Chapter 5

DAWN

Driving home in my car, I have thoughts spinning in my mind.

Was marrying Kyle such a great idea?

What kind of husband would he be to me?

Have I made some mistake marrying a stranger without knowing much about him?

Taking the next U-turn as I pull the car up a deserted lane that connects to the highway, I sigh. Kyle had sent me messages after the meeting to invite me. He wants me to come to see him at his home tonight. Moreover, Kyle's words give me a feeling about him wanting to get to know each other better since, in his messages, he asserted that I should stay the night and give this marriage a shot. And like a fool, I replied to his messages while I saved his home address when he sent it to me and looked it up on the online navigation maps. Then I sulked for another hour at my desk before leaving for the night. Now, I'm taking the highway which leads to the house on the outskirts of our city.

Maybe I should follow his lead.

And give this thing a try.

Even if it irks me that he didn't apologise, neither he said a word about it in his messages.

I have to understand that he probably won't even try to do that in the future.

Maybe he doesn't know how to apologise since he's the head of such a big organisation.

Apologising must seem beneath him.

Shaking my head, I check the rear-view mirror and side mirror before I use my right turn signal to express my intention to get off the highway. Then I take the exit lane slowing down my car as I travel down the exit ramp and then make another U-turn to go down another road that ends on Kyle's street.

Within minutes, my car sits in front of Kyle's house. After I park the car outside the gates where his mansion sits, I pull the phone out of my pocket to text him.

I'm outside your house.

Within seconds, the golden black wrought iron gates in front of me glide open, and it makes way for me to drive inside, so I slowly inch inside into his driveway to park my car on the side of the road.

A new set of nerves flare under my skin, putting me on edge. I check my phone screen for any texts from Kyle, but I can see he hasn't responded. Instead, he unlocked the front gates to let me in.

Was that a thoughtful gesture?

Or am I seeing more of his stoic nature?

What is going to happen to me?

Unlocking the car door, I slowly step out of the car. I play with the new wedding ring on my finger that he gave me this morning mindlessly as I press the button on the front door of his mansion. Patiently, I wait for an answer.

As I eye the house slowly, taking in everything around me, my anxiety only reaches an octave higher than it was a few minutes ago when I was seated in my car. It feels like I'm staring at an alternate reality, and there's a niggling fear in my head reminding me that maybe I do not belong here.

I don't even know this guy.

It's his world.

Can I be a part of it?

The front door suddenly glides open. Staring in front of me, I see Kyle standing with his hands in his pockets, wearing a grey sweater and black sweatpants. He observes me curiously as I don't move an inch while he stands there pressed against the door, gazing at my face.

After a long minute, he speaks.

"Won't you come in?"

Exhaling a harsh breath, I nod.

"Yeah, of course." I run a hand through my hair as I take in the long hallway lined with art installations that open up into the foyer. "I'm sorry. I got caught up in the beauty of the porch."

He steps to the side for me to come inside and laughs boisterously at my response to his question.

"The beauty of the porch?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I step into the house.

"Yeah, something like that." Then I stare at the installations as I stroll inside the hallway. "Hey, I have to ask you about the parking. Would it be okay if I left my car parked like that in the middle of the driveway? Do you want me to move it to your garage or something? If you want me to do that, I'll--"

Before I can say more, Kyle's big hands are latching around my waist, pulling me close against his taut torso as he pushes me backwards till my back meets the hard surface of the granite accent wall behind me. Our bodies are so close that I can feel me mould into him. My heartbeat rises as his arm swings around my hips and closes the tiny space between us. I can hear his breathing against my neck as I feel his hot breath fan my face. Everything happens at breakneck speed, making it harder for me to wrap my head around his stealthy movements. All I can do is hear and feel since my nerves are all over the place.

Then his strong and masculine hands slide themselves from the waist upwards, leaving goosebumps in their wake on every inch of the skin they make contact with and end up in my hair as he closes my mouth with his. His lips are full, warm and soft, but I don't know how to react to his touch because everything happens in the blink of an eye.

The initiation of the kiss takes me by surprise. My eyes widen in shock as I blink once, twice, and thrice while I feel Kyle's warm hands on my back and neck. He teases me by holding my lower lip captive between his as he gently sucks on it. Gradually, I give in to his affection even though it doesn't come naturally to me.

He presses me harder against the wall as he tilts his head to gain deeper access to my mouth as his tongue traces my lips. I part my lips gingerly for his hot tongue to slip inside and explore every inch of my mouth as one of his hands moves to undo my shirt. I flinch inadvertently when his cold hand makes contact with the bare skin of my stomach, and I take a step back, breaking apart from his touch.

Breathing harder, I open and close my eyes as I try to focus my gaze on his hooded eyes, half-open in desire.

"Weren't we going to take this slow?" I put my gaze on the floor. "I think-I think that. . .we should take our time with this." Then I put my palm against my chest, rubbing small circles over my shirt to calm myself down. I watch his eyes change with that tiny movement of my hand. I move my clammy palms to wipe them against my pencil skirt. "Maybe we should get to know each other better before diving into the physicality of things."

Kyle closes the distance between us as he puts both hands around my waist, pulling me into a hug. Once more, it takes me by surprise, and I let him hug me as he doesn't say anything for another long minute. Then he plays with my hair before whispering softly over the skin of my earlobe.

"It'll be hard for me to pace myself after last night. You can't let a man have everything and nothing in the span of a night." Exhaling on my inner ear, he lets go of me while he takes a step back. "But I'll try anyway because it's you. I'll take my time with you, but you shouldn't take that long to come to me by yourself." He confidently smirks at me. "I'm not sure how long I would be able to take it."

Embarrassed at playing hot and cold with my new husband, I bow my head down in reaction, my cheeks flushed and warm. His direct words leave no ambiguity, and I wonder if this new 'no-touch rule' will strain our relationship.

I nod softly.

"I will come to you as soon as I'm ready."

"And I'm sorry."

His words grip me by surprise a third time this evening.

"What are you sorry for exactly?" With my harsh words, I put my eyes on the floor because I don't know how to face him. "I just want to know why you are apologising to me."

"Let's just say that my harsh attitude and how I go about things have been far from appropriate." He gazes at me with fierceness in his eyes. "I don't want you to think that I don't care about you or that you aren't important to me. It's just that things happen at work, and I can barely control everything."

"I can understand that."

He looks at me expectantly.

"Can you?"