Page 66 of His Nephew's Ex
“The wedding—”
“Can wait until you’re ready,” he says, rising to his feet. “The paperwork will be filed tomorrow for legal protection, so we will be married, but the ceremony and celebration can be whenever you want. Small and private or large and elaborate—your choice.”
The concession means more than he probably realizes. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for saying yes.” He cups my face with hands that shake slightly. “Thank you for choosing me despite knowing exactly what kind of monster you’re binding yourself to.”
“You’re not a monster,” I whisper, covering his hands with mine. “You’re complicated and dangerous and probably a little bit crazy, but you’re not a monster.”
“What am I then?”
I study his face in the candlelight, noting the way the flames dance across his sharp features, the silver threading through his dark hair, the heat burning in eyes that have seen too much violence and not enough love.
“You’re mine,” I say finally, and the possessive declaration feels right in a way nothing else has. “Just like I’m yours.”
His smile is brilliant, transforming his face from merely beautiful to absolutely devastating. “Yes, you are.”
He kisses me then, soft and gentle and full of promises I’m finally ready to believe. When we break apart, we’re both breathing hard, staring at each other like we can’t quite believe this is real.
“I should probably finish my dessert,” I say, though the last thing I want to do is sit down and pretend to eat when every cell in my body is humming with awareness.
“Should you?” His voice drops, making my toes curl. “Because I was thinking we might skip dessert tonight.”
“Were you?” I try to keep my voice steady, but it comes out breathless. “What did you have in mind instead?”
“I was thinking,” he says, backing me against the wall beside the windows, “that since you’ve agreed for the first time to be officially mine, it’s time I showed you exactly what that means.”
The promise in his voice makes my knees weak. “And what does it mean?”
“It means no more holding back.” His hands find my waist, pulling me against him until there’s no space left between us. “No more careful gentleness. No more treating you like you might break.”
“I won’t break,” I breathe, arching into his touch despite the warning bells going off in my head.
“No,” he agrees, his mouth finding the sensitive spot below my ear. “You won’t. But you will definitely lose your mind.”
The crude promise makes heat flood my cheeks. “Simeone—”
“You’ve been broken in now,stellina.” His teeth graze my throat, making me shiver with want. “Your body knows what to expect, how to accommodate me. Which means I can stop being quite so... considerate.”
The implication sends electricity shooting through my veins. Our first time was gentle, careful, designed to ease me into the experience without causing pain. Though our second time was a bit rougher, I can only wonder what he has in mind for our third time. If he’s suggesting what I think he’s suggesting...
“How inconsiderate are we talking?” I ask, proud that my voice only shakes slightly.
“Very.” His smile is pure sin. “The kind that leaves marks. The kind that makes you scream my name until the entire estate knows exactly who you belong to.”
Fire races through my blood at the promise, and I find myself nodding before I can think better of it. “When?”
“I’ll give you one last concession of the night and allow you to finish your dessert,” he says, stepping back and leaving me cold without his warmth. “Then meet me in our bedroom in ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes?” I stare at him incredulously. “What am I supposed to do with ten minutes?”
“Whatever you need to do to prepare yourself for the kind of night that will ruin you for any other man.” His eyes glitter with predatory satisfaction. “Because once I get my hands on you tonight,stellina, there won’t be any part of you that doesn’t belong to me.”
He walks away then, leaving me trembling against the wall with his grandmother’s engagement ring catching the candlelight and promises of debasement echoing in my ears.
Ten minutes to finish dessert and compose myself for whatever devastation he has planned.
Ten minutes to decide whether I’m brave enough to surrender completely to the silver devil who’s claimed my heart.
