YOU OWN THE TITLE, I OWN THE MAN

004| THE ENEMY IN MY BED

~EVELYN STERLING~

I slammed my palm over my mouth to stop the sound from coming out.

I blinked, once, and again, trying to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating right now.

But the face of that man was unmistakable. The same face plastered in almost every elite business newspaper, gossip blogs and finance magazine.

I swallowed hard, slowly trying to move away, but his hand was on top of my waist, though relaxed but almost impossible to move.

My body was still tightly pulled against his. But every second I spent in his arms only increased my dread.

“How on earth did I end up with Adrian Cross of all people?”

My husband’s rival.

My family’s sworn enemy.

My cheeks burned as I tried to move his arm again, and thankfully, this time, it moved.

Slowly, I put his arm beside him, and gently slid my body away from him, and then out of the bed.

The moment my legs touched the ground, a new pain hit me.

I gasped at the pain, feeling the soreness between my legs, and the pain in my lower back.

I swore under my breath. “That monster.”

But as I tried to leave, a hand suddenly grasped mine. I didn’t have the time to process what had happened, before I was dragged back onto the bed.

I gasped as my body fell onto his, his arms circling my waist immediately, while my palms were flattened against his chest.

Then slowly, he opened his eyes to look at me, an unmistakable piercing gray-blue eye.

There was something about those eyes, something that made me forget how to breath entirely.

I remained there, as though frozen to the spot, until his deep voice forced me back to reality.

“Thinking of sneaking away after last night?”

His voice sent shivers down my spine. I blinked once, then again, before I immediately tried to slide off his body, but his hand remained firm around my waist.

He sat up slowly, still not letting me go, until I was completely saddling him.

My heart was a pounding mess, my face hot as I looked everywhere but his face.

I need to find a way to escape now. I can’t let him find out who I am.

“About last night,” I began quickly, while still trying to get him to let go of me.

But his hands didn’t budge, in fact, he moved in closer, his eyes burning into mine.

His lips curved slightly. “What about it?” He whispered, his eyes sliding from my eyes to my lips.

I instinctively tugged my lower lip between my teeth, watching his eyes grow dark with something I couldn’t quite understand.

“Last night… that was a mistake. I was completely drunk, and… I wasn’t thinking.”

For a moment, everything froze. The room fell completely silent, except for the sound of my heart pounding against my ears.

His expression was cold, dark, but I couldn’t understand why.

“Is that so,” he said, his voice hard to read.

I felt his grip loosen around my waist, and I took that chance to slid away from him, creating a very big space between us.

I could feel his eyes follow my every move, and man, how that made me feel very anxious.

I forced myself to nod. “I would appreciate it if we can just move past this… I am married, and I know your reputation matters to you a lot, so I promise not to say a word about this to anyone.” I said quickly, raising three fingers.

His eyes narrowed, causing me to shiver, but he didn’t say another word.

My cheeks flushed, and I began playing with my fingers. “Hey, please don’t tell anyone about this…” I rushed to my bag, digging out a black card in my haste, and handed the card to him.

“Take this, please. I was drunk last night, I would like to compensate you for the trouble.”

His lips curved into a mocking smile, but his eyes, they remained cold, as they swayed from the card in my hand to my eyes.

“You are paying me off?” his voice was cold.

I forced a nod, and then quickly shook my head while waving my hands.

“No… no, that’s not what I meant. I mean, it’s just… compensation, and I…”

He didn’t say anything, and the room became increasingly awkward, until I couldn’t take it anymore.

“I guess I should just… leave.” I whispered, more to myself than to him.

I moved away quickly, throwing on one piece at a time, while trying to force myself to forget the fact that he was right there behind me, devilishly handsome, and watching like a hawk.

After dressing up, I calmly turned to him, and bowed slightly at him, before turning to leave.

But then, his voice came again. “So, you are returning to keep playing the dutiful wife, Evelyn Sterling?”

My legs jerked to a stop, I turned immediately.

I don’t remember telling him my name. The possibility that he knew who I was before he agreed to sleep with me only made all the hairs on my body rise.

I clenched my fists, trying to stay calm, my heart racing.

“How…. How do you know my name?” I whispered, my voice trembling a little.

He didn’t respond, his eyes only held mine in an intense gaze that made my stomach tighten.

Shit, what have I gotten myself into?

I took a step back, then another. I need to get the hell away from this man.

“You don’t have to worry about that, Mr. Cross, it is well under control.”

With that, I exited the room, shutting the door firmly behind me, my legs threatening to give way under me.

Immediately I was out of sight, all my bravado vanished, and a deep sense of guilt and shame washed over me.

I rushed out of the club and to my car, hoping no o`ne knows me around here, except, well, him.”

It was only after I got into the car that I forced myself to stay still. It was already late morning hours, and I have been out all night.

But despite myself, that only sent trails of excitement through my veins.

“What are you doing? You shouldn’t be excited about him… he is trouble.”

I reminded myself as I began to drive back to my apartment, well, the apartment I now shared with my husband.

But nothing prepared me for the sight before me immediately I stepped into the house.

There, sitting on the couch was my so-called husband, Julian Thorne, and his secretary, Melody Rose.