Page 42 of Savage King

"Scarlet." He warns again.

"No, don't ‘Scarlet’ me," I nearly shout. "I've been a good girl all my life. All. My. Life. And it was never good enough for my mother. Never. You know what? I was glad when she died. Glad!" I laugh, and even to me, it sounds hysterical. Maybe because I only spoke a half-truth.You killed her, Scarlet.

He puts his glass down and walks up to me, pulling me into his embrace, but I push him back. "You thought earlier that I had a panic attack because of what was done to me, right?"

He stares at me. I know I'm losing my shit, but I can't help it. The last few days have done a number on my psyche. "I'm not going crazy, Antonio. For the first time in my life, I'm thinking straight."

I walk to where he keeps the booze and refill my glass.

"I had a fucking panic attack because I felt guilty. Guilty for putting my father in this position. Guilty for having been kidnapped." I swallow the liquid down in one gulp. This time, it doesn’t burn as much as before.

"You don't have to feel guilty for that—" he tries.

"But I do! That's the problem," I interrupt him again. "Mom always said one day I would ruin my dad's career. Being a judge's wife was everything to her. But you know what?"

He stays still, knowing this was a rhetorical question.

"I was never given achoice. My dad is a judge. He took this position well aware of what he was getting himself into and thepossible consequences it might cause his family, as well as the danger he could put us all in. Me?" I raise an eyebrow mockingly. "I never had achoice. Yes, I should have probably paid more attention to my surroundings after Dad warned me, but like you said, those men would have gotten me either way, wouldn't they?"

"Yes."

I feel myself deflate just a little. "My dad isn’t responsible for this, but neither am I."

He doesn't say anything; he just stares at me with his inscrutable green eyes. "Over and over, I berated myself for my carelessness while I was hanging from that ceiling, knowing I would die. But I'm sick of it. This wasn't my fault."

"No," he agrees.

"I hated how powerless I was hanging there," I admit, lowering my head and allowing a tear to spill down my cheek. "That was the absolute worst part. The humiliation, the fear, the knowledge that there wasn't a thing I could do. It never crossed my mind that my dad would hire you."

"He didn'thireme." Antonio objects.

I shrug. "Whatever, semantics." I take a deep, shuddering breath, "I know one thing for sure: the cops wouldn't have been the ones to save me; hell, they might've never even found my body."

I can read the truthfulness of my statement in his expression.

"So," I look up until our eyes meet again. "What does one have to do in your family?"

HadI not been drawn to her before, I would be now. This woman is fucking sexy as hell when she's fired up. I suspected her to be a fierce creature, but right now, she's above any of my expectations.

Unfortunately, I need to curb her enthusiasm. "This is not something to decide on a whim, Scarlet. I know you've been hurt, and I know you're scared, and I know you want your revenge. I swear I will protect you for the rest of your life. But becoming a member of my family is not like joining a club where you can quit whenever you get bored with it." She opens her mouth to object, but I place my finger on her sensuous lips to stop her. "There are no divorces in our families. Once you're in, you're in. No going back. One day you will be my wife, Scarlet, but when that day comes, I want it to be by your choice, not dictated by an emotional outburst."

She nods. "I understand."

"Take some time to really think about this, Scarlet."

"What would I have to do?"

A grin curves my lips, and my cock hardens as I lean forward, brushing my lips against her ear, "Whatever I tell you to."

"Oh," the little sound escaping her lips is all it takes. I crush my lips against hers. She responds in kind, opening her mouth and nipping against my lower lip, actually nipping me. I chuckle and pick her up by her ass. Her legs move around my hips. Fucking hell, this woman is hot.

She breaks the kiss and leans forward. Her breath caresses my ear, sending jolts of desire through me. "I'm not wearing any underwear."

That does it. With a groan, I walk us back to the bed. "Are you sure you're not too sore?" I have to know. I have to know, now, before things go any further, and I can't stop myself.

"Find out for yourself," she replies huskily.

"God, Scarlet, you're driving me mad."

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