Page 30 of Captive Union
With my heart still beating fast, I take a peek at him, checking to see if he’s still asleep. I relax when he is and let myself look at him a little longer.
I’m actually a married woman now. No longer Kira Petrov, I’m now Kira Novikoff. The thought makes me want to pass out. My family will be so disappointed in me for not fighting Erik longer. Tears spring to my eyes at the thought.
I gently lift Erik’s arm off me, taking care not to wake him up. It’s a useless gesture since his eyes spring open, and he sits up so swiftly that I fall back onto the bed, a small squeak passing my lips.
Erik blinks, fully waking up, before his eyes settle on me. A smug smile crosses his lips. “Good morning. Did I scare you?”
I realize my hands are clasped over my chest, trying to calm my heart down. I sit back up, trying not to look too flustered. By how Erik looks me over and his growing grin, I must not be doing a good job.
“I just needed to use the bathroom,” I whisper, getting out of bed before he can stop me. I run into the bathroom and shut the door firmly behind me. God, I can’t believe I just ran away like an idiot. Erik is my husband, which means I need to get used to him. It’s just tough when his full shirtless self is on display. I’ve never been so up close and personal with a shirtless man. It’s … distracting, to say the least. All of Erik’s muscles look way too perfect. Why does he have to be so handsome?
I need to stay strong. I can’t be so nervous around him.
After washing my face and calming down, I finally venture into the bedroom. I peek around the door to see Erik lounging in bed, his hand behind his head, making his bicep look even bigger. If only he weren’t so intimidating.
I ease myself out of the bathroom and stand before the bed, wringing my hands together. “Uh, what do we do now?”
He shrugs. “It’s our honeymoon. We can do whatever we want.” His eyes rake me over. I know what he wants to do, but it’s not happening. I can barely be in the same room as him, much less even think about getting intimate with him.
“I want to see my family,” I blurt out.
His content expression morphs into a frown. “Everything except that.”
“Not in person. Just … over the computer again. No harm in that, is there?”
“Maybe not. But why do you want to see them today, of all days?”
“Because …” I wrack my brain for a good answer. “Because we just got married. Shouldn’t we share the news with them? You can rub it in Maxim’s face.”
“Kira, I know what you’re trying to do, and it isn’t going to work.”
“What am I trying to do?”
He gives me a pointed look. “You’re trying to make it seem like talking to your family benefits me when the only reason you want to see them is that you miss them.”
I shrug. “Is that such a bad thing? Of course, I miss them! Why wouldn’t I? I was just trying to give you a good incentive to let me talk to them, something for your benefit, too. Please let me talk to them today.”
“Only if you come back to bed.”
I pause. “What?”
He sits up, his eyes darkening. When he pats the spot next to him, sweat begins to build under my arms. “Come back to bed, and maybe I’ll think about letting you talk to your family today.”
“I’m not having sex with you.” I hate how much my voice wavers as I speak.
“And I don’t expect you to. Kira, all I’m asking is for you to sit next to me. We can lay here for a while, just content in our new married life.”
Content for you, maybe.I’m a nervous wreck.
“If I do, you’ll let me see my family?”
“I said maybe. But’s it a good place to start to convince me.”
I sigh, still wringing my hands as I tentatively sit next to him. Erik scoots closer, making the mattress sink under our weights, bringing us even closer. I immediately scramble away as best as I can.
“There,” Erik says, “that wasn’t so hard.”
Pulling my knees up to my chest, I wrap my arms around them. “No, it wasn’t.”
