Chapter 4

Jade

“Spread your legs for me, sweetheart.”

I whimpered and did as he said, inching my legs open till I was exposed in front of him.

“Wider, baby,” Julian growled. “Let me see what belongs to me.”

I obeyed and went further, feeling my pussy lips splitting apart to reveal the aching little bud nestled within.

“Jesus Christ, sweetheart.” His gaze devoured me whole, mouth hanging open in awe as his gray eyes roamed every inch of my naked skin spread out on the bed for him. “You’re perfect. So fucking beautiful.”

He lowered himself and rubbed his huge hard cock all over my drenched folds before notching the head at my entrance.

“I’m so sorry but this will hurt a bit.” He palmed my breast then pressed a gentle kiss on my lips.

“I know. But I’m ready.” I told him in a shaky whisper, canting my hips higher to get him to slip inside.

“Ah fuck baby, don’t do that.” He gritted his teeth as he absentmindedly rubbed at my nipple, pressing firmly on the hardened nub. “You’re killing me. We have to take it slow or I’ll blow my load prematurely and I want to make this good for you.”

“I don’t care.” I panted. “Just fuck me already.”

His eyes flashed with a look of possessiveness and he pressed deeper into me. “As you wish, sweetheart. I love you so much.”

Then he tore past the barrier of my virginity and I screamed out from the pain, my eyes shooting wide open.

I scrambled upright in bed, looking around at the empty room as a pang of disappointment shot through me.

It had only been a dream.

“Arghhh.” I groaned out loud and flopped back into the mountain of pillows behind me, noticing how wet I was between my legs.

I rubbed my thighs together but the ache only worsened. So I threw the covers off my body and padded towards the en-suite bathroom to have a soak in the tub.

I couldn’t believe I had a sex dream after crying myself to sleep last night. And a very vivid one at that.

Julian hadn’t come back from wherever he went. I had taken a shower and put on my sexiest lingerie underneath a sheer silk wrap, thankful that my personal belongings had already been moved from my parents’ house and arranged in their new respective places here, before waiting for him for hours. But he never showed up.

I had decided that since we were officially engaged now, despite his warnings, I wasn’t just going to give up that easily.

I had loved him for years and I couldn’t just snap my fingers and make all my feelings disappear. Instead, I was going to do my best to get him to change his mind towards me.

We had been close once. So I had no idea where his sudden animosity towards me was coming from, but I could try to be patient and understanding. With time, I was confident I’d be able to wear him down and he’d finally open up to me.

And who knows? I could even make him fall in love with me. That was my end goal. And I was nothing if not committed to what I put my mind to.

My phone rang just as I was dropping a lavender-scented bath bomb into the tub of warm water. I grabbed it from the bedroom, took off my nightwear and piled up my hair in a messy bun, then lowered myself into the filled tub before FaceTiming Bells back.

Her smiling face appeared on the screen as I propped my phone against the wall. “I’ve already ordered the ‘no longer a virgin’ cake. Eek, I’m so excited. How was it on a scale of one to ten? No, no, important questions first. How big was his dick? Let me guess, ten inches?”

“Bells,” I interrupted her with a tiny smile, already used to her unfiltered mouth after four years of being best friends. “You might want to cancel that order. I’m still very much a virgin.”

“Oh.” She paused for a second before lighting up again. “You did other things though, right? Oral. Fingering. Sex toys. There are a lot of options. Bet he’s got a really wicked tongue and thick, talented fingers. How many orgasms? Did you pass out?”

My eyes widened. Pass out? Was that even possible?

“What kind of things do you get up to with the men you sleep with?”

“Do you really wanna know? ‘Cause I’m down to tell you every last detail.” She shrugged as she sat down in front of the vanity mirror in her hotel room.

“I’m good.” I told her with a sigh. “Nothing happened, Bells. He wasn’t even here. That’s what I wanted to tell you back at the party.”

Her brows furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“He doesn’t love me. He doesn’t even like me. In fact, I’m pretty sure he hates me and feels like I trapped him in this engagement.”

She made a face. “That’s stupid. Your parents were the ones who got you guys betrothed and you were four then. How could you have trapped him at such a young age?”

“I know, right? He just seems like such a different person now. He’s cold and unreachable. Closed off. And he wants nothing to do with me.”

She dropped the red nail polish she was applying on her fingers and stared straight at me through the camera. “Then why on earth didn’t he call off the party yesterday? Why did he go through with it?”

“Beats me, honestly. Maybe he doesn’t want to disappoint his parents. They’ve been looking forward to our engagement for a long time.”

“Jades, that doesn’t matter. You’re both going to be miserable. You the most. He literally abandoned you yesterday. What if he went off to go fuck another woman?”

The breath wheezed out of my lungs in a painful burst of air. I didn’t want to imagine that scenario. I wasn’t going to.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked in a helpless whisper.

“Break it off.”

My eyes widened. “Bells, it hasn’t even been a full day. What will our parents say? What will the media say? I can’t do that. A lot is hinged on this engagement. The announcement alone sparked so many partnerships and sponsors.” My chest tightened as I kept talking. “Backing out now will be so selfish of me. The press will have a field day with the news. It’ll go down really badly for everyone involved.”

Isabella didn’t look convinced the slightest bit. “So you’re just going to suffer then?”

I pursed my lips in defiance. “I’m not going to suffer. I’m going to change his mind. Even if he doesn’t love me now, he can grow to later. I just have to be patient and hope he sees the efforts I put into our relationship.”

“Oh Jades. You can’t make a man love you. Especially one that is known widely for his playboy reputation. When are you going to realize that?”

I flicked at some bubbles on the surface of the foamy water, hating that she had reminded me of his so-called reputation. “Are you on my side or not?”

She let out a puff of breath. “You know I always am and that’s why I’m against this.”

I looked back into the camera and stared her down with my most pitiful-looking gaze.

“Ugh, fine. For your sake, I really hope you’re right and this doesn’t end up with you getting irrevocably heartbroken.”

I rolled my eyes. “Julian isn’t a monster. I’m sure he just needs someone to understand him and I can be that person for him.”

“If you say so.” She resumed painting her nails. “Let’s hope he comes back sometime during the next three months.”

I splashed water at the screen. “Get off my phone with your pessimistic ass.”

She burst into laughter before ending the call.