Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
He bought me like some animal. He’s a monster.
In a moment of clarity, I bring my hand up and slap him. Hard.
He stops and stares at me, and for a second, I wonder if he’s going to hurt me now. The look on his face has changed to something dark.
But then he suddenly laughs.
I frown and lean back. “That wasn’t the reaction I expected.”
Even though his cheek is turning a bit red, it doesn’t seem to faze him. “You’ll have to do more than that to anger me, kitten.”
My eyes narrow. “I don’t care about your rage. You’ve already done something no human being should ever do to another.”
“Ah …” He raises his finger. “You’ve misunderstood something about me.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” I fire back as he turns around and casually walks to the other side of the room.
As he glances over his shoulder, he answers, “I’m no ordinary man.” The mischievous smirk that follows makes goose bumps scatter on my skin. The same smirk I saw back in the bunker … the day he told me my life was over.
His words leave me dumbstruck for a moment as I stand here frozen by the bed, wondering what the hell is happening.
He stops at the entrance to the room. “To compare me with any man would be foolish,” he adds. “A god? Perhaps. A devil? More likely.” He opens the door for me. “Come.”
I cross my arms and take a defensive stance. “Why on earth would I?”
“Because we’re having dinner. Now.” He pronounces the last word in such a demanding way, I have to wonder what will happen if I don’t listen.
“And what if I don’t want to?” I retort in an attempt to regain some power.
His eyes narrow, and his nostrils flare as his muscles tighten beneath his suit. “You will do as I say. Don’t test me, kitten, or I may have to put you over my knee and spank you for your cattiness.”
My eyes widen. Spank me? What in the …? I’ve never been spanked. Who does he think he is?
Still, the thought of his hand forcing me down, hitting my ass, touching my most private, intimate parts while I’m splayed over his lap, causes something to stir inside my belly, something I find harder and harder to ignore.
I swallow the burning sensation bubbling to the surface, forcing it to go away in the hopes he didn’t see.
But the added twitch of a smile on his face tells me he already did.
Only one other option exists if I want to truly avoid falling for him. I could tell myself I feel nothing while giving in completely … so I can pry every last bit of important detail from his lips. When I have every piece of information I need, I’ll run.
After sighing out loud, I straighten my back, lift my chin, and walk toward the door with renewed pride. But right as I pass him, he places his hand on my stomach, forcing me to stop.
He takes my breath away when he whispers, “Make no mistake, kitten … I own you now.”
Harper
Marcello extends a hand. I pause and stare at him for a moment.
I know he’s waiting for me to grasp it. The question is, does he realize I’m not as feeble as he thinks?
I may look like an easy target, someone who gets swept away at the moment by lust, but I’ve trained my body and my mind to fight back against anyone who wants to hurt me. And I know better than to see him as some kind of gentleman just because he’s wealthy and has some manners.
Manners aren’t the only thing that makes a man a man.
And when any man claims to own me … it only makes me want to fight back harder.
So I keep my head held high and march right past him, ignoring his obvious gaze, which by now must be locked on my back. I don’t care. Let him watch as I step down these stairs independently. I don’t need a man to guide me, no matter how high the heels and no matter how shaky my legs.
But as I reach the middle of the stairs, Marcello’s right beside me once again, smiling at me with that same devious grin. He’s up to something, but I can’t tell what. And even though I tell myself not to look, I can’t stop glancing his way, wondering what it means when he looks at me like that.
I stop on the final step. “What do you want from me?”
“You already asked me that question, and you know the answer, kitten.”
“Why me?” I ask.
His brows rise. “Why not you?”
My lips purse. I want to smack him. I hate it when he’s being evasive. As though he doesn’t know exactly what I asked. But that’s just it—he doesn’t want me to know. He likes keeping me in the dark. Maybe it’s because he fears what I’d do to him if the playing field was level.