“Have you completely lost it, Cole?” Elliana snapped, her voice fully cracking.
Most men would’ve run for the hills after seeing her made-up disaster of a face. But Cole? He didn’t even blink. He was clearly wired differently.
A low chuckle rumbled from his throat as he leaned in, his breath ghosting against her neck like a warning. His tone lowered, rough and laced with mischief. “We should make some noise.”
“Excuse me?”
“Grandpa’s panicking that I’ll leave you alone on the wedding night. He planted someone outside to listen in. If we don’t put on a show, they’ll be stationed at our door every night until you’ve got a baby bump.”
“You asshole!” Elliana let out a breath of frustration. “If making noise is so important, then go make it yourself!”
The tension in Elliana’s chest was impossible to miss-every breath sharp with fury. In the shadows, Cole’s grin turned even more devilish as his hand traveled to her waist and gave her a sudden, sharp pinch.
“Ah!” Startled, she jerked beneath him, feeling a mix of pain and tickling.
Right then, the muffled footsteps outside finally drifted off down the hall.
Cole, however, showed no intention of letting her go. Instead, he leaned in close, his breath grazing her ear as he said, his tone thick with amusement, “Honey, you certainly know how to make some noise in the bedroom.”
Flushed and fuming, Elliana swung for him again. Sensing she had had enough, Cole lifted his hands in surrender and stepped away with a grin.
Crossing the room, he flicked the switch, flooding everything in warm light.
The sudden glow made Elliana squint. Her vision took a moment to adjust, blinking through the haze.
She couldn’t see herself, but right then, she was sprawled on the floor, hair in disarray, her wedding gown bunched around her. Chaotic, yes. But there was something untamed and magnetic in that moment.
Cole’s gaze grew even more intense. “Well, is it your plan to keep lying there? You’re beginning to make me wonder if you were just playing hard to get.”
Elliana’s breath hitched, but she didn’t dignify him with a reply. She pushed herself off the floor, hauling the heavy gown with her as she stormed toward the dressing room.
Dozens of neatly hung outfits greeted her inside. Without hesitation, she locked the door, tore off the suffocating dress, and slipped into a black tracksuit. It felt like armor-light, easy to move in, and ready for anything. If Cole tried something now, she’d make him regret it.
The moment Elliana stepped out, she stopped cold. Whatever she’d expected-this wasn’t it
After his shower, Cole slipped into clean pajamas and made himself comfortable, stretched out like he owned the bed. The knot on his pajama top hung loose, exposing just enough of his defined chest and lean torso to make it feel intentional. It was hard to look away.
With how boldly Cole had been teasing her earlier, Elliana started to wonder if he was actually doing this on purpose, trying to tempt her.
For a moment, Elliana was at a loss for words. When they’d first crossed paths, she’d pegged Cole as distant and above it all, but tonight, he was anything but reserved.
Cole’s eyes stayed on her, tracking every tiny shift in her expression like he was trying to read her mind.
There was something magnetic about Elliana. One moment, she was all charm and softness. The next, she lit up with fire and attitude. And then, without warning, she’d carry herself with a quiet, graceful allure. Every transformation had Cole’s heart kicking faster. He found himself wondering what kind of woman was hiding beneath all that awful makeup-and how stunning she might actually be.
People liked to treat Cole like he was carved from marble, like he was some flawless figure on a pedestal. But underneath it all, he was just a man who appreciated beauty-and a little fire to go with it. As luck would have it, the woman he married by chance might be exactly what he’d always wanted.
Cole had come to another realization. When it came to anything intimate, Elliana was completely clueless, turning red and flustered the second things took even the slightest flirtatious turn. That familiar impulse to tease her stirred once more. He gave the empty space next to him a light pat and said, “Honey, come to bed.”
Elliana blinked, stunned. Was he actually serious about sharing the bed? A disbelieving smile tugged at her lips. Did he honestly think he’d get any sleep looking at her horrible makeup? Wasn’t he even a little afraid she’d haunt his dreams?
She held her tongue instead of calling him insane, deciding it was wiser not to poke the beast unless she had to. With a forced smile, she said, “Well, what do you say we talk for a bit instead?”
Cole raised an eyebrow. “What exactly do you want to discuss? The way you tricked everyone in the Jones family?”
Unfazed, Elliana retorted, “Or maybe how you mentally embraced marrying someone you can’t even stand before setting off to the Jones family’s residence…”
Cole’s eyes narrowed as he studied her, standing there calmly. Did she really catch on to how much he hated Paige?
A slow, knowing smile tugged at Elliana’s lips. She had noticed plenty of details back at the Jones estate. She remembered how Cole subtly jerked his arm away when Paige latched onto him. Not once did his expression soften when Paige turned on the waterworks-instead, his eyes flashed with nothing but mocking iciness.
Moreover, right before they took off in the helicopter, he’d changed into a new suit and tossed the one Paige had touched straight into the bin without hesitation. That wasn’t ordinary dislike. That was raw, deep-seated revulsion.
Ever since then, a single question kept circling in Elliana’s mind. If she hadn’t interfered, would Cole have actually married Paige?
Elliana proposed, “How about a deal? I’ll keep your annoying admirers away from you, and in return, you don’t mess with my life. Once we straighten out how we tied the knot, I’m gone. Fair enough?”
It sounded fair to her-a clean arrangement that benefited them both. She expected at least a nod. Instead, Cole collapsed onto the bed, shut his eyes like she didn’t exist, and flicked the lights off without so much as a glance in her direction.
Biting back a curse, Elliana trudged toward the sofa, bumping her shin on the edge in the dark. She collapsed onto the cushions, too annoyed to care about a shower.
Hours passed in silence. Elliana drifted into sleep soundly.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Cole opened his eyes and slipped out of bed. Guided by the dim moonlight, he crossed the room and stopped in front of her, just watching.
The air carried a hint of Elliana’s scent-clean and natural, untouched by perfume. It eased into his lungs and left behind a quiet, unexpected comfort.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.