Page 159 of The Sweetest Devotion

Uneasy breaths filled my lungs as I made my way to answer the door.

On the other side, Cain was standing alone. Out in the hall I spotted Vino at the elevator.

Cain’s eyes went to what I was wearing, or lack thereof.

Before him, I was only wearing a cream-colored silk robe. Beneath it, I was nearly naked, something he could see as I hadn’t tied the rope tightly to conceal this fact.

The two black voids of Cain’s eyes drank me in slow before he managed to trail his vision up to mine. “What’s all this?”

I blinked back the first urge to cry.

Here it was. A test. To see if I could do it. Be with this man and give him a try. To see that I’d made a mistake in running off that night.

“Did you mean it when you said we wouldn’t have to consummate our marriage?” I asked in a steady voice that didn’t feel like my own.

Cain nodded quietly.

I took a step back and pulled him into my suite. “That’s abigrisk. What if we’re not compatible?”

Cain said nothing, making me go on.

“I have needs,” I let it be known. I took his hand, hoping he didn’t notice that mine was shaking, and pressed it to my cheek.

Cain eyed the connection and lifted a brow. “Needs, huh?”

I brought his hand into my robe, to my left breast. “Yes.”

Cain didn’t squeeze or grope me. His soft touch only lingered. Slowly, he undid my robe altogether, exposing him to a view of my bare breasts.

Please don’t cry. Please don’t cry.I sucked up the discomfort I felt with him looking at me, telling myself to keep going, to make this work.

“You told me you hated me, and now you’re asking me to fuck you?” Cain questioned as he stood back.

He was making this too complicated. I went up to him and worked on his belt as I stood on my toes and brought my mouth to his. “That’s what I said.”

Tentatively, Cain kissed me back, lazily and slow. Almost as if he couldn’t believe this was happening and I was finally giving in.

He reached up and held my face as he kissed me with more fervor, more desire, more want.

I stumbled back as he walked up on me and before I could run away from this, I grabbed his hand and pulled him to my bedroom.

Cain didn’t let me take the lead for long. He pulled off my robe and threw it to the side before he laid me down. He hovered over me, staring down at me for just a second, before kissing me again. His hand fisted a bunch of my hair as he tilted my head back and as close as we were I could feel his erection brushing against my thighs.

Just the thought of it sent my vision blurry and I choked as anxiety hit.

Cain reeled back, leaning away to stare at the thong I was still wearing. He hooked his finger around the seat of my underwear and ran it up and down, the back of his finger brushing against my clit and sending a shiver to my core.

In another second, he yanked my panties to the side and got a good look at me as he angled his head. Squeezing my eyes shut, it was too late. Tears had fallen and I couldn’t make them stop.

No.

This was wrong.

Cain wasn’t the same. He kissed different, tasted different, touched different—he wasn’t what I wanted.

“Very nice,” he said, his voice gravelly and heavy. He let go of my thong and I felt his presence disappear. “But like I said, I’m not going to touch you until youwantme to.”

How could I ever want him to touch me when all I could think about was someone else?

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