Chapter 31

Hannah: I miss you, Ares. How long are you going to ignore my messages? You said we could be friends, but now you won’t even speak to me.

Hannah: I got the lead role in

Stars That Shine

. I know you had something to do with that. I know you still care, Ares. I promise I’ll respect your boundaries. I know how you feel about marriage — I know that better than anyone else. Is it so wrong that I still want you in my life? Is it so wrong for me to think you want the same?

She’s been texting me every day since we had dinner, but I still haven’t replied.

I feel strangely conflicted.

On one hand, I’m furious with her for leaving me at the altar the way she did.

On the other hand…

I’m relieved.

I shouldn’t be.

But I am.

The door to my home office opens, and I immediately lock my phone and put it away, leaving Hannah’s messages unanswered once again.

Raven walks in wearing a red nightgown that puts every fantasy I’ve ever had to shame.

I try to keep my eyes off her body.

It’s a losing battle.

The fabric might as well be sheer for all the coverage it provides.

I can see the faint outline of her dark nipples, and I’m almost certain she isn’t wearing anything underneath.

I bite down hard on my lip as memories flood my mind.

The way she looked at me when she confessed she hated wearing panties.

Her bare pussy pressed against my lap.

Her eyes locked on mine.

What would’ve happened if I’d just given in that night?

I try to drag my gaze away from her and fail miserably.

Raven has always been sinfully beautiful, but seeing her dressed like this?

That’s a completely different kind of temptation.

This is for my eyes only.

And I fucking love that.

“Look at this,” she says as she climbs onto my desk, placing her breasts directly at eye level.

Fuck.

She’s too close.

What would she do if I spread her legs right here on top of my desk?

I clear my throat and force myself to focus on the sofa designs she’s showing me.

“I like the darker one better,” I tell her while scrolling through the options.

Raven grins.

“I was hoping you’d say that, because it’s my favorite too.”

I glance up at her in surprise.

“You know you don’t have to ask for my opinion, right? You can do whatever you want.”

She shakes her head immediately.

“I don’t want to do that.”

Her smile softens.

“I already feel like I’m intruding in your space.”

I reach for her hand and hold it gently.

“Don’t, Rave.”

I squeeze her fingers softly.

“There’s no reason for you to feel that way.”

I hold her gaze.

“This is your home now.”

“It’s ours,” she corrects me quietly.

“I’m asking because I want you to love our home too.”

I nod slowly and intertwine our fingers.

Designing this house together has been far more enjoyable than I ever expected.

It genuinely feels like we’re creating something that belongs to both of us.

But there’s a bittersweet side to it too.

Every change we make erases another piece of Hannah.

Raven and I haven’t talked about her at all lately, and honestly?

I’d like to keep it that way.

It’s strange how easily we slip into this bubble where we pretend I wasn’t engaged to her sister for years.

But somehow…

It works.

At least for now.

“Are you done with work?” she asks, glancing at my laptop.

I nod and close it.

“Yeah.”

I rub the back of my neck.

“I’m exhausted.”

Raven glances down at my pajamas before nodding.

“Then let’s go to bed.”

She tightens her grip on my hand and pulls me along with her.

We stay quiet as we walk toward our bedroom together.

Little by little, every memory tied to Hannah is being overwritten.

One day, I’m going to look around this house and find nothing except Raven written all over it.

Raven lets go of my hand and walks toward her side of the bed, her cheeks tinged pink.

We’ve slept together every night since the first night she fell asleep in my arms, yet she still gets shy about it.

It’s strange.

We’ve always been comfortable around each other.

We climb into bed in silence, and I turn toward her with a small smile.

“Why are you so nervous, Cupcake?”

She laughs softly and turns onto her side too, facing me.

“I don’t know.”

She smiles shyly.

“I guess this is all still new to us.”

I hold her gaze, trying desperately not to let my eyes drift lower.

“Is it really?”

I smile faintly.

“You fell asleep in my arms on the sofa not that long ago.”

Her eyes widen slightly before she quickly looks away, her cheeks turning bright red.

“Did you really have to remind me of that?”

She groans softly.

“I’m still so embarrassed about that night, Ares. I honestly can’t apologize enough.”

I reach for her and cup her cheek gently, turning her face back toward mine.

“Don’t apologize,” I whisper.

“I didn’t mind it at all.”

I smile faintly.

“No matter what I told you back then.”

She nods slowly and closes her eyes again, hiding from me.

This time, I let her.

“This really isn’t so bad, right?” she whispers after a while.

“That night, you told me you’d never want me, and I know that.”

Her voice softens.

“I know I’ll never be Hannah, but—”

“Don’t,” I cut her off immediately.

“Don’t mention her while we’re in bed together, Rave.”

She looks at me with heartbreaking sadness in her eyes.

“Moment of honesty?”

Her voice trembles slightly.

“This bed doesn’t feel like ours.”

She swallows hard.

“Every night, it feels like I’m sleeping in her bed.”

Raven turns away from me, but I immediately lean over and gently force her to face me again.

“Then we’ll get rid of the damn bed,” I tell her firmly.

Her eyes widen.

“We’ll buy a new one.”

She stares at me before slowly nodding.

Then she hesitantly reaches for the collar of my pajama shirt.

“Can we throw these away too?”

I glance down in confusion.

They’re just plain blue plaid pajamas.

“I know you and Hannah had matching sets,” she whispers.

“And maybe it’s petty and immature, but…”

I sit up immediately and pull her up with me until we’re both kneeling on the bed.

“Then take them off, wife.”

The sheets bunch around her waist as she lifts a trembling hand to my chest.

Her eyes meet mine, hesitation flickering through them before she slowly undoes my top button.

I watch her closely as more of my chest is revealed.

The way she blushes.

The way her breathing quickens.

She undoes the final button and pushes the shirt open, her fingers trailing slowly across my skin.

Fuck.

I raise my hips slightly and tilt my head, silently provoking her.

Raven hesitates again, so I grab her wrists gently and place her hands at the waistband of my pants.

“You said you wanted them off, baby.”

My voice lowers.

“So take them off.”

She bites her lip and hooks her fingers into the waistband before slowly pulling them down.

Her breath catches when the V-lines on my lower stomach are exposed, and my cock hardens instantly.

Having her touch me while looking at me like that…

With flushed cheeks and parted lips…

Fuck.

She pushes my pants down to my thighs, and I smirk at her.

“Good girl,” I whisper.

She looks up at me with obvious desire in her eyes.

That same look.

The same one she gave me that night in my lap.

The one that’s haunted every single dream I’ve had since.

I finally kick my pants off completely, leaving myself in nothing but my boxer briefs.

My erection is impossible to miss.

Raven stares at it before biting down hard on her lower lip, her hard nipples betraying her own desire.

“I’ve always hated sleeping in pajamas,” I admit quietly.

“Honestly, I only wore them because I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable with me half naked around you.”

She shakes her head quickly and looks back up at me.

“I’m not uncomfortable at all.”

A teasing smile appears on her lips.

“I work with male models dressed in almost nothing all the time, remember?”

I instantly tense at the thought.

At the thought of other men touching her during shoots.

Holding her.

Looking at her.

I need to find a way to move her into my company.

And I definitely don’t trust her current manager.

Raven genuinely doesn’t seem to understand how beautiful she is.

It’s like she separates her model persona from her real self…

And somehow believes the latter isn’t enough.

I’ve never understood why.

But I’m going to change that.

“Oh, I remember,” I reply tersely.

I lean closer and brush a strand of hair behind her ear.

“That recent underwear campaign you did…”

My voice roughens.

“It looked something like this, didn’t it?”

I pull her tightly against me and thread one hand into her hair before tilting her head back to expose her neck.

She gasps softly when I lower my mouth beside her ear, my teeth brushing her earlobe.

“This is how you posed with Tom Foster, right?”

I whisper against her skin.

“Tell me something, my love.”

I kiss the side of her throat slowly.

“Was he as hard as I am while holding you like this?”

My teeth graze her skin before I suck lightly, leaving a small mark.

Raven’s breath catches.

The way she arches against me nearly drives me feral.

Her hands slide into my hair and tighten.

“No,” she whispers breathlessly.

“He’s very professional.”

She shakes her head slightly.

“The shoots aren’t nearly as intimate as they look. There are always tons of people around, and we move through poses really quickly.”

I kiss her throat again.

“Good.”

My voice darkens.

“Good for him.”

I tighten my grip slightly.

“He gets to continue producing oxygen for another day.”

She bursts out laughing, and the sound goes straight to my chest.

Straight to my fucking heart.

“I never realized you were this possessive,” she whispers.

I pull back just enough to look at her before tightening my grip in her hair.

“I never was.”

My hand tightens around her waist.

“Not until you.”

I stare directly into her eyes.

“You changed the game for me, Raven.”

My voice roughens.

“I want all of you.”

I swallow hard.

“I need you to be mine in every possible way.”

She looks at me with so much vulnerability it almost hurts.

“I’m already yours, Ares.”

My hand slowly trails upward from her waist along her ribs until my fingers brush beneath her breasts.

“No,” I whisper.

“Not yet.”

I cup her face and brush my thumb across her lips.

She parts them for me instantly, and I nearly lose my fucking mind when her tongue brushes my thumb.

She looks unreal like this.

Hair messy in my hands.

That sinful nightgown.

That look in her eyes.

“Moment of honesty,” I whisper.

“I can’t resist you.”

I hold her gaze.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about kissing you at our wedding.”

My voice lowers further.

“And then again in your office.”

I inhale sharply.

“I need more, Raven.”

My fingers tighten slightly against her jaw.

“I need another taste.”

She leans closer hesitantly, her lips barely brushing mine.

“Then take it,” she whispers.

“I’m yours for the taking.”

I groan the second our lips meet.

Her hands roam over my body with the same desperation consuming me.

She moans softly, and my cock throbs painfully.

The way her tongue tangles with mine feels fucking unreal.

And suddenly all I can think about is having my cock in her pretty mouth.

My wife is a fucking enchantress.

There’s no other explanation.

“Raven,” I whisper against her lips before pulling back.

She’s panting softly, lips swollen from kissing, and fuck…

She’s never looked more beautiful.

I smirk before pushing gently against her shoulder, making her fall backward onto the bed.

“Ares,” she moans softly.

My name sounds like a plea on her lips.

“Do you have any idea how hard this has been for me lately?”

I hover over her, my cock pressed directly against her pussy while I brace myself above her on my forearms.

“Watching you walk around my house in those sexy little outfits?”

I groan softly.

“Every time you smile at me, you make me fucking weak.”

“You’re not the only one struggling, Ares,” she whispers.

I grin and brush my lips against hers once.

Then twice.

Then I finally kiss her properly again.

She feels so fucking good beneath me.

And none of this feels real.

I grind my hips against her, and she moans into my mouth, wrapping one leg around my waist as if silently begging for more.

Fucking hell.

Suddenly Raven pushes against my chest.

Confused, I pull back and stare at her.

She looks conflicted as she glances toward her phone.

I hadn’t even heard the alarm.

“What the fuck is that?”

She gently pushes me away and sits up.

“My campaign is going live in Asia right now.”

She winces apologetically.

“Part of my contract requires me to engage with the content online for an hour.”

I drag a hand through my hair and groan loudly.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

She shakes her head while grabbing her phone.

“I know the timing sucks, I just—”

I pull her back against me and kiss her again, gripping her hair tightly.

“Fuck the campaign,” I mutter between kisses.

“I’ll pay the penalty myself.”

I kiss her harder.

“I’ll do anything if you let me keep kissing you.”

She laughs softly and pushes against my chest again, trying to look stern despite the obvious desire in her eyes.

“No.”

She shakes her head.

“That’s not who I am.”

Her voice softens.

“I hate being irresponsible.”

Then she sits upright, slipping fully into work mode.

Fuck.

Yeah.

There’s absolutely no way she’s letting me seduce her now.

I collapse beside her, our shoulders brushing while I try desperately to calm my raging erection.

I honestly can’t remember ever wanting someone this badly before.

Maybe I never have.

Suddenly Raven gasps before bursting into laughter, her cheeks turning pink again.

Curious, I lean over her shoulder to look at her phone.

“What the fuck?”

I snatch the phone from her hand and stare at the unsolicited dick pic sitting in her Instagram DMs.

“Who the fuck is this?”

Jealousy unlike anything I’ve ever experienced completely takes over.

Images of Raven with some secret boyfriend instantly flood my mind.

“No clue,” she replies casually while taking her phone back.

“I get messages like these all the time.”

She deletes it without a second thought and moves on, completely unfazed.

Completely unaware of the violent jealousy clawing through me.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

Hannah probably received thousands of messages like this over the years, and I never cared.

I always considered it part of being famous.

But with Raven?

I can’t ignore it.

“Raven.”

She glances at me questioningly.

I grab her hand and intertwine our fingers.

“Where the fuck is your wedding ring?”

Her eyes widen immediately before she looks away.

“I took it off.”

“What do you mean you took it off?”

She pulls her hand free and hides it beneath the covers.

“It’s just…”

She hesitates.

“It’s very much Hannah’s style. Not mine.”

Her voice softens.

“It doesn’t feel right wearing it.”

I roll onto my back and stare at the ceiling, trying to organize my thoughts and failing completely.

“Next week,” I say finally, harsher than intended.

“We’re buying you a new ring.”

I turn my head toward her.

“And you’re going to wear it.”