Chapter 40: CHAPTER 37:MI VIDA

Neti

The night was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of the wind against the towering windows of the mansion. My body was exhausted, my mind even more so, and for once, I didn’t fight the pull of sleep as I sank into the ridiculously soft bed.

I wasn’t sure how long I had been asleep when something—someone—disturbed the stillness of my room.

A shift in the mattress.

A deep exhale.

The faint scent of expensive cologne and something undeniably him.

My heart stilled.

I didn’t have to turn around to know who it was.

“What the hell are you doing?” My voice was thick with sleep, but the annoyance was clear.

A lazy chuckle. Dark. Amused. Possessive.

“Sleeping,” Adolph murmured, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I finally turned, glaring at him in the dim light. “In my bed?”

He smirked, propping himself up on one elbow as he stared down at me. “Our bed, mi amor.”

I groaned, shoving at his chest. He didn’t budge.

“You have your own room,” I gritted out.

“I changed my mind,” he murmured, his voice like silk, low and teasing. “I sleep better when you’re close.”

I scowled. “That’s a damn lie.”

His smirk widened, eyes gleaming with something dark and unreadable. “I suppose you’ll just have to test that theory, won’t you?”

I turned away from him, refusing to play into whatever game he was setting up. “Go sleep in your own damn bed, Adolph.”

But the second I did, his arm slid around my waist, pulling me back against him.

I gasped, my body going rigid as he pressed against my back, his breath hot against my ear.

“Hmm… No.” His voice was husky, edged with something that sent a slow shiver down my spine.

I swallowed, my fingers clutching the sheets. “You’re insufferable.”

His lips brushed against the shell of my ear, and I could feel his smirk even without looking.

“And yet, you’re not pushing me away.”

I hated that he was right.

I hated even more that my body was betraying me, heat curling deep in my stomach as his fingers slowly traced patterns against my waist.

I squeezed my eyes shut. This was a game. A cruel, twisted game that I refused to let him win.

“Goodnight, Adolph,” I bit out.

His grip on me tightened for a second, his lips pressing just barely against my jaw.

And then—

“Sweet dreams, mi vida.”

My life

He didn’t move.

Neither did I.

And despite everything, despite every ounce of defiance still left in me—

…I slept.

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Adolph

She thought I was sleeping.

She had no idea.

I lay there, still as stone, feeling the steady rise and fall of her breathing against my chest. Soft. Vulnerable. So unlike the fire she usually spat at me.

It was almost amusing how she tried to fight me at every turn, yet here she was—wrapped in my arms, tucked against me like she belonged there.

Because she did.

My fingers brushed over her waist lightly, teasing the skin through the fabric of her shirt. She stirred slightly but didn’t wake. So trusting. So unaware.

I smirked in the darkness.

If only she knew that I wasn’t letting her go.

That I never planned to.

She thought this was a game. Thought she had a choice.

She didn’t.

Five days.

Five more days, and she would be mine in every way that mattered.

My bride.

My wife.

The thought sent something dark curling in my chest, something dangerously close to satisfaction.

She shifted in her sleep, mumbling something incoherent, her face pressing into the warmth of my skin.

I swallowed.

She had no idea just how much I wanted her.

And she never would—until it was too late

And still I hate her...

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