Chapter 23 Unmatched Touch
Elena barely remembered the drive back to Thorne Mansion.
Her chest felt tight like she’d swallowed something sharp and it was still lodged there.
The driver slowed as they approached the gates.
“Welcome home, Mrs. Thorne,” he said gently.
She nodded, forcing herself to sit up straighter as the car rolled to a stop.
The door opened almost immediately, cool night air brushing her face.
She stepped out, and only then did she realize how exhausted she felt. Not just tired, but drained.
She didn’t even make it halfway up the porch before the front door opened.
“Welcome back, ma’am,” the butler said with a polite bow. “Dinner is ready. Would you like it served now, or shall I—”
She walked straight past him.
“Ma’am, is everything all right? Did something go wrong?”
She stopped so abruptly he nearly walked into her.
She turned and guilt hit her immediately.
She exhaled and softened her tone. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
“It’s quite all right,” he said quickly, but she shook her head.
“No. That was rude of me.” She rubbed her temple. “Nothing is wrong. I just want to lie down. Please.”
His expression eased. “Of course, ma’am. I’ll have dinner kept warm in case you change your mind.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly, then turned and headed further inside.
She took three more steps before she nearly collided with someone solid.
She stopped short and looked up. It was Julian.
He was dressed in a dress shirt, sleeves rolled to his forearms, hair slightly mussed like he’d been pacing or working. His gaze dropped to her face instantly.
“You’re back,” he said.
She didn’t answer right away. Her jaw tightened. “Move.”
His brows pulled together. “Elena.”
She took a step to the side, but he mirrored her movement, blocking her path without touching her.
“How was your trip to Marcus’ office?” he asked carefully.
That did it.
She stopped and stared at him. “How did you know where I went?”
He blinked. “You told me.”
“No,” she said flatly. “I said I was going to my father’s house.”
“You went to see your father,” he replied calmly.
“I went to his office,” she snapped. “That was not the plan. I changed my mind when I realized he wasn’t home. So tell me how you knew that if I didn’t tell you.”
A beat passed.
Julian shrugged lightly. “It was a guess.”
She laughed humorlessly. “You guessed.”
“Yes.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Are you working with him?”
He stiffened. “What?”
“Are you conniving with my father to make my life miserable?” she demanded. “Is this part of the plan? Keep tabs on me? Report back?”
“Elena,” he said firmly, “you’re overthinking this.”
“Oh, don’t do that,” she shot back. “Don’t dismiss me like I’m hysterical.”
“I’m not dismissing you,” he said. “I genuinely guessed.”
She searched his face, looking for smugness, for anything that would confirm her suspicion.
She found none but still, the damage was done.
“Get out of my way,” she muttered. “I want to sleep.”
He glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s not even nine.”
“I don’t care.”
“We could eat,” he offered. “There’s a movie on downstairs. We could—”
“No.” She shook her head and moved past him. “I’m not in the mood to pretend.”
She reached the staircase and placed her foot on the first step but her heel slipped.
She gasped, instinctively reaching for the railing that wasn’t there.
Strong arms caught her around the waist just before she hit the floor.
Her breath left her in a rush as she landed against a solid chest instead.
“I’ve got you,” Julian said instantly and she froze.
Her hands pressed flat against his chest and she could feel his heartbeat.
She looked up at him.
And something inside her cracked.
“Let go of me,” she said, her voice shaking. “You’re the reason I fell in the first place.”
His brows furrowed. “What?”
“You,” she said, pulling slightly against his hold even though he didn’t tighten it. “You and my father. You’re both in my head. You’re making my life miserable.”
“That’s not true, Elena. You know it.”
“My family doesn’t want me,” she blurted, words tumbling out faster than she could stop them. “My sister treats me like trash. My father barely looks at me unless there’s a contract involved. I’m a sacrificial lamb, Julian, that’s what I am.”
He loosened his grip just enough to look at her properly. “Elena, I'm sorry you feel this way—”
“And you,” she continued, voice breaking now. “You don’t even want to sleep in the same bed as me.”
His jaw tightened. “That’s not true.”
“Oh, really?” she challenged. “Then what are we? Roommates? Business partners?”
She laughed again bitterly. “You make me breakfast, you insist on driving me everywhere and you hover like a private bodyguard. But you never touch me like a husband.”
“We never spoke about sleeping with each other, Elana. I’m sorry you feel this way,” he said quietly. “But we can talk about it.”
“No, we can’t,” she snapped. “Because nothing I say ever gets through to you.”
She pushed at his chest but he was so strong he didn't move an inch.
“You’re so patient and so unnaturally calm, you don't react! It’s like you were made in a laboratory.”
His lips pressed into a thin line.
“Feel something,” she demanded. “Get angry, yell, do something human.”
“You want me to be erratic?"
She swallowed hard. “I want you to act human! It’s like I’m living with plastic. If you didn’t want this marriage, if this was just about my family’s debt, then what's in all of this for you?”
His hands slid from her waist to her wrists.
“I care about you,” he said. “I married you because I love you.”
She stared at him, stunned.
“I’m finding that hard to believe,” she said softly. “Every single day.”
She gestured vaguely upstairs. “We don’t share a bed, we barely share our lives and you act like getting close to me is dangerous.”
He searched her face. “Tell me how to make it better, Elena.”
She laughed weakly. “You really don’t know, do you?”
“Then tell me.”
Her voice dropped. “I don't care! Just be a man and stop acting like some robot! Grab me, kiss me, spank me! Act like my husband.”
The words barely left her mouth before his next action shut her up instantly.
He pulled her closer in one swift motion until their faces were inches apart.
Their noses brushed and her lips parted without permission.
But he stopped, his forehead resting against hers as he inhaled deeply.
His grip was tightening like it took everything in him not to close the distance.
“If I do that,” he said hoarsely, “I won’t stop.”
Her heart hammered.
“Then don’t,” she whispered.
For a moment, neither of them moved, then he released her slowly and pulled away.
She stood there, trembling, staring at him desperately.
“Goodnight, Elena,” he said quietly.
She watched him turn and walk away, her lips still burning with a kiss that never came.