Chapter Eight

Sophia's POV

Nikolai's threat sent shivers down my spine, but it also made my blood boil.

His body pinned mine against the wall of the walk-in closet, and all I could feel was an intense urge to punch him in his arrogant face for accusing me of being some kind of mole. At the same time, I felt an unfamiliar sensation travel down low in my belly, and I hated how my body betrayed me.

His gaze dropped to my lips for a fraction of a second, and mine flickered to his before I could stop myself.

What the hell am I doing? He was the enemy. Fraternizing with the enemy was not an option whatsoever. But it also didn't help that he looked like a Greek god, shirtless and towering over me. 

Every inch of him reeked of temptation. 

I slammed both palms against his chiseled chest and shoved him away. He barely moved. The man was built like a rock.

"How dare you accuse me of that?" I shrieked.

"If you have nothing to hide, there's no need to get your panties in a bunch, princess." He said with a smirk.

The nerve of him. 

"My name is Sophia!" I snapped, "Not Soph. Definitely not princess."

"You're my wife now,” he said, his voice low and amused. “That means your name is whatever I want it to be… Princess."

I wanted to scream. I had somehow ended up married to the most insufferable man on the planet. That smirk stayed plastered on his face, and his eyes gleamed with mischief.

"Tell me." I demanded, standing my ground, "How exactly would I have told anyone about this place? I don't even know where the hell I am, you kidnapped me, remember?"

He let out a sigh as he retreated to the other side of the walk-in closet.

I exhaled sharply as he stepped back, moving to the other side of the massive closet. I could finally breathe again. His presence affected me, and I despised that.

"Besides," I added, "I don't have my phone. I don’t have anything."

He pulled a black shirt over his head, his muscles flexing with every move. Then he turned to face me. 

"Has anyone told you that you ramble when you’re nervous?"

"Fuck off." 

"Don't worry.” He said, with that infuriating smirk of his, “I think it's cute." 

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms across my chest in protest at his attempted sweet talk.

No fraternizing with the enemy, my inside voice said over and over again, even if the enemy had a smile that had the power to make me weak in the knees.

"The point is." I continued coldly, "I had nothing to do with those men finding you."

"I know you didn't, Milaya." He moved towards me again. Slowly and deliberately. 

"I should go." I blurted out, glancing toward the closer door. The entire space suddenly felt too small to contain us both. 

"Look." His deep voice vibrated through the entire room. I turned around to face him. His expression had gotten serious. "You hate this arrangement. Trust me, I hate it too. But it's done. And the stakes just got a lot higher."

"What does that mean?"

"It means my enemies now know about our little union." His jaw tightened, "It means there's someone close to me feeding them information, and I will find out who. In the meantime, you're going to play the part of the perfect wife. Convincingly. So convincingly that no one doubts it for a second. Understood? 

Something about his tone shook me up, so I nodded silently. 

"Good girl."

 He walked slowly to where I stood, till there was no space left between us.

His hand slowly rose up to my face, and the back of his fingers brushed slowly down my cheek. My skin tingled with every touch. 

"First lesson." He murmured, leaning down until his lips grazed the tip of my ear.  "Do not flinch when your husband touches you." 

I let out a little gasp, and I'm immediately mortified. He chuckled softly, clearly pleased with himself. 

Urgh! I wish the ground would swallow me whole.

"Second lesson…" His low voice turned my insides into mush. "Get used to every touch." 

His lips brushed lightly against the side of my neck. Then, the other side. 

For a second there, he angled his face slowly towards mine, till our lips were barely an inch apart.

My heart raced so loudly, I was sure he could hear it.

"I'm not having sex with you." I blurted.

He pulled back with a low laugh. "Relax, Milaya. I'm not a caveman. I won't make you do anything you don't want to do."

"Good. Cause I won't."

"Of course not." He said with a sly, knowing smile on his face. 

"I won't." I reiterated. 

The smile on his face vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He nodded toward my wedding gown. 

"You should take that dress off." 

The sudden shift left me in a daze. How had he gone from teasing me to sounding so cold? 

"I'll have someone get you a new phone, and anything else you might need." He said without sparing me another glance.

"Thanks, I guess," I muttered. 

I stood frozen for a while after he left the closet to take a shower. 

My fingers trembled slightly as I reached for the zipper at my back. I finally peeled the ridiculous wedding dress off and slipped into a silk robe I had found waiting for me.

He really had everything planned out.

When I finally stepped out of the closet and into the massive bedroom, Nikolai was already there.

Shirtless, again. 

He had on a pair of black sweatpants, riding dangerously low against his waist. 

“I can’t do this.” I whispered, “Any chance I can stay in the guest bedroom for tonight only?” I pleaded with my eyes.

His eyes searched mine, and for a second, I thought I saw a sliver of humanity in him.

He got into the bed, positioning himself right in the middle of it.

My stomach dropped.

He patted the space beside him slowly. His eyes locked on mine.

“This is our room now, wife. And this is the only bed you’re allowed to sleep in.”

My pulse raced as a lump formed in my throat. “You really expect me to sleep next to you?

A dark cloud rose in his eyes. I swallowed hard. 

“Sophia.” He said Sophia, which means he wasn’t playing around this time. 

“I don’t expect it. I require it.” His voice was low. “Now. Get in bed.”