CAUGHT IN THE WEB

CHAPTER SEVEN: CAUGHT IN THE WEB

SERENA'S POV

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might explode out of my chest. Nathan stood in the doorway of the study, his eyes locked on me. He was looking at me like he knew exactly what I was doing.

Like he could see right through me. I was scared. Really scared. My hands were still close to the laptop, and the screen was still showing the last failed password attempt. I tried to keep my face calm, but inside I was panicking. If Nathan told Caspian about this, everything would fall apart.

Nathan took a step into the room. His voice was calm but firm. “What are you doing here?”

I decided to put on a brave front. I lifted my chin and tried to sound confident. “What do you mean by that? Can’t I be in my husband’s office?”

Nathan didn’t believe me. I could see it in his eyes. He walked closer, his steps slow and careful. He looked at me, then at the laptop on the desk. His brows furrowed. He was studying everything. The open laptop.

“I’m not saying that I’m not…”

Then we heard a voice.

“Serena?”

It was Caspian. My heart skipped a beat. He was here. He was back early. I turned my head slowly toward the door. A couple of seconds later, Caspian appeared in the doorway. He was still wearing the suit from the meeting, his tall frame filling the space. His grey eyes landed on me first. They darkened when he saw what I was wearing. The skimpy nightwear under the loose robe. The way I looked like I had just rolled out of bed. Like I had been caught doing something I shouldn’t.

Caspian stepped inside the study. His voice was calm but sharp. “What’s happening here?”

Nathan was the first to speak up. He turned to Caspian and kept his tone professional. “I met her in the office when I got here, sir.”

Caspian looked at me. “Is that so?”

I swallowed hard. My throat felt dry. I tried to keep my voice steady. “So I can’t go to my husband’s office anymore?”

Caspian smirked. That arrogant, dangerous smirk that always made my stomach flip. He faced Nathan and said, “Thank you, Nathan. You can go.”

Nathan glanced back at me one more time. His eyes were still suspicious. Then he nodded and left the room. The door closed behind him with a soft click. Now it was just me and Caspian. Alone. The air in the study felt thick and heavy.

Caspian closed the door slowly. He turned the lock. The sound was quiet but it made my heart race faster. He looked at me again. His eyes were dark. “Firstly. What are you really doing here?”

He started walking toward me slowly. Each step was deliberate. I backed up slowly too. My legs felt weak. The chair was right behind me. I kept moving until I couldn’t anymore. Caspian kept coming. He stopped right in front of me. He was so close I could smell his cologne. That rich, masculine scent that always made me feel weak.

“Why are you dressed like that in front of my assistant too?” he asked.

I glanced down at myself. The skimpy nightwear. The robe that had somehow loosened and slipped off one shoulder. I swallowed hard. My cheeks felt hot.

Caspian backed me up more. I fell back into his big leather chair. He placed both hands on the chair armrests, trapping me there. He leaned down, his face close to mine. His grey eyes were intense. They looked right through me.

I tried to speak. “I wanted to make research on something.”

Caspian’s voice was low. “In my office.”

I swallowed again. My heart was beating so fast. He held my chin between his fingers. His touch was firm but not painful. “You’re such a terrible liar.”

He straightened up suddenly. He pulled me out of the chair. His grip on my arm was strong. “To the bedroom.”

I looked at him. “What?”

He glanced at me. His eyes were dark with something I couldn’t read. I stood up. My legs felt shaky. As I passed him to walk out of the study, his hand came down hard on my ass. The spank was sharp. It stung. I gasped but kept walking. We went to the bedroom.

Caspian closed the door behind us. He looked at me again. “Have a bath with me.”

I stared at him. “What?”

He didn’t repeat it. He just started unbuttoning his shirt. His eyes never left me. I stood there, my robe still loose, my nightwear barely covering anything. My mind was racing.

The messages from A were still on my phone. Everything was closing in. But right now, all I could focus on was Caspian. The way he was looking at me. The way his hands moved as he took off his shirt. The way my body was already reacting even though my mind was scared.

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to say. All I knew was that I was trapped. In this marriage. In this room. In this moment with him.

Caspian stepped closer. His hand reached for the tie on my robe. He pulled it slowly. The robe fell open. “Have a bath with me, Serena,” he said again. His voice was low. Commanding. The same voice he used when he told me to get on my knees last night.

I swallowed hard. My body was warm. My cheeks were flushed. I knew I should say no. I should fight back. But Lucas’s treatment was on the line. And deep down, some part of me didn’t want to say no. Some part of me craved the way he touched me. The way he made me forget everything else for a little while.

“Okay,” I whispered.

Caspian smirked again. He took my hand and led me toward the big bathroom attached to the bedroom. The tub was huge. Marble and gold fixtures. He turned on the water. Steam started to fill the room. He looked at me. His eyes moved over my body slowly. Like he was remembering every inch.

I stood there, the robe hanging open. My nightwear was thin. Almost see-through. Caspian reached out and pushed the robe off my shoulders. It fell to the floor. Then he pulled the nightwear over my head. I was naked in front of him again. Vulnerable and exposed. Just like last night.

He took off the rest of his clothes. His body was perfect. He stepped into the tub first. The water was warm. Then he held out his hand.

“Come here.”