Chapter 17
The Reeves Estate had settled into a quiet, predictable rhythm since our families had returned to their respective homes.
With Grandmother Eleanor gone, the strict performance of a happily married couple was no longer required.
Alexander and I had officially relocated to our separate, contracted bedrooms.
He reclaimed the massive master suite in the East Wing, and I moved into a beautiful, sunlit suite just down the hall.
It was exactly what the contract stated.
But I hated it.
Every night, the heavy silence of my empty room reminded me of just how wide the gap between us still was.
Ever since our confrontation in the library over the flowers, a new, heavy tension had settled between us.
It was a simmering, electric pull that made my stomach flutter every time his sharp gray eyes landed on me across the dining table.
I wanted to bridge that gap. I wanted to show him that I wasn't just a timid girl hiding in her designated corner of his massive fortress.
I was sitting on my bed, trying to gather the courage to do something about it, when my phone buzzed on the nightstand.
I picked it up. A text message lit up the screen.
**Daniel:** *Hey Grace! The campus feels weird without you and Mia around. A few of us are grabbing coffee this weekend. I was hoping you'd come? Would love to catch up, just the two of us if you're free.*
I stared at the message, a small frown forming on my lips. Daniel was sweet, and he had always been a great class representative, but the underlying tone of the text made me feel a little uncomfortable.
I was a married woman now.
At least for now
I quickly typed out my reply.
**Grace:** *Hi Daniel! Miss you guys too, but I'm really busy settling into my new home and routines right now. I won't be able to make it. Have fun with the others!*
I hit send, feeling a wave of relief, and tossed the phone back onto the bed.
I need to go see my father,it has been two days i last saw him,he is currently in the hospital being observed.He was asked to stay in for sometime for proper and deeper investigation
We employed a caregiver that is currently taking care of his daily needs
Twenty seconds later, my phone rang. It was Mia.
"Did Daniel just text you?" Mia demanded the second I answered. "He just texted our group chat complaining that you rejected his coffee date."
I rolled my eyes, smiling. "I am a married woman, Mia. I'm not going on a coffee date with the class rep."
"Good girl," Mia praised. "You need to save all your energy for the General. Speaking of which, how is the seduction going? Have you successfully breached the master suite yet?"
My cheeks instantly warmed. "Mia, I can't just 'breach' his bedroom. We have a contract."
"A contract you want to break," Mia countered effortlessly. "Grace, you need to establish dominance. You are playing on his turf. You need to mark your territory."
"I cannot 'establish dominance' over a man who literally commands armies."
"Not military dominance, you innocent angel. *Wife* dominance."
I could practically hear her smirking. "Go into his closet. Take one of his shirts. Put it on. And when he comes home, casually walk past him wearing it. It drives men insane. It says, 'I am yours, but I am also taking over your space.'"
"I cannot do that!" I gasped, clutching my chest. "He'll think I'm crazy. Or worse, he'll cite a military protocol about unauthorized use of government property!"
"He won't," Mia laughed loudly. "Just try it, Grace. Be bold! He's your husband. Remind him."
She hung up before I could argue.
I stared at the blank screen for a long time.
*Be bold.*
I took a deep breath, tossed my phone onto the mattress, and stood up. My bare feet sank into the plush carpet as I walked out of my room and crept quietly down the hall toward the master suite.
The estate was silent. Alexander wasn't supposed to be home until 2300 hours. I had plenty of time.
I opened his heavy oak doors and stepped into his room. It smelled intensely of him-cedar, cold rain, and clean soap. My heart hammered against my ribs as I walked straight into his massive walk-in closet.
I went to his casual wardrobe. With trembling fingers, I pulled a crisp, black button-down shirt off a velvet hanger.
Before my courage could completely abandon me, I stripped off my pajama trousers and top and slipped his shirt on.
It was massive.
The shoulder seams dropped halfway down my arms, and the hem fell completely to mid-thigh, making it look like a very short, very dangerous dress. I rolled the long sleeves up to my elbows, leaving the top three buttons undone, exposing my collarbone.
I looked at myself in the full-length mirror.
I looked completely ridiculous. But I also looked... like I belonged to him.
*Okay,* I thought, hyping myself up. *I'll just go sit in the library. When he walks in, I'll cross my legs, look up from my book, and say hello. Casual. Bold.*
I turned toward the closet exit.
And then, the heavy oak doors of the master bedroom clicked open.
The brass handle turned.
I froze.
I looked at the clock on his dresser. It was 2000 hours. 8:00 PM. He was exactly three hours early.
Absolute, blinding panic seized my brain. All of my rehearsed boldness instantly evaporated. I couldn't let him see me like this. Not in *his* room! I was supposed to be casually sitting in neutral territory!
Without thinking, I spun around and dove deeper into the massive walk-in closet, pressing myself flat against the back wall, hiding behind a long row of his tailored military uniforms.
I held my breath, my heart beating so violently I was terrified it would echo in the silent room.
The heavy, precise *thud* of Alexander's boots stepped onto the bedroom carpet.
Silence.
He didn't move. He didn't call my name.
As a highly trained recon commander, Alexander was observant to a terrifying degree. He knew the exact state of his room when he left it. He probably noticed the slight shift in the air, or the fact that one of his velvet hangers was swinging empty.
The heavy footsteps started moving again.
Slow. Deliberate.
They bypassed the bathroom. They walked directly toward the closet.
I squeezed my eyes shut, clutching the oversized black fabric of his shirt in my shaking hands. *Please don't find me. Please don't find me.*
The row of uniforms was smoothly pushed aside.
I gasped, my eyes snapping open.
Alexander stood there. He was still in his full military uniform, towering over me, completely blocking the only exit.
He looked down at me. I was practically backed into the corner, wearing his black shirt, my bare legs completely exposed, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.
Alexander didn't smile. He didn't ask what I was doing.
His sharp gray eyes swept over me, taking in the way his massive shirt draped over my small frame, lingering on the expanse of my bare thighs. And as his gaze traveled slowly back up to my flushed face, his eyes turned dangerously, terrifyingly dark.
The air in the closet instantly vanished.
"Alexander," I squeaked, trying desperately to sound confident. "I was just... I was just looking for a book."
It was the stupidest lie in the history of the world. There were no books in his closet.
Alexander didn't answer.
Instead, he took a step forward, stepping directly into my personal space. The sheer dominance radiating from his massive frame forced me to press my back flat against the wall.
"You are in my closet," he stated, his voice a low, flat rumble.
"I know," I breathed.
"You are wearing my shirt."
I swallowed hard, my chin tilting up as I tried to hold onto the last shred of my failed boldness. "I was cold. My room is... drafty."
Alexander's jaw tightened. He didn't believe a word of it.
He stepped even closer, his heavy combat boots bracketing my bare feet. He raised his hands.
I shut my eyes, a tiny gasp escaping my lips, entirely unsure of what he was going to do.
I felt the heat of his large, calloused hands wrap around my bare thighs, right below the hem of the oversized shirt. His touch was warm, slightly rough, and completely electrifying.
My eyes flew open.
His hands slid slowly, deliberately up my outer thighs, tracing the very edge of the black fabric, sending a violent shudder straight through my core. He didn't rush. He moved with the quiet, lethal precision of a man who commanded complete obedience.
His hands traveled up my waist, pulling the loose fabric of the shirt taut against my back, flattening my body flush against the wall.
He was so close I could feel the hard lines of his uniform pressing against me. His chest brushed against mine with every shallow breath I took.
Alexander leaned down, his face stopping mere inches from mine. His intense gray eyes locked onto my blown-wide pupils.
"You are trembling, Grace," he noted bluntly, his thumbs gently brushing the sensitive skin of my waist.
"I-I'm not," I lied, my voice a breathy whisper.
For the first time all evening, the faintest, darkest smirk touched the corner of his lips.
His hands let go of my waist and moved up to my chest. His knuckles grazed my exposed collarbone, burning my skin, before his long fingers found the third button of the shirt.
With slow, agonizing intimacy, Alexander fastened the button. Then he moved up, fastening the second one.
"Mia gives terrible advice," he murmured, his deep voice vibrating right into my bones.
"How did you-"
"Because you are too innocent to launch an ambush without tactical guidance," he interrupted smoothly, his hands flattening against the wall on either side of my head, completely caging me in.
I couldn't look away from his dark eyes. I couldn't move. The physical proximity, the smell of him, the absolute control he possessed-it was completely intoxicating.
He leaned his head down, his lips hovering dangerously close to the shell of my ear. I felt his warm breath against my neck, making my pulse pound frantically.
"Listen to me very carefully," Alexander whispered, his tone dropping an octave, becoming entirely possessive. "If you ever sneak into my room and put on my clothes again..."
He paused, letting his lips brush briefly, almost accidentally, against the soft skin below my jaw.
"...I will assume the separate bedroom clause in our contract has been permanently terminated."
I stopped breathing entirely.
"And I will take my marital rights," he finished bluntly.
My entire body went up in flames.
A soft, helpless sound escaped my throat. I looked up at him, my heart hammering a frantic, erratic beat. He wasn't joking. General Alexander Reeves did not make empty threats. His eyes were completely dark, filled with a raw, undeniable hunger that he was holding back with terrifying discipline.
He stared at my flushed, panicked face for three agonizingly long seconds, ensuring his warning had fully registered in my brain.
Then, he pushed off the wall.
His aura instantly snapped back into its cold, disciplined state, as if he hadn't just completely destroyed my sanity and set my entire body on fire.
"Go back to your room, Grace," he commanded quietly, adjusting the cuffs of his uniform. "Before I change my mind."
I didn't need to be told twice.
I ducked under his arm and practically bolted out of the closet, my bare feet carrying me as fast as they could down the hallway.
I slammed the door to my bedroom shut, sliding down the wood until I hit the floor. I buried my burning red face in my hands, trying desperately to catch my breath.
Mia's advice hadn't established my dominance at all.
It had just awakened the General. And I was in so much trouble.
?? THE WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED! ?? "Before I change my mind..." ??
The General's control is hanging by a thread!
Drop a ?? and vote if this chapter made you scream! Grace politely rejecting Daniel but getting completely wrecked by her husband in the closet?! Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Mwaah!