Page 60 of Ruthless Reign

“I’ve already picked up the rings,” she said, facing me. “If Titus is right, Gabriella will plan to crash the ceremony as we make our vows.”

I fixed the button on my cuff and cracked my neck, ignoring the churning in my gut from the thought of finally facing down that Caputi bitch. This war had been going on my whole life, and to see it end would lift a weight off my shoulders the size of Jupiter.

“Then, there’s the matter of my cousins,” she said, walking back to her closet and returning with a pair of sparkling strappy heels and a tiny scrap of black fabric. She’d been wearing a robe to get ready, but now shucked it down her arms to reveal lace lingerie under her dress. “Chesco will keep his word, but Della—” She paused to glance at me, and while I was paying attention to what she said (I truly was), I couldn’t help running the length of her tanned, satin skin with my gaze. It was as soft as it looked, and even though she had bruises on her thighs from where I’d bitten her two nights ago, I found myself anticipating what other marks I could leave. “Are you listening, husband?”

I quickly shifted my focus to her eyes. “Of course,mia cara.”

She raised an eyebrow and stalked closer in her little black dress, turning to sit on my lap as she pulled her hair to the side. “Zip me up, please.”

I groaned when her plump, delicious ass rocked up against my cock, nearly half hard from watching her shimmy into her dress. I grabbed the metal and slid it up her body as slowly as I could, delighting in the feminine scent of her hair and the soft feel of her spine on my fingers.

“Della is still playing dummy,” Julia said, glancing over her shoulder with furrowed brows. “She thinks she’s smart, asking me things in ways that sound innocuous. I’ve been playing along.”

In the weeks since their visit, Chesco had reached out to Leo with hesitant optimism. Frankie and Sulli wanted to meet to discuss next steps, and I tried not to let fear take over. Leo assured me it was a good thing, and Julia seemed accepting of Chesco’s help, but the Caputis had tricked us before. I needed to keep my guard up. Della, on the other hand, had always been Julia’s best friend, so if she really was betraying her, that had the potential to hurt my wife in more ways than one.

I ran my hands over Julia’s hips and down to her ass, giving the flesh a tender squeeze. “I think you’re worrying too much for someone who’s about to spend all night worshipping my cock.”

Her eyes heated, and a blush graced her cheeks before she bit her bottom lip and stood to grab her heels.

“Perhaps you’re right,” she said, sliding one foot into the shoe before bending over to twist the straps over her lower calf. “Perhaps I can forget about it for one night.”

“Come here,” I said, waving my fingers at her.

She lifted her leg and dug the heel into my chest, and I bit back a grin while I held her ankle and latched the buckle into place. Meeting her gaze, I leaned down to kiss the top of her foot before letting her go. She gave me that adorable grin beforedoing the same with the other shoe. I fixed that one into place, kissed it, and stood.

“I think”—I brushed her hair behind her ear and ran my knuckles down the side of her cheek—“you’re amazing. You’ve played this game far longer than almost anyone else. You’re smart and capable, and we’re going to win. But tonight is about turning off that voice inside your mind that’s constantly planning ten steps ahead.”

I remembered what she said about wanting to feel calm and peaceful during our scenes. My control over her meant she didn’t have to think anymore. It meant she only had to do what I told her and nothing else. It tickled a dark, depraved part of me that she liked it as much as she did, especially considering I was a filthy Rose and she’d been raised to hate everything about me.

“I have a gift for you,” I said, reaching into my pocket to retrieve a decadent black silk collar. We’d been invited to the Beacon’s first anniversary party weeks ago, but I had no way of knowing the depth of this thing between us at the time. Now, Iownedthis side of her. Now, shewantedme to own it. The collar made it official and signaled to everyone else in attendance she belonged to me. No one was allowed to touch without my permission, and I was a greedy, spoiled shit, so that meant no one touched at all.

She wasmytoy,mypet,mydirty little Caputi cumslut, and we both liked it that way.

“Do you know what this is?” I asked when her eyes widened and she inhaled a sharp gasp. “Do you know what it means?”

She touched her bare throat and nodded, looking back up at me. “It means I’m yours, that I belong to you. That we’re in kink headspace.”

“That’s right,” I said. “Do you want to wear it?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.” She brushed her hair over one shoulder and turned around so I could place it on her delicate throat and latch it into place.

“I know this…relationship…wasn’t what either of us wanted.” I cleared my throat as she turned back to face me, her delicate fingers tracing over the strap of soft fabric. “But I’ve grown fond of it. Of you.”

Julia smiled and met my gaze with fire in her eyes. “Me too.”

“When you wear the collar, it means we’re in scene. I have the control, so you don’t have to worry. You don’t have to wonder what to do or plan your next step. I’ll do that for you.”

She nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” True, I liked it when she fought. The night she held a knife to my throat played in my darkest fantasies on repeat. But I also liked her like this—pliant and willing andmine.“Now, take off your panties and put them in my hand.”

She snapped her attention up and froze, squaring her jaw like perhaps she meant to argue with me. “What?”

“You heard me,” I said, holding my hand out palm up. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

“No, of course not,” she said. “It’s just…my skirt is short and when I sit?—”

“Do you need to use your safeword? We can renegotiate our terms if this is a limit for you.”

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