Christine's heart turned to stone when her gaze passed from his glistening, hairy chest to what he was holding in his hand. Raoul's letter was crushed between his fingers as he stared in disbelief at it.
Moments of silence passed as neither of them dared to move or breathe.
Erik broke the tension by releasing a harsh growl of anger before pushing her off of him, rising swiftly from the bed. He was still naked as he stood in front of her.
"What is this?" He snapped at her, shaking the letter in front of her face.
"I tried to tell you..."
"Tried to tell me what? That you and your lovely young man have been in contact? That he promises to come and save you when he can? That you have been acting as though you loved me for all this time." Rage crackled from him and Christine shrank further into the bed, desperately trying to cover herself.
"No! Raoul misunderstood."
"HOW DARE YOU MENTION HIS NAME IN FRONT OF ME! I AM YOUR ANGEL OF MUSIC AND I CAN TAKE AWAY EVERYTHING I HAVE GIVEN YOU." Erik had not raised his voice like this in such a long time that Christine reverted back to the state she was in when she pulled off his mask.
He stopped to pant, eyes boring into her as if she was the prize of a week long hunt.
Christine was paralysed with fear as he leaned over her, kneeling on the bed and leaving his face inches away from hers.
"You are mine." His tone was cold as he went to pull away from her but she summoned up all her courage and placed a hand on his arm.
His head snapped to the side to look at her hand. He tried to shrug it off but she persisted.
"Please, Erik."
"You made me think that you loved me." His voice was acidic, the expression on his face was a thousand times worse than his deformity.
"I do love you."
"Well he doesn't seem to think so." He shook the letter again and she made the brave move to try and pull him down into a kiss but he still resisted.
"Why did you hide it from me? If there is nothing in this then why did you let me come to you like some kind of pathetic child while you hid this from me!"
"Erik, I was worried that it would upset you."
"Upset me? I'm furious with you...and with Madame Giry. How could that bitch think that it's acceptable to bring letters from my wife's former..." Erik stopped there, realising what he had said.
"My wife." He repeated, eyes scanning her face for a reaction. "That's it. If I marry you then you will have no doubt about where your allegiances lie...and neither will he."
Christine had no idea what to say. Of course she wanted to marry Erik but she did not want to marry him for the wrong reasons.
"Come. There is work that must be done in preparation. I know a delightful little church in Perros that might serve our purposes."
Perros was the small town where she had first met Raoul as a young girl and it was where she had ran to visit her father's grave after the tumultuous events following her debut at the Opera Populaire.
"Erik! Wait..." He was attempting to pull her from the bed by her wrist. "Should we not seal our engagement with a kiss?"
Christine needed more time to think. She knew in her heart of hearts that it was Erik she wanted to be with but surely while there were still doubts in her mind she should not be marrying him.
Surprisingly, Erik smiles and leans in. Their lips lock and he draws Christine's breath from her lungs.
She expected him to pull away again after a little while so she was a little taken aback when he gripped her wrists in each of his hands and pinned them slightly above her head.
Her body responded instantly. She knew Erik was still angry with her but she couldn't help wanting him.
His strong arms flexed either side of her head, his bit her lip gently to assert his dominance before pulling his head away from her mouth so he could start kissing and grazing his teeth on her neck.
Christine cried out as he sank his teeth deeper into her neck before sucking on the flesh there. He was marking her as his own for all the world to see.
"Erik.."
"Christine?"
"Be gentle."
"No." He laughed.
Another twinge from her body. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Christine loved it when he was like this. It was something that was entirely Erik's. Raoul had only ever behaved as though he was a tentative young boy who was losing his virginity for the first time.
"Stop it." She thought to herself. "You must stop comparing them."
Erik thrust his hips down quickly, his cock was swelling again and she was grateful that their were no pesky clothes between them.
His tight grip on her wrists loosened and he eventually let go as he ran them down her body, cupping a breast and and rolling his rough thumb around a hardened nipple.
She bent her head down slightly, hoping he'd take the hint and kiss her again but he moved further away, kissing down the rounded mound of her breast before wrapping his lips around the nipple adjacent to the one receiving attention from his thumb.
Christine went to sit up but found that his hand quickly left her chest and pushed her shoulder back down onto the bed. The Phantom was in control now.
Erik lashed at the aroused area with his tongue, feeling the small folds and creases of her skin.
He looked up to her, their eyes locked and he burned her with the heat of her eyes. She remained staring into them until he broke it, his attention turned to the sensitive underside of her breast which he delicately nipped.
Christine groaned as he kissed his way down her torso, tongue stopping briefly to dip into her naval. Something she found oddly arousing.
Her breath caught in her throat as she realised what Erik's final destination was going to be. He had done it to her a few times before and she knew that it was something that could easily drive her over the edge very quickly.
Erik looked up again and saw her biting her lip in anticipation, he felt arousal flush through his own body as her heart rate increased rapidly. Christine needed him and that was a fact that he was very well aware of.
His tongue flicked out, brushing past her lightly. Her hips sprang forward in a wild and desperate buck. He smiled to himself before leaning down and touching his lips to her.
She cried out as his tongue danced across her pulsating nub with the grace of a ballerina. He resisted the urge to plunge his fingers into her, knowing that it would be over far too quickly if he did.
Christine could have easily fallen into his sweet intoxication as he tasted her like the forbidden fruit of Eden. She moaned and placed her hand delicately on the back of his head.
He sucked the tiny nib into his mouth and kept it there until he was sure that she was going to find the release that she craved with only a few seconds more. That's when he released and pulled his head away.
"Erik?" She blurted out, sitting up slightly so she could see what had caused the interruption.
"Good night." He stood in front of her, his cock aching for the entrance between her legs.
"But..."
"Do you want me?"
"I always want you." Her voice was still quavering with desire.
"Then perhaps tonight will serve as a reminder of that." He turned from her and shook his head as the final refusal of her protests.
Once the door to her bedroom was closed he leant heavily against it. He hated himself for leaving her in such a state but he knew that if she didn't know who she wanted then she would never agree to marry him and he would never force her. Erik cursed the erection that had come about as a consequence of his plan and he moved swiftly down the corridor to his own room.
It was empty and cold inside. He sank down on the side of his bed and almost cried out as he wrapped his hand around his own burning flesh.
His eyes shut, he began to think about Christine. About all the little things she did while he was making love to her that drove him wild. He thought of the way she called his name as he brought her intense pleasure. The image of her eyes which bore into him when they came together made his hand increase the tempo.
His feet pushed down into the floor and his free hand grabbed large swathes of the bedding material as he reached the climax he had longed for. He was so close to shouting her name but he swallowed it back. The release felt empty without her but it would satisfy him for now.
He cleaned himself off in the bathroom before returning to bed, in the knowledge that he would not have to keep up this pretence of being angry with Christine for long.