Page 74 of With this Ring

The wine sloshed in her glass, but she didn’t respond.

Jealousy ripped through him, primal and possessive. He clenched his jaw as images flashed through his mind—another man touching her, holding her, sharing her bed. Coming home to her every night.

His thoughts were irrational. Dangerous. He had no claim on her past.

“I wouldn’t call it that.” She considered. “I mean… We started Pathways together, which meant we spent a lot of time with each other. On some level, we fell into a relationship. We were living together, trying to save money by sharing expenses while we got the agency running. But it wasn’t like a burning, passionate love.” She closed her eyes. “Regardless. It’s still stupid, right?”

“Don’t.” The word came out harsher than he’d intended.

With a small frown, she turned to face him. “Don’t what?”

His voice dropped, rough with emotion he couldn’t hold back. “Call yourself stupid for trusting someone who didn’t deserve it.”

“Thank you for that.”

Her eyes held a fragile vulnerability, and he curled a hand into a fist, wanting to slam it into the man’s face for hurting her. If he ever saw him, he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions.

“I had to leave everything behind,” she continued softly. “The place we’d shared. The life we’d built. All because I wouldn’t compromise my ethics.” She lifted a shoulder. “I moved back into my parents’ house while I tried to scrape together enough money to buy him out of the Pathways agreement.”

Her words were a knife in his gut. The thought of her struggling while that bastard lived in their home…

“Like I said. I was stupid to trust him.”

“Emotion makes us blind.” He kept his voice steady despite the rage building inside him.

A gust of wind swept across the patio, and she shivered.

The fire’s warmth wasn’t enough anymore—not for this conversation, not for what lay between them. And it sure as hell wasn’t enough for the possessive need consuming him.

Standing, he held out his hand. “Let’s go inside, Petal.”

Her gaze met his.

“Gregorio…”

“Take my hand.” When she finally placed hers in his, he closed his tightly.

No other man would ever hurt her again.

Because there was little light, he turned on the flashlight on his phone as they made their way down the path.

As they neared his place, the motion-sensor lights switched on. In the near distance, a coyote howled.

Once inside, with the alarm set and the door locked, he released her hand and turned her to face him.

“Strip for me.”

Her eyes widened.

“I want you.”

She wrapped her arms around herself, but she made no move to protest.

“You’re going to be mine.”

“This…” She hesitated. “I mean…” She looked around the room. “You mean right here? Not the bedroom?”

“You know who I am. What I want.” He came closer and captured her shoulders. Gently he rubbed them, reassuring her, connecting them to one another, letting her know he was serious. “Now, Petal. Be my good girl.” He left no room for argument, and he saw a responding flicker of compliance in her beautiful green eyes.

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