Page 75 of Ruthless Reign

23

JULIA

Igulped and turned to face him, steeling myself for this inevitable face-off. “Roman, I?—”

“Shh,” he hissed, cutting me off. “I know.”

My jaw hung open, and I furrowed my brows. “You know?”

“Of course.” He raised an eyebrow and nodded. “You’re about to tell me how sorry you are, how much you regret running out on me. You’re about to get on your knees and plead for my forgiveness.”

Suddenly, the burning shame in my chest gave way to all-out gall.Get on my knees? Plead for forgiveness?

Who did he think he was?

I’d been trying to keep him safe. By ensuring we were emotionally detached from each other, he wouldn’t become a way for my family to control me, to humiliate me, or cause either of us pain. He didn’t know the extent of how terrible the Caputis were.

“I beg your pardon,” I said, crossing my arms in clear defiance.

“Good. Go on then. Beg.” Roman smirked, his eyes darkening as he dragged a finger up my arm to my shoulder and over thethin strap of my dress. “Beg for my attention. Beg me to forgive you for leaving me at the Beacon, for not answering my calls.”

His audacity and arrogance made me equally attracted to him and frustrated with him. I didn’t know whether I wanted to obey or stab him in the face.

“You said you wanted space.” His gaze flicked to mine. “You called the safeword and ran away from me.”

“After you said you loved me,” I snapped. “Don’t you remember this isn’t about love? This is pretend.”

“Hmm.” He nodded and crowded me against the table, running his hand over my clavicle to my throat, his cool metal rings biting into my skin as he flattened his palm over the divot at the base of my neck. “Pretend.”

“Yes,” I reiterated, but even then, my shaking voice betrayed me. It hadn’t been pretend in a long time, not for him, and certainly not for me. Still, I couldn’t back down. If I admitted it, if I let him in, this would end in heartache. I knew it. I felt it in my gut.

He moved even closer, forcing me to sit on the table to avoid getting caught in his trap. And once my legs were spread, he quickly positioned himself between them.

“When you wear your pretty lingerie and make me dinner wearing nothing else, that’s pretend?” Roman’s hold on me tightened as he coasted his palm up my windpipe to just under my jaw, holding my head right where he wanted it. I shivered under his control, seeing the speeding train going off the rails but knowing I couldn’t stop it. I was addicted to him, and since I’d deprived myself of him for two whole days, I now would do anything for a hit.

“Yes,” I murmured, ignoring the drop in my belly and the clench between my legs.

“And when you kneel and crawl to me, that’s just pretend?” He tilted his hips toward me, brushing the thick ridge behind his jeans up against my throbbing clit.

I moaned out another, “Yes,” tilting my head to the side as he leaned into my ear.

“And when you fall apart under me, gushing on my cock, I’m guessing that’s pretend as well?”

“None of it’s real.” It sounded like a lie, even to my own ears, though I’d been desperate to make it a reality.

“Uh-huh.” He shifted his hand around to the back of my neck and fisted my hair in a tight grip, yanking my head so I exposed my throat to him. It hurt, but how I loved it. A groan of pure arousal shot out of me. “Oh, my little wife. I adore how your lips form those pretty lies.”

“They’re not—” I tried to get out my rebuttal, but he pulled me off the table and flipped me around, slamming me down so hard, I nearly winced. My tender breasts ached on the wood, my cheek pulsing with a sharp smack as he held my face to the side.

“Don’t you dare lie to me again,” he said, leaning over me. The jeans on his thighs pressed up against the bare skin on mine, my dress having hiked up with the movement. Now, I lay exposed to him, my thin lacy underwear doing nothing to conceal just how much I wanted him—wanted this. “Let’s see just how much you’re pretending, huh?”

One hand held my head down while the other ducked under my hemline and dragged the satin up…up…up over my hips, completely baring me to him. He straightened and glanced down, letting out a laugh that sent the burn of embarrassment cascading through my body and into my cheeks. He dragged two fingers over my panties, from my ass to my clit and back up again, shaking his head.

“Oh, such a lying little wife,” he said, shoving my underwear down to my ankles, exposing me to him. “What am I going to do with you?”

I took a deep breath and sighed, knowing I’d been caught. Yes, I still wanted him. I’d always want him. This game, this magic, between us had enchanted me more than I’d ever thought it would. But still, I wouldn’t go down without a fight.

“Such a brute,” I snarled, trying to shove my way up. He pushed me back down harder.

---