Learning about Calvin makes everything a little easier.
He's no longer a complete stranger.
After lunch, I spend most of the afternoon soaking up the sun by the pool and waiting for Kon, but he doesn't come home until well after midnight.
I'm tucked up in bed, half asleep by the time he walks through the door with a scowl deep across his face and tiredness dragging his features down.
"Hey," I say softly, pushing myself up.
Kon freezes. "Did I wake you?"
"No. I waited up for you."
"You did not have to do that," Kon says as he tugs off his tie.
"I wanted to. I wanted to see you."
Kon finally moves again and disappears into the ensuite, returning ten minutes later smelling of oak and a little of mint.
He slides into bed and lies down, so I move closer to him and lay my hand on his shoulder.
"I could tell you all about my day," I murmur softly, "since asking about yours feels like a no-go. Or…" My smile turns coy and I lean forward, attempting to catch Kon's lips in a kiss. "We could see if we can beat last night's record?"
He came in me twice, but there's no guarantee, and if I want this to stick, I need to make sure sex remains constant.
Kon, however, clearly isn't in the mood. The kiss is barely returned and he leans away from me to turn out the light. As darkness descends, he grunts softly. "Not tonight. Sleep. You need it."
My heart sinks but rather than pressing the issue, I slide down the covers and cuddle the pillow while Kon restlessly shifts for a few moments, then he settles.
Silence falls, and cold dread builds in my stomach.
I could already be pregnant, in which case everything is fine. But there's no guarantee and if Kon is turning me down already, that can't be a good sign.
Was our wedding night a one-time thing?
6
ROSE
A week passes and Kon's response stays the same. No sex.
We share a kiss here and there, and he remains somewhat cold but forever the gentleman when we speak or eat together, but it's as if a line has been drawn between us and he refuses to step over it.
There are only so many times I can hint that I want him before it comes across as pathetic and desperate.
When he's not next to me shutting down any form of intimacy, he's busy with some growing war between him and some Italian families, which leaves him exhausted and often asleep as soon as he crawls into bed.
I'm at a dead end.
And… lonely.
It's an unexpected feeling given the situation, but with no intimacy from my husband, I find myself spending my days alone in this vast manor with only Calvin for company—and he's very much my bodyguard before he's my friend.
He stays when I watch movies in the cinema room, lingers in the kitchen when I try to cook, and stands out in the sun while I spend the rest of my time resting at the pool, but it's not company.
It's obligation.
I miss Beatie.
