Wife (Betrothed 1)

I finally picked up my mug and took a drink.

Damien reached the table and turned my phone over. “Fuck you too.”

“How did you get in here?”

“Shut up, Helena loves me.”

“I don’t love you.”

“Asshole, you love me more.” He sat in the chair across from me and stared at me like I was a talking frog. “What the hell happened today?”

“I told Ana to cancel my meetings.”

“Because…?” He looked around. “You decided to take a sick day? Bitch, you ain’t sick.”

I rubbed the migraine from my temple. “Could you just shut up for two seconds?”

“No. I don’t shut up when my business partner blows me off.”

“I didn’t blow you off. I just had a long night last night.”

“Why? Did the Skull Kings pull something?”

“No.”

“Okay…did someone put a hit on you?”

“No.”

“Did the cops—”

“No. Nothing happened, alright? I just didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Poor baby didn’t get any sleep?” he asked sarcastically. “Come on, you’re fucking Hades. Don’t pull that pussy shit on me. Speaking of pussy, if you fucked that fine piece of ass last night, you should have slept hard.”

Sofia was just a woman I was screwing, but I felt protective of her, even a little possessive. “Don’t talk about her like that.”

He leaned back and nodded his head slowly. “I get it now… She kept you up all night.”

I’d never had such an intense relationship with a woman before, someone I couldn’t keep my hands off for more than a few minutes. I wanted to keep fucking her forever. It wasn’t just about the sex, the pleasure for my dick, the cosmic orgasms… It was so much more. The heat between us burned me from the inside out. Every kiss, every touch… It was fucking cocaine. I’d never had an addiction my whole life…until now.

Damien kept watching me. “You blew off work for a woman?”

“I didn’t blow off anything. I just didn’t wake up.”

“Because of her.”

“No. I took her home at three. It was my choice to sleep in. Don’t blame her. And stop grilling me, asshole. I run this empire with the same efficiency, whether I’m awake, asleep, or dead. Chill the fuck out.”

“You didn’t tell me about her. What’s that about?”

“Despite what you think, I don’t tell you everything.”

“Uh, yes, you do.”

I looked away and ignored him.

“You tell me about every hot piece of ass that falls into your lap. You tell me about every heart you break, every cherry you pop—”

“She didn’t tell me she was a virgin. She lied, alright? I never would have done that shit if I’d known. It’s trashy.”

“Whatever. You tell me everything. But this one…silence. What does that mean?”

I still wouldn’t look at him. I chose to examine the activity of the city, the bells tolling in the distance, the cars driving down narrow streets. Sofia was probably at the hotel right now, showing up to work on time even though Gustavo wasn’t even there. That was the kind of integrity she had. “It means nothing.”

“I think it means something. It wouldn’t worry so much if you would just admit it.”

I didn’t know how I felt about this woman. I’d never been so coldly rejected by a woman before. She’d walked away from me so many times, was so repulsed by the idea of spending time with me that I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Women would do anything to be with me, but Sofia didn’t give a damn. I could see her perception of me every time I looked at her. I was just some cocky playboy that didn’t give a damn about anyone.

Was she right?

Why did I care?

The more she pushed me away, the more I wanted her.

And every time the clothes came off…damn. She definitely wanted me then, definitely gave me the kind of connection I could easily get addicted to. She fulfilled my fantasies. She obliterated the memory of every other woman. She was the sexiest woman in my bed, the most gorgeous woman between my sheets.

I didn’t want anyone else but her.

That’d never happened before.

Damien kept watching me. “You listening, asshole?”

“I’m always listening. Doesn’t mean I pay attention.”

He looked away for a while, thinking to himself. When he became serious, he sighed and looked at me again. “How long have you been seeing her?”

“About three weeks…” We just went to the hotel and hooked up. Most of the time, conversations didn’t even take place. Last night was the most I’d gotten from her, but it was like pulling teeth.

“Three weeks… That’s a long time.”

Really? It felt like the blink of an eye.

“Is it more than a fling?”

I didn’t want to stop seeing her. In fact, I wanted to see her more. I wanted to see as much of her as possible. Since the first moment I saw her at that party, I was mesmerized. I was obsessed. She was fucking beautiful. “No.”