Page 18 of Rosetti Family New York
“You better say it,” I say. “Or this will get messy. Tell me you understand the rules.”
It takes her a second, one where I can feel her debating how much pain she can endure, how much fight she has in her. But then she blinks, and I can see her slipping that mask back on.
“I understand the rules,” she says, her voice careful and flat, like a business transaction.
I pull back a fraction, letting her see the way I smirk, pretending like I don’t care that she’s trying to be in control. Her tight hairdo is disheveled, escaped locks falling in messy waves over her face. Her breath is ragged. She’s never looked more beautiful.
I take my time letting go, watching as she smooths down her dress, puts that cool mask back on piece by piece. Her breathing steadies, her eyes cut back to mine, more measured now.
“You’re a real piece of work, Leonardo,” she says, pretending she isn't trembling.
I laugh, something quick and rough. “Get used to it.” I lean against the wall, my heart pounding and the feel of her lingering in my blood. Her defiance makes my whole body buzz, makes me crazy.
It’s going to be hell to make her see that I own her, but it’s going to be worth it.
More than worth it.
She’ll break. She’ll break, and then I’ll put her back together exactly the way I want.
9
Eleanor
We’re in Leonardo’s bedroom. It’s big. I feel like a bug under a magnifying glass. My suitcases are lined up against a wall, and he seems to think I’ll actually agree to sharing a room with him. He’s leaning against the door frame, looking at me with lazy eyes. As if daring me to disagree.
“I won’t be doing sleeping in here,” I say. My voice is sharp. Precise. I learned from the best.
His eyebrows go up, and he cracks his knuckles. “Oh, really?” He folds his arms across his chest, acting like this is amusing. Like I’m amusing. “You got some fucking nerve.”
“You seem surprised. Was it the ring that convinced you I’d roll over and play the obedient wife?”
His smile gets wider, and my heart kicks against my ribs. I want to claw it out and hand it to him. “The ring? No, babe.” He pushes off the wall. Walks toward me. Slow and steady, like he’s trying not to spook me. “It was the wedding vows.”
His hair is dark red, a wild tangle that falls in his eyes. Tattoos curl around his arms, down to his knuckles. Leonardo Rosetti is a lion in a cage.
“You act like you already own me,” I say. My fingers twist my mother’s ring. My one reminder of a life before it turned to crap.
He laughs. The sound is harsh and bright in the cold room. “I do, Eleanor.” He’s closer now. “I got the papers to prove it.”
My pulse is a traitor. I won’t let him see it. I won’t let him see anything. “This is a marriage of convenience,” I say. “For both of us. Don’t pretend it’s anything else.”
“You’re not that convenient,” he says. His hand closes around my wrist, but there’s no real force in it.
The world tips sideways. The ring digs into my palm. Panic hits me. I picture being pinned under him, helpless and small, forced to share his bed, forced to spread my legs.
As if he sees it on my face, Leonardo leans in. His eyes are molten. I feel the heat of him, almost feel his skin burning mine. “You think I’m going to force you?” He says it low, and something in his voice makes my skin prickle. “You’re in for a fucking surprise, babe. I’ll have you in my bed, but only when you ask nicely. You’ll be begging for it.”
The words should cut, but they melt the edges of my fear instead. I pull my wrist back, and this time he lets me.
“So I’m just supposed to move in with you?” I ask. “After this?”
“That’s the deal.” He doesn’t blink, doesn’t flinch. “What’d you expect?”
“I expected to be paid for. Not to sleep with the accountant.”
He lets out a bark of laughter. “Christ, you are something.” He turns away and grabs a phone from his pocket. It vibrates in his hand. “No lying, no running, and no touching other men,” he says. “That’s all I demand.”
“I’m not good at following orders.”
