Page 31 of Brutal Vows

Her straightforward tone and the way she glares at me despite the fear lurking in her eyes increase my respect for her. She couldn’t be more different from Julieta. She’s perfect.

I curl my hands into fists and press my knuckles into the hard counter.

“And why would I do that?” I ask.

“Because the door locks both ways and there’s a camera in the room already,” she says.

I fill my lungs with her tempting scent and shake my head.

“We’re sleeping in the same room tonight,” I decree.

Her pupils shrink. She studies my face. Searches my eyes. Swallows.

“Fine,” she says.

My cock jerks. Her acceptance, no matter how reluctant, sends a thrill to the feral beast lurking within my soul.

“I wasn’t asking your permission,gattina,” I snarl.

“I know,” she quips, but by the challenge flaring in her eyes, she’ll gladly gut me the first chance she gets if I cross the line again.

I growl, step back, grab her nape, and push her in front of me. The bottom hem of the t-shirt teases the back of her thighs as I guide her down the hall and into the bedroom. When I stomp to the far side of the bed, flip the blankets down, and gesture for her to lie down, she flicks wary eyes up at me before lowering herself onto the sheets.

I flip the blankets back over her and give her a warning glare before taking her phone and the dishes to the kitchen. When I return to the room with a charger for my phone and a stack of blankets, she hasn’t moved a muscle.

I drop the blankets on the bed, lock the door, drag the dresser in front of it, and plug my phone in on my side of the bed before grabbing the top blanket from the stack. Her bright green eyes watch me warily as I fold it in half and cover only her side of the bed. I turn on the lamp on my bedside table before turning off the overhead light. Even when I settle on top of the sheets and pull a separate blanket over me, she doesn’t relax.

Ten minutes later, she remains stiff as a board beside me.

“Go to sleep, Loretta,” I command.

She sighs and rolls onto her side, facing away from me, and despite the stress of the day, she continues to challenge me by lying wide awake for over thirty minutes before relaxing her shoulders.

With my senses tuned to her every move, I know she hasn’t fallen asleep yet by her measured breathing and stiff frame, but she doesn’t feign slumber. She just lies there in silence with uncertainty and fear wafting off her.

My exhaustion tugs at my mind, but I refuse to let my guard down whenmia gattinalies scheming.

She may not be her stepsister, but she may be much more dangerous. Her calculations hold no artifice. She’s brutally honest, selfless, practical, and willing to do anything for her family.

In an eerie way, her ideals align with mine.

I’ll never regret all the horrible things I’ve done to protect the Russo family, but because of what I’ve done, I never intended to take a wife. My lifestyle is too dangerous to drag a woman into.

Loretta can handle it.

For her, I’ll play the long game.

She’s mine.

Chapter 9

Loretta Giordano

I’ve spent so manyrestless nights silently begging for someone to hold me, but not like this. Not him.

It’s not fair.

Fate is cruel.

---