Chapter 7: Butts in the dark

Cole's pov

No, no, no... what the fuck!

Panic flared through every single nerve in my body, hot and blinding. I held my breath, trying to slowly, millimeter by millimeter, slide my leg out from under his heavy thigh. But the more I squirmed and wriggled, the harder it became. The sheets kept tangling around my ankles like a trap.

Everything in this damn house is against me!

I couldn't make any sudden moves. I couldn't just leap out of bed like I had been shot. If I woke Xavier up right now, he would immediately get suspicious about why I was so desperately trying to break away from him. A normal wife wouldn't act like she was lying next to an active bomb.

Then, as if the universe decided I hadn't suffered enough, I felt Xavier shift in his sleep. He lifted his heavy leg, dropping it right between mine and yanking me even closer against his warm, broad frame.

My knee bumped into something remarkably solid and thick. My eyes went wide as saucers in the dim morning light, a wave of sheer, unadulterated horror crashing straight over me.

Feeling my sister's husband's manhood was definitely not on my to-do list today, especially not on night one!

My mind scrambled frantically, searching for an emergency exit.

Should I say I need to pee again? I thought, my brain firing off frantic ideas. No, no way. I literally just went last night. Doing it again right now is way too suspicious. What can I say that won't raise red flags? I don't want to lose my head, but I am going to lose my absolute mind if I stay pinned against him like this for another five seconds!

Horrifying images flashed through my brain…all the brutal, dark ways Xavier Sterling could end me if he found out I was an imposter. He owned half the tech infrastructure in the country. He could probably have me scrubbed from the face of the earth, erase my identity, and throw my body into the ocean before lunch. I shuddered violently at the thought. I couldn't risk revealing even a single clue.

This whole situation might actually be a little bit fun if I was gay, I thought in total, pathetic misery, but I am fucking straight! I don't want to be anywhere near this guy's morning physical state!

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

Xavier's sleepy, gravelly voice cut through the quiet room, echoing right beside my ear. His deep tone sent a fresh shockwave of panic straight down my spine.

My mind went completely, utterly blank. I swallowed hard, my throat feeling like a desert, and I stuttered out the first stupid thing that hit my tongue. "I... I just don't feel..."

I cut myself off instantly, biting down hard on my tongue.

Shut up, Cole! Shut the hell up! I screamed at myself internally. Saying I don't feel comfortable is going to look wildly weird. I'm supposed to be his wife! Even if we are going through a messy divorce, Clara wouldn't act like a terrified virgin over a little bit of cuddling!

"I mean... I can't sleep," I corrected quickly, forcing my voice up into a high, gentle, feminine register. "I'm just wide awake. I was thinking of taking a walk around the house. You know, to clear my head."

I felt Xavier's hot breath hit my shoulder as he let out a long, heavy sigh against my skin.

"At five in the morning?" he murmured, his voice sounding entirely too amused for someone who had just woken up.

"Yes! Five in the morning is a great time for a walk," I blurted, trying to pull my legs back. "The…the air is fresher and…quiet. It's very relaxing."

Suddenly, Xavier threw back the heavy silk duvet in one smooth motion and stood up from the bed.

He's standing up! my brain shrieked, every alarm bell in my head ringing at maximum volume. You're butt-ass naked, man! Jesus Christ, put on some pants!

I couldn't just squeeze my eyes shut because shutting them tight would look totally fake and suspicious. So I strained with everything in me to lock my eyes strictly onto his chest, refusing to commit the absolute sin of looking even an inch lower.

Gosh…this man was ripped, his chest was to die for…what the fuck am I saying?! I mean, I would die to have it, not to…sleep on it…Jesus Christ. Cole, focus!

"Um... what are you doing?" I asked, quickly pulling the blanket all the way up to my chin like a protective shield. "Why are you getting up?"

Xavier stood by the side of the bed, stretching his arms over his head. His broad shoulders flexed, and I had to physically force my eyes to stay glued to his collarbone.

"It's pitch black out there," Xavier said, looking down at me in the dim morning light with a dangerous glint in his dark eyes. "I can't allow my precious wife to wander around a massive, empty house in the dark all by herself. What if you trip and fall down the grand staircase? That would look terrible for our court evaluation. We can't have them thinking I don't take care of my wife or worse…I'm violent, that would be very very bad."

"I won't trip," I said quickly, backing up toward the headboard. "I have great balance. Excellent balance, actually. I don't need supervision."

"Nonsense," Xavier said smoothly, stepping right up to the edge of the mattress. "If you can't sleep, I have a much better solution for you."

I forced a stiff, wildly unnatural smile onto my face, my hands gripping the edge of the duvet until my knuckles turned stark white.

This cannot be good. Nothing that comes out of this man's mouth especially at five in the morning, standing here naked…no, if can't be good.

"What... what solution?" I asked, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.

Xavier leaned down over the bed, resting one palm on the mattress right next to my hip, trapping me against the headboard. The cool morning air washed over his bare shoulders, but his chest radiated pure heat.

"Well," Xavier began, his voice dropping into a low, smooth purr. "I could give you a full-body massage. I'm told my hands work wonders for tight, stressed-out muscles. It will relax you in no time."

My heart did a terrifying double-flip against my ribs. "A... a massage? No, no, that's really not necessary. My muscles are great! Super relaxed. Never been better, honestly."

A massage?! He would find out immediately that I am a man, hell no!

"Are you sure?" Xavier asked, tilting his head slightly. A slow, dangerous smirk spread across his sharp lips, his dark eyes gleaming with pure, malicious amusement. "Because if you don't want that..."

He paused, letting the silence stretch between us until the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"...we could always do the other thing."

The first option was already an absolute nightmare, I panicked, my chest heaving up and down as my heart hammered like a trapped jackhammer. How much worse is the 'other thing' going to be?! What does he mean 'the other thing'?!

I swallowed hard, clutching the blanket right under my nose. "What... what other thing?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Xavier looked down at me like the literal incarnate of the devil himself, taking a deliberate, slow half-step closer to my side of the bed. His smirk widened, showing off a flash of straight white teeth that looked far too predatory in the dark.

"You know," Xavier murmured, leaning down until his dark eyes locked straight onto mine. "The thing husbands and wives usually do... sex."