Page 45 of His to Break

“I hope some of it went in your mouth,” Vinnie teases.

Her tone is light, an indication she’s not going to dwell on last night’s argument, or whatever you’d call it. If she’s willing to let it go, that’s fine by me. I’m not interested in picking apart emotions to figure out where things went wrong.

“I’ll change.”

“Okay, I’ll leave you to it.”

Vinnie starts to walk away, but I put a hand on her arm to stop her. “Choose something for me to wear.”

She flicks her hair back over her shoulder. “Is that one of my wifely duties now?”

I shrug. “If you want to dress me, be my guest.”

Vinnie shakes her head. “Perhaps on special occasions.” She goes to my side of the closet and rummages through the rails. She tuts loudly. “You need some new shirts.”

“I’ve got dozens.”

My gorgeous wife turns to me, those perfect plump lips pursed in disapproval. “Yes, in black or white. You need some color. A pale blue, perhaps. It would make your eyes pop.”

“I dress to remind people who they’re dealing with, Vinnie. I don’t need my eyes to pop.”

My principessa scoffs. “You don’t need clothes to remind people who you are. You’d intimidate people in a pink tutu and frilly blouse.”

“If it’s a choice between the tutu and a blue shirt, I guess I’ll take the shirt.”

Vinnie grins victoriously. “I’ll buy you one the next time I’m out. What size are you, a quadruple extra-large?”

I can’t help smirking as her gaze drops to my groin. An adorable blush stains Vinnie’s cheeks when she looks up and realizes I’ve caught her staring. Clearing her throat, she turns back to the rail, picking out a pair of dark blue dress pants and a crisp white shirt.

“Do you want a jacket and tie?” she asks.

“No.”

“Would you wear them if I wanted you to?”

“Yes,” I reply without hesitation. Though I feel restricted in a tie and I rarely wear a jacket around the house, I would put them on if Vinnie asked me to. It’s important to me that she’s proud to stand by my side. “Do you want me to wear a jacket and tie?”

“No, you’re all bad boy sexy without them.”

Bad boy sexy? That appeals to my vanity. I love the thought of this beautiful, intelligent woman lusting after me. As I unbutton my cuffs, Vinnie leans back against the wall.

“You’re going to watch me undress?”

She lifts her chin in a challenging gesture. “Well, trust doesn’t seem to be on the table, so I have to enjoy the few perks this marriage offers.”

Ah, it seems beneath the sass she’s still sore about last night. If it helps distract her from that, I’m only too happy to strip for my wife. I slowly undo the buttons on my shirt, noting how Vinnie’s eyes follow my movement. Before I reach the final three buttons, I grab the fabric of the shirt and rip it open.

Vinnie gasps as buttons ping off the wall. Her eyes gleam with desire. I toss the ruined shirt to her. She holds it to her nose and breathes in my scent before dropping it to the floor. I wonder if she even realizes she did that.

Unbuckling my belt, I draw it through the loops of my pants. I double over the long strip of leather and snap the two sides together. The loud crack makes Vinnie jump. She needn’t worry. There’s no reason for me to punish her and we’ve got no time to play, so I won’t be reddening her ass right now.

As I unfasten my pants and lower the zipper, my wife bites her bottom lip. She may be pissed at me, but she can’t hide how much she likes what she sees. I turn my back to her and wiggle my ass as I shimmy out of them.

“A career at Aphrodite’s is not in your future either.” Vinnie laughs, and then sobers, presumably remembering how she stripped for me last night before things went sideways.

“Probably not,” I concede.

“I hope everyone likes the menu I chose.” Her change of subject is abrupt, but I go with it.

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