Page 81 of The Dark Side

Adrik broke the silence. "Did you enjoy my gift?"

"No!" Jolie bit back in a shriek, hating how he cackled. "It was frightening." That made him laugh more.

"Not big enough? I fear we will have a problem if that doesn't satisfy."

Jolie buried her face and groaned, "Shut up."

Oh, he enjoyed this too much. Embarrassing Jolie exposed how much she didn't know about everything he could show her. Everything he could teach her. Adrik bent his knees, hiding the growing excitement. There were too many thoughts that he couldn't control and too much liquor in his system to stop him.

"Tell me something," Adrik ordered. "This boyfriend you had. What did he do for you?"

Her brows knitted at the question because it was hard to answer. "I don't know." She concentrated, trying to come up with a response. "He was fun."

Adrik chuckled, and rectified, "I meant in bed."

She flushed and hid her face. "I'm not gonna talk about that."

He grinned, adoring her embarrassment. "I can't imagine much. He was eighteen at the time, yes? So, this is why you have a problem with my gift."

"I have a problem with your gift because it is terrifying."

Adrik conceded, "Perhaps a little over the top."

"You think?"

"I can buy a smaller one—"

"No, no, thank you."

Adrik cackled, his hands linking behind his head proudly. "You had sex with him, didn't you?"

"Yes, not that it's any of your business."

"It is my business."

"Why?"

"Because when I take you to my bed, I need to know how rough I can be."

Jolie buried her head into the chair. She didn't know how he could be so confident about something so intimidating. It brought back waves of nervousness and tension. She remembered the pain of sex and the uncomfortableness. Despite the excitement in her, she mentally knew it wasn't as pleasant as she wished it was. And the word 'rough' frightened her. Her boyfriend had been all kinds of gentle, and it still hurt.

"If," she enunciated, her voice muffled by the armrest, "we"—she stuttered—"dothat, not very."

Adrik watched her, trying to understand her movements and her words. Until it hit him. "Did he hurt you?"

Jolie's head popped up. "No, well, not on purpose. It was just painful. Every time."

"He was that big?"

Jolie choked. This conversation was worse than getting a pap smear. "No. And that's all the information I'm giving you."

A smile once more crept on his lips.

Jolie's brow knitted. "Why are you smiling?"

Adrik shook his head, shrugging, momentarily speechless. It was exciting, in a way, all that he could give her. Not only would he bring her up out of poverty, provide medical care for her parents, and allow her to fulfill her dreams in ways she never imagined, but now, along with all of that, he could expose her to a world of sexual pleasure. He turned his attention to the movie, soaking it in, and even though he could tell she was still confused, he kept it to himself. Their situation was new, and how he felt about her was overwhelming.

The movie continued to play, and she made little comments about the film, telling him memories from her childhood. Adrik found himself indulging in every word she spoke, the way she ran her hands through her hair when she couldn't handle his stare, or the way her cheeks reddened when her gaze would drift down to his lips in the middle of her speech, and she'd stutter, trying to find the sentence again. All his negative thoughts about their future were now about ways to combat it. Would there be a way to divorce Katia? With her brother nearly killing their kid, he should be able to maneuver out of it. Her brother was still missing, and for all he knew, Katia and her parents were hiding him. That would give him leeway to get out of the contract.