Page 42 of Wretched Choices

“You’re right. I avoided you, I had my own reasons for that.

I cover the wound before looking at him. “You don’t get to judge me, Salvatore. It was my choice and no one else’s.” My voice shakes a little, and I take a deep breath to control myself.“So, can we please not talk about it? I don’t owe you any answers.”

“Fine, for now.”

“Now and in the future. This is an agreement, Salvatore, not a real marriage.”

“Fine. You can take a shower. I’ll clean up here.”

“You go first. I need to pull the pins out of my hair.”

He nods and takes his clothes off. I watch him pulling down his pants and underwear, showing me off his firm ass and muscular legs. His cock is smeared with my blood. And it isn’t a little. It’s too much for virgin blood. I wince, the image reminding me of the pain between my legs.

I take the pins out and turn to Salvatore, washing his blood off his body and mine from his cock. And then I do something stupid. I take my torn clothes off and join him in the shower.

seventeen

Salvatore

I close my eyes under the rush of the shower and all I can see is blood.

I see the blood all the time. Mine or from the men who had been unfortunate enough to get on my bad side.

But the blood I see most is on my cock. From my wife.

A virgin.

If I said I was surprised, that would be an understatement. What twenty-six-year-old stays a virgin? Is it because of her beliefs or something else?

I should have sent her to her father and made a deal with him. If I knew what I know now, it would have been for the best.My lustful thoughts would have disappeared, and I would never have broken my promise.

When she listed her request, she told me sex was off the table. I just thought she was playing hard to get. I’m not the man who coerces a woman into sex. Even if that woman is my wife. Not that I did that. She climbed onto my lap and pushed herself down my cock. But why do Ifeellike I coerced her?

My eyes snap open when I feel a presence behind me. I don’t move. What game is she playing?

She rounds me and stands in front of me. Water washes my blood from her, and she looks from me to the wound on my shoulder.

“You’ll need some antibiotics for this.”

I place my hands on the tiles behind her, pressing myself against her. I lean down, leveling my eyes with hers. “Why are you here?”

Confusion flashes all over her face. “What do you mean? You forced me into being here...”

I cut her off. “No, I mean here under the shower with me? You requested this marriage to be on paper. Or was that one of your games?”

She narrows her eyes at me. “What games?” I clench my teeth, not elaborating. She continues. “I have no idea what I’m doing. I hate everything about you. What you represent. And still, there’s something that pulls me to you like a magnet. And I don’t even know you.” She places her hand on my chest over my heart.

And this is why I should have sent her back to her father. But what else could I have expected from a good Catholic girl? A virgin who wants to get to know me?

No, she doesn’t need to know me. We can never happen.

I take her hand from my chest, my voice harsh. “Don’t analyze me, Bella. What you’ll find you will not like, and, therefore it’sbetter if you don’t know me.” Hurt fills her face, and before I regret what I said, I turn and exit the shower and the bathroom.

“What have you got for me, and it better be good,” I bark, entering my office where Gabriel, Dante, and a few of my men are waiting for me. Gabriel and Dante are in their usual seats.They followed me here. I didn’t need to give them orders; they knew what I needed.

They look at each other before Gabriel speaks. “We have two men, injured but alive. We’re waiting for them to regain consciousness so we can interrogate them.”

I nod, pouring myself a generous amount of drink before taking a seat in my chair. I take a sip of my drink. “What else?”