Betrayed By My Fiancé, I Married His Most Powerful Enemy

Chapter 21: I am a Star

Nicole took one look at my face and gently slipped the phone out of my hand. "From now on, we are not answering his calls. There is no point letting him ruin the rest of the day."

I smiled faintly. "Let’s head back to the hotel. I am exhausted."

Nicole studied me for a moment before nodding. "Okay. But do not let your mind wander too much. You have the outdoor shoot tomorrow and I need you at your best."

Our rooms were side by side. She opened my door, waited until I stepped inside, then quietly closed it behind me. The room was dark and peaceful. Then I heard it. Water running, coming from the bathroom. I froze.

"Who’s there?" I asked, keeping my voice steady even as my hand reached for the door handle.

The water stopped. For one brief second I wondered if I had walked into the wrong room and was already reaching for the handle when the bathroom door opened and a tall figure stepped out. Before I could react, familiar arms wrapped around my waist.

"It’s me."

I looked up and found Caspian staring back at me like this was the most normal thing in the world. My mind went completely blank.

"You. How are you here?"

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Didn’t I promise you a miracle?" He leaned down and kissed me softly. "Flying all day is exhausting. I figured I would shower before you got back so I would actually have the energy to spend the evening with my wife."

I could not help smiling. I had thought he was joking about miracles. Yet somehow here he was. Without thinking I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him.

"My wife," he said with a quiet laugh, "I should probably mention that I am not wearing anything right now."

My eyes dropped instinctively before I looked away, heat rushing straight to my face. "Then maybe you should finish your shower."

"I was hoping you would join me."

Before I could answer he scooped me into his arms and carried me into the bathroom, setting me gently beneath the warm water. I looked up at him.

"Easy," I warned with a smile. "I have an ad shoot tomorrow. I still need to look camera-ready."

He brushed a kiss against my forehead. "I know." Then he smiled. "What about the sink? Like our first night at the club?"

I laughed. "You are impossible."

He stepped between my legs, brushing slow kisses along my jaw before letting them trail down my neck. I gripped the cold edge of the sink to steady myself, my breath catching as he smiled against my skin.

"Still think I’m cheesy?" he murmured.

I laughed softly, though it came out unsteady. "A little."

"Good."

He kissed me again, taking his time until my teasing smile disappeared completely. I shivered as his hands wandered over me, patient and familiar, making me forget everything outside that bathroom. Every touch reminded me how much we’d missed each other.

Just when I thought he was about to push me over the edge, he pulled back.

I let out a frustrated laugh.

"You’re impossible."

Without taking his eyes off me, he finished undressing. The warmth in his gaze made my heart race far more than the sight of him ever could.

He slipped one hand beneath my thigh and gently drew me closer.

"I missed you," he said quietly. "Staying home tonight was never an option."

There wasn’t a trace of teasing in his voice anymore.

Only honesty.

I reached for him without thinking, and he closed the distance between us.

"Me too," I whispered.

The rest of the world faded away.

His forehead rested against mine for a brief moment before he kissed me again, slower this time, letting the moment build naturally between us. Every movement was unhurried, every touch careful, as though he wanted me to feel just how much he’d missed me.

"Oh..." I breathed, clinging to his shoulders. "Don’t stop."

His arm circled my waist, holding me securely against him.

"I’ve got you," he whispered.

The quiet confidence in his voice undid me.

I buried my face against his neck as the last of my restraint disappeared. The tension that had been building between us all day finally gave way, and I held on to him as tightly as he held on to me.

When everything finally settled, neither of us moved right away.

I rested against him, trying to catch my breath, while he brushed a kiss across my temple.

For a long moment, we simply stood there beneath the warm water, holding each other in comfortable silence, neither of us in any hurry to let go.

When we finished showering I stood in front of the mirror carefully checking my skin for any marks. Thankfully he had been as careful as he promised. By the time we climbed into bed night had settled over the city. I sat at the vanity going through my skincare routine while Caspian leaned against the headboard with a stack of documents spread across his lap. I looked over at him and smiled.

"You flew all this way just to keep working?"

He looked up immediately, closed the folder without another thought and held out his hand. "Come here."

I crossed the room and settled against him. He smiled apologetically. "It is a bad habit."

I rested my chin against his shoulder. "Am I really that easy to ignore?"

"You?" He chuckled softly. "Never."

I hesitated for a moment. "Liam called today. He wanted to fly here. He said he wanted us to get married."

His arms tightened around me almost instantly, pulling me closer until there was not even an inch between us. "And are you going to marry him?" he asked quietly.

I looked up into his eyes. "I was blind once." The words came easier than I expected. "But I am not anymore." I reached up and touched his face. "I know exactly where I am going now. You are my direction."

For a long moment he simply looked at me. Then he shifted until he was looking directly into my eyes.

"I do not think I can keep holding myself back much longer," he said, his voice calm but carrying an honesty I had never heard from him before. "But it is still too soon." He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "We are already legally married. I know that. But I still want you to know me. I want you to choose this life because it is truly what you want, to be completely certain. When we reach that point together, that is when we will really belong to each other."

He took my hand and his thumb traced slow circles across my palm. "In this industry I have been able to buy almost anything. But the one thing I have never been able to find is someone with a truly good heart."

Emotion tightened in my chest. "Then let’s keep walking together." I intertwined my fingers with his. "We will build that life together." I smiled softly. "I never expected someone like you to think this way. The Caspian everyone knows, I assumed a man like that would want complete freedom. Endless choices. Not this." I looked down at our hands.

He smiled. "When a woman asks a question like that, words are not the best answer." He leaned in and kissed me, slow and unhurried, and by the time it ended every thought that had been circling my mind had quietly disappeared.

Almost.

There was still one thing I had not told him. I had almost brought it up three different times that night and stopped myself each time. Not because I did not trust him. Because once I said it out loud, everything between us would change.

I closed my eyes.

One more night.

Tomorrow I would tell him.