Chapter 3: Playing Along

Xavier's pov

I laid in the dim master bedroom, listening to the quiet, steady breathing of the person sleeping next to me.

I had murmured "Clara" out loud, but in my head, I knew better. This wasn't Clara. I had only seen my arranged wife once on our wedding day, but I knew this wasn't her. They looked insanely alike, almost down to the exact jawline, the nose, and the hair…but the energy was completely wrong. Clara was stiff, formal, and tried way too hard to project high-society perfection. This person was chaotic, jumpy, and practically radiating panic.

So it's either the Titans built a high-tech robot to take her place, I thought, staring at the back of the figure's head in the faint moonlight, or they sent her twin brother.

Deciding to test my theory, I reached out under the heavy silk covers. I snaked my hand around the person's waist, feeling the soft, ridiculously loose cotton of the baggy pajamas, not that I planned to actually do anything with him or…it.

Before my fingers could reach completely inside the waistband, a hand shot out like a lightning bolt and clamped tightly around my wrist.

Cole cleared his throat, desperately trying to soften his voice to sound feminine, though it cracked slightly with pure terror. "What... what are you doing?"

I didn't pull my hand back. Instead, I leaned closer, my chest almost pressing against his back, keeping my voice low and smooth in the quiet room. "We are going through a divorce, but it's not finalized yet. You're still my wife. I'm just doing what a husband should be doing."

"What?!"

Cole scrambled backward so fast he nearly tangled himself in the duvet, practically leaping straight off the mattress. He hit the hardwood floor with a loud thud, standing beside the bed while clutching his pajama pants tightly with both hands. His chest heaved up and down as he stared at me through the dark.

"But... but you!" Cole stammered. "You said down on the stairs that you weren't interested in touching me!"

I sat up slowly against the leather headboard and crossed my arms over my chest, a slow smirk spreading across my face as my eyes adjusted to the dark.

"Clara," I said smoothly, my tone entirely relaxed. "I am a man, not a robot. And my body finds you a little too hard to resist tonight."

Cole’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. He instantly darted his gaze down toward my lap, his face red.

"I... I will excuse you then!" Cole blurted out, taking two rapid steps backward toward the bathroom door. "You can go handle yourself!"

I let out a low chuckle, shifting in the bed. "Clara, there is no need to excuse yourself. Come back to bed. Just let me touch you. Why are you acting like we've never done this before?"

I am Clara…hadn't done this before, but I wanted to see just how far Clara's replacement would go to play the part.

"Because we haven't!" Cole yelled, before instantly slapping a hand over his mouth. He cleared his throat loudly. "I mean... we agreed to keep our distance for the ninety days! We set rules!"

“Those are rules I set, and now I am erasing them.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood up to my full height. I took a single, deliberate step forward, watching the way Cole flinched and pressed his spine flat against the cold bathroom door.

Inside my head, I was practically dying of laughter. It was absolute comedy watching Cole sweat, flustered out of his mind, trying so hard to protect a secret that was already completely dead. The way his hands trembled, the way his eyes darted toward the exit, it was the most entertaining thing I had seen in years.

I took another slow step, stopping right in front of him. The height difference was obvious now, Clara was way shorter than this…but I just tilted my head, reaching out to gently hook a single finger under his chin, forcing him to look up into my eyes.

I didn't know the Titans gave me a son instead of a daughter, I thought, my smirk widening.

"So," I whispered, leaning down until my lips almost brushed his ear. "Are you going to be a good wife and get back in bed, or do I have to drag you there myself?"

Cole swallowed hard, his throat completely dry. "I... I think I'll sleep on the couch in the corner."

I didn't let go of his chin. "The court mandate says we share a bed, Clara. Don't make me report a breach on night one."

Cole looked like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole. "You... you wouldn't."

"Try me," I murmured, my eyes gleaming with pure amusement. I let go of his chin, stepping back just enough to give him room, though my gaze remained locked on him. "Get back in bed. I won't touch you again tonight... unless you keep standing there looking like you're about to cry."

Cole didn't wait for a second invitation. He practically threw himself back onto his side of the bed, pulling the blanket all the way up to his nose and turning his back to me.

I climbed back onto the bed, pulling my side of the covers up. I lay there in the quiet room, staring at the back of Cole's head.

Ninety days was going to be a very, very interesting time.

I closed my eyes, letting the stillness of the room settle over us for a few quiet minutes. But just as I was on the verge of drifting off to sleep, the sheer temptation to push his buttons one last time proved impossible to resist.

I turned slightly onto my side, shifting closer to where Cole lay curled up like a tight ball. His eyes were shut firmly, but judging from the tense, deep wrinkles around his eyelids and the rigid posture of his shoulders, he was definitely not asleep. 

A slow, wicked grin crept back onto my face in the dark. I leaned in just an inch closer to his ear, letting my voice drop to a low, smooth whisper that shattered the quiet.

"Clara..." I murmured softly, pausing just long enough to hear his breath hitch in his throat. "I keep getting this strange feeling that you're not..."