“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Because she had been ashamed. Horrified. And yet she hadn’t been able to stop. She had felt compelled to hurt herself and watch the blood collect on her skin. “It looks bad now but I was recommended a cream that will make the scars fade.”
She felt the sudden, angry tension in his touch. “I’m not worried about the scars,” he said in a low hiss. “My concern is that you felt the need to hide this from me.”
Tina yanked from his grasp. “I don’t cut anymore,” she repeated and she heard the defensiveness in her voice. “They are old scars and they didn’t get infected.”
“The next time you feel like doing this, you tell me,” he ordered.
“There won’t be a next time,” she said as she walked away from him.
“How do you know?” he asked as he followed closely.
“Because I don’t feel the need to do it,” she explained as she entered the bedroom.
“That’s not enough of an answer for me,” Dev said. He cupped her shoulders with his large hands and turned her around so she had to face him. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
Tina ignored the way his hands seemed to leave an imprint through her thin tunic. She refused to acknowledge how close he stood. “Don’t treat me as if I’m fragile. I can take care of myself and my family.”
“You don’t need to when I’m around,” he announced.
“Is that why you came home so early?”
He gestured at the clock next to the bed. “It’s almost midnight.”
“I know.” This was when the nightlife was starting and the ideal time for Dev as he tried to make deals and bring his colleagues to his club. “Everything okay at work?”
“I dropped out of my next movie,” he said, unable to meet her eyes, “and I’m taking a leave of absence.”
“What?” She snapped her jaw shut. “Why?”
He dropped his hands from her shoulders. “Because my devoted wife has returned home and I want to spend more time with my family.”
“That may be your press release,” she said as she marched to the side of her bed. “But what’s the real reason?”
“You had complained that I was never there in our marriage. Now you’re complaining that I’m taking time off to be with you?”
“I want to be left alone!” Tina grabbed her pillow and tossed it on the floor. “You became so overprotective after the miscarriage. I don’t want to live like that anymore!”
Dev wasn’t listening. “What are you doing?” he asked as he gestured at the floor.
She glanced at the white sheets and pillow on the floor. It wasn’t going to be as comfortable as the oversized bed, but she wasn’t going to get any rest if she slept next to Dev. “You made it clear that you wanted to sleep in the same room. I’m honoring my side of the bargain.”
“What is that?” he asked as he approached her side of the bed.
“Haven’t you seen this before? What am I saying?” she muttered. “You led a charmed life. This is a bed pallet.”
“No, that is a couple of sheets and a pillow on the floor.”
“In my family, it’s called a bed,” she explained patiently. “This is what I slept on all the time when I was a child.”
He swiped up the pillow and threw it back next to his. “This was not our agreement.”
She held up her hand to stop him from lecturing her. “You’re worried about the servants knowing. They won’t because it’s so easy to pick this up and—what is wrong with you?” she shrieked as he lifted her in his arms and dumped her onto the mattress.
“You will go to great lengths to stay out of my bed.” The anger vibrated in his low voice as he crawled onto the mattress and knelt between her sprawled legs. He planted his hands next to her shoulders before she could roll away. “Where was this reluctance when we met?”
She felt the blush crawl up from her chest and neck before it flooded her cheeks. “That was before I knew what kind of man you really are!” She should have known Dev would taunt her with her wanton behavior. Back then, she had been eager to discover a sensual paradise with Dev. She wished it was easier to resist him now, but she knew the pleasure she could find in his arms. It had been unlike anything she’d ever experienced and her body craved for his touch. Craved for him.
“Let me tell you what kind of man I am.” Dev’s voice was low and raspy as he leaned down until his face was right above hers. “I’m not known for my patience. I expect others to honor their word.”