Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 103124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
She goes very still, thinking very hard about what she’ll say next. A small frown deepens between her brows.
“I can’t explain why Nico is doing any of this. All I can do is trust him.” Her voice is almost a whisper. “He loved you so much.”
A long-forgotten memory of Nico kissing me by the pond on his family’s estate drifts across my mind’s eye, and I shove it back into the deepest recess of my mind.
“Loved is the optimal word here. Now he hates me.” I take another mouthful of wine and force the scorching kiss out of my head. “And the feeling is very mutual.”
16
Nico
When I arrive home late, Arianna is asleep on the couch with a blanket over her legs and the TV down low.
Shaking off my jacket, I loosen my tie and undo the top button of my shirt as I make my way toward the bedrooms.
In my study, I flick on the computer screen to check the security camera in Bella’s bedroom and find her waiting for me, standing in the middle of the room, hands on her hips, narrow eyes glaring up at the camera.
She knows I’m watching.
She would’ve heard me walking down the hallway and knew I’d check the cameras to see what she was doing.
The expression on her face tells me she hates me.
But the kiss on my lips tells me she is not all barbed wire and thorns.
I rub my lower lip with my thumb, feeling the lingering effects of her lips on mine. And it’s not just my lips that burn with the memory. My whole body hums with the aftereffects like I’ve been zapped by lightning. Not even the Irish attempting to burn down the waterfront was enough to temper the heat in my blood.
Switching off the computer screen, I leave my study and walk toward Bella’s bedroom.
“You asshole!” she snaps at me the moment I unlock the door and walk in. “You know you’re breaking a thousand laws by keeping me here.”
“Do you really think that concerns me?” I ask, keeping my expression emotionless. “Do I look like a man who abides by any law that doesn’t suit him?”
“You’re right. You don’t. You look like a raging psycho who thinks he can get away with whatever he wants.”
“I do get away with whatever I want. It’s good to see you’re learning.”
I smirk, which earns me a burning glare.
Which I’ve decided I like.
Because when the fire in her vibrant eyes burns hot, it turns me on, knowing I’m the reason.
She narrows her eyes. “Only a fiend would make his sweet, innocent sister lock me in here when she so clearly didn’t want to. I saw her face when she took that phone call from you telling her she had to lock me in the bedroom against my will. You’re a beast. I only complied because I didn’t want to see her cry. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“I’ll take that into consideration,” I say with a smile, infuriating her more.
She squeezes her fists tight and lets out a frustrated growl.
My gaze sweeps over her.
She’s wearing a pair of bed shorts and a tank top, and to my delight, no bra. Her nipples are hard and obvious, but she’s too angry to notice what they’re doing to me. She’s tied her hair into a messy ponytail, and I have to tighten my hands into fists to stop myself from grabbing it and yanking her head back so I can devour her mouth.
Urges like that could unravel everything.
Yet tell that to my cock.
“You’ve taken away my phone and my freedom,” she states.
“And your point is?”
“You’re a monster.”
I chuckle, but it’s humorless. “Good observation.”
I’m winding her up, and she looks like a volcano about to erupt.
“How long do you plan to keep me locked up like a captive?” she demands.
“As long as it takes for you to comply with our agreement.”
Exasperated, she exhales roughly. “Fine, you have my word. I’ll comply.”
“Good, because the alternative will be a lot more painful.”
The expression on her face tells me she would shoot me given the chance.
“Grant me the freedom to live at my apartment, and I won’t cause any more waves.”
“And let you flee the country the moment I let you out of my sight? I don’t think so.”
She takes a step forward.
“I’m not going to flee the country.” She folds her arms. “You see, I’ve had time to think while I’ve been locked up in here, and I think I’d much rather stick around and make sure your life is hell. And what better way to do that than to marry you?”
17
Bella
The following morning, I’m making coffee in Nico’s palatial kitchen when he walks in dressed for racquetball. Last night he refused my pleas to move back to my apartment but conceded I no longer needed to be locked in my bedroom.