Chapter FOUR - The Struggle

"Why would I miss someone who didn't bother to text or call me all day." I was hoping my tone would sound nonchalant but it came out slightly more agitated instead.

He chuckled and straightened away from me. "Are you angry that I didn't?"

"No. I don't care enough to be angry with you." Again, why can't I get my stupid voice to sound indifferent. I didn't want to show any emotions where he was concerned.

He bent down again, this time with his hands in his pants pockets. His lips next to my ear, his husky voice teasing me. "I might believe you but your hands say otherwise."

I looked at my hands and noticed I've been clenching them this whole time that my knuckles were white. I immediately relaxed my hands and twisted around to glare at him.

My nerves were being stretched thin due to his presence. Part of me eagerly waited for him to kiss me again while the other part resented the fact that I was betraying myself.

He looked so enticingly beautiful as he stood there with a smirk on his lips, hands in his pockets, and his shoulders relaxed. Wearing a perfectly tailored suit made just for him—he was the picture of elegance.

My glare didn't do anything to him except added to his amusement. He chuckled again, and like it was on cue, my idiotic heart started skipping a beat or two.

"Are you trying to tell me something with that look of yours?" He asked bewitchingly as his eyes bored into mine and forced me to look away; I just couldn't win a staring contest against him. "Is it that you are just dying for me to kiss you again?"

He got closer and I instantly fell back onto the bed snapping my laptop shut in the process. "No. I was trying to tell you to get the heck out of my room." My voice came out strong and ended almost at a whimper. I internally groan and wished I had more guts to stand up to this gorgeously domineering man.

Whatever courage I had would run and hide in the deepest depth of my subconsciousness the moment Artemis entered my personal space.

His mouth curved triumphantly as he slowly crawled on top of me. He caged me in between his elbows as he hovered above like he was ready to devour me in one swoop.

I pushed and pounded at his unmoving shoulders and aggressively said. "Get off of me!"

He easily grabbed my wrists and pinned each of them by my ears. "You're so cute when you're angry. You're like a little kitten pretending to be a wild cat." He taunted me with his dazzling hazel eyes before his lips captured mine.

I kept twisting my body but he was like a heavy boulder on top of me that wouldn't budge. My body started to relax and give in as he continued to ravish my lips. Every gentle nip, every suck, every lick sent shockwaves throughout my nerve endings.

He released my hands and they immediately went around his neck and my fingers roamed through his thick brown hair.

His lips moved against mine like he had all the time in the world. He was savoring it like it was the last meal on earth.

My lips started to move and I began to kiss him back. Even my tongue had a brief daring moment and tried to taste him. He let out a soft delightful laugh at my pitiful attempt before returning to kiss me, to teach me.

He kissed me until I was breathless; he kissed me until I forgot where I was as I felt my body floating on clouds. All I was aware of were his soft lips, his intriguing scent, the taste of him, the warmth from his hand cupping my face and the weight of his body on top of mine.

His mouth moved down to my neck and started kissing me there—where my pulse was beating loudly against his lips. He was giving the new spot the same attention and thoroughness as my lips.

"Whenever you see this love bite, you'll think of me." He said smugly as his lips softly brushed my carotid pulse. My eyes flew open at his statement of branding me as he gave me one last kiss on my swollen lips and a final gentle tug on my bottom lip before he got up a left without another word.

I laid there, my mind in a state of obscurity as my fingertips timidly touched the blemish on my neck. There surely would be a mark here for days. A stupid smile spread across my face as I replayed what just happened in my head.

After the euphoric feeling slowly dissipated, resentment started to emerge. What the heck. Did he think he can just eat, get up and leave without paying?

After fuming for a long 10 minutes, I jumped out of bed and stormed into his room without knocking.

The room was bigger than mine with also floor-to-ceiling windows and it was empty. While I wondered where he could have gone, my eyes scanned his room. He didn't have a lot of decor on his walls except for a massive painting above the headboard and another sizeable painting on the wall next to it. There were no pictures or anything flashy. Everything was mainly black, white, or different shades of greys. He kept it simple and yet classy.

Suddenly, his connecting bathroom door opened. He stood there, half naked, a towel around his lean waist while he was drying his hair with a smaller towel on his head.

My face turned scarlet from embarrassment and I immediately turned away from him. "I...I-I...Y-You."

My hands shot up to cover my face out of frustration. "Get a grip, woman!" I muttered to myself hoping the next thing that came out of my mouth would be a complete coherent sentence.

"What are you doing here?" He asked suggestively. "Are you here because you're not satisfied and wanted more?" I heard movements behind me and the subtle sounds of clothes rustling.

As much as I wanted to move, my feet were glued to the floor. My mind was going crazy at the thought of him of being naked just right behind me. I needed holy water to wash away my thoughts and prevented it from going any further.

"I'll take your silence as a yes." He sounded so mischievous as though he had more plans in store for me. The rustling sound stopped and I could only assume he was fully clothed.

I turned around and glowered at him. "No. You can take my silence as simply silence."

Even in a simple white T-shirt and loose pants, he still looked as attractive as ever.

"Alright, sweetheart." He said with such amiability and gentleness. "What can I do for you?"

"Why did you marry me?" I suddenly blurted out almost in an inaudible whisper the one question I desperately wanted to ask.

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