grin. “Fine. But first, you’re going to let me go.”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight until you give me the damn key.”

“You’re still not in any position to give me orders.” I dropped my free hand to his slacks, running my fingers along the cage. “Try me, Damian. I think I could withstand any kind of teasing and keep you locked up even longer.”

A muscle in his jaw ticked as his grip loosened around my arm. I danced away from him, tsking when he moved to follow.

“Stay there,” I ordered, my smile widening when he went utterly still, his body rigid. “It’s in the mug cupboard, under one of the coffee cups.”

He moved swiftly into the kitchen area while I bolted for the bathroom.

I twisted the lock, knowing full well nothing would stop him if he wanted in.

My stomach coiled with nerves as I turned on the shower.

My eyes kept darting toward the door as I slowly undressed.

My husband always managed to surprise me.

I fully expected him to come barging in the moment he took the cage off, but with each passing minute, it was clear he had other plans.

I stepped into the shower, reluctantly closing the glass door behind me.

It quickly fogged up. I tilted my head back, getting my hair wet.

I should have showered on the yacht, but the water pressure wasn’t as good.

After rubbing shampoo in, I swiped a hand over the glass to make sure the bathroom door was still firmly closed.

Not wasting any time, I rinsed the shampoo out before applying conditioner and then washing my body.

I cursed under my breath, adrenaline pumping through me.

If I didn’t have lunch plans with Char, I would have waited until later to shower.

I hadn’t been expecting the hour of traffic we hit when coming back into the city.

My plan had been to go home with Char and text Damian where the key was, but he didn’t allow that. He hadn’t let go of me until we were in the sedan, driving toward his apartment.

Once I turned off the water, I stepped out of the shower, dripping water all over the soft mat beneath my feet.

I wrapped a towel in my hair before drying off my body as I listened for anything that told me what Damian was doing, but it was silent.

Securing the towel around me, I tugged the other one off my head, brushing out the tangles.

I bit my lip, glancing at the door again. Was he purposely leaving me alone, knowing the waiting was driving me crazy? Yes. All I needed to do was get dressed and leave. I could finish getting ready at Char’s apartment.

Nerves twisted my stomach as I plugged in the hairdryer, not wanting to leave the apartment with my hair still dripping wet.

My gaze wandered to the clothes I’d stripped off, and I blew out a breath when I realized I forgot to bring in the clothes I wanted to change into.

The dress I’d worn here would have to do because there was no way I was leaving this bathroom in a towel.

Bending over, my hair fell around my face as I began to dry it.

Since I didn’t want to spend the time styling it, a cute messy bun would have to do for lunch.

I let the heat dry my hair for a few minutes before turning it off and straightening up.

Grabbing my brush, I ran it through my hair a few times before movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.

I whirled around to see the bathroom door wide open, with my husband leaning against the frame with his arms crossed.

My eyes drifted from his tousled hair to his bare chest, and then my gaze dropped to his gray sweatpants.

A stark difference from the suit he’d been wearing before I took a shower.

Fuck me, he looked like a delicious wet dream.

I swallowed thickly, forcing myself to meet his eyes again.

“Going somewhere?” he asked, his low voice giving nothing away.

I set my brush on the counter. “I’m having lunch with Char.”

He stared at me a moment longer before reaching into his sweatpants pocket, pulling out his phone. He tapped on the screen a couple of times before putting it to his ear. A small smirk tipped his lips before he began speaking.

“Hi, Charlotte.” His words had my heart lurching. “Natalia won’t be able to meet for lunch. She’ll have to reschedule.”

“Damian—”

The rest of my retort was lost when his eyes snapped to mine, gleaming with heated warning. Oh shit . He wasn’t going to waste any time before repaying me for locking the cage on him.

“No, she’s fine,” Damian said, still talking to my sister. “I think she’s tired from the trip. I’ll make sure she calls you later.”

“You have no right to change my plans,” I ground out the second he hung up. “You got the key like you wanted—I don’t need to stay here.”

His gruff chuckle shot a thrill through me. “Talie. You knew damn well I wasn’t going to let you just leave. Making plans to try to get away from me isn’t going to help you today.”