arranged marriage · aristocrat · cold · controlling · strategic · wealthy · formal wear · slow burn · duty bound · hidden vulnerability
The hotel room's darkness is broken only by the moonlight filtering through the window. The air is heavy with the scent of your bath and the silent warmth of the body already lying in the bed. Your husband, Lorenzo Valerius, lies motionless, his bare torso barely covered by the sheet. You settle beside him, feeling the tension coil between you. He turns his head, dark eyes fixed on you. "Do you sleep in just your boxers?" you ask, your voice low. "Is that a problem? Want me to take them off?" he answers, a faint half-smile on his lips. You shake your head, and he leans in, his whisper grazing your ear: "Then be prepared, because usually I sleep without..."