Page 13 of Ruthless Reign

“Regardless,” he said, “it needs to be in front of the other Roses. A piece of paper means nothing to them. Leo was right; we need to show them this is a true marriage for them to accept it.”

“A true marriage?” That almost made me laugh again. “You and I will never have that.”

“Not with that attitude.” Roman’s stoic voice made me want to slap him, and had he not been driving, I might have.

“Well, get used to it,” I said. “It’s the only one I’ve got.”

“Some partner,” he said, seemingly under his breath.

It set my temper ablaze. “Partner? Oh, is that what you wanted when you bought me from my brother?”

“You agreed to the marriage,” he said. “Don’t blame me for this.”

“I do,” I hissed. “I blame you and your stupid club. If it weren’t for you, none of this would have happened.”

“Is that what you think?” His voice grew louder, his cheeks flushing with what must be his fury rising inside him.

“That’s what I know,” I said. “This whole war started because your idiot president couldn’t keep his hands to himself.” The president before Crow had been in love with Gabriella. When she chose Benito over him, he went ballistic and took out a bunch of Caputis in one night, trying to get to her. Some men just couldn’t handle rejection.

“And if Gabriella Caputi had left her legs closed long enough to get married, there never would have been a bloodbath to begin with,” he snarled.

“Sure, blame the victim,” I yelled, balling my hands into fists so I didn’t start swinging them. “I can see what marriage with you is going to be like.”

He pulled up in front of his house and shoved the gear shifter to park. I opened the door and climbed out before he could reply, stomping up the porch steps despite my heels.

“You should be grateful I agreed to this at all,” Roman yelled, trailing after me. “Thirty-one and still a spoiled, frigid bitch. I can’t imagine why no one wanted you.”

Grateful?I’d never been more insulted in my life. He put his key in the door, twisted it open, and stepped aside so I could go first. But my anger had taken over, and I couldn’t stop myself. My hand swung out and connected with his cheek before I knew what I’d done.

He whipped his head to the side from the impact and slowly looked back at me, his gaze twinkling with both fury and something else, something sinister and enthralled. My heart pounded, and I gasped for air, my palm stinging from where it had connected with his cheek. Anticipation flooded my blood as I waited to see what he would do, but my wrath did not dissipate.

“I am notunwanted,” I said, remembering my beloved Vittori and Hugo. “Don’t ever talk to me like that again.”

“Or what?” He leaned in, twisting his features into a sneer. “What will you do,wife?”

I reached up to smack him again, but he reacted quicker this time. He grabbed my wrist and hauled me back against the doorframe, holding my arm above my head with one hand and wrapping the other around my throat—not tight enough to hurt but enough to tell me that he was in charge, that he would take control of the situation if he needed to.

The heat of his body seeped into my thin blouse, tightening my skin, making me shiver. My legs spread to accommodate his, and a distinct bulge pressed against my hip bone. That too sent trembles through my body. He smelled like deodorant and cologne and wind and leather, and the delectable concoction stoked the flames of my rebellion. I hated him more in that moment than I ever had, and yet, as he leaned in closer, pressing his forehead to mine, I had an insatiable desire for him to close the space between us and press his lips to mine.

He terrified me in the best possible way, like jumping out of an airplane and not knowing whether the parachute would open. He could kill me, but wasn’t that the point? Everyone needs a thrill every once in a while.

“The last person who hit me ended up as pig feed,” he murmured.

I took a deep breath to squelch the rotten images that generated in my mind.

“Getting rid of me so soon?” I scoffed. “And here I thought you were made of sterner stuff.”

“Oh,mia cara,”he whispered, and the tendrils of hot breath shot down the front of my shirt, coasting across the tender skin of my breasts, squeezing my nipples into tight balls that ached for his perfect teeth. “For you, I’d be willing to make an exception.”

I pretended the lurch in my lower stomach had nothing to do with the endearment pouring off his lips, coating my skin like a tender caress. He rubbed his thumb over my pulse as he brushed his nose across my cheek, my pulse hammering between my temples.

“You hit me again, and I’ll do much worse than shove you up against the doorjamb,” he said, and I couldn’t tell if that was a threat or an innuendo. Probably both. He backed away, and therush of humid nighttime air filled the void he left, making my skin break out in sweaty chills.

I took a deep breath to try to stem my racing heartbeat, and when I turned to follow him inside, I found the space empty. He might have gone to the bathroom or went ahead to his room, but I didn’t care. After how disturbing my reaction to him had been, I secretly hoped I never saw him again.

On unsteady legs, I sauntered through the great room to the stairs, taking them as slowly as I could manage with a respectable gait up to my room, quietly clicking the door closed behind me.

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