Page 5 of Ruthless Reign

When I said nothing, he narrowed his brown eyes and tried a different tactic. “It would look much better if we put on a united front.”

I scoffed before I could stop myself. “United.”

“Yes,” he said. “The Caputis are not the only ones who might have a problem with our marriage…our alliance. There are those within the Roses that want you all dead.”

I tsked through my teeth and rolled my eyes, murmuring in Italian. “Despicable, rotten villains. Who will they kill next? Every Caputi child?”

“Yes,” Roman answered in the same language. “If they have their way.”

I’d forgotten he could speak my mother tongue, and a small pulse in my heart nearly had me softening toward him.Nearly.

“Where did you learn to speak Italian?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. His accent could use some work, but I wouldn’t hold that against him.

“I have an ear for languages,” he said with a shrug. “I know German, French, Spanish, and Portuguese as well. My high school teacher called me a savant, said I should go work for the CIA.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“It’s a long story.” He sighed and glanced around, crossing his arms. “Look, I promised to protect you, and the sooner the club sees us together, the sooner they’ll get used to it.”

I nodded, remembering all of the other conditions of our marriage. Living together and changing my name had only been two points of contention. The other… I shivered, wondering when we would have to fulfill that request. Would he expect it tonight? Would he hold me down and force himself on me while I closed my eyes and pretended to be somewhere else?

No, he didn’t seem the type. But then again, how well did anyone know anyone? I’d never thought my father would break my heart, that Gabriella would set her goons on me. I never thought men I’d known my entire life would blindly follow her order to beat me within an inch of my life.

“Will we have to take the deathtrap there?” I raised my chin, implying that I would sooner walk in my six-inch heels than get on the back of his motorcycle.

“You mean the bike?” He laughed. “Well, yeah. I’m the president of a motorcycle club.”

I sucked in air through my teeth. “You’d have to knock me out and throw me over your shoulder before I’ll ride on one of those despicable machines.”

“That can be arranged.” His cheeks flushed, and I could tell I was getting to him. My heart raced at the thought, my fingers itching to curl into fists.

“And where would your precious alliance be then?” I sighed. “Barely married and already planning my demise. How…predictable.”

“Trust me, wife,” he said, taking a few steps inside the room, closing the distance between us so I had to stare up at his considerable height. Despite my heels, he still towered over me. “If I wanted to get rid of you, you’d already be dead.”

“Trust me, husband,” I replied, mocking his tone. “The sentiment is mutual.”

“A stalemate it is then.”

“So it seems.” I took a deep breath, ignoring the enticing appeal of his cologne and deodorant and whatever else made his scent so masculine. The first time I’d met him, we had fought over his negligent treatment of my brother. I remembered how passionate he was as he argued with me in Italian, how he’d stood firm against me while I banged on his chest and shoved at his shoulders. He took it all with a gleam in his eye, like he enjoyed getting a rise out of me as much as I did to him. It made my blood run hot for reasons I didn’t care to examine. Nor would I ever.

This wasn’t about attraction. This was about an alliance, a compromise. But I’d always thought it was easier to attract flies with honey.

“Fine, I will accompany you to your club meeting,” I said, “as long as you drive me in your truck. If not, I can call Williams?—”

“We’ll take the truck.” He pulled one side of his mouth into an annoyingly beautiful smirk, his eyes twinkling with victory. “We leave in an hour.”

“Is that all, husband?” I asked, trying to put as much animosity into that one question as I could. If I wasn’t going to have an easy marriage to my worst enemy, neither would he.

He snorted and shook his head while he turned toward the hallway. “That’s all, wife.”

The word came out like he was trying to wipe excrement off his shoe.

Roman grabbed the door, shut it, and left me alone in my miserable little room.

2

BEAR

---