Page 52 of Stolen Vows
Surely, the end of that sentence wasloathe. Orlong for.Or something considerably less embarrassing than what I thought it would be.
But it seems my denial has been the problem all along.
Maybe my affection for Stella existed long before I was able to make her mine, and the culmination of those feelings is what led to seven years of isolation from her.
Or, more likely, I’m just a dumbass. That would be my father’s explanation.
“Yes, well, greed and determination, I’d say. Everyone probably thinks I’m crazy for going up against a De Tore, but do you want to know what I think?”
“What?” she coos, and my entire body charges with white-hot electricity at the foreign sound of her voice lowering and taking on a sultry quality.
“Idon’t think you were ever married to Leopoldo in the first place.” He laughs, so content with himself.
Most people in the outside world are unaware of our marital status, but I suppose it makes sense that the truth bled to other organizations.
“I mean,youwith the Demon of Boston? You know he’s slaughtered entire branches of his family tree? Imagine a pretty little virgin like yourself up against that. He’d eat you alive.”
How little you know of her,I think, coming upon a clearing that, again, splits into multiple different paths.That’s exactly what she wants. Even if she’d rather die than admit it.
They’re facing away, headed for another opening, as I step out, gaining on their trail quickly. It has to be fast, or else I risk this fucker getting a look at me and reporting me to the auction organizers. I’m sure they would revoke the orchid at the least, and then all this would have been for nothing.
Stella stiffens, and satisfaction weaves through me at how easily she recognizes my presence. There’s a nanosecond of hesitation as Damiano walks past her, but she doesn’t have time to dodge me or cry out.
She struggles immediately as I slap my palm over her mouth, dragging her back the way I came before her companion can think to look behind him.
Cazzo.He should eat shit for not keeping an eye on her, although I’ll settle for merely stealing his prize.
“Stella?” he calls out after a full minute. “Hello? I wasn’t being serious, you know. God, it was a fucking joke. Quit being stupid and come out.”
I continue retreating, ignoring the way my wife stumbles over her heels, barely able to keep up with our exit.
Stopping once we’ve put a reasonable distance between us, I wait, listening for the sudden pounding of feet on the ground. Not that it will matter much at this point. He won’t know which path to start down, and by the time he finds this spot, we’ll be gone.
One of Stella’s elbows gets me in a tender spot above my hip, and I grunt, shoving her into the hedge wall.
“Stop fucking fighting,” I snap, growing more and more annoyed with her by the second. “You knew exactly what would happen when you got on that stage tonight. This is what you wanted, isn’t it,stellina? Your husband’s wrath?”
My fingers buzz as she mumbles something into my hand. I pull away slightly, noting the smudged lip gloss and the excess saliva around her mouth.
“It’s what you get, asshole,” she spits, as if the insult will do anything to me except make my cock harder.
Rolling my eyes, I bend and turn her, looping my arm around her waist and hauling her over my shoulder. She squeals as her front flops forward, now facing my backside.
“Let go of me!” she demands, drilling her fists into my ass. “There are rules here, Leo. You can’t justtakesomething that doesn’t belong to you. I was having a perfectly nice time with Mr. Candreva.”
The Glass Tower enters my view when I retrace my steps out of the maze, and I grin to myself as I start toward it. “Mr.Candreva, is it? Strange that you can’t even utter the first name of the man who paid such a large sum for your virginity. Are you sure that’s what you had in mind for your evening?”
“Maybe I have an honorific fetish.”
“Yeah?” I adjust her roughly, reveling in the huff of air that presses from her stomach. “Good. I’ll be sure to have you call me Master when I’ve got my cock in you later.”
“That isnothappening.”
“Happened last night,” I point out, swatting her ass. “I’d be willing to bet a very expensive and very rare orchid that it will happen again.”
“I didn’t call you…that.”
“True. Maybe that’s not the right word then.” My feet crunch against the grass, carrying us away from the auction. “Sir, maybe? Commander? Your Esteemed Keeper?”
