Page 84 of Vow to Hate You

It took a moment to place the man’s name and my heart sank slightly when I remembered. He was the man who interrupted me and Char at home in the upstairs guest bedroom. Christian’s employee.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Damian answered as he rolled off me. “Get ready, Talie. The second we dock, you’re taking me to the key. Is it at our house or my apartment in the city?”

“I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

My teasing had him shooting me a glare as he got to his feet. “I want an answer to my question.”

Apparently, he didn’t mean right now because he disappeared into the bathroom, cursing the chastity cage with each step. I slumped against the pillow. My heart was racing—not because of what Damian was going to do once I handed over the key—but for the answer he was demanding.

The longer I was home, the more I realized it would never be only about sex between me and my husband. Damian wanted to claim me in every fucking way.

If I stayed, I had a feeling I’d let him.

Damian kicked open the apartment door, his arms full of our luggage. He waited for me to go first, and hesitation slid through my limbs, but his stare dared me to argue. Biting the inside of my cheek, I strode past him, entering his apartment as he followed, dropping our bags before closing the door. I noticed some unopened packages on the kitchen island before turning my attention back to him.

“Where is it?” he asked, grabbing my elbow as if I could run from him in this small space.

I pretended to ponder. “I’m not sure I remember?—”

“Natalia,” he hissed, tugging me into his chest. “Do not test me.”

I arched an eyebrow, giving him a taunting grin. “Fine. But first, you’re going to let me go.”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight until you give me the damn key.”

“You’re still not in any position to give me orders.” I dropped my free hand to his slacks, running my fingers along the cage. “Try me, Damian. I think I could withstand any kind of teasing and keep you locked up even longer.”

A muscle in his jaw ticked as his grip loosened around my arm. I danced away from him, tsking when he moved to follow.

“Stay there,” I ordered, my smile widening when he went utterly still, his body rigid. “It’s in the mug cupboard, under one of the coffee cups.”

He moved swiftly into the kitchen area while I bolted for the bathroom. I twisted the lock, knowing full well nothing would stop him if he wanted in. My stomach coiled with nerves as I turned on the shower. My eyes kept darting toward the door as I slowly undressed. My husband always managed to surprise me. I fully expected him to come barging in the moment he took the cage off, but with each passing minute, it was clear he had other plans.

I stepped into the shower, reluctantly closing the glass door behind me. It quickly fogged up. I tilted my head back, getting my hair wet. I should have showered on the yacht, but the water pressure wasn’t as good. After rubbing shampoo in, I swiped a hand over the glass to make sure the bathroom door was still firmly closed.

Not wasting any time, I rinsed the shampoo out before applying conditioner and then washing my body. I cursed under my breath, adrenaline pumping through me. If I didn’t have lunch plans with Char, I would have waited until later to shower. I hadn’t been expecting the hour of traffic we hit when coming back into the city.

My plan had been to go home with Char and text Damian where the key was, but he didn’t allow that. He hadn’t let go of me until we were in the sedan, driving toward his apartment.

Once I turned off the water, I stepped out of the shower, dripping water all over the soft mat beneath my feet. I wrapped a towel in my hair before drying off my body as I listened for anything that told me what Damian was doing, but it was silent. Securing the towel around me, I tugged the other one off my head, brushing out the tangles.

I bit my lip, glancing at the door again. Was he purposely leaving me alone, knowing the waiting was driving me crazy?Yes.All I needed to do was get dressed and leave. I could finish getting ready at Char’s apartment.

Nerves twisted my stomach as I plugged in the hairdryer, not wanting to leave the apartment with my hair still dripping wet. My gaze wandered to the clothes I’d stripped off, and I blew out a breath when I realized I forgot to bring in the clothes I wanted to change into. The dress I’d worn here would have to do because there was no way I was leaving this bathroom in a towel.

Bending over, my hair fell around my face as I began to dry it. Since I didn’t want to spend the time styling it, a cute messy bun would have to do for lunch. I let the heat dry my hair for a few minutes before turning it off and straightening up. Grabbing my brush, I ran it through my hair a few times before movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.

I whirled around to see the bathroom door wide open, with my husband leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. My eyes drifted from his tousled hair to his bare chest, and then my gaze dropped to his gray sweatpants. A stark difference from the suit he’d been wearing before I took a shower.Fuck me,he looked like a delicious wet dream. I swallowed thickly, forcing myself to meet his eyes again.

“Going somewhere?” he asked, his low voice giving nothing away.

I set my brush on the counter. “I’m having lunch with Char.”

He stared at me a moment longer before reaching into his sweatpants pocket, pulling out his phone. He tapped on the screen a couple of times before putting it to his ear. A small smirk tipped his lips before he began speaking.

“Hi, Charlotte.” His words had my heart lurching. “Natalia won’t be able to meet for lunch. She’ll have to reschedule.”

“Damian—”

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