“Don’t worry, little bird,” I soothed as I scooped her up in my arms. “I promised I wouldn’t fuck you until you beg me to. I’ll always keep my promises to you.”
“I will never beg you for anything,” she hissed, her hands finally falling from her face. Her hazel eyes shone with tears, but they sparked with defiance.
Some of my tension eased, and my lips curved in a small smile, satisfied to see her fire again.
My smile seemed to unnerve her, because she quickly dropped her lovely gaze. I didn’t like the distance that put between us, but I allowed it. She was still upset, and she needed a tender touch rather than sharp commands.
I carefully eased her into the warm water, and she made a soft gasp when she settled down on her bottom—she would be sore from the flogging. The bath would help soothe her physically as well as emotionally.
She stiffened when I got in with her, sitting behind her and pulling her toward me so that her back pressed against my chest. My desire for her pulsed through me, an involuntary response to having her naked body cradled by mine.
She squirmed and tried to pull away, but my arm was an iron band around her stomach, pinning her in place. I brushed a kiss over her shoulder.
“Calm,” I urged, a cajoling order. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
She went still as a statue, each of her lithe limbs tense. “And why should I believe you when you’ve already caused me so much pain? You hurt me, and you liked it.”
“I did.” I wouldn’t lie to my wife, not ever. Especially not about the things that brought me pleasure, no matter how perverse they might be. “But I’m not going to hurt you now. I’ll always take care of you.”
She released a soft huff but otherwise didn’t respond.
I began gently rubbing her shoulders. “Relax,” I murmured.
She didn’t. She remained so still that she might’ve been carved from marble.
Undeterred, I began to massage her, working out the tension from her neck and upper back. Slowly, she softened in my hands.
I decided to reward her for her good behavior. I would teach my wife how to please me, and when she surrendered, she would experience bliss.
I began to explore her body, finding each tender spot that made her sigh and unwind ever so slightly. After a while, she leaned back against my chest, her tired muscles relaxing despite her efforts to resist the allure of my touch.
My hands skimmed down her stomach, dipping between her thighs to urge them farther apart. When I brushed her clit, she shuddered and jerked away from me. Without thinking, I grabbed her hips and held her tightly against me with a warning growl.
I liked her sexual trepidation, but I wouldn’t allow her to cringe away from me every time I held her. That wasn’t the kind of marriage I would build with her. She would come to understand me better in time. I just had to show her how good I could make her feel, how I would spoil her and give her everything she could possibly want in life. She’d already responded to my darker games so beautifully. She would come to crave them as much as I did.
“I hate you,” she seethed, her entire body practically vibrating with rage.
I gnashed my teeth, cutting the inside of my cheek. “You are my wife,” I reminded her. “I promised I wouldn’t hurt you. I won’t have you flinching away from my touch.”
“I don’t want you to touch me,” she snapped, twisting in my grip.
Her suds-slicked skin slipped beneath my hands, and she whirled to face me. Water splashed onto the tile floor when she scooted away until her back hit the opposite end of the tub. She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. Her thick, dark lashes were narrowed as she glowered at me.
“Your touch disgusts me,” she spat. “You’re a monster for what you just did to Luca and me.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, preventing myself from reaching for her. I was on edge, and I would never put a hand on her when I wasn’t fully in control of my emotions.
“You came several times,” I reminded her. “I made sure you enjoyed our game.”
“Our game?” She almost shrieked the words. “I had no part in what you made us do. How dare you call it a game? You debased me. And Luca—”
“Don’t say his name,” I barked, rage flashing red over my vision. “He is nothing. He is no one. I’m your husband.”
“You’re sick.” She flung the accusation like a dagger, but she watched me warily, as though I was a rabid animal who might turn on her at any moment. “You’re a sick, sadistic bastard, and I hate you.”
I raked a hand through my hair and drew in a deep breath, centering myself. I’d pushed her hard today. Of course, I’d known that she wouldn’t take to my games immediately; she was too naïve and innocent for that. I didn’t like hearing that she loathed me, but her anger was understandable. She would grow accustomed to my darker needs in time, especially when she learned how much pleasure she could find in surrendering to me.
I hadn’t anticipated the spike of jealous rage at the sound of Luca’s name issuing from her lush lips. Yes, I’d ordered her take him in her mouth, but that had been to torment him, not to allow him to possess her in any way. Nora was mine and mine alone, no matter how I used her to torture my enemy.