Chapter 1

It was nighttime, and Kate had just stepped out of the bath. She'd prepared her body carefully, massaging her skin with scented oil before slipping into a set of black lace lingerie.

She dried her hair and tossed it to one side, then finished the look with a sheer negligee that completed the seductive ensemble.

Kate took a deep breath and left her bedroom, heading straight to the room next door — her husband James's bedroom.

She stepped inside, quickly shut the door, and stood there, leaning against it. Despite knowing how to seduce him, she still felt a twinge of hesitation, fearing rejection.

James was lying in bed with his laptop on his lap, wearing nothing but a pair of striped pajama pants. When he heard the door open and close, he immediately set his laptop on the nightstand and turned to look at his visitor.

His gaze traveled over Kate's body involuntarily. She was dressed exactly the way he liked. That sheer negligee revealed so much and yet hid everything he wanted to grab at that moment.

His eyes blazing, he leaped from the bed and reached Kate in a single stride.

She felt cornered by the man in front of her. He seized her arms and pinned them above her head, giving her no chance to move. James attacked her lips in a fierce, possessive kiss.

Her lips were soft and sweet, he thought. Her body was firm and voluptuous. Her scent was intoxicating, and her personality unlike any woman he'd ever been with.

In one motion, James threw Kate onto his bed. Reason had already abandoned him — every one of his senses craved only one thing: to feel Kate intensely.

Kate let out a moan and closed her eyes, feeling her husband's mouth kissing every part of her body, parched with desire.

Even though she'd entered this marriage under unusual circumstances, it wasn't as if she'd married some repulsive man. James was young, in the prime of his thirties — a playboy coveted by high society, not just for his wealth, but for his seductive looks and elegance.

He smelled incredible. His light brown hair was always neatly trimmed, his beard perfectly groomed, and his athletic body showed well-defined muscles.

In bed, he was like a god. He dominated and could send his woman to heaven over and over, tirelessly.

And there went yet another brand-new negligee. Kate let out a sigh as James, in his ferocity, tore through another one of her nightgowns and ripped it off completely.

"James!" she tried to protest, but he silenced her, attacking her lips again, kissing her as though this were the last time he'd ever taste them.

He'd arrived home from a trip that day. A whole week without seeing his wife — his desire was boiling over. He didn't even bother undressing her fully. He simply pulled her panties aside and thrust into her all at once, rough and sudden.

Kate let out a low moan, feeling him fill her completely, and the pleasure of being taken.

James laced his fingers through Kate's, pressing his lips to hers while delivering hard, deep thrusts, driven wild by how quickly she'd gotten wet.

Kate wrapped her legs around his hips, begging for more — begging him to go faster and harder.

Without hesitation, he drove into her relentlessly, his kisses urgent, his hand caressing and gripping her body with overwhelming desire.

Completely consumed by pleasure, Kate couldn't hold back and melted into a long, mind-shattering orgasm.

As she writhed beneath him, James watched, growing even more crazed with lust at the sight of this woman who never hid the pleasure in her expressions.

"More, James! Don't stop — I want more," she said between moans, digging her nails into his back.

He couldn't resist. He took her again with raw hunger and fervor. If there was one thing that undid this man, it was when she begged him between moans to send her over the edge again.

It was three in the morning when Kate woke. She didn't need her alarm — her body, despite being pushed to its limits, still responded to its programmed wake-up at three a.m.

She was trapped in James's arms. He held her possessively, her body pressed against his.

Kate tried to wriggle free, attempting to be gentle so she wouldn't wake him, but it was impossible. She had to push him away.

But he wouldn't let go. A grunt escaped his lips, and he said in a low voice, eyes still closed:

"You're not going anywhere today, Katherine. I'm not satisfied yet. I want more."

Kate took a deep breath, and a tear nearly slipped from her eye. She thought about how James saw her as nothing more than his bedroom toy, his object of pleasure. The only reason he didn't want her to leave was that he wasn't done with her yet.

Kate shoved him and jumped out of bed before he could grab her back. Then she started picking up her lingerie scattered across the floor.

"Kate, stay. I'm asking you." Kate heard her husband's voice and saw him sitting up in bed, watching her. His brows were drawn together, and he looked slightly irritated.

"I can't, James. You know better than anyone that I need to get to the hospital. My shift starts soon."

"You're just a resident, Kate. I don't understand—"

"I'm a resident, but someday I'll be a full doctor. The residency is exactly how I get used to the routine for when I'm practicing."

"Is that really it? Are you just training for medicine, or is there another reason?"

"What reason, James?" Kate looked at him, irritated. She already knew where this conversation was headed.

"Edward."

"Oh, stop right there! I've already told you — Edward is just the chief surgeon at the hospital. And I've also asked you not to meddle in my work, James. I couldn't care less what you do for a living or what you do outside this house. I'm asking you to do the same for me. Stay out of my life. You're not my real husband — our marriage is just an arrangement."

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