Chapter Six

Roland stared at his wife over the candlelit table. They were drinking champagne and eating lobster and tender steak. They took their time, and from what he could see, she was enjoying herself. It took some time for her to relax when they sat down, but he kept asking her questions about her life and her dreams.

The owner of the place, a friend of his, and a brother in the Society, made sure their table was isolated, so they had some privacy.

He was still getting over the shock of feeling jealous of the male attention Laila got when they walked through the restaurant. It was an emotion he'd never felt before, and he didn't like it. He figured with time, he would settle enough that it wouldn't bother him. It helped that she didn't seem to notice, and in fact kept her attention on him the whole time.

"This ring is beautiful," she said.

"It was my grandmother's, and the one I'm wearing was my grandfather's."

"Oh, I love that. I promise to take care of it."

"I know you will."

They finished their meal. He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her out of the restaurant. On the way home, he made it a point to hold her hand. He planned to touch her at every opportunity to get her used to him.

When they got home, he took them into his office and shut the door. He sat on the leather sofa and pulled her down onto his lap. Although she stiffened at first, she quickly relaxed against him.

"How are you feeling so far?" he asked.

"I'm tired, but all right. How are you?"

He smiled. "I'm doing well. Let's talk about what's going to happen later."

Her pretty little face blushed, but she didn't look away from him. "What about it?"

"I want you in our bedroom and in our bed tonight."

"Oh. Like, would we … you know?"

"We don't have to," he told her.

She nibbled on her bottom lip as she thought about what he said. It was interesting to watch her.

"I want to be with you," she said simply. "I just don't know about the…"

"Sex," he said.

She nodded.

"How about we play it by ear? You can start moving your things into our closet, and I'll get some work done. We'll have dinner later and then a movie. Or we'll just go to sleep. I'm not going to push you into anything, so I don't want you to stress about it."

"I'll try my very best."

He tipped her head back and kissed her. He stopped before it got out of control. "Go on up. Call me if you need any help. Dial three on the phone on the nightstand."

He lifted her off him and held her for a second, and then released.

Roland watched her walk out and then grimaced when he stood. He adjusted his cock to a more comfortable position before walking around his desk and getting to work. When he eventually looked up, he hadn't realized over three hours had passed. He stood and made his way upstairs, wondering how far Laila had gotten.

His body froze, and his cock instantly hardened. His lovely bride lay sleeping on her side on the top of the comforter on their bed with the thin blanket covering her. Her dark hair was spread out over the pillow and trailed onto the mattress.

Her hands were tucked under her chin, making her look so innocent that the possessive feeling inside of him grew. Between that and the jealousy he'd felt before, they were emotions he'd never dealt with, and they were making him feel uncomfortable. Roland would give it time and hope things would settle down.

He sat on the edge of the bed, resting his hand on her hip. "Sweetheart."

A smile grew when she didn't move or make a sound. He shook her a little. "Sweetheart. Wake up."

Laila murmured something, sighed, and grew quiet again. Good Lord, she was a deep sleeper.

Roland lay down on the mattress facing her, propped his head up with the palm of his hand, and let his fingers run through her hair as he studied her face. Her features were delicate and very feminine. She was everything he'd dreamed about as far as looks. Although they hadn't known each other long, he could tell her personality was sweet and submissive—also something he dreamed about.

There weren't a lot of women nowadays who liked to have the man in charge or give up control. The women he knew were ambitious businesswomen or high-society brats who expected the world to evolve around them. Neither type had ever turned him on, so he'd had very few relationships over the years.

The only thing he wondered about was the brain damage she was supposed to have. He'd seen her try to act childlike in the beginning, but when she was distracted, she acted like a normal woman, and he wondered why she would pretend to have a disability. It was one of the questions he needed answers to, but there was time, and he didn't want to push her too much.

"Laila, Sweetheart, wake up for me," he said in a more dominant tone which seemed to catch her attention because she started to rouse.

She blinked a few times, and then a sweet smile crossed her face. "Hi."

He cupped her cheek. "Hi. It's still early, but do you want to get ready and go to bed? If you get hungry, tell me, and I'll go down to the kitchen and get us something since we're missing dinner."

He watched her concentrate as she thought about it.

"I am tired, but what will you do?"

He balanced on his elbow and braced his head on his hand. "I've always got work to do, but this is our wedding night, and even though you want to wait for sex, I'd still like to hold you if that's okay?

She nodded. "Yes. I'd like that."

"How about you take the bathroom first and shower, and then I'll take my turn?"

She nibbled on her lips. "Okay."

He rolled out of bed and helped her to stand. He held her until he thought she was steady and then released her. "I'll turn down the bed and close the drapes. I'll make a few calls while I wait, so don't hurry."

"Okay."

He watched her walk into the closet and walk out with a nightgown. He wanted to tell her to put it back and that she'd never have permission to wear one in their bedroom. But it was her first night, and she was already nervous.

The bathroom door closed behind her before he walked around, closed the drapes, locked the door, and pulled the comforter down before turning on the one light on the nightstand. He moved across the room, got comfortable on the sofa in front of the fireplace, and went through some messages.

The door to the bathroom opened, and his first glance at her made his body stiffen and his cock harden. She had no idea that, standing with the light from the bathroom, her nightgown was somewhat transparent so he could see every curve.

She nervously walked over to the bed and crawled on. She moved to her side, laid down, and looked at him. He had no idea how long he stared at her before coming to his senses.

Roland stood. "I'll shower and be out."

She nodded.

After the door closed behind him, he rested against it and slowed his breathing. How the fuck was he going to sleep next to her and not be able to touch her the way he needed to? Jesus, he'd never had this type of thing happen, and it was very disconcerting.

He stripped off his clothing and stepped into the shower. It took him less than five minutes to bathe. He thought about taking a cold shower but knew the effects wouldn't last once he was in bed with her.

After wrapping a towel around his hips and brushing his teeth, he walked out of the bathroom and into the closet. As much as he wanted to drop the towel and slide into bed like he usually did, he had to take into consideration that she was a virgin, and they hadn't known each other for long.

He turned off the bathroom light and then the one on the nightstand before slipping into bed beside her. When his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see she was still awake and very tense.

"All we're going to do is hold each other, so you don't have to worry, Pet."

"It's just that I've never slept with anyone before and have never been allowed to be around men."

He hadn't realized how truly innocent she was, and it made him more possessive.

"Come here, Sweetheart." He gently pulled her toward him, turned her face away, and then tucked her close to his body.

"How does this feel?" he asked.

He felt her tremble for a second, and then she nodded.

"Th-this is good."

As much as he'd like to kiss her, he was too on edge and knew pulling away from her would be next to impossible.

He pressed his lips to the back of her head. "Sleep. I'll be here."

Laila nodded, exhaled, and relaxed against him.

The emotions that raged through him were so volatile he had to try to think of something else besides her. Contentment, confusion, desire, and frustration. It puzzled him, and he didn't like how out of control he felt. He knew he'd feel so many other things eventually, but he'd deal with them then. Right now, he had enough on his mind to contend with.