Husband Read online

  My father’s life.

  This was all a sick punishment, all a twisted game for the universe.

  Even if she never loved me…at least I got to love her.

  Damien kept watching me. “You’re ignoring me. So you must feel amazing…or feel like shit.”

  “I’m not sure what I feel.” I set the glass on the table beside me. “It’s a strange feeling to look forward to your punishment…to be addicted to the pain.”

  “If your pain is Sofia Romano…there are worse kinds of pain.”

  “True.”

  He pulled back his sleeve and looked at his watch. “We should get out there.” We both got to our feet, and he straightened my tie before we moved to the door. “You know, it’s a shame there was no bachelor party. If I ever get married, I’m not gonna pussy out like you did.”

  “You say that now…” Sofia didn’t give a damn if I went to a strip club. She didn’t care if I fucked someone the night before our wedding. But I found it dirty, especially after the moment we’d had on my balcony. I was in this fully, loyal to the end.

  We moved up the rows until we stood at the front of the room, the glass windows behind us. A thousand people were there, friends and acquaintances. Sofia had a large extended family, and I did business with a lot of people.

  Once everyone was seated, the music began.

  The wedding party was small, so only a flower girl came down the aisle along with a few bridesmaids. Then the wedding march began, and everyone rose to their feet. Instead of picking the traditional wedding march, Sofia chose a quiet symphony, something with a dreamlike quality. It fit her perfectly.

  With her arm interlocked with her mother’s, she glided toward me like an angel without wings. Her tight dress highlighted her hourglass frame, and the small veil in front of her face made her so traditionally beautiful. The dress was low-cut in the front, showing her porcelain skin and a bit of her womanly chest. The long train dragged behind her, brushing up against the rose petals that had been sprinkled earlier.

  Damien leaned into my ear and whistled quietly. “Damn. I think I get it now.”

  My eyes never moved from her face, never moved from her outstanding beauty. She was divine, commanding the envy of every single person in that room. The young men wanted to be her lover. The women wanted to look like her. Everyone wanted something…because she was so magnetic.

  And now she was mine.

  When her mother arrived, she placed Sofia’s hand in mine.

  I took an involuntary breath as the static moved through my veins. My fingers closed around hers because I never wanted to let her go. Now that I had her, I wanted to bust my ass so she would never leave.

  I wanted her to love me…somehow.

  I lifted the small veil from her face and looked at her, stared at her in a paralyzed state. And to my joy, she smiled at me.

  And it was fucking perfect.

  I took her hands in mine.

  Then married the woman I loved.

  5

  Sofia

  Hades took my hand and guided me into the center of the room. Our song played overhead, and he wrapped his arm around my waist and held my hand as we danced back and forth, slowly rocking, looking at each other and forgetting everyone else in the room existed.

  “It’s ironic. I said no, but I married you anyway.”

  His eyes didn’t narrow in anger. They stayed neutral, that dreamy look in his eyes. “It’s not ironic. It happened exactly the way it was supposed to happen.” His hand gripped the fabric of my dress, and he pulled us tighter together, our foreheads touching.

  The music continued to play, and we swayed together, everyone watching us while they drank champagne and dined. Maybe everyone thought we were in love. Maybe they knew it was just an arranged marriage.

  Hades was handsome in his wedding suit, with a freshly shaven face and beautiful brown eyes. He kept staring at me like I was the sexiest thing in the world. He gripped me like he didn’t want anyone to steal me away from him. Despite our differences and the times he annoyed me, I knew he would be a good man to me. I knew he would be honest with me. That he would protect me. And he would give me beautiful children. Come on, look at him. If I had to be forced to marry someone…there were definitely worse options.

  “What are you thinking about?” he whispered, his eyes trained on me the entire time.

  “You.”

  “And?”

  “I’ve only been married to you for a few hours…and it’s not so bad.”

  It was so warm in the ballroom that I went outside to feel the cool air. It was almost midnight, and most people had already left. Hades got tied up making small talk with the people he knew, probably talking about business…because he never stopped talking about business.

  I let the air lick away my sweat, let the quietness of the night slow my racing heart. Another band had been added to my wedding finger, and I was officially a married woman. Sofia Lombardi…it had a nice ring to it.

  I walked across the patio and stared at the spot where Hades and I had first spoken. A cigarette had been in my mouth, and I’d forced a bad girl attitude I couldn’t pull off. I’d laid eyes on Hades and wouldn’t let him go until I had a piece of him. Then we fucked right against the wall years later.

  And now I’d married him.

  This man had been haunting me for a long time; I didn’t realize it until now.

  Hands wrapped around my waist and a hard chest pressed against my back. His familiar cologne enveloped me, smothered me with his smell. His arms squeezed my frame, reminding me I was his.

  His face rested against my neck, and he held me close, no longer putting on a show because there were no witnesses. Now he grabbed me because he wanted to, pressed the firmness of his dick into my back so I would know what came next. “Let’s go home.”

  He drove us to his place.

  I mean, our place.

  With one hand on the steering wheel and the other in his lap, he drove down the quiet streets and parked in the underground garage underneath his building.

  My heart started to pump harder the closer we came to our destination. I’d slept with him before so there would be no surprises, but a part of me was still afraid of what it would mean. It would consummate our union. It would bond me to him, make me permanently his. I wouldn’t go home afterward like I usually did. That was my home…that was my bed.

  I would never sleep with someone new again.

  The engine died, and I continued to stare out the windshield, my enormous dress filling up all the free space in the car. My veil had been left behind, but I was certain my mother got it. When our children were grown, they would ask me about this night.

  Would I look back on it with fondness?

  Or regret?

  He didn’t get out of the car, sensing my trepidation. He looked forward then rubbed his fingers across his lips, his black wedding ring visible in the lights from the dashboard. He had a clean jaw, and while I preferred the shadow, he looked as handsome as ever.

  The silence continued, tensions rising. Once I stepped into that house, there was no going back. That was my life.

  I wanted to hold on to my independence for just a moment longer.

  Hades didn’t push me. Instead, he grabbed my hand and twined our fingers together before he got comfortable in the seat. He leaned back and brushed his thumb over my fingertips, comforting me with the affection he used to smother me in.

  We sat there for fifteen minutes, saying nothing.

  I finally released his grip and stepped out of the car.

  He joined me. Together, we took the elevator to the ground floor. Helena wasn’t there, and it was quiet. The main lights were on, but the kitchen sounded quiet. My mother planned to stay at our place for the weekend so we could have our privacy.

  I started to slip off my heels because I didn’t plan to walk up two flights of stairs in killer pumps.

  Hades scooped me into his arms and carried me instead. Withou
t giving any sign of exertion, he took me to his bedroom on the top floor and carried me over the threshold. The door shut behind us.

  We were alone.

  He kicked off his shoes then loosened his tie from around his neck. He yanked it off then moved to his vest underneath. Piece by piece, he undressed himself until he was in nothing but his black boxers.

  His body was different from the way I remembered him. Now he was so ripped that his muscles practically popped out of his skin. His tanned arms were covered with cords, and his muscular thighs were so cut. His chest was the best part. It was a solid piece of concrete, an indestructible wall. The grooves underneath looked like small mountains, abs of power. His bulge was visible in his underwear. He was fully erect, charged full of desire.

  I turned my gaze away and tried not to stare. My eyes looked at his bed, the comforter already pulled down so we could get naked on the sheets. The second nightstand had been completely cleared so I could add my things. He picked the left side of the bed and gave me the right.

  His bare feet thudded against the rug as he came for me. He approached me from behind, like a predator about to attack his prey. When he was right against me, I felt his breath fall on my bare shoulder, inhaled his scent deep into my lungs.

  I was so still, I didn’t breathe. I didn’t know why I was so nervous, why I was on edge. I wasn’t afraid of him. I knew this night would happen. I’d slept with him before and enjoyed it. I was still attracted to him…especially now that he was in even better shape.

  I guess I knew how much he wanted me…and the thought scared me a little bit.

  His hands moved to the back of my dress. One by one, he popped each button, working the delicate fabric as it came loose around my body. Slowly, it started to sag, started to shift down my frame. When he reached the last button, he let my dress fall to the floor on its own.

  His powerful arm hooked across my chest, and he pulled me tight against him, his mouth lowering to my shoulder. His entire body flexed when he had me, as if he were about to take a bite out of my neck and suck me dry.

  Instead, he kissed me…so damn hard.

  He kissed me everywhere, my neck, the back of my ear, my shoulder, and then down the nape of my neck. His arm continued to grip me tightly as he practically devoured me, turned me into his next meal.

  I closed my eyes and let him have me, let him claim his prize. His hot breaths fell across my skin everywhere as he worked up a sweat just kissing me. His hand groped my tits, and he yanked me hard against his chest, showing off his strength as if it weren’t obvious just how powerful he was.

  One hand moved to my white thong, and he pushed it over my ass, letting it slide down my legs until it reached my ankles on the floor. I could tell he dropped his boxers too when I felt his bare dick against my ass cheeks.

  I felt like a prize for a king, a concubine for a count. I didn’t feel like a partner or a lover. I felt like a piece of meat this animal had ripped from my bones.

  When he turned me around, all of that changed.

  His arm rested in the deep curve of my back, and he pulled me into him, bringing me so close that my hard nipples poked his skin. His other hand moved up my neck and into my hair, sliding through the soft curls as he pulled them away from my face. His look was still predatory and his touch possessive, but at least I saw a bit of human in him.

  His thumb brushed across my bottom lip as he stared at my mouth, as he eyed me with so much lust. One of his reasons for marrying me was to fuck me. I could tell he meant that. Every single word.

  He leaned in and kissed me for the first time in two years. His lips were warm and eager, and he kissed me like no time had passed at all. After the bitter way we’d left things, I was surprised he wanted to kiss me at all. I expected him to bend me over the bed and fuck me like a whore.

  But he kissed me with passion, breathed deeply into my mouth before he gave me his tongue. His hand moved to my ass and squeezed one cheek as he guided me backward to the bed.

  I was still rigid, but I was definitely aroused by this man. When he’d ruined our relationship, I hated him for taking away the best sex of my life, for bringing our connection to an end when we still had so much unfinished passion.

  Now I had it back.

  When the backs of my knees hit the frame, he pulled his lips away. “On your back.” When he made the command with that heated gaze, I knew things weren’t exactly the same. He warmed up to me a bit, but he still resented me for hurting him. Now he wanted to fuck me like he owned me.

  The night would only end one way—so I obeyed. My back rested against the sheets, and my head found the pillow.

  His heavy body moved on top of mine, and he widened my thighs with his knees. His thick arms hooked under my legs, and he spread me wide apart, his chiseled body hanging over mine with sculpted perfection.

  His dick seemed bigger than I remembered. Or maybe he was just harder than he’d ever been in his life. He pushed on his shaft and pointed his drooling head at my entrance. He must have assumed I was wet because he didn’t bother to moisten his dick before he slipped inside me.

  He was right. I was slick.

  When he felt that rush of moisture meet him, he moaned and sank all the way inside me, diving deep inside and erasing all evidence that another man had ever been there. He moved until his balls slapped against my ass.

  I hadn’t had a big dick like this in a long time. I hadn’t felt a man stretch me so far that it seemed like my body would cave in. My breathing increased, and my nipples became so erect they actually ached.

  Then he fucked me hard.

  He pounded into me at a quick speed, like he couldn’t slow himself down to appreciate every strike, every wet sensation. His ass worked hard to buck inside me, to dig me farther into the mattress while he fucked me with enthusiasm. “Fuck yes.” He fucked me like a man who hadn’t had sex in years, like I was the hottest pussy he’d ever found. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, enjoying it as his face began to tint.

  Watching him enjoy me like I was the best he’d ever had chased away my fear, eradicated my insecurities. The past was irrelevant. Now we were just a man and a woman, enjoying the carnal sensations our bodies created. He wanted me so much, deep down into his soul and bones. His hips bucked like they had a mind of their own, and his anxious dick kept sinking deep with every thrust. The sound of his exertion filled the room as he fucked me like a teenager getting laid for the first time.

  It was so hot.

  I could feel him claiming me with his dick, consummating the hell out of this marriage, banging his wife and filling her with seed that would seep onto the sheets. Some of his previous traits had returned, like his possessiveness and his raw sexual magnetism.

  All I did was lie there with my legs open, letting him take me with as much aggression as he wanted. My pussy ached because he took me so roughly, but it felt so good that I didn’t want him to stop. Just when I was about to come, he beat me to the finish line.

  He groaned so loud that his sounds must have filled the hallway outside the bedroom door. His cock twitched inside me as he filled my pussy with an enormous load. His face buried into my neck as he writhed on top of me, his sweaty chest rubbing against mine. His ass tightened as he pressed deep inside me, making sure my cunt got every single drop of him.

  His performance was definitely a sprint, not a marathon, but I knew Hades well. He wouldn’t leave me hanging, and feeling all that come deep inside only turned me on more. It would give me a stronger climax, make me feel sexy knowing I made him explode like that.

  He kissed my neck and made his way along my jaw until he reached my lips again. His cock softened slightly inside me, but it didn’t dull his desire. He kissed me with the same passion as before, his dick slowly hardening back to full mast. “That’s what happens when you make me wait.” He started to thrust again when he was hard, sliding through his come and my slickness.

  “I didn’t ask you to wait.” My fingers dug int
o his hair, feeling the sweat in his strands as I held on to him. My other hand gripped his back, holding on as he rocked me back and forth.

  His eyes watched mine as he fucked me deep with every stroke. “No. But you made me want to.” He took a deep breath and groaned as he kept enjoying me, balls deep in my pussy. “And fuck, baby.” He moaned again. “You were worth the wait.”

  It was four in the morning, and lights from the city were visible through the small crack in the curtains. I lay on the right side of the bed, stuffed with come and so sore that I needed a break for a while.

  Hades was beside me, sleeping on his back with the sheets bunched around his waist. His left hand rested on his stomach, his black wedding band so strange but also fitting on his finger. His chest rose and fell slowly as he enjoyed his deep sleep.

  He’d taken me over and over again all through the night, fucking me in the exact same position. He wanted to feel me at the deepest angle, give his deposits in the most intimate way possible.

  The sex hadn’t changed much in two years.

  Other than the fact that it was better.

  I disliked the idea of being married for gain, of forging an alliance for bullshit purposes, but at least my husband was good in bed. It might make me overlook all his other flaws. Most people were in love but having mediocre sex. That wasn’t the case for me.

  That was something I wouldn’t miss about being single…finding a cute guy, only to be disappointed by his skills in the bedroom.

  There was nothing disappointing about Hades.

  It’d been a long day so I should be deep asleep, but my eyes continued to stare at his bedroom, to see my clothes hanging on the left side of the closet. My wedding ring was still on my finger. My wedding dress was visible in the sliver of moonlight that snuck into the bedroom. Our quarters were spacious and plenty big for the two of us, but it was still odd to share everything, from money, to space, and even a bed.

  Fifty-fifty.

  I pulled the sheets back gently and slipped out of bed. His white collared shirt had been flung onto the armchair, so I slipped it on and buttoned the front as I made my way outside. I stepped onto the balcony and was overcome by the silence. There were no cars on the road at this hour. No sirens. No bells. The city was asleep. I gripped the rail and looked at the city I knew so well, feeling different now that I’d changed my address as well as my last name. My fingers rubbed my cheek and corrected the smeared mascara I’d never washed away.