Page 23 of Angels Are Falling

Startled by his stoic voice, I shook myself out of my stupor. He had caught me ogling his chest, and from his wolfish grin, he was running high on self-satisfaction.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I reprimanded myself for the momentary lapse in judgment. How could I forget that Kai had manipulated me into this predicament? He expected me to sleep with him, an idea that shook me to my core. I had only ever been with one man and never thought I’d sleep with anyone besides Stefan.

Kai didn’t so much as blink when I glared at him. “Don’t call me princess.”

“We’re flying home tomorrow,” he informed me, bored. “If you want to yell at me, I recommend getting it out of your system before we see the kids.”

He was prepared for my ire, which took away the satisfaction of giving him hell. Fighting with a man was only vindicated when he participated. Yelling at a composed person was simply frustrating.

I stomped down my fury and exchanged it for sarcasm. “Yell at you?” I lifted my chin, proud that I sounded cool as a cucumber. “I wouldn’t dare. Not when you paid me well above my market rate to be here.”

My comment tamped down his amusement. Kai sobered, inhaling slowly. “I shouldn’t have said that to you. You don’t have a market rate because you’re invaluable.”

You’re invaluable.

Wasn’t this the arrogant bastard who had deduced me to a dollar amount? Screw him and his worthless flattery.

“This marriage might be somewhat unconventional,” he continued. “But no matter how we got here, you’re now my wife.”

“Wife?” The curve of my mouth resembled a smile only in shape. “I’m your wife, the way a mail-order bride is a wife to the highest bidder.”

“It doesn’t have to be this way, Amelie.” His voice was soft, placating almost. “Let’s not start our marriage on the wrong foot.”

“That boat has sailed. Don’t you think?”

His fingers raked through his hair. It was clear he had hoped for this night to go differently. “You’re making this unnecessarily difficult. You can make me out to be the bad guy all you want, but this was your decision, too. I understand you’re nervous about tonight⁠—”

“I’m not nervous.” My voice was flat and emotionless. “I’m just disgusted that this is how you like your women—unwilling.”

Irritation flared in Kai’s eyes. I was getting to him.

Satisfaction cooled my blood. Finally. I had shaken his perfected poise just a fraction. It was Kai’s turn to be aggravated over something that was out of his control. The thought brought a sly smile to my face.

“Unwilling?” he repeated with a mocking smile. “FYI, my eyes are up here.” He pointed at his face, and I realized with horror that my gaze had drifted back to his bare torso. I had never seen anyone with eight razor-sharp, defined ridges. Washboard abs with cuts deep and exaggerated enough to collect sweat. It was only normal to look because they looked almost fake, like toys molded at a factory.

Still, I looked away, heat rising at the back of my neck.

“No need to be embarrassed,” he taunted with a crooked smile. “It’s only natural to check out your new husband.”

“There’s nothing natural about sleeping with someone who’s been bought and paid for,” I bristled. This time, I made sure to keep my eyes strictly on his face.

Kai exhaled heavily. “Sex between us doesn’t have to be a chore just to meet the prenup requirements. I can make this good for you.”

A big part of the prenuptial agreement was the consummation of this marriage and our sex life. I knew Kai wouldn’t leave sex to my discretion. Stefan might be obtuse, but I’d known businessmen like Kai my entire life. They didn’t make this sort of investment without a guarantee. Kai outlined his expectations, and a roomful of his lawyers reviewed it with me in disgusting detail. He had intentionally excluded Stefan from the discussion, citing that it was between us how we conducted our new marriage.

Tears burned behind my eyes as I recalled the cold conference room where ten strangers callously discussed my wifely duties. I didn’t bother telling Stefan that we’d owe Kai an obscene amount of money whenever intimacy fell below three times a week—negotiated down from seven. They discussed everything from blow jobs to anal sex.

I was mortified, and I hated Kai for putting me through it. I had no idea how to start a marriage on the right foot with such a heartless man. Kai didn’t care about my feelings. He didn’t want to hear me talk and was only interested in one thing.

He held out his hand, palm up, with expectant eyes. “Come here.”

The thought of anyone other than Stefan touching me made me break out in a cold sweat. I recoiled. A flicker of vulnerability—or was it pain?—in his expression surprised me. It disappeared in the blink of an eye. His hand dropped dejectedly to his side.

Spare me the charade. A man who sicced lawyers on me about the invasive details of my sexual life didn’t have feelings. He had cornered me like an animal. Why was he surprised by my reaction?

“I thought my lawyers explained the expectations of this marriage.” There was an undeniable heat in his tone.