Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
Madi
A drian only takes a single day off to rest before he’s back at work, and I’m left reeling over my newfound feelings for him.
I can’t possibly like the man who forced me to marry him, right? That would be… insane.
And yet, as I took care of him yesterday, I wasn’t bothered in the slightest. I actually enjoyed spending time with him. He told me to put on my favorite movie and we laid in bed together. I checked his wounds every couple of hours, keeping everything clean and bandaged. It was the most innocent of moments we’ve had, nothing sexual, just cuddling in bed next to each other while I took care of him.
This morning when he got up and dressed in a suit and tie, he kissed my forehead on his way out, and I actually felt…disappointed. I should have been happy to see him go, but instead I was hoping for another day just the two of us or at least a kiss.
After he left, I pulled myself out of bed and got dressed to go to my studio. I process better with a lump of clay in my hands, and now I wedge the material as I think over the last few days.
Sam wants Adrian to help get him out of prison, something I’ve known since my rehearsal dinner, but I didn’t care what happened to Adrian back then. Now, I can’t help but feel like my family is going to tear him apart. Whatever game my new husband is involved in seems too dangerous.
There’s a knock on my studio door before David lets himself in. Adrian put his head of security on me since Rocco, the last guard who watched me, was killed. “Mrs. Russo-”
“Please don’t call me that,” I groan instinctively in response. I’ve gotten used to correcting Arian’s staff when they refer to me as his Mrs.
“Wow, so married life sucks, then?”
My head snaps up at the new voice and, sure enough, standing in the doorway is Zoe, my cousin John’s girlfriend. I grab a cloth, wiping the clay from my hands so I can hug her. Something about her showing up in the midst of my lonely spiral has me wanting to cry, and I’ve worked hard to never shed a tear in front of another person.
Zoe hugs me back and David leaves the studio, not needing to introduce her or ask if she can come in since we’re currently wrapped around each other.
“I brought wine,” Zoe says, breaking the hug and holding up the bottle of merlot.
“You’re my favorite.” It’s the middle of the day, but I snatch the bottle from her hand and head to the counter in search of a wine opener.
“I know.” Zoe giggles, following behind me. “I figured you could use some company after your…wedding.”
I laugh at the way she delays saying the word wedding , as if it might bite me.
“How is he, by the way?” she asks, plopping onto one of the stools at the counter.
I shrug my shoulders. How is Adrian Russo? Dark, broody, calculating. But also…not. I feel like I’ve seen a new side of him since the kidnapping. He’s also tender-hearted and protective. My brain can’t decide which set of words to land on. One second, my new husband is in a battle of wits with me, and the next, he has me laid over his knees, bringing me more pleasure than I’ve ever imagined. And since being kidnapped, I’ve seen a sweeter side of my husband.
“So, complicated?” Zoe fills in when I take too long to answer.
“Something like that.”
“John said he was out today, so I figured it was a good time to visit.”
“Wait, how does John know that?”
Zoe shrugs. “I don’t ask questions when it comes to the…business…side of things.” She says business as if the word is dirty. Which, in this context, I guess it is.
I pour the wine into two glasses. John following my husband doesn’t bode well. I can tell from the beating that he took that Adrian is fighting against John and Sam, and if he doesn’t follow their orders…I’m not sure things will turn out well.
John’s words from my rehearsal dinner ring in my head, that if I make Adrian fall for me and help them, everything will go smoother. But I’ve been butting heads with him while he’s been cozied up to my Uncle Damien. Do I need to convince him to work with John and Sam to save his life?
“So, how is he to live with, at least?” Zoe asks.
I can feel the heat rise to my cheeks without being able to control it. Instantly, I think of his hands on my body, the sweet punishments he’s inflicted.
“Oh, so that good, huh?” Zoe teases.
“No. Yes. I don’t know.”
Zoe barks out a laugh while I use a hand to cover my face. “It’s okay if you enjoy it,” she says, taking another sip of wine. “I mean, sex is great.”
“We haven’t had sex.”
“Oh.” She grins. “And he’s already making you blush like that? Jesus. Girl, what are you waiting for?”
“I don’t know. I hate the guy! Or at least, I thought I did.”
“What changed?”
What changed? That’s a great question. What did change?
“I don’t know…he’s not that bad. He’s kind of nice to me, sometimes. I think I judged him wrong. I was just so…angry.”
“I mean, he did make you marry him. So anger seems like the right emotion.” She smiles into her glass. “But it’s also okay if you don’t feel that way anymore.”
I chew on my lip. Zoe’s not Lana, she’s not in the family the same way. But she’s the closest girlfriend I have who understands what I’m going through. “John wants me to make him love me so he’ll do whatever Sam is asking,” I blurt.
Zoe nods, and I wonder if she already knew that? She doesn’t say if she did. “And that means betraying your family?”
I shake my head. “Sam is my family. Marcus was just…an asshole, honestly.”
“Cheers to that.” Zoe raises her glass and clinks it against mine. I forget she used to work for my brother. I don’t know all the details of what went down, but I imagined she’s part of the reason John killed him. If John killed him, I mean. Not that we can confirm any of the details, but in my heart, I know he’s not alive anymore. And I’m strangely okay with that fact.
“And my mom and Damien are just using me. Sam actually cares about me.”
“He sounds like a good guy. I only know what John tells me, but he sounds good.”
“He is. He’s loyal to a fault and has always been protective of me and Lana.”
“You trust him?”
“I do.”
“So, then are you going to make Adrian fall in love with you?”
Her question hangs over me. Am I going to make Adrian fall in love with me? What if I lose myself in the process? And what if it’s already too late to go back now?”
I chug my wine in an attempt to avoid Zoe’s question.
“Hey, you should come to my new studio!” Her change of subject is deeply appreciated. “I just opened my own pole dancing place. Maybe you can learn some tricks.” She winks at me. Okay, maybe it wasn’t a change of subject.
I can feel the heat rise on my cheeks again.
“Come on.” She reaches across the counter, gently slapping my arm. “It will be fun! And sexy! And honestly, I need some students so my classes look full. Do it for me. Please?” Her puppy dog face has me nodding in agreement.
“Of course.”
“Yay! Adrian won’t even know what hit him when he sees your new moves!”
I don’t know if I’ll show any moves to Adrian. I can’t even imagine myself dancing for him without blushing.
The thought runs wild in my head, though. Pole dancing for Adrian would most definitely lead to sex. Am I really going to sleep with my new husband? And am I doing it because I want to, or because my family needs me to?