Chapter 163: You undo me Anna pulled back abruptly, eyes glinting with mischief as she pushed Daniel flat against the bed. Before he could react, she climbed over him, her knees pressing into the mattress on either side of his waist.
Her hand slid to his throat — not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to command his attention.
"But let me warn you, husband," she said, her voice low and deadly smooth, "if you ever dare to break my trust... I’ll snap your neck."
Her fingers tightened just enough to make him swallow. Daniel’s lips curved into a slow, wicked smile.
He wasn’t shocked — no, this was exactly the kind of chaos he’d expected from his wife. Anna had a way of making his life complicated, unpredictable, and endlessly exciting. If this was how she showed affection, he was more than willing to die for it — or better, die by it.
Still grinning, Daniel’s gaze lingered on her fiery expression. The morning had barely begun, but he already wanted to push her buttons a little more.
"Just snap my neck?" he drawled, voice low and teasing. His hand moved from her waist, gliding down deliberately until it cupped her soft, round buttocks.
Anna’s breath hitched. His fingers slipped under the hem of her shorts, tracing lazy, sinful circles along her hips.
"Daniel..." she started, but her voice wavered as a shiver raced up her spine.
"Do you want to be played before being killed?" she countered, trying to sound in control, though her tone cracked halfway through betraying her.
She wanted to keep the upper hand, to remind herself she wasn’t the kind of woman who’d fall so easily. Not after everything. Not after learning what betrayal felt like. If she let him in too much, he could destroy her without even meaning to.
. But damn it, he made her want to forget all that. Every time he touched her, her carefully built walls trembled.
I really need to start practicing some self-control, she thought, biting back a moan. This man is hazardous to my heart.
Daniel’s smirk deepened. He gave her a firm squeeze, then a sharp smack that made her gasp and glare down at him.
"I don’t mind being punished a little," he murmured, his voice playful but edged with dark heat, "especially if it’s by you, wifey."
That tone — part tease, part promise — sent a strange thrill through her chest. She hated how easily he could twist her emotions like this.
Her gaze lingered on his face, on those eyes that always seemed to hold a secret or two. Daniel wasn’t just confident — he was unreadable. And that, more than anything, unsettled her.
From what she knew, Daniel had never truly been involved with anyone before his alliance with Kathrine. Back then, Anna had assumed he loved Kathrine — that his sudden proposal was born from some desperate attempt to hold onto her.
But now... now she wasn’t so sure.
The way he’d given up on Kathrine, so effortlessly — even after she returned — it didn’t make sense. He’d barely looked her way. He’d barely cared.
’So then, what did he really want?’
Anna’s grip on his throat loosened as uncertainty flickered through her eyes.
Daniel noticed the shift instantly. His hand stilled on her hip, thumb tracing slow, idle circles against her skin — as if testing her resolve. He could sense her hesitation, the flicker of doubt that softened her eyes. But he wasn’t about to let her retreat. Not now. Not when she had unknowingly ignited every buried desire in him.
"How about we play then?" he murmured, his voice dark and teasing.
Anna blinked, momentarily thrown off. "Huh?"
Before she could gather her thoughts, his palm slid lower, guiding her hips in a slow, deliberate motion against him.
Her breath caught — sharp and uneven. She froze for a second, then felt the unmistakable heat of his body pressed beneath hers, the restrained tension in every breath he took. Her pulse raced.
She’d almost forgotten how much of a man Daniel really was — all control and composure until pushed too far. He’d always held back because of her warnings, because she needed space. But now... she had given him permission, even if she didn’t fully understand what that meant.
And Daniel wasn’t one to hold back once the rules changed.
Her hands, which had once gripped his neck in defiance, slid down to his chest. The solid warmth beneath her palms sent sparks up her arms. His muscles flexed under her touch, and her own body betrayed her — responding to his rhythm, following his lead without a word.
Daniel’s eyes darkened, his gaze locked on her face. Every little movement she made — the slight arch of her back, the parting of her lips as a soft sound escaped — drove him closer to the edge of reason.
He smirked when she bit her lower lip, trying desperately to suppress the sound that slipped free anyway.
"Are you enjoying it, wifey?" he whispered, his tone half-mocking, half-intoxicating.
Her only response was a faint, breathy moan as her head tilted back. She didn’t even realize she was moving now, that she had taken over the motion entirely — guided by instinct and need rather than thought.
Daniel watched her come undone, his restraint thinning by the second. For years, he’d believed control was his greatest weapon — that detachment kept him safe. But Anna had shattered that illusion effortlessly.
Somehow, this woman — the one he never planned to marry, never planned to fall for — had become the center of his world.
She was supposed to be irrelevant. A quiet, forgotten figure in the shadow of another woman. A pawn in his carefully constructed life.
But the moment she stood before him — stubborn, wounded, and refusing to be pitied — everything shifted. The meek woman he expected had turned out to be a firestorm in disguise. She challenged him, mocked him, disarmed him in ways he never anticipated.
And when she asked for a divorce on their wedding day, something inside him rebelled.
Since then, he’d told himself he was simply proving a point — that he wouldn’t lose. But somewhere along the way, it stopped being about pride. He stopped chasing her for the sake of the game and started craving her for who she was.
His wife. His undoing.
There was no way he’d let her go now. Not even if she kept believing that his heart still lingered on Kathrine. Because it never had.
His fingers brushed along her cheek, lifting her chin until their eyes met — her gaze hazy and unsure, his steady and fierce.
"You undo me, Anna," Daniel breathed, his voice thick and unguarded. "Unlike anyone ever has."
The sincerity in his tone made her heart stutter. For a moment, she almost stopped — but instead, she bit down on her lower lip, determination flickering in her eyes. Her palms pressed against his chest, grounding herself as she quickened her movements.
A low groan escaped Daniel’s throat, deep and raw. His control was slipping — fast. His hand moved of its own accord, sliding up to cup her breast, his thumb brushing over the soft curve as though memorizing the shape of her. She arched into his touch, breath shaky, pulse racing.
He wanted more — wanted to taste, to claim, to leave a mark — but he held himself back. This wasn’t about hunger alone; it was about her. His wife, who had spent so long holding her heart behind walls, was finally letting herself feel.
And he wasn’t about to ruin that moment by giving in too soon.
For too many nights, Daniel had endured cold showers and colder silences — nights haunted by the memory of her lips, the sound of her laughter, the fleeting brush of her hand. Every part of her had tested his restraint in ways he’d never known possible.
But this... this was different.
Now she was the one taking charge, the one driving him to the edge — and he found himself helpless beneath her. The woman who once threatened to snap his neck now had him undone with a single glance, a single breath.
Anna, fierce and unyielding. His beautiful disaster. His undoing.
Daniel’s hand slid down her back, fingers tracing the arch of her spine as he tried to steady himself. But the more she moved, the more he realized — there was no steadying this. Not with her.
Because every part of her — every gasp, every trembling sigh — was searing itself into his soul.
And he didn’t want to stop. Not now. Not ever.
Just as Daniel was about to reach the edge, a sudden knock shattered the rhythm.
"Ah—" Anna’s gasp tangled with his low groan as the wave finally crashed over them both, their bodies trembling in unison.
For a heartbeat, the world was still — their breaths uneven, their skin slick with heat and release. Then the knock came again, sharper this time.
Knock. Knock.