Chapter 3 - The Morning After

Sunlight streamed through the curtains, soft and golden, but it only made me more aware of the heat beside me.

Adrian’s arm was draped across my waist, heavy and possessive even in sleep. His chest rose and fell against my back, his breath warm against my neck. Every part of me ached, a constant reminder of what had happened last night.

What I had let happen.

My body still trembled from the memory—his hands, his voice, the way he demanded every sound from my lips until I was undone. My cheeks burned just thinking about it.

But then guilt clawed its way back in. He thought he had made love to Alyssa, his bride. Not me. He had whispered forever to the wrong woman.

I squeezed my eyes shut, swallowing the lump in my throat. I shouldn’t have let it go that far. I shouldn’t—

“You’re awake.”

His deep voice startled me. Before I could move, his grip tightened, pulling me flush against him. He pressed a slow kiss to the side of my neck, and I shivered.

“You were moaning my name in your sleep,” he murmured, his lips brushing my skin. “Do you know what that does to me?”

My heart skipped. “Adrian…”

He shifted, rolling me onto my back, pinning me with that intense gaze. Sleep had left his hair slightly tousled, his sharp jaw shadowed with stubble. He looked devastatingly raw, untamed—and entirely mine, though he didn’t know the truth.

His hand slid over my stomach, resting low, possessive. “Last night wasn’t enough. I could take you again right now.”

Heat pooled between my thighs at his words, shame and desire twisting together. “We… we should rest,” I whispered, desperate for a reprieve from the war inside me.

But Adrian only smirked, leaning closer until his lips hovered above mine. “Rest?” His voice was rough, hungry. “I married you, Alyssa. There will be no resting when it comes to you.”

I gasped when his mouth claimed mine again, his kiss urgent, almost greedy. He kissed me like he hadn’t just spent the entire night proving his possession. Like he needed more. Always more.

A soft moan escaped before I could stop it, and his eyes darkened instantly.

“There it is again,” he growled against my lips. “That sound. I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure I hear it every night. Every morning.”

My body betrayed me, arching into his touch as his hand slid lower. My guilt screamed at me to stop, but my desire silenced it with every stroke of his tongue, every rough whisper of my name.

When he finally broke the kiss, his forehead pressed to mine, his voice was hoarse.

“You belong to me, Alyssa. Don’t ever forget it.”

And as his arms caged me in again, I realized with a sinking heart that Adrian Cruz wasn’t just my husband.

He was becoming my obsession too.

Adrian didn’t give me time to think. His mouth claimed mine again, hungrier, more demanding. His weight pressed me into the mattress, his heat searing against my skin.

“Adrian—” I gasped between kisses, my palms flat against his chest as if I could push him back. But my body betrayed me, arching closer instead, craving his touch.

He smirked against my lips, as though reading every thought I was too afraid to admit. “You say my name like you’re begging. Do you know how much I love that?”

My cheeks flushed, and then his hands were on me—sliding down, pulling, exploring with a greedy familiarity that made my breath catch.

“You’re sore,” he murmured when his fingers brushed the tender ache he left in me last night. His eyes burned into mine. “But you’ll take me again. You were made for me.”

A broken moan slipped out, and his gaze darkened instantly.

“There it is,” he growled, kissing me harder, swallowing every sound. “My wife’s sweet little moans. Don’t hide them. I want to hear them all.”

When he entered me again, the stretch made me gasp, clutching his shoulders desperately. His groan filled the air, deep and guttural.

“God, Alyssa… tighter than I remember. Perfect.”

The rhythm he set was slower this time, deliberate, as if savoring every inch of me. Each thrust pulled another sound from my throat, each one louder than the last until I couldn’t stop myself.

My cries echoed in the room, mingling with his rough grunts, the slap of skin against skin.

“You drive me insane,” he whispered harshly, his lips brushing my ear. “I could bury myself inside you all day and still want more.”

I whimpered, trembling beneath him. “Adrian…”

“Say it louder,” he demanded, thrusting deeper, his hand gripping mine above my head. “Let me hear how much you need me.”

And I did. I screamed his name, my voice raw with desperation and pleasure, my body breaking apart beneath him once more.

He followed soon after, collapsing against me, his chest heaving, his arms wrapping around me like chains.

For a long moment, the world was nothing but our ragged breaths, tangled limbs, and the pounding of my heart.

Then, softly, dangerously, he whispered against my lips:

“You’ll never escape me, Alyssa. Never.”

And though guilt tore at me, though I knew he was whispering to the wrong twin… my body melted into him anyway. Because a part of me didn’t want to escape.

Not anymore.

The sunlight painted the sheets in pale gold, but I hardly noticed. All I felt was Adrian’s weight pressing me deeper into the mattress, his mouth devouring mine as though the night hadn’t satisfied him at all.

I whimpered against his lips, torn between resisting and giving in, but he didn’t give me the chance to choose. His tongue slid past my lips, stroking mine, coaxing another soft moan that betrayed everything I wanted to hide.

He pulled back just enough to watch me, his stormy eyes locking on mine. “You have no idea what you do to me when you sound like that.”

“Adrian…” My voice cracked, my body trembling as his hands gripped my thighs, spreading me wider beneath him.

His smirk was dangerous. “That’s it. Beg for me.”

Before I could respond, he slid into me with one powerful thrust, and I cried out, clutching his shoulders. My nails dug into his skin, but instead of slowing, he groaned, his head dropping to my neck.

“God, Alyssa…” His voice was raw, guttural. “So tight, so perfect. You’re mine. Every inch of you belongs to me.”

Each thrust was deep, claiming, and I couldn’t hold back the sounds spilling from my lips. My cries filled the room, echoing off the walls, mingling with his harsh breaths and the sharp slap of skin against skin.

He pinned my wrists above my head with one hand, his grip iron, his dominance undeniable. With the other, he traced my trembling body, stroking, teasing, leaving me burning under his touch.

“You’re not allowed to hide from me,” he growled, his pace quickening. “Not your voice. Not your body. Not your heart.”

Tears pricked my eyes, the weight of his words sinking deep. He wasn’t speaking to me—not really. He thought he was binding Alyssa to him. Yet here I was, helplessly tangled in his obsession, surrendering piece by piece.

When my moans grew louder, his gaze darkened further. “Louder,” he demanded. “I want the whole world to hear who you belong to.”

“Adrian!” I cried, my body arching into his as pleasure consumed me. My release hit hard, my cries spilling freely as he thrust deeper, relentless until he followed with a hoarse groan, his name rasped like a vow.

He collapsed against me, sweat slicking his skin, his chest heaving. His lips brushed my ear, his voice a low, dangerous whisper.

“You’ll never escape me, Alyssa. Not now. Not ever.”

My heart pounded so violently I thought it might burst. His arms tightened around me like shackles, his body heavy with need even as he pressed soft, possessive kisses to my neck.

“Last night wasn’t enough. This morning isn’t enough. You’ll never be enough,” he murmured, almost to himself. His hand slid down, caressing my stomach, lingering there. “One day, I’ll fill you with my child. Then everyone will know you belong only to me.”

A shiver ran through me, half fear, half desire. My lips parted, but no words came. Because I knew I should stop him, push him away, remind myself this was a lie.

But I didn’t.

I let him kiss me again, let him steal my breath and my body all over, until there was no space left between us, no thought left in my head but Adrian.

The man I could never truly have.

The man I could never truly escape.