Page 25 of Stolen Vows
“It wouldn’t have killed you, but it’d have given me a head start.”
He pauses, his eyes flickering to mine. “You were going to run?”
“I was going to try.”
The staring continues as if he’s working through some mathematical equation in his head. “What a waste of time that would have been,” he says, his jaw clenching. “I’m beginning to doubt your intelligence,stellina.”
Chuckling, he inches his hand down, covering my entire breast. The leather is rough against my skin, and I bite my bottom lip to keep from making a sound.
He clamps down, squeezing my flesh until I cry out in pain.
“Would it truly have been a better alternative than this?” He steps closer, eyes blazing. “I haven’t forced you into anything, haven’t shredded your virginity against your will just for the sake of doing it. What makes me such a terrible match?”
My eyebrows knit together, and I shove against him. “I didn’t want to marry you in the first place! I had goals. Things I wanted to do, places I wanted to see. None of which involved another selfish, egotistical man who cares more about power and money than anything else in the world. Perhaps you haven’t forced yourself on me fully, but you did take my father up on his offer. You’re keeping mehere.”
“In this luxury condo, where you’ll be taken care of and never want for anything? Where you’ll be safe and protected against your enemies? What a miserable life I’m offering.”
“A tower is a tower, Leo.” My voice softens. “I’m a prisoner whether I’m safe or not. It should’ve been my call to make.”
“So, what would you rather do? Run off to the other side of the country? Get your degree, bury yourself in research, maybe fall in love with a man who readsPopular Mechanicsfor fun and names a star after you?” His free hand comes up, wrapping around my throat, and he swipes over my nipple with the other, causing it to pebble. The touch is at odds with his angry tone, and I don’t know what to focus on. “Do you think someone else will be able to make you feel like this?”
“You don’t know how I’m feeling.”
“Don’t I?” He’s getting more riled up with every response I give. The tendons in his neck tighten, bulging against his skin.
With little effort, he yanks back and spins me around so I’m facing away. He stops touching me briefly, and my hands fly out, smacking against the countertop. In the next second, I feel him pushing my hips forward and spreading my ass.
With no gloves.
I’m not sure when he got rid of them, but the feel of his warm skin on mine is distinct. His palms are a bit rougher than I imagined, although I suppose living a violent life doesn’t allow for smooth, soft anything.
I don’t mind how they feel, though. Not as much as I thought I would.
“You’reangry,” he says, gripping my cheeks with his fingers. He takes one digit and slides it forward. It brushes my clit, just barely, but I gasp anyway.
“I just told you I am.”
“You’re wet.” When his finger starts to move back, it pauses, pushing between my slick flesh to rub against that sweet spot. “Throbbing, my wife.”
Heat scalds my cheeks. “It’s an involuntary reaction to being assaulted. The hypothalamus releases chemicals from the sympathetic nervous system and adrenal medulla, and the body gives an instantaneous response. I have nothing to do with it.”
“Yes, fight or flight. I’m familiar with the basic concept.” He draws slow circles on me, coiling tension low in my belly and up my thighs with each deliberate stroke. “Although, if you wanted me to stop, you wouldn’t have followed me inside and mauled me yourself.”
“Stop talking about me like you know me.”
“Would you rather I eat instead?”
My heart skips a beat. “What?—”
Unsurprisingly, in true Leo fashion, he doesn’t give me time to finish the question. I feel his hot, moist mouth on me in the next second, and the sudden invasion of opposing sensations sends my hips into the cabinet.
“Am I correct to assume this is a first for you?” he whispers, his breath warm on my skin.
My fingers flex as his lips work against me, gently massaging without fully tasting.
I nod and keep my gaze on the white tile backsplash.
Two bare digits pinch one ass cheek, and I jump in surprise. “When my head is between your legs, wife, I expect a verbal answer to my questions. Do not make me ask twice.”
