Chapter 7

Dragging his feet along towards the exit of the bedroom, his steps were halted when he heard the voice of the woman still lying on the bed. “Ace, where are you going?”

Sierra, who was lying there, was wearing extremely thin lingerie, which vividly revealed every curve of her luscious body intentionally. The silky fabric that barely covered anything was just enough to wrap around the cleavage of her perfectly rounded breasts and buttocks.

“I'll sleep in the next room!” Ace snarled harshly, gruffly, with a tone that showed his frustration as he was about to take another step.

As for Sierra, who had been staring at him, she flashed a sneering smile. “You really want to make the people in this house think badly of our relationship, don't you?”

Hearing that, his steps halted in his tracks. His hands clenched into fists, his jaw tightened, and his breath hitched. He knew that Sierra was making fun of him on purpose, but her words really hit the mark. Though he breathed out deeply, slowly, he had something odd on his face. There was a hint of disgust on his face, especially when she cracked another sly smile, as if convinced that she had conquered him.

“Come here, honey,” she cooed, her voice sounding more and more sultry. “Don't you want to sleep with me tonight, hubby?”

Ace squeezed his eyes shut tightly, as if trying to hold back the storm of emotions that was creeping up on him and consuming his temper. As he finally turned around, the smile that had been plastered on Sierra's face was wiped away as she stared at him, who chose to walk over to the couch instead of their bed.

She clicked her tongue irritably inwardly. 

Why the hell is that guy constantly trying to get away from me? Whenever I try to flirt or get close to him, he always tries to push me away. Is that body of mine so disgusting in his eyes? 

Even though they had been married for a month, yet, whenever they did some skinship, he always pushed her away.

Well, it has been a month since they got married, and all the things Sierra tried to do to make her husband tempted by her did not work at all. However, Sierra Carlson is not a woman who gives up that easily. She even has a million ways to make her husband give in and get down on his knees to her.

“How comfy is this bed. Too bad I'm the only one who's been using it for the past month,” she sultrily mumbles, making sure that he was listening.

Ace, who was lying down and shutting his eyes on the couch, was trying not to be bothered in the slightest by the sound of moaning coming out of her mouth, which was extremely tempting. As for Sierra, she clicked her tongue in irritation that he was blatantly paying her no mind.

“If only I could make love in this bed, it would be more heavenly, wouldn't it? But with whom?” As she babbled on, her tone became more intense, as if she was intentionally trying to lure him to react.

Ace covered both his ears with pillows, trying to block out her irritating voice. Too bad, Sierra didn't stop at all.

“Even my husband doesn't seem to like my body. Could it be that I have to sleep with another man here?” She kept baiting, this time with a more flirtatious tone and an annoyingly pouty face.

His eyes widened at that instant when he heard the last words that came out of her mouth. His pulse throbbed rapidly. Somehow, there was a sense of loathing when she talked about another man in their bed. It felt like something was burning in his heart, causing an unnerving feeling, as if his core was drowning in his gut. He used to be able to be so indifferent to what she was up to. But why now?

“Maybe I should just ask Edgar to come over tomorrow to our place—”

“Once again you make a sound, I'll make sure you never speak again with that shitty voice of yours!”

Her words were instantly cut off as he sharply spoke threateningly to her, making her sneak a glance at his broad back as he was sleeping on his back.

“Oh, well then,” she muttered mischievously, “I'll call Edgar tomorrow and ask him to come—”

“SIERRA VALENTINO!” The booming voice that echoed from his mouth somehow got her to instantly shut her mouth at the sound of his loud voice. The arrogant man even mentioned her name, complete with Valentino's surname. She knew that Ace was deadly serious.

“Shut that mouth of yours, Sierra, before I gag you with my pillow!”

She nodded her head obediently, flashing a small smile, catching the ragged breath that Ace blew out from behind. She even still wanted to fool around with him and tease his extremely stubborn and hot-headed husband.

But her mind started to wander. Are the others that hard too? She bit her lower lip, letting those wild thoughts consume her brain.

“Ace,” she called out, as her voice sounded seductively sweet, “do you really not want to sleep with me?”

“What a bitch!” he spat, his voice lower this time, but still sounding harsh.

Sierra simply grinned, not taking the slightest offense to his harsh words. She knew, behind all the rudeness, he was pissed off. Perhaps, it was only a matter of time before he gave in to her temptation and bent down to her knees.

“Good night, my darling hubby.”

*****

“Good morning, sir.”

Ace simply nodded his head lazily as one of the guards in his grand mansion greeted him politely. His long strides carried his tall frame into the kitchen, though his gaze obviously wandered around the room, as if he was looking for something or, rather, someone.

“Madame is doing yoga at the poolside, sir,” came the butler's heavy voice, startling him from behind.

His reflex made the water in the glass he was holding almost spill out. Sighing deeply, trying to get a grip on himself, he replied, humming quietly. “Hmm.”

As he gulped down the water, his mind started to wander. How did that butler know that I was looking for Sierra? His actions must have been too obvious. 

This morning, he woke up with an odd feeling of finding the bed beside him neat and empty. Sierra had been up since earlier, but the strange feeling didn't go away.

Taking a leisurely pace, Ace walked over as he took a bite of the red apple he had just picked up from the kitchen. Each of his footsteps echoed on the cold marble floor until he reached the poolside on the ground floor of his house. And sure enough, there at the poolside where the water was crystal clear and blue, Sierra was doing yoga with fluid and breathtaking moves.

His eyes are instantly drawn to her body. She is wearing a skimpy sports bra and elastic shorts, showing off her curves perfectly. Her shorts were only mid-thigh, maybe not even mid-thigh anymore, but down to her groin.

Leaning against the glass divider, his eyes remained glued to her lithe body in an upright position. She looked serene, her eyes closed, completely unaware of his presence.

Taking another bite of his apple, chewing slowly, Ace watched the scene in front of him. His piercing gray eyes traced every detail of her body without missing a beat, noticing how her curves in a movement that looked so natural and... seductive.

The strange feeling began to creep into him. In the past, when he was shown scenes like this and perhaps even more erotic... he would never feel anything. But this time, for some reason, he seemed to be afraid in case someone else, or rather another man, saw her erotic body, just afraid. Nothing more. He used to be the type of person who didn't care about anything related to women, especially since that incident, which haunted him constantly.

He flashed a sinister smile at Sierra. He bit down hard on his apple, trying to chase away the strange feeling that was starting to creep into his heart. Turning around quickly, he decided to leave, leaving Sierra, who was still lost in her position. Right now, he just wanted to ease his mind. Lance... yes, he was going to call Lance to calm his heart.

However, his steps were halted again when Sierra unexpectedly broke out in her voice. “Why are you just staying still, Ace? Don't you want to do yoga with me?” She asked, her eyes remained closed, somehow, she could still feel his presence near her.

He grunted as if annoyed by the question. “No! I just happened to be passing by,” he replied curtly.

Sierra smiled slightly, though her eyes remained closed. Just happened to be passing by, he said? Where was he going to pass by anyway? The pool was obviously a dead-end area, with only one entrance and exit. She knew that the arrogant man before her could not make up a lie.

“I see, where are you going then?” she asked with a mocking tone.

He froze, his expression twisted slightly bewildered. The excuse he just uttered sounded ridiculous even to his own ears. This house was his, and he knew perfectly well that the pool area was a dead end. How could I forget about it?

“I just want to swim,” he replied hurriedly, trying to find a better excuse.

Without waiting for any further reply from her, Ace pulled off his shirt and left only the shorts he was wearing. His muscular and ripped body was now exposed. In a swift and bold move, he jumped into the pool, the cold water enveloping his body. Sierra, who was still in the yoga position, finally opened her eyes, staring at his body that was now in the water.

The gurgling water of the pool sounded so clear in her ears. As she slowly ended her yoga session, her green eyes were now fixed on him. His tall, muscular body looked even more tempting under the reflected sunlight. Every time he surfaced, water dripped from his wet black hair, making his muscular body look even hotter. She gulped, trying to calm her pounding heart.

“All right,” she told herself, her lips curled into a wicked smile. “I'm not going to let my hottie hubby's body be touched by anyone, including that son of a bitch, Lance!”

With the glint in her eye, she decided that the game had just started.