Page 42 of The Stallion
I picked up my wife, cradling her in my arms as I repositioned her in the bed—her head on the plush pillows and her body wrapped snugly in the duvet.
She didn’t say a word while I tucked her in, and once her eyes had closed, they didn’t reopen. Her soft snores were enough to tell me that she was sound asleep.
The temptation to crawl in behind Bria and hold her tight against my chest was gnawing at me, so instead, I forced myself out of the bedroom to sleep on the couch instead.
Something that seemed so easy at first was already becoming a problem.
I knew that with time, I would eventually fall for her—how could I not?
Bria checked all the boxes and more. But as of right now, it was too soon.
She hadn’t even taken her test, and yet here I was, feeling the unspoken desire of wanting her for far more, crawling up the back of my neck like a venomous spider, ready to bite.
I stared up at the ceiling before dragging my hand down my face with a sigh as I tried to think of anything but her.
Sex was always the catalyst for attachment, and I couldn’t resist fucking my sweet girl when she looked like—that… But goddamn, how was I supposed to separate the feelings from the goal, or at least keep them at bay until I knew that she had passed her test—that I would be allowed to keep her.
Would she reciprocate the sentiment at the end of the day?Andwhy the fuck did I suddenly care if she didn’t?
Once Bria passed her test, she would be mine until death; there was no going back for her now. And even if she wanted to leave me, she couldn’t—not without repercussions.
So then, why was I so unwilling to let the pieces fall?
Was it the apprehension of being vulnerable with her?
Or was it the fear of falling in love and knowing that at any point between now and completing her test, this woman could be ripped away from me,permanently…
I may have just created my biggest mess to date, not counting the one I had just cleaned up in the bedroom.
What the fuck is happening to me?
The notification sound on my phone went off, and I picked it up from where I had set it on the floor, checking the time before unlocking the screen.
Eleven. It felt a lot later, considering the ten-hour total drive I had made today just to bring Bria home. I still needed to get the marriage license to a notary before it was too late, and she changed her mind.
I opened the new text from none other than the man himself.
Dustin: We have a meeting to schedule.
I figured it wouldn’t have taken long for word to reach Dustin regarding my marriage to Bria.
I skipped many essential steps for bringing a woman into our world: the extensive background checks, the two-week private investigation for prospective brides, and the approval from Dustin himself once all the information had been gathered for his review.
Oops.
Me: Give me a time and place. I’ll be there.
Dustin: My office. Tomorrow. Noon.
Well, fuck.I thought he’d give me longer than a single night before scheduling anything. I must’ve really pissed him off if that was the case.
Now, I definitely wasn’t going to get any fucking sleep tonight.
I’m sure Dustin would have a few choice words for me, seeing as I skipped all the steps, passed GO, and collected my bride without giving two shits about it.
It wasn’t my fault that they had to create the ridiculous rule requiring leadership to be married.
Dustin was at the top of the fucking food chain, and he was still single for fuck sake.
