“What?” I asked faintly. Surely, I hadn’t heard him correctly.
His dark brows drew together. “I won’t force myself on you.”
“But why…?” His hand was hot against my skin where it spanned my lower back, making direct contact where he’d pulled down my zipper. “You’re undressing me.”
His frown deepened, and he released me abruptly, as though I’d burned him. I swayed, and he caught me with a curse. His arms were tense around me, and his jaw ticked.
“I was just helping you with the dress. I didn’t think you could manage on your own.”
I peered up into his dark eyes, searching for the truth. “But don’t you want…?” I swallowed hard. “I’m your wife now. I thought you would expect…”
“I don’t expect anything from you,” he said sharply. “I’m not a monster, Isabel.” His gaze turned inward, his tone ragged. “I’m not.”
I wasn’t sure if he was speaking to me or to himself. There was something raw and vulnerable about him in this moment. I didn’t understand what was going on in his head, but I wanted so badly to believe him. I wanted to believe he was my savior, not my beastly captor.
In my alcohol-soaked mind, he looked like my avenging angel again. A fallen, broken angel with his pain-filled eyes and tight jaw.
He was fiercely beautiful: powerful and strong. Strong enough to protect me from men like Carlos, men who wanted to use me. To hurt me.
My lips parted, and my head tipped back. I didn’t like the pain in his eyes, the taut lines of strain around his mouth.
His eyes flashed just before his lips crashed down on mine. Fire ignited in my blood, chasing away the chill that’d settled in my bones. I opened for him on a sigh, welcoming more. His mouth caressed mine, and his tongue penetrated me in deep, demanding strokes. I tried to match his ferocity, but he completely overwhelmed me. His fingers tangled in my hair, tugging hard enough to light up my scalp with little sparks of pain. They raced along my spine, sparkling in my core.
Warmth bloomed between my legs, and that strange pulsing made my sex swell and ache. My nipples tightened to hard buds, teasing against the bodice of my wedding dress.
I craved more. I needed him to soothe that ache inside me.
I forgot my fear. I couldn’t be scared when he was holding me like this. When he consumed all my senses, all my thoughts. I wasn’t sure if I was drunk on Champagne or simply drunk on him: his scent, his heat, his strength.
My hands came up to caress his face, to pull him closer to me.
Cold air slapped me when he jerked away. A soft cry left my lips, a sound of shock and loss. My mind swam, dizzy at the abrupt absence of his corded arms around me. I swayed toward him, but instead of holding me, his hands briefly steadied my shoulders before he snatched them away again. As though I was white-hot and might burn him if he held on too long.
His features were twisted with some fierce emotion I didn’t understand. Rejection rolled through my stomach, and I hugged my middle to quell the sudden nausea.
What was I doing? I didn’t want to have sex with him, but I’d been kissing him like I needed him more than oxygen. I was being drunk and stupid, my emotions swinging wildly after one of the worst days of my life. I’d longed for comfort, and he was the only person to offer me any warmth.
His confusing flashes of kindness were messing with my head, especially when I couldn’t think straight because of the Champagne.
“I had my things moved into the bedroom at the end of the hall.” He forced the words through gritted teeth. “I will not fuck you, Isabel.” He spat the crass oath, and I drew my arms tighter around myself, my cheeks burning with mortification.
His teeth bared in a feral snarl, and I flinched, anticipating violence. He bit out a curse and spun on his heel, slamming my bedroom door between us. His heavy footfalls stomped down the corridor, carrying him away from me.
I didn’t understand what’d just happened. My mind spun, dizzy with drunken confusion.
All I knew was that I’d made a fool of myself. I’d kissed Sebastián, my husband.
I drew up walls of ice around my heart. I didn’t want him. My pride couldn’t bear it.
How could I desire a man I hated with every fiber of my being?
I pulled on my hatred like armor. I didn’t want this marriage. I didn’t want him.
All I wanted was my freedom, and he’d stolen it away. He might not be forcing his way into my bed, but this was still my first night in my new cage. I was his wife, until death do us part.