Wedding Night

Celestine 

I am so tired, I can barely think. But sleep won’t come. Not when I’m lying in Killian Storm’s bed. Not when I know that, at any moment, he will walk through that door after dismissing our guest. He told me that I should go shower and rest first if I was too tired to join them which I did except, now I cannot truly rest because of my thoughts.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to steady my breath. But it doesn’t help. Because no matter how much I try to push it away, one thought won’t leave me.

What is Killian going to do to me tonight?

He is going to come in here. He is going to touch me. Because that is what happens on a wedding night.

I force myself to breathe—**in, out, in, out—**but it does nothing to slow my racing heart. This is what I was dreading. Not the ceremony. Not the vows.

This.

Being alone with him. Being at his mercy.

Then—the door opens.

The scent of him reaches me first. Whiskey. Smoke. Something darker beneath it. Something that makes my throat go dry. I don’t open my eyes. I can’t. If I do, I’ll have to face him. Face the man who put his ring on my finger. The man who rejected me—only to drag me back.

The man who could take whatever he wanted from me tonight. The bed dips. I can hear his deep, controlled breathing. The slow inhale, the steady exhale. Like he’s considering something.

Like he’s deciding.

Then— I felt his fingertips.

I shift—just barely, just enough to inch away from the heat of his palm. My pulse kicks against my ribs. I should fight. I should push him away, bare my teeth, and remind him that I am not weak. But the truth is, I already lost the moment I said ‘I do.’ I hold my breath, squeezing my thighs together beneath the sheets, trying to suppress the way my stomach tightens at the warmth of his touch. And when his fingers skim the curve of my waist, my lips part—a silent, helpless breath escaping. A sound that shouldn’t be what it is.

"I can hear your heartbeat, Celestine.”  His voice is low, rough, and laced with amusement. I don’t respond. I don’t trust myself to. Instead, I pretend to be asleep. Pretend that my heart isn’t hammering, that I’m not so painfully aware of every breath he takes.

But Killian isn’t stupid.

He shifts, leaning closer, letting the heat of his body sink into mine. Then—his breath, hot against my ear. "Are you afraid of me?"

I should lie. I should tell him no. That I’m not afraid of him. That his touch doesn’t affect me. That I feel nothing. So I did. “No.”

His chuckle is dark, mocking. “Liar.”

I flinch as his fingers drift lower, tracing lazy patterns along my hipbone. “You always did have a smart mouth, Celestine,” he murmurs, tilting his head. “But your body tells the truth.”

“Get off me.”

He hums. “Why? Do you think I’m going to hurt you?”

“You already have.” My voice is barely a whisper.

Killian stills. Just for a second. Then, he exhales—a slow, heavy sound.

And suddenly, he’s above me.

He smells like whiskey and smoke, like leather and something darker, something raw. His long white sleeves are slightly unbuttoned, the fabric clinging to the hard planes of his chest, the collar open just enough to reveal a sliver of bronzed skin. His tie is gone. His hair, normally perfect, is slightly mussed, as if he’s been running his hands through it too many times.

And his eyes—

Goddess help me, his eyes.

Storm-dark, hooded, watching me with something unreadable.

Something I don’t want to name.

My stomach twists. He looks drunk, but not sloppy. Not wasted. Just loose. Just unguarded. A predator at ease, knowing he doesn’t have to chase when his prey is already caged.

His gaze drags over me, slow, calculating. He’s testing me. Waiting. For what, I don’t know.

I swallow hard, my body stiff beneath the sheets “ Killian….don’t.”

Killian tilts his head slightly, as if the words affects him more than me. His fingers flex at his sides, his breathing slow, controlled.

"Nervous, Celestine?"

I tense, instinctively pressing myself deeper into the mattress, as if I could sink into the silk and vanish.

"Relax," Killian murmurs, voice almost lazy. " I just want a taste.”

Then he reaches for the sheet.

I stop breathing.

His fingers barely graze it before he pulls it.  "Look at you."

I feel so ashamed I can’t even look at myself. Because I fucking wear the damn nightgown waiting on this bed. It’s so embarrassing especially when he couldn’t hold his laughter making me blush in the dark.

Bastard.

I wrench my body away, shoving it against his chest, but he doesn’t budge. When he was done laughing, his fingers skimmed the edge of the sheet, pulling it down just enough to reveal more of me.

I tense.

"You even dressed for the occasion."

"I—" My voice catches.

Killian leans in. Closer.

So close his breath brushes my jaw.

"Tell me, Celestine—were you hoping I wouldn’t come? Or were you waiting for me to see you like this?" he murmurs. My chest rises and falls, my skin burning beneath his scrutiny.

I grit my teeth, forcing the words out. "I would rather burn alive than belong to you."

Killian smirks. "Good."

And then—

His lips graze the shell of my ear.

Not kissing. Just hovering. Just breathing me in.

I can’t take it. I twist, fighting to put space between us, but his grip tightens around my wrist, pinning me.

"Where are you going?" His voice is a low purr, a slow, deliberate taunt.

"Get off."

He doesn’t. Instead, he trails his knuckles down the curve of my throat. A featherlight touch. One that makes my stomach coil far too tight.

"You don’t sound very convincing, Celestine."

"I mean it, Killian." My breath shakes. "Don’t touch me."

He laughs.

"Then why are you shivering?"

I freeze. Because I am.

Killian leans down as if to kiss me but stops just before our lips touch and says, "Go to sleep mate. You need strenght." 

And just like that—Killian lets go. He shifts, settling onto his side, his back turned to me but before I can hear him snore, I hear him whisper something.

"I should have never let you go."

I turn my head, staring at his back, unsure if I imagined it. But Killian is already sleeping. I don’t know why but for the first time since he dragged me back.. I felt something other than rage.