The Billionaire's Rebellious Bride

20. "The morning after."

Chapter Twenty

Adonis' POV

I woke up and noticed Elena staring at the ceiling.

"Hey," I pulled her closer, and planted a kiss on her temple.

I felt her stiffened.

I followed her gaze as she continued to look at the ceiling. When there was nothing in there, I asked, "are you okay?"

"Um... yeah," she moved, stirring away from me.

I felt her sudden aloofness, making my eyebrows rise.

I caught her hand when she was about to stand up, "where are you going?"

"I-I have to go to the bathroom."

I clasped her face, and gave her a proper morning kiss, "hurry up," I said, teasing her.

Her smile was forced. She stood up, all naked, and ran to the bathroom.

I smiled, thinking she was shy. She shouldn't be after last night. We bared not just our bodies, but also our souls.

I admit, our love making was the best that I ever had in my entire life. She blew my mind away. All my nerve endings were on fire with her touch.

My eyes caught the blood stain on the bed sheet.

My suspicion was right. It was her first time. I felt her tensed when I entered her for the first time.

I groaned. The thought of hurting her made me feel bad. I should have made her first time very special. But on second thought, she denied it last night. It probably embarrassed her and I guessed, it was not right of me to ask while we were on the verge of doing the act.

Elena came back wearing a white bath robe. She looked more composed and confident than earlier when she was naked. Her eyes were cold and she had a blank facial expression.

"Come here," I extended a hand, but she shook her head and clasped her arms together.

"What's wrong?"

"This is so wrong," she raised her hands briefly in exasperation, "last night shouldn't have happened. I was not myself!"

"Hey, hey, calm down. What are you talking about?" I sat down on bed, leaning my back against the headboard.

"That tea last night is an aphrodisiac, and I drank two cups! I lost my mind. I did things that I shouldn't be doing."

My eyes immediately darkened. I yanked the blanket open, all naked, I walked to a closet and put on cotton shorts. Without turning to Elena, I asked.

"Are you blaming the tea for what happened between us last night?"

"Yeah."

Her answer made my heart sink.

Pressing my lips together, I felt the screams of frustrations at the back of my throat.

"So, you regretted it."

"That shouldn't happen. It messes up this arranged marriage deal."

"What happened last night was our own free will. You wanted it as much as I did."

She shook her head vigorously, "I acted crazy, like a wanton woman. That was not my behavior at all. The tea was responsible for it, Adonis. Not me. No wonder, the old woman only served one cup per person."

"It was just plain green tea. They ran out of supplies last night, the reason she was giving only one cup per person. I know because Peter asked and she could not give him anymore."

"Then why was I sober after I drank the tea. Remember? You saw it yourself."

"Yeah, but I made you drink plenty of water before you drink that tea. So don't blame the tea, Elena... or the water. It was all you."

I waited for a comeback, but there was none.

She was silent, thinking. I wished I knew what was running inside that pretty head.

My heart melted seeing her facial expression. She looked really confused,

"It already happened, and we just have to look at it from a brighter side," I continued, easing the tension between us, "what's important is, you and I have this kind of connection. Just like you said last night, let's get the most out of this marriage."

"I can't do it."

"Why not? We're good together."

She sat there in the corner of the room, looking so down and distracted. She closed her eyes briefly, then heaved a sigh, "I need more time to process everything. This is too overwhelming for me."

My heart sank after hearing those words. I expected for our relationship to move forward. But seeing her sad, I set aside my own feelings.

I knelt down beside her and caressed her back. 

"Don't worry, I understand. Let's take this slow and steady. I won't pressure you in anything that you're not ready."

I could feel her sudden relief. 

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

That day, we spent time in the beach. Swimming, sunbathing, talking about random stuff, laughing and enjoying each other's company. 

Slowly, it felt like we were getting closer, and became comfortable with each other. 

"You're enjoying too much sketching, you forgot about me," I teased her when she was silent and concentrated on her drawing. 

"I'm sorry. I'm just trying to finish this one," she smiled, glancing at me.

"Can I see?" I asked, and she showed me her illustration of a girl in blue dress, "you're really good. I think you should push through with your plan in making your own collection."

"Hopefully in the future."

"Just tell me when, and I'll support you on it," I assured her, and she fell silent, not pursuing the topic anymore. 

I found Elena very unique. She was not like the other women that I knew. She had this virility that I admired. She was independent, strong, courageous and assertive. She carried her own luggage, she dealt with pests, she would not scream, she had a technical sense, fixing a problem on her own, like unclogging the drain, she would stay out of the sun uncaring of the heat, she would not stay long in the mirror applying makeup, and other things.

What made me curious more was, she knew how to play chess. She enjoyed watching basketball and Formula 1 racing. Those were something that I also enjoyed.