Logan's jaws clenched as he saw the fear in her eyes.
Just what was wrong with this wife of his?
He couldn't let this happen.
There was no way that he was going to sleep in another room just because she was scared of him. In the contract, he clearly stated that as a wife she should do her duties. Wasn't it her duty to sleep with her husband?
Why be afraid of him as if he was a monster?
The more he thought about that, the angrier he became.
Feeling undermined, he pulled her harshly towards him and this time, she mercilessly crashed onto his chest. This time, Logan's mouth went try as he felt that big chest bouncing on his skin.
It seems like Briar was well endowed for real. Her dress really was too good at hiding her figure. How nice would it be if he caressed that body, ripped off her clothes and made her his?
From what he knew, she had never had time to date. She was too busy with his family affairs for that. In other words, she was unclaimed, chaste and his for the taking.
With such thoughts surging in his mind, his throat became dry and his body hot.
At this moment, Briar just wanted Logan to fall into his animal desires and get this over with.
She had prepared for this moment when she went to the village. Mammy Adonai made sure that everything was perfect, so he wouldn't be able to find anything.
But now the question was; was he going to do it or not?
Unfortunately, Logan was good at self-control. He didn't follow the script, rip his clothes and force himself on her like what she had read before.
Instead, he held her chin with his fingers and forced her to look at him. At this moment, Briar looked like a lamb on a slaughtering altar. Those black eyes of hers were sparkling with tears forming in them and the sides were a bit reddish, as if she would cry at any moment.
Seeing that, Logan suppressed his desire to toy with Briar. If this could make her teary, then what of when he ….. he didn't dare finish.
At the thought of finishing it, he was afraid of accepting his desire and doing something that he would regret.
Rather than taking someone by force, doing it consensually when the other party was ready sounded more pleasurable. He hadn't gotten so low to force himself on other people.
He wasn't raised that way.
"Briar!" he called his name in a commanding tone that made Briar's body jerk up, nervous about what he was going to say next.
"Who am I?" he asked her, his gaze chilling, as he released his hold on her chin.
When that question was asked, Briar's eyes darted all over the room as if she was anxious. Yet inwardly she was thinking how domineering this man was. Will he punish her if she says the wrong word?
However, she had played enough for one night. She just wanted to rest if he wasn't going to do anything to her.
"You ….. you are my husband!" she shyly responded, her gaze not meeting his.
She was afraid that if she were to say this to his face, she might expose herself. She had dared him too much today.
Logan, for a second, was nervous, especially when she showed signs of nervousness. Briar had been a bit edgy when around her ever since they got married.
She used to be stable, though she maintained her distance and never crossed the boundaries. But now, she couldn't even talk well in front of him. He was afraid that she would spill that he was her master, and that wasn't something that he wanted to hear.
Though he wouldn't mind letting her call him that when making love.
Rather than having sex, he wants to make love. It makes the whole act very special.
So, when he heard that title, 'husband,' coming out of her mouth, his lips curled upward into a smirk, very satisfied with what he had just heard.
Since she could learn fast and be taught, he decided to teach her a few things when the mood was still right.
With that in mind, he grabbed her small hands and held them in his hands, while forcing her to look at him.
Briar shyly looked at him, and seeing her gaze on him made him feel better that he opened his mouth and started to speak. "Um. Always remember that. I am now your husband and, as my wife, I don't expect you to fear me. I want you to feel relaxed around me. We will be stuck with each other for years, so don't feel as if I am a mountain that can't be conquered. Do you understand what I am saying?"
Briar looked at him dumbfoundedly. She wasn't expecting him to say something like that at all. The way he said husband and wife made her throw aside the contract. In her ears, it sounded like he was acknowledging her for real.
He was giving her the right to act as his wife and not be courteous to him. She didn't care if he had other meanings. What she thought to be right was what she was going to go with.
Getting over that shock, a smile blossomed on her face as she looked away. In the dimly lit room, her appearance at that moment made her look so beautiful, Logan once again felt like doing something.
Seeing his thoughts straying away, he decided to continue with his teaching, however; she beat him to it.
Briar after getting rid of her shyness, or rather after cheering herself, turned her head to look at Logan, and this time, there was just a beautiful smile on her face and her eyes were sparkling as she asked, "Husband. Can I really call you that?" her tone was no longer that hesitant as it was before.
Thump-thump-thump.
Logan's heart pounded as her words sounded in his mind repeatedly. When was the last time someone called him husband?
Selena preferred calling him by his name and didn't use endearments, and now Briar was asking him about that.
Didn't she understand how fatal this was to a man?
Unfortunately, those eyes seemed clueless.
His lips curled upward into a smile as he scratched her hands. "Are you sure that's what you want to call me?"
Briar nodded her head, very firm in her decision. Logan was too casual. She had never heard Selena calling Logan's husband. She wanted this term to be her exclusive. There was no way that she was going to follow that woman's steps.
She objects.
Seeing her determined expression, Logan found himself liking her more and more.
"Since that's what you want, then go ahead. As long as it makes you comfortable."
Briar upon hearing that, beamed at him and called excitedly, "Then husband, take good care of me. I know that I lack a lot and people are going to talk ill about you in the future. But I promise you, husband, that I will work hard in these years and that we will be married. I will make sure that I won't become a burden and an embarrassment to you!" making a solemn vow.
Briar wasn't someone who pretended that she wasn't flawed. She lacked so much, to be honest. Before, she hadn't had a chance to be this intimate with Logan, so she never cared about her education. As long as she was fulfilled with what she had, then all was well.
But now she was the wife, as the wife. How could she be satisfied with her high school diploma?
"Next year I will enroll in university. I can do part time. I am too old to sit with those teenagers. This way I can do my studies and take care of the family. I don't do much at home and only work when the kids are home. So rather than wasting time, I might as well study. What do you think?" she continued, her eyes sparkling as she sought confirmation from him.
Logan had never thought about that, actually. It didn't matter if a woman was well-learned or not. Since he picked her, then it means that she was qualified. Besides, Selena was more of a semi-housewife, though she barely did what a housewife was supposed to do. She stopped working a very long time ago.
He didn't expect her to work. Having her taking care of the family and the house would suffice. But it seems that she thought much ahead of him.
Once again, he was reminded of the reason why he chose her among many women. She wasn't delusional. She knew herself pretty well and didn't make excuses to cover the flaws. Rather, she was someone who worked hard on what she wanted.
Logan caressed her hands as he looked at her with a smile, replying to her, "If that's what you want. I will support you. Just don't pressure yourself," his tone very coaxing made Briar beam further.
He didn't stop her but followed along. Whatever his thoughts were, she didn't mind. Having his support was all that mattered.
One day, she was going to graduate and get a diploma. At that time, she was going to show that vampiric family of hers that they should have invested a bit into her, or at least pretended to love her. She just wanted their love when she was young and nothing else.
Too bad that desire for their love got replaced by a different family.