She starts cutting her entire omelet into little squares and puts her knife down. Only then does she start eating, using nothing but her fork. It’s odd how these little things, her little quirks fascinate me. I take them in, all of them and file them away, building a database on everything Elena in my head.
“You were gentle last night, during… sex, and now you’re looking at me like… well, like you’ve never looked at me before. Are you sure you aren’t growing a heart in that frigid body of yours?”
I chuckle. “There is a heart inside me, but it only comes into play when I need it. Now, eat your food, unless you’d rather have something else for breakfast?” I tease her, dragging my eyes down her sheet-covered body.
Even though the deed is done, and I’ve had my tongue, cock, and fingers inside her, her cheeks still turn crimson at my insinuation.
She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, looking a little self-conscious. “It might be a little soon. I’m still pretty sore.”
There is a pang of guilt that comes out of nowhere and punches me in the chest. I was gentle with her, but I could’ve done better. There was no need to rut into her like a wild animal, but as soon as I felt her silky, wet channel strangling my cock, I lost control. I’d never gone bareback before, and I’d never fucked a virgin. Both were firsts for me, and by the time I was all the way in, I became possessed with a need to feel her convulsing around me.
“As expected. I’m just teasing you, I don’t expect you to be ready again until our wedding night.”
I take the top off the other dish, and we nibble on both plates of food, and the dish of fresh fruit. Elena watches me curiously out of the corner of her eye, those emerald orbs moving over my skin, memorizing all hard dips and planes, I’m sure.
“Are you finished?” I ask once I’m full myself.
“Yes. I feel like since I came here, I’ve gained ten pounds.”
I don’t tell her that she’s probably correct. That she looked rail-thin the day she arrived. The last thing I want to do is offend her about her weight, especially when I like her body just the way it is right now. I have plans for today, and I don’t want them to be overshadowed by anything else.
“The other night, when you had your nightmare and told me about your mom, it made me think of something.” I set my cup down on the tray. “I know what it’s like to lose a parent, and I know you wished that your mom could be here for the wedding, and since she can’t be, I wanted to at least give you something else.”
The way she looks at me makes me want to pull that sheet away and fuck her through the mattress. As tempting as it is, doing so would ruin what I have planned, so I swallow down the urge. There’s always tomorrow, and the next day, and well, you get the point.
“What is it?” she asks, mystified.
“Go get dressed, and you’ll find out.” Uncaring to her naked state, she throws the covers back, nearly knocking the stuff on the tray over and bounds from the bed. My eyes gravitate straight to her tight little ass, and an image pops into my head.
Her belly is full of my seed, her eyes bright, and her smile big. She’s looking at me like I’m the goddamn world.
The image makes my stomach twist with knots, and a bitterness fills my mouth. Love. That’s what that image looked like. Shaking the image from my head, I shove off the bed and pad into the closet as well. When I enter, she is half-dressed and bouncing with excitement.
I take my time dressing, wanting to drag out the anticipation. A pout forms on her pink lips as I button the last few buttons on my dress shirt.
“Patience isn’t your strong suit.” I chuckle.
“Not when you dangle the apple right in front of me. I’m curious by nature, and it’s not like you do nice things often.”
“Touché.” I grin.
Is this the new normal for us? The banter, and dare I say, flirting.
“It’s true, and you know it.”
I finish getting dressed under her microscopic eyes and unlock the door. Taking her hand, I lead her downstairs. As we pass the kitchen, I hear Marie and Celeste giggling at something. Elena curiously looks into the room.
I didn’t plan on stopping, but Elena looking so excited to see Marie has my legs locked in place. Stopping beside me, she looks up at me with a hopeful expression. I know even without asking what she wants. It’s been days since she got to interact with Marie, and she’s craving the attention of someone other than me.
I shouldn’t care, but her happiness means something to me, so I decide to give her what I know will make her smile with glee.
Clearing my throat, I get the two women’s attention. Startled, they both stop laughing, spin around, and stand up a little straighter when they realize it’s me. Marie’s gaze briefly flickers to my side to where Elena is standing, and a small smile tugs on her lips. When I look down at my soon to be wife, I find her waving her hand timidly.
“You two, come with us,” I order, and watch as both Marie’s and Celeste’s eyes grow wide with shock and apprehension. They probably think I’m going to murder them, or god knows what. Without waiting for their response, I start walking away, pulling Elena along with me.
“Where are we going? I’ve never been in this part of the house,” Elena murmurs, with a slight hint of worry in her voice.
“You’ll see.”
I don’t have to look to know that the two women are following us, I lead all three of them to the large sitting room in the east wing of the mansion.
As soon as we walk in, Elena gasps.
“I had planned to pick something for you to wear, but I thought you might want to choose for yourself.”
She doesn’t say anything, but the twinkle in her eyes says it all. She squeezes my arm, and I walk her inside to introduce her to the older woman waiting next to the racks full of white dresses.
“Margaret is a seamstress, the best, of course. You pick a dress, and she will make sure it fits perfectly on our wedding day.”
“Thank you,” Elena whispers before getting on her tippy toes and placing a light kiss on my cheek. The notion is so foreign and unexpected, I almost push her away.
“I’ve got some work to do. I’m going to leave you to it,” I say before leaning down and whispering into the shell of her ear. “Don’t do anything foolish. This room is heavily guarded, and I’m trusting you.”
She nods, my threat not stopping her from smiling widely.
I turn and find Marie and Celeste standing a few feet behind us. “Help her pick out a dress,” I tell them as I walk out of the door.
I already told the guards to keep an eye on her, so I’m not worried about her escaping. Still, it feels odd leaving her here. She’s done nothing on her own, not so much as shower usually. Anxiety worms its way through me as I enter my office.
Shaking my head, I need to remind myself that I can’t keep her locked up in our bedroom forever, no matter how enticing that thought is. I need to at least let her roam the mansion. I guess I didn’t know how hard even that would be.
Picking up the phone on my desk, I go through the contacts until Xander Rossi’s name pops up. Hitting the green button, I listen to the dial tone.
“Julian,” Xander greets me.