Chapter 25 A Punishing Kiss
Christian trudged towards his room late in the night. He felt annoyed with Sebastian for choosing tonight for their meeting. It was already 12:40 in the night and he was sure Skylar would be fast asleep. Still, the prospect of sleeping next to her excited him and he quietly stepped inside their room.
He glanced at the bed, but to his surprise, Skylar was nowhere to be seen. Was she in the washroom? Had she been waiting for him? He checked the washroom but strangely; it was empty too. Where did Skylar go? Did she move out of his room?
He checked the closet and found her belongings missing. So she had moved out! Well! She might have forgotten that the hotel belonged to him. Quickly freshening up, he called the reception desk, and within minutes, he received the keys to her room. Using them, he unlocked her room right next door with a victorious smile on his face.
“Where will you escape, Skylar? I’ll seek you out every time!” he whispered, his eyes twinkling with relief at the sight of her lying on the bed. Excitement coursed through his body and he lay down beside her as silently as he could. He knew she would be in for the biggest shock of her life, but he would deal with that.
Skylar stirred and turned to face him while he held his breath, watching her fall asleep again. He maintained his distance in case she woke up and stirred up a storm. They would both have a sleepless night and look like zombies on their special day. After a few minutes, he fell asleep inhaling her sweet, seductive scent. It drew him unconsciously to her, and he pulled her closer into his chest, his arm instinctively going around her waist possessively.
The next morning, Skylar stirred, but she felt mowed down by something heavy. She couldn’t move a limb! It immediately alerted her, and she opened her eyes with a start. She blinked with disbelief at seeing herself wrapped up in Christian’s arms. What the hell! How did he sneak into her room and onto her bed? She was sure she had locked the door last night. A mad fury coursed through her at the breach of her privacy.
This wasn’t acceptable at all. He just couldn’t barge in whenever he pleased. He had to respect her personal space. It would have been different had they been in love, but theirs was a contractual marriage. Therefore, it came with its limitations. He had to respect those limitations.
“Move Christian! Why are you here in my bed?” She pushed at his chest to free herself from his hold.
“Mmm, ten minutes more, please.” He didn’t even open his eyes while Skylar gaped at the man. Was he made of granite or iron? It was impossible to even make him budge an inch! She could feel every contour of his muscular, ripped body and it stirred her in the wrong way. Her taut nipples strained against the soft camisole she wore, causing her cheeks to flush with embarrassment. If only she knew he would sneak into her bed at night, she would have worn a sack.
One look at her ugly dress would make him run for life!
“No, get off me right now or I’ll scream!” she threatened. Christian opened an eye and chuckled at her.
“Go ahead. The walls are soundproof!”
“Whatever! Why did you make such a hotel?” Her hands ached from all the pushing, but he just closed his eyes with a silly grin on his face, feigning sleep.
“Just release me and sleep the whole day. I’ll be happy to go sightseeing all by myself. We can cancel the engagement as well.” He stretched while fixing his hawk-like gaze on her. Skylar blushed at his minute scrutiny. She knew her body was aroused and nothing escaped his eyes.
“Don’t get your hopes up. The engagement will happen!” Skylar was so disturbed by the way he checked her out, she forgot to fight him this time. She quickly swung her legs to get off the bed, unconsciously drawing his attention to her bare legs clad in a microscopic pair of matching shorts.
He groaned with agony, his organ twitching to life already. “You’ll go shopping with me today.”
“No, I won’t.” She picked up her clothes and dashed into the washroom before he could think of an answer.
So that was why she was annoyed with him! She didn’t want him to buy her a dress for the engagement. He groaned, thinking of the shoulder-less and backless dress she was about to wear. He couldn’t allow that! No one should see her body! It belonged only to him!
Picking up his phone, he called his PA, Mrs. Allenwood, who had a good sense of fashion. She had been with Saint James Intercontinental Suites for the last thirty years, assisting his grandpa and now him. She was an asset to the company and they couldn’t survive without her.
“Hello, Christian! What can I do for you?” she asked in her usual polite way.
“I want you to pick up a designer gown for my fiancée for our engagement tonight. It should be decent and her favorite color, lavender. Choose something that will take her breath away! You can choose accessories to go with it. Use my card, please.”
“Sure. I’ll get the perfect one. Anything else?”
“No, thanks. That will be all.”
“I’ll get the dress as soon as possible. Have a good day.” She had arrived here with Sebastian and was assisting him while Christian was busy with his engagement. He relaxed, knowing she would choose wisely. He could trust her even with his eyes closed. In the meantime, he could make peace with Skylar and think of taking her out on a date. Satisfied, he left her room to freshen up, instructing his staff to get her luggage to his room.
After a refreshing shower, Skylar emerged from the en-suite but Christian wasn’t there in her room. She breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he had left. She went to the closet to get her shoes, but found her luggage missing.
“What the hell!” Did he take them back to his room? She stormed out and went up to his room and knocked. After a second, Christian opened the door clad only in a towel wrapped around his waist.
Skylar instantly covered her eyes with her palm. “Where are my clothes, Christian?” she demanded without looking at him.
“Here in our room. You can come inside. I won’t bite you before our engagement!” He moved aside to let her enter, his amused eyes taking in her flustered look. She wasn’t at all immune to him, as she claimed to be. He could see her eyes unconsciously checking him out, and it gave him immense satisfaction.
“Stop playing mind games with me, Christian. There won’t be anything between us. I’m here to get my luggage.”
“The room next door is booked for the next ten days. So they had to vacate it. You will sleep here with me, Skylar. Don’t insult me in my territory. I’ll punish you if you do.” Skylar stood her ground, her entire body revolting against his announcement.
“I’m not afraid of you or your punishment. Do what you want, but you can’t order me around. I refuse to sleep with you.” She stood unflinching and strong while he slowly approached her, his eyes glinting at being challenged. His unwavering gaze held hers for a moment, and she felt her heart pounding against her chest. What was he up to now?
“Is it? So you’re ready for your punishment, right?” he asked in a low raspy growl as he approached her. A tremor went down her spine at his tone. She had never seen this side of his nature. What would he do? Would he really punish her? Instinctively, she took a step backward while he walked towards her, like a predator toward his prey. Her back touched a wall, and she stood anxiously, waiting for what was in store for her. Would he hit her?
He stopped inches away from her, placing his arms on either side of her to trap her. “Just hurt me if you want to and leave me alone, Christian.”
He didn’t reply but gazed at her wordlessly. The tension was too much for Skylar to bear.
“Will you listen to me?” he asked in a low whisper.
“No.” She met his gaze squarely, refusing to how down.
“Will you wear the dress I get for you?”
“Never!” A nerve twitched near his temple while he tried hard to restrain his fury.
“Will you sleep with me after our engagement?”
“No.”
“After our marriage?”
“Not at all!”
“Then you need to be punished,” he whispered, leaning towards her. Skylar’s eyes widened as she realized what his punishment was. Christian would kiss her against her will! His fingers tangled in her hair, and she opened her mouth to protest. He took advantage of the moment and smashed his mouth to hers.