She examined his chest, stomach, arms, and neck but found nothing. "Turn around," she instructed.
Arlan turned, presenting his back to her, suppressing a smile. "Make sure to check thoroughly."
"I’m not checking with my eyes closed," she retorted, her eyes scanning his back. As she searched for the tattoo, her fingers traced the skin of his strong, wide back, feeling the temptation to explore more.
"Are you trying to seduce me now?" Arlan asked.
Oriana pulled her fingers back and took a deep breath to calm herself. "I don’t see anything."
"I’m not entirely naked yet," Arlan commented.
"I wonder how a man can be so desperate to stand naked in front of his wife," she retorted.
"I’m just trying to let you search for the tattoo. If you don’t want to, we can leave it at that."
"No. Just take off your pants," she insisted.
"I’ve been instructed to keep my hands still as wood logs," Arlan countered.
Oriana frowned and stepped in front of him. Her hands moved to unbutton his pants after removing his belt, her breath catching in her chest. "Shameless."
"I’m not the one removing someone else’s clothes with such desperation," he teased with a playful smirk.
Oriana pulled his pants down slightly but then stopped and turned away. "Use those wood logs to take off your pants already."
"Done," he replied, as if expecting her reaction.
"You removed your pants?" she asked, still facing away.
"As far as I can see, there isn’t a single thread of clothing on my body," she heard him say.
"You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?" she asked with a frown.
"As far as I can see, you’re the one who will be enjoying it. If you want me to enjoy it, then remove your clothes and let me admire your naked body in the broad daylight."
"Dream on."
"I can only dream when my wife is a fierce demoness."
"I’m turning around."
"I’m all yours."
Oriana turned around, her gaze initially refusing to move down, but she slowly lowered it. She awkwardly cleared her throat when her eyes reached below his well-toned waist. Her cheeks turned red with embarrassment, while he stood there without a hint of shame, instead flaunting his naked body.
"Are you just going to look or actually check?" he asked.
"Not a shred of shame," she mumbled.
"Why would I be shy in front of my wife?" he replied. "Don’t forget you’ve done more with my perfect body than just looking at it. Those little hands of yours..."
"Enough," she interrupted, not wanting to hear more. She began to inspect him below the waist, along his strong and well-toned legs, keeping a few steps away, then circling him. There was nothing at all.
Her words were cut off as he whispered against her lips, "Don’t be sad. I have a way to make you feel better, which is better than finding a tattoo," and sealed her lips with his own. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
"And you fell for it," he replied, his voice hoarse, his hot breath fanning her flushed cheeks. "We should find more ways to entertain each other, shouldn’t we?"
"What are you planning?" she asked, her eyes locked onto his, her breath shallow.
His hands moved to loosen her dress. She tried to stop him but heard him say, "If you don’t want me to rip this dress, you better stay still."
She stopped her protest and soon found her dress gone from her body. "It’s daytime, and we have other things to do."
"Nothing is more important than this," he said, carrying her naked body to the bed. Before she could comprehend, her hands were being tied above her head with his belt to the ornate headboard.
"What are you doing?" she panicked.
"Preparing to torment you," he said, finishing tying her hands and leaning closer to her, his eyes gazing into her anxious ones. "You don’t know the wicked things I have in mind for you. In the royal court when you said all that, all I could think about was when I could take you away and have you under me."
Oriana gulped, her anxious gaze fixed on him. "You don’t need to tie my hands. Free them."
"That’s not fun," he replied, kissing her lips. Then, her eyes were covered as well. "Arlan."
"I am here."
"I can’t see."
He chuckled. "That’s the purpose of covering your eyes."
"Why?" she grew more anxious, almost feeling the urge to use her powers to free herself, but she heard Arlan say, "You will know soon. Be patient."
Oriana sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm herself, giving up on using her powers. Though anxious, there was an anticipation of something unknown.
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