Page 41 of Souls and Sorrows

“Of course, I mean, our financial and societal aspirations. Any other … benefits should probably be avoided.”

“Oh good. I was wondering how long it would take you to call that a mistake.”

He scowls. “Excuse me?”

Putting my box down and shoving it behind me, I extend my legs on the floor and plant my hands between them, arching my back in a long stretch.

“Some guys have that vibe,” I say, rolling my head down and around.

“That vibe?”

“Yep. You know, the kind of guys who like fucking around, especially at a woman’s expense, but then things get a little too intense and they back out or try to pretend it never happened.” I look up, giving him a slow once-over. “Sorry to say you fit the bill,Counselor.”

“I have two siblings who would love to hear about this notion of me being some sort of playboy.” He takes a step into the room, working his jaw as he glares down at me. “Though I’m not sure I like the impression I seem to have made on you.”

Again, I shrug. “I’d have been disappointed if you were different.”

“Different.” He stops coming toward me, letting his hands fall to his sides.

I feel him study me for several minutes, but I drop my gaze to the floor, wishing he would just leave.

I don’t appreciate how it feels as if he’s the one disappointed. As if I have any reason to view him differently from men in my life before him when he’s only proven to take what they once had in their grasp.

“Right. Well, I’ve got to get to the office, so I guess just … make yourself at home.” Tapping his left leg, he reconsiders that sentence. “I don’t care if you make this your personal space, but know that I want you inmybed this evening.”

“Are you going to fuck me in it?”

Guess I just crave the sting of rejection.

He doesn’t say anything for a moment, and I don’t really know why I even asked.

Guess I just crave the sting of rejection.

“I’m asleep promptly at ten every night. I won’t give you a bedtime, so long as you promise not to turn the lights on or bother me if I’ve made it there before you.”

I swallow, ignoring the dig at my maturity. For some reason, the notion that he won’t touch me at night fills me with both relief and dread.

On the one hand, it’s nice to think sex really isn’t why he did this. That all he wants is to control Ricci Inc.

On the other, it’s hard to believe. Part of me can’t help wondering if he doesn’t find me attractive enough to fuck, though what we did in the car earlier would suggest otherwise.

Maybe he’s just as unsure about all of this as me.

“If you need anything, feel free to phone my office. I’ve left emergency contact numbers on the kitchen island downstairs, and a driver will be around to take you anywhere you might need to go.”

“I can leave?”

“You can be escorted. I’d prefer if you didn’t visit family at this juncture though. The media will have a fucking field day with us when they find out we merged two incredibly powerful and notorious families.”

“A top lawyer and a Mafia kid, no less.”

“The least of the Primrose scandals, I can assure you.”

“Is that why you became a lawyer? To mitigate your family’s legal troubles?”

“My father would’ve loved that, but no. I deal primarily with environmental issues and business law. Honestly, eighty percent of my job is just filing paperwork.”

“No wonder you came to the rougher side of town and bought yourself something pretty.” I pull my feet in, hugging my knees to my chest. “Bet it gets pretty boring otherwise, huh?”

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