Page 53 of The Brutal Arrangement

“I—”

Again, I leveled her with a stern look to shut up. “Quiet,” I repeated. Bringing my hand forward, I let my tie dangle in my hand as a warning.

She lost the furrowed-brow look and full-out frowned now. Still, she obeyed, not protesting or yapping about something.

“I told you that you’re my wife,” I reminded her.

“I know?—”

I lifted the tie higher as I began to unbutton my shirt.

She huffed a hard breath through her nose and stared at me evenly.

“You’re my wife, and if I want you to be quiet, that’s what you’ll do.”

Her gaze lowered to the progress I’d made on taking my shirt off. Pleased that I could distract her with a show of my skin, I tried not to get too far ahead of myself.

The mere thought that I had a woman waiting formewas plenty to keep me on edge every minute I was away. Now that I had her under my touch, close enough to fuck, I felt like I’d explode if I tried to make this last.

Fuck now. Learn more later.

Maxim probably wouldn’t approve of that mentality, but I was too far gone with desire to slow down now.

“Are you going to be quiet?” I asked as I shrugged off my jacket, leaning back enough to give her room to stand.

“I—”

I grabbed her by the neck. Closing my fingers around her throat under her jaw gave me a chance to feel the fast tempo of her pulse. If she wasn’t scared, she was just as aroused as I was.

Goddamn…

If she was into my acting like a brute and taking her roughly, then that was how it’d be.

Putting a little more pressure on her neck without actually injuring her, I stared into her eyes as I unzipped my pants. “Quiet,” I reminded her, using whatever order I could over her to get her into that doe-eyed look of submissive vulnerability again.

A faint nod followed my instruction. She couldn’t move much, but I felt the barest movement of her head going up and down.

“Good. Now strip,” I ordered. Releasing her neck, I dragged my hand down, snagging the low V of her blouse. As I pulled my hand lower, brushing my knuckles against her breasts barely covered by her thin bra, I forced the fabric to rip and give way to my hold.

Breathing faster now, she lifted her hands to resume taking off the rest of her clothes. It couldn’t have been easy to keep her gaze locked on mine, but I liked that she did. She wasn’t hiding. She wasn’t trying to cower behind a mask at all. Staring right back at me as I took off my clothes, she showed me her fear. Her surprise. I wondered if she realized she was revealing how fucking turned on she was, too.

As soon as she was naked, before she could stand fully again, I picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. Even though she was compliant up until now, something about that movement snapped something in her. “Wait. I?—”

Again, I took hold of her. Placing my hand back on her neck and choking her slightly, I forced her to lie flat on the mattress. I scooted closer, wedging myself between her legs so I could fit into her as I squeezed her neck. Feeling her pulse thunder quicker under my fingers turned me on even more. Like the sickbastard I was, using pain and force earned me a twisted bit of pleasure.

Because it was one more sign of who held the power.

Of who was in charge.

I was. I held the power. No one else. And so long as that stayed true, nothing could hurt me.

“Quiet,” I reminded her with a final tightening of my fingers on her neck.

Her chest heaved as she stared at me, breathing faster and harder as I raked my gaze over her naked body. Roving my hands lower, I paused at her breasts to cup the generous globes. She didn’t speak, she didn’t protest, watching my hands as I touched her, but when I rolled my fingertips over her hard nipples, she arched her back and cried out at the pinch.

“Ah!”

I put my hand right back on her neck to give her another reminder to be quiet, but at the same time, I grabbed my tie to gather her hands together.

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