17
Dante
I hadn’t intended to tell her about the marriage without sitting her down, and certainly not while she was dripping wet and clutching a towel to her chest.
The towel barely fit around her cute, curvy body.
She aggravates me and when I get irritated, I tend to lash out.
Bad habits are hard to break.
I order Moreno to remove the pins along with the bathroom door. If she is going to be difficult and slam the door in my face, two can play at that game.
Besides, Nikki needs to know who is in control.
And it isn’t her.
“You’re insane,” she fires venomously at me. “There’s no way that I’d ever marry a monster.”
She isn’t wrong, and I don’t cower to her names or her bullying.
Nikki is tough. She’s had to be growing up with a father like Gino. Anything less, and I’d think she is holding back.
“Do you honestly believe that you have a choice?” I step toward her and feel the sizzle of electricity in the air between us. The hum vibrates, and she leans in toward me.
Does she even realize this small gesture tells me that she wants me?
She opens her mouth to retort, but quickly shuts it. “We’re having a child together. It doesn’t mean we have to be anything.” Nikki gestures between us. “This, what we had one stupid night, is over. It willneverhappen again.”
She says that now, but she’ll change her mind.
I can see it in those deep amber gems that sparkle every time she lays eyes on me. I’m certain her pulse is throbbing in her neck. That’s probably not the only place that it’s throbbing.
I gaze down at her body. The damned towel is still clutched in her grip.
Nikki can think she’s won this round as I take a step back into the bedroom.
My heart races every time I glance her away. Passion isn’t love. I don’t fool myself into believing that I could ever love anyone.
But that doesn’t mean I’m not a man fueled with desires.
“Her door, remove it at once,” I say, and point at the bathroom door. It isn’t a question. Moreno takes orders from me.
Moreno gives a sharp nod of agreement. “On it, Boss,” he says and hustles out of the bedroom to retrieve a hammer and large screwdriver.
Nikki skirts past me as quickly as she can. I grab her wrist and pin her against the wall.
One hand grasps her towel, and the other is poised above her head, trapping her between the wall and me.
“Dante, what are you doing?” she whispers, staring up at me.
Her lip’s part and she emits a soft breath that pulls me nearer.
I swear I hear her purr.
“Claiming you, Kitten,” I say. “From this day forward, until that baby is born, you will remain here under my protection.”
Nikki struggles against my grip, fighting me.