The Beast's Bride

Sleep on bed?

She followed Deucalion's broad shoulders down to the last room on the right. He led her through the largest door, one fit for the Alpha. Shockingly. It was actually double doors, intricately carved, heavy wooden doors. He gestured to her while he stood to the side, letting her go inside in front of him.

Holy crap, she thought. Like the living room, it was sparsely decorated, typical bachelor pad. But what had her gaping was the huge bed against the left-hand wall. Way bigger than King size. Now she understood the term orgy-sized. The walls were painted a deep, dove grey. The sheets and blankets on the bed were black. Of course they were. The carpet under her feet was plush and a few shades darker than the walls. Two doors also framed the bed. One she assumed was a closet, the other a bathroom. Two huge armoires stood against the wall across from the bed, framing another door. There was no TV or other means of entertainment in the bedroom. He meant it for sleeping…or other activities.

Moving past her, he went to drop her bags in front of one of the armoires. He opened the doors to show that it was empty. The mirrors in the doors threw her startled reflection back at her. She was pale against the white dress, her copper hair the only splash of color against her skin. Even her freckles had paled. Lips and eyes were dull. She probably needed some food, but right now, she just couldn't muster up the energy to be hungry.

"This one is yours," he said. "There's also room in the closet for when your stuff arrives."

"I don't get my own room?"

Silently, he shook his head.

"So, does that mean that we have to…share a bed?"

Longer than she wanted, he stared at her, studying her face before roaming her body again. Then he jerked his head toward the mystery door. "Look in there." It wasn't a request.

So she did as she was told. It was a small order, nothing life threatening. It ended up that there was an entertainment room on the other side. Directly across the way was another plush couch, bigger than the one in the living room. In front of that was the fireplace. Above the mantle was a massive flat screen television. On the mantle was the cable box and dvd player. On the left-hand wall were two floor to ceiling bookshelves that were lined with movies and games. Looking back into the bedroom she found that yes, she'd looked over the massive picture window that was covered by thick black drapes. Apparently, the man was allergic to color. Well, since he was adamant about her living here, Allison would just have to fix that, because she was certainly not allergic to color.

"You said unlimited funds, right?" she asked over her shoulder.

He nodded.

She smiled brightly. "Good."

Those dark eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Waving it away, she went back to join him in the bedroom. "So why did you make me look in there after asking if we were sharing a bed?"

"Because even though you're willing, I suspect that this is all overwhelming. I wanted you to know that you have a place to escape. If the doors are closed while you're in there, I will know to give you your space. It's a big adjustment."

Gee, you think? she thought. But then she noticed he hadn't said anything about sleeping separately. "Wait a minute, we still have to sleep in the bed?"

His expression tightened, going rigid. "Yes," he bit out. "Couches are not for sleeping on, especially that one. You will sleep in the bed with me, that is custom."