Page 54 of Ruthless God

I looked down at the book I had been attempting to read for the last half an hour or so.

“I thought I’d do some light reading before bed,” I answered.

The look in his eyes told me he didn’t really believe me. He pulled the blanket up from his side. “Come on.”

I stood and slowly walked over to him, wondering if it would seem rude if I were to climb onto the bed on the other side, where there was more room.

He looked at me expectantly.

Slowly, I climbed onto the side of the bed where he held the blanket open. He didn’t move back to make room for me, forcing me to lie close to him. I stiffened when my side brushed up against him, feeling just how hard he was and just how…un-hardI was.

He wrapped his arms around my middle and pulled me in even closer to him. I gasped, looking up and meeting his eyes.

“Relax. I’m not going to jump you. Too fucking tired.”

“Not tired. You’re injured. You should have been more careful.” I couldn’t disguise the slight scolding in my voice, but it was true. He should have been more careful.

Amusement quirked his lips. “Are you worried about me, little dove?”

I scowled before I thought better of it. “Little dove?”

His eyes widened marginally as if he was surprised by the little nickname. As if he hadn’t meant to call me that. I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel.

Warm and mushy shouldn’t be one of them.

I blinked and moved my eyes down to his throat.

“I’m worried about being a widow so soon into the marriage,” I answered, unsure of where this newfound bravery had come from. Perhaps because he was injured, or perhaps because of his apathy toward me, this marriage had made me feel safe. He wasn’t like Andre or the Lombardi men—the few instances where I had witnessed them treating their wives with roughness. Apathy was much preferred to roughness, I decided, and perhaps I was stupid enough to believe he would hold onto that.

My eyes jumped to his face when a strange sound came out of him. It took me a moment to realize he was laughing.

Not so apathetic now.

“Don’t worry. I won’t make you a widow so soon into our marriage.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. I might have been the one to bring it up first, but I didn’t feel easy over how unconcerned he sounded regarding his own death.

He squeezed me to him. “Go to sleep. Nothing’s going to happen.”

Surprisingly, I believed him. I closed my eyes and moved my face closer to his chest. He didn’t stop me. If anything, it felt like he had pulled me closer to him and then closer still.

I let go, his words echoing in my mind.

Nothing’s going to happen.

14

MASSIMO

It wasan impressive feat that she could both simultaneously tend to me and ignore me.

What am I supposed to do with you?

Her whispered words rang through my mind the entire time she took care of me.

Fuck, I had been out of it for most of that first day and night, but I remembered those words and the fact that she hadn’t left my side since.

I was feeling better. I wouldn’t usually stay in bed this long, but this was the only way she couldn’t avoid me, no matter how badly she wanted to.

---