"You still haven't said anything about my cake," Sebastian muttered, looking at her.

Rose laughed softly, snuggling closer into his arms. They were sitting on the sofa, curled up together, the cake sitting half eaten on the table before them. Most of the candles had flickered out, their wax now dripping off the ledges of their house.

"I love it," she said, looking up at him with a small grin. "But I also think that I should definitely give you baking lessons before you bake a cake again."

"Come now, it wasn't that bad."

"Mhm, is that why you had just one bite and stopped?"

Sebastian fell silent.

"Thought so," Rose grinned, turning back around to face the movie playing on their TV that they had barely been paying any attention to.

"Hey, Rose?"

"Mhm?" Rose turned her head to look at him. He was still facing the TV, the changing scenes lighting him up in an ever changing spectrum of colours. But, there was a strange look on his face. Rose frowned. "What is it?"

"What happened to your hands?"

The air suddenly felt colder. She had completely forgotten about the bandages wrapped around her palm. It was a simple enough reason, of course. She could explain it easily. So why was it that her stomach was suddenly tightening with a strange anxiety?

"I, uh, I accidentally cut myself a bit," she mumbled out, her eyes flicking back to the movie. "It's nothing, really."

But Sebastian wasn't looking at the TV anymore.

Rose sharply looked back at him, her eyes widening as he lifted up one of her hands.

"You cut both your hands accidentally?" he asked quietly. Rose nodded, her eyes focused on his hand holding hers. Slowly, much to the growing tightening in her chest, he started undoing the bandages.

"Seb, stop—"

"Shush."

She wasn't sure what it was about his simple command, but she immediately shut up, sitting there frozen as he undid the bandages around her palm. With a quick flick of his thumb, he wiped off the ointment, his eyes narrowing at the thin cuts her nails had left.

"You shouldn't lie to me, Rose."

There was something about his voice that was different. Harder, almost unfamiliar. Rose's breath caught in her throat as she watched him lift up her palm, before pressing a kiss to it. Her heart was hammering against her chest, her stomach in knots. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling Sebastian's lips press kisses to her fingers, her palm, her wrist. A shiver travelled down her spine as she felt his cold fingertips graze her collarbone before he pushed the coat off her shoulder.

Malachi's coat.

"Seb, don't—"

But he had already taken the coat off her. A fist seemed to tighten around her chest as she heard the soft rustle of it falling to the ground. Her breath stilled in her chest, her mind growing painfully loud, filling with too many thoughts as Sebastian pushed her down against the couch, hovering over her.

She didn't want to let go of the coat just yet.

"You're beautiful, Rose," Sebastian whispered, interrupting her voice in her head, before leaning down to press a kiss against her shoulder. A soft, shaky breath left her lips as his travelled up, tasting the nape of her neck while his fingers deftly undid the buttons of her shirt. The thin silken material slid open, the cold air not getting a chance to graze her skin before Sebastian was on her, his ravenous mouth kissing, tasting, biting.

Suddenly, his hands were snaking around her, lifting her up off the sofa.

"Seb," Rose gasped, her fingers clutching at him as he easily lifted her up and started walking. "What are you doing?"

Seb stopped, slowly kneeling down on the floor with her in his arms. Rose wrapped her legs around his waist, her fingers digging into his shoulders, her eyes squeezed shut.

"Look at me," he whispered. As if on command, Rose's eyes blinked open, filled with anxious uncertainty as she gazed at him. Sebastian lifted a hand, his fingers gripping the back of her neck as he leaned forward, dipping Rose down to the ground. 

"I," he lowered his head, his hair brushing against her forehead, "want to fuck you on the rose petals."

-🥀-

Rose was breathing hard, her body slick with sweat in spite of the chill in the air. Crushed rose petals were stuck all over her skin, some tangled up in her hair. Sebastian lay beside her on the floor, his arm slung over her stomach, his eyes on her.

She turned her face towards him, a small smile on her lips. "That was—"

"Whose coat was that, Rose?"

Rose froze, the smile disappearing from her face. Sebastian was staring at her, his eyes hard.

"What are you talking about?" she asked quietly, trying to keep her breathing steady.

"That coat that you were wearing. That isn't yours."

Rose swallowed. Her mind was drawing a blank. Just moments ago, he had been taking her on the floor, breathing her name as he kissed every inch of her skin. And now, he was staring at her with... anger? Contempt? She wasn't sure what emotion it was, but it made her stomach turn.

"I had forgotten my coat," she said slowly, trying to keep her voice steady. "We went on a site visit—"

"We?"

Rose took a deep breath, forcing herself to not look away. "Me and Mal—" she paused, quickly correcting herself. "Mr. Iravani. The architect that you hired, remember? We went to visit the property and draw up initial plans, but I forgot my coat, so he lent me his."

It was all true. That was exactly what happened. So why was it that something akin to guilt was churning in her stomach? And, more importantly, why was it that, as she looked at her husband to figure out what he was feeling, she felt a twinge of unease?

Sebastian shifted, his face unreadable as he got up, leaning over her. "You're my wife," he whispered, shifting his weight to one arm as he lifted the other to wrap a red curl around his finger. "Mine," he repeated as he dragged his finger down the side of her face, tugging at the curl almost painfully. "You cannot imagine what it feels like, watching you sit beside me in some other man's clothes."

Rose couldn't look away, even as every part of her body tingled with a terrible, strange new feeling, completely foreign to her. She opened her mouth, hoping some words would come to her, but nothing did.

"Tell me, Rose. Tell me you're mine," he whispered, his fingers tracing the curve of her face.

Rose closed her eyes, the words tasting bitter as they left her lips.

"I am yours."

—🥀—

A/N: I'm woozying out on a couple pain meds rn, so who knows what the quality of this chapter is. I certainly don't.

BUT BUT BUT, I HAVE NEWS!

Rose crossed 5K reads!!! It is INSANE, and I'm so so grateful for your continued support! And, I have figured out a way to show my thanks :)))

Many of my readers are VERY talented writers themselves, and their works deserve all the love! And, given how difficult it can be to find good books sometimes, getting new suggestions can never hurt. So, I've decided that from now on, I'll be giving shoutouts to my amazing fellow writers in each chapter! 

Starting with, one of my very first readers, and one of the sweetest people I've met on here, nazkaye! She is a wonderful person, and a phenomenal writer! Her book, 'Velvet Chains', is an absolute MUST read. Robyn and messy boy Colton have my ENTIRE heart. Absolutely do check out her book!

I'll be back on Sunday with another chapter, and another recommendation! Until then, have a great weekend <3

Love,
Mimia