Page 21 of Pregnancy Clause in Their Paper Marriage

She nodded. ‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘Okay.’

Slowly, so slowly, he slid his finger inside her, the feel of it shockingly intimate. At first, she didn’t feel any pleasure, just the sense of invasion, but then Christos started to stroke her, gently yet with tender persuasion, with such intimate and sure knowledge, finding that little nub of pleasure and stroking it deftly until she felt as if she were being wound tighter and tighter and then suddenly everything burst open.

Her whole body convulsed, and she felt as if she went out of her mind for a few seconds, her muscles banding around his sliding finger, her eyes rolling back as she heard herself moan in a way she never, ever had before, her hips arching against his hand, offering herself up to him as she shuddered from the force of the pleasure he’d evoked in her.

After a few seconds, the waves of pleasure receded in a tide of feeling, and she blinked up at him, her body sated yet still wanting more, shocked at how he’d touched her, how she’d responded.

She’d never, ever responded like that before. She’d never had an intimate experience of pleasure, of surrender, that hadn’t involved some kind of humiliation.

‘You’re lousy in bed, Lana.’How many times had Anthony told her that?

The realisation of what Christos had been able to evoke and reveal in her—and so swiftly and thoroughly—was mind-blowing, and not, she realised, in a good way. She’d been so vulnerable, so exposed, helpless beneath his clever, knowing hands, and he’dknownit. He could have doneanythingto her, and she would have agreed. Begged him, even, just as she had with Anthony. His finger was still inside her.

She twisted away from him, wincing a little as he withdrew his hand, adjusting her sweatpants as she scrambled up from the sofa, her back to him. She didn’t know what the expression on her face was, but she didn’t trust it.

‘Lana?’ he asked, and he sounded both gentle and cautious.

‘You must be very proud of yourself,’ she told him. She’d meant to sound wry, but her voice came out close to broken.

‘Proud?’ he repeated, sounding surprised and more than a little disbelieving. ‘That’s not actually the word I’d use right now, no.’

‘You know what I mean, though.’ She tucked her tumbled hair behind her ears as she forced herself to turn around and face him. ‘Good for you, you’ve proved you’re amazing in bed. Congratulations.’ She folded her arms and stared him down as he gazed back, forehead furrowed.

‘That’swhat you think this was about?’

‘Wasn’t it?’

A long, low breath escaped him as he leaned back against the sofa and raked his hands through his hair, so it flopped across his forehead. ‘I suppose that’s one way of looking at it,’ he acknowledged slowly, ‘but I meant for it to be about us becoming more comfortable with one another. So that tomorrow wasn’t a complete surprise.’

‘Comfortable?’ she repeated scornfully. ‘Comfortable would have been having achat.’

‘Comfortable with each other’s bodies,’ he clarified. There was a slight edge to his voice now, and she wondered why she was pushing him away, almost as if she wanted to make him, notangry, no, but not so...persuasive.

Because you’re scared. Because when people get close, they hurt you. They use you.

But not Christos. She trusted him, and yet...

‘Funny,’ she said, ‘because I wasn’t touchingyourbody. You were just touching mine.’

His eyes widened for a second, his irises flaring bright green, before he gestured to himself with one hand. ‘Feel free to touch my body, Lana. Any time.Please.’

Frustration bit at her. She wasn’t handling this right, lashing out in her fear and dismay at being so vulnerable, and yet she couldn’t help it. ‘That’s not what I mean.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I... I don’t want to be used.’

‘Used?’He stared at her in absolute incredulity, with a hint of anger. ‘How was I using you, Lana? You were on board with everything I was doing. I made sure of it. I havealwaysmade sure of it.’

Suddenly she felt near tears. What waswrongwith her? ‘I know,’ she whispered. ‘Iknow.’

He stared at her for a long moment. ‘What’s really going on here?’ he asked quietly. There was a dejectedness to his tone that tore at her.

I don’t want to mess this up,she realised.I don’t want to sabotage this just because I’m scared.

Slowly, she made herself sit back down on the sofa. She folded her hands in her lap and gazed down at them, trying to organise her jumbled, panicky thoughts. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said quietly. ‘I’m acting like I’m unhinged. I do realise that.’

‘Not unhinged,’ Christos replied after a moment, his tone turning thoughtful. ‘But what’s really going on? Because if I were using you, Lana, trust me, I would have got a bit more satisfaction for myself.’ He made his tone wry, but she had the sense that it cost him. ‘Don’t get me wrong,’ he continued, ‘I loved seeing you come apart under my touch, but, truth be told, I’m alittleuncomfortable here.’ He smiled wryly, and she flushed.