Chapter 2

NYLA

"Ninety days, Aeron. Try not to fall in love with me by then," I whispered, my lips seductively brushing the shell of his ear. 

I slowly clasped my bra again, covering myself from his burning gaze. 

I pulled back from him to exit his study, but he kept me locked to his chest, his grip tightening on my waist. 

"Love? I don't believe in love, Nyla. I can want every inch of what I’m seeing right now and still walk out that door in ninety days without looking back. Can you?"

"Walk away in ninety days if you can. I dare you," I shot back at him, and his hand possessively slid over the curve of my ass.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Nyla," he rasped, his voice dropping to a predatory purr that vibrated through my chest. 

"I'm not playing games, Aeron, I'm finally being myself. For years, I tried to satisfy you, to be the perfect wife I always thought you deserved."

All my efforts were in vain. My obedience got me a divorce. And I was tired of playing the role of the obedient little wife. 

I pulled back from him, my expression turning blank. 

"Have fun signing these," I said, pointing at the papers on his desk. 

"Nyla?" A familiar, shocked voice came from behind me. I spun around in Aeron's arms, shocked to find Elodie standing in the doorway.

"Elodie? What brings you here at this time of night?" I asked, and Aeron finally lowered his hands from my waist. 

Elodie had turned as pale as a sheet, but she kept her composure. "I'll be accompanying Aeron to Paris tomorrow," she explained, her glossy lips curving into a smug smile.

"Paris? Oh, honey, didn't Aeron tell you? He can't leave my side for the next ninety days," I calmly explained. 

For a while Aeron didn't speak. Elodie's hands balled into fists at her sides. His silence was clearly driving her to the brink of insanity. 

My back was still pressed against his chest when he cleared his throat. "I'll have to take another look at my schedule," he explained. 

"I don't mind waiting. And besides, I asked Smithers to prepare the guest room for me before I came. You wouldn't mind if I stayed here for a few days, would you?" She innocently asked me. 

"Of course not, the guest room is just down the hall. But do try to keep the noise down. I have much to catch up on with my husband tonight," I smiled before confidently leaving the room. 

A small smile formed on my face as I headed back to my bedroom. I shut the door behind me, hoping I had done enough. 

I grabbed the silk robe from the foot of my bed and wrapped myself in the expensive material.

My phone vibrated on my nightstand, a notification lighting up the screen. I curiously picked up the small device, tiredly staring at the screen. 

My father was bombarding my phone with calls again. 

I moved to lock my bedroom door, but the door swung open before I could even get close. Aeron stepped into the room, making my breath hitch. 

He hadn't been inside my room in months. What was he doing here now?

My heart hammered against my ribcage. I hid my phone behind my back, carefully stepping back from him. 

He seemed livid, but his eyes were still dark with that predatory look from before. 

"Where's Elodie?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. 

He roughly took my chin between his thumb and index finger. "I sent her home," he rasped, his lips brushing against mine. 

A satisfied feeling spread inside of me. "Why?" I questioned innocently, moving an inch closer to his mouth. 

He suddenly let go of my chin, his hand dropping to his side. "I'll be sleeping in this room for the next ninety days," he stated before taking a step back from me. 

My phone accidentally slipped from my hands, dropping on the Persian rug with a soft thud. 

Aeron was still loosening his tie when the phone dropped from my hand. He reached to pick it up. He blankly stared at the screen, his expression remaining blank. 

"Your father is looking for you," he said, handing me the phone again. 

I nervously gulped, taking the phone from him. "I'll go see him tomorrow," I uttered in a hushed tone. 

"A simple text should suffice," he corrected me.

I paused, my hands balling into fists. "No, I'll go see him tomorrow. I haven't visited him in a while," I firmly stated, standing my ground. 

"Nyla," Aeron uttered in a warning tone. 

"I'm not your wife anymore, Aeron. Technically, you can't tell me what to do anymore. I'll spend my time how I see fit," I reminded him. 

A dark laugh escaped his lips. "If you ruin your reputation, now, the merger will be at risk," he reminded me. 

I didn't speak after that. He was right. Being seen with my father would turn into a PR nightmare that we cannot afford at the moment. 

He started undressing for bed, his dominance filling the room. The scent of him, cedar and rain, filled the space. 

My eyes slowly trailed over his pale skin, and his hard muscles rippled under the dim lamplight. I watched, breathless as he dropped his belt onto a chair. 

The bed dipped when he sat down. He climbed under the blankets, his deep blue eyes finally settling on me. 

"The bed is large enough for both of us Nyla. And I'm not sleeping on the sofa in my own house," he said, his voice a low vibration. 

I didn't argue. I couldn't. 

I set my phone down on the nightstand before letting my robe drop to the floor. I slid under the blankets, turning my back to him. I stayed on the very edge. 

The lingerie I was wearing started feeling like a second skin that was far too thin. 

For twenty minutes, we lay in the dark, seperated by a foot of Egyptian cotton. Then, I felt it. 

Aeron shifted. A heavy, warm arm slid across my waist, his palm flattening against my stomach. 

With a sharp tug, he pulled me backward until my spine was pressed firmly against the hard planes of his chest. 

"What are you doing?" I gasped, my breath hitching as his thumb brushed just under the curve of my breast.

"You're shivering," he muttered into the crook of my neck, his breath ghosting over my skin and sending a different kind of chill down my spine. "And if we’re going to survive ninety days of this, you might as well get used to the fact that I take what belongs to me."

"I don't belong to you," I reminded him, though my body was betraying me, melting into his heat. "The papers are signed."

"The merger says otherwise," he rasped, his grip tightening just enough to let me know he wasn't letting go.