Page 10 of Stolen Matrimony
I approached her slowly. My nose twitched at the smell of urine coming from her. I glanced down, seeing the puddle under her, causing my mouth to twitch.
“If you’re here to kill me…” she started in a raspy, strained tone but I cut her off.
“I’m not here to kill you.” I grabbed the chair and placed it in front of her, taking a seat. “I spoke with Neil Rhodes.”
Her eyes were emotionless and her face was blank as she stared at me. I almost missed the small twitch of her mouth.
“You stabbed his son.”
“Fuck him and his son.” I had to give it to her, Cashlynn was tough. She hadn’t cried or begged for mercy since she’d been here. Outside of worrying about her brother, she hadn’t shown any emotions.
I licked my lips and straightened my spine. “If I were to give you up to the Rhodes, they’ll kill you and your brother would be forced into the foster system alone, correct?” Fire lit in her eyes, causing me to smirk.
“I’ll blow that damn house up before I allow that. This one too.” Her fiery spirit was one reason I chose her.
Normally I had a meek woman on my arm, someone to shut up and look good when I needed her to. Cashlynn was far from that. She had a burning personality, smart mouth, and was good to look at. Taking her in made my dick jump. Whenever she spit her malicious words my way or narrowed those honey-colored, doe-shaped eyes as if they could cut me in half, I had the urge to force her to her knees and stuff her mouth with my length and fuck her throat until she was a crying mess, begging me to stop.
A chuckle left my mouth and I narrowed my eyes, adjusting myself and clearing my throat. “Most people who are being held prisoner wouldn’t toss out threats. I could kill you and chop your body up right now and no one would know or miss you, but your brother.” My voice came out as a low growl.
Her nostrils flared. “Good thing I’m not like most people.”
“A wildfire, indeed.” I shook my head. My eyes ran over her body. “I have a proposition for you.” I changed the subject. Maybe I was losing my mind. Maybe the pressure of having to give up my life as a single man was getting to me, but it seemed like fate dropped Cashlynn in my lap and I was answering it.
She didn’t reply right away, instead she tried to tug on the cuffs holding her. Her strength wasn’t as strong as before which made sense. She had been tied up for almost six hours.
“Marry me and the threat against you will go away. You’ll be under my protection and I’ll make sure you and your brother are taken care of.”
“Marry you?” she choked out after a couple seconds. Her face still and eyes unwavering.
“Yes. I need a wife and you need that bounty gone. It’s a win-win.”
She licked her dry lips and inhaled a deep breath, causing her chest to rise. Her eyes burned into me and as she tucked her lips into her mouth “Why me? How do I know I can trust you’ll keep your word? For how long?”
The smile on my face grew and my head tilted an inch. “You don’t.” I scraped my bottom lip with my teeth. “But becoming a part of my family means you’ll be protected and looked after. The Tavarezes look after their own and once in, it’sfor life.”
“And if I say no?” My jaw clenched. No wasn’t a word I heard often, especially from a woman. If I’d offered this to anyone else, they would have jumped at it before I could finish my sentence.
Pushing off the chair, I approached her and gripped her chin roughly, making sure she saw how serious I was.
“If you say no then I hand you over to the Rhodes and you’ll be killed, leaving your brother with no one but himself to look after him if I don’t toss him to the wolves too, that is.” A crude smile formed on my face.
The idea came from left field but it worked. Cashlynn was on the run and needed help, even if she didn’t want to admit it. I needed a wife and was running out of time. While I didn’t want to get married, something about the fire in her caught my eye and intrigued me. On the outside, she was beautiful and tempting. If the circumstances were different, I wouldn’t hesitate to bed her. On the inside, it was clear she was a spitfire ready to set anyone she saw as a threat ablaze. She was indeed a flame that needed to be tamed.
Hatred penetrated her glare.
I shoved her head back and stepped back. “I’ll give you some time to think it over. But tick tock, Ms. Cavana. I’m not a very patient man.”
Spinning around, I headed for the door. Cashlynn was strong spirited; that was clear to see. Having more time to herself in the dark should be enough to break her and have her bending to my request.
CHAPTER 6
CASHLYNN
Iwasn’t sure how many hours I’d been down in this basement but the closed in room was starting to get to me. Nazai sent a couple men to untie me the same day he requested I marry him. I wanted to try and fight and get away but I was too weak and my bones ached from being tied in the air for so long. They refused to give me my clothes, leaving me naked and exposed. He kept the room slightly dimmed, gave me a single thin mattress to sleep on with a thin blanket to sleep under. The air had been running, leaving the stone-built room freezing. I hadn’t laid eyes on Nazai since he last left, but his men did bring me two meals a day and a single bottle of water. Based on my meal arrivals, I believe I’d been down here two days now.
I could deal with all that, growing up I learned breaking someone mentally was one of the easiest ways to get them to submit to your will. My issue was not knowing where my brother was and if he was okay. Whenever I asked one of the men about him, they ignored me. My brother had been through enough and it left me unsettled and infuriated not knowing the status of his wellbeing. I vowed to slit everyone’s throat in this house once I figured out how to get out of here.
My body was weak and I couldn’t stop shaking from the coldness. My muscles were sore and tight, even my toes had grown numb. I hadn’t been able to bathe since the day I broke in and I had a bucket in the corner for the bathroom. I was being treated worse than a dog and the thought left my blood boiling.
