She hummed in her throat and squirmed out of my grip. I let her go, disappointed at her sudden withdrawal. She sat down next to me and smoothed her ponytail, her eyes meeting mine. There was embarrassment and interest, but moreover, there was fire.
“I hope you don’t think that means you can shut me up whenever you want by… means of seduction,” she said stiffly.
I chuckled.“I can think of worse ways.”
“Regardless, I think you should know I don’t want to live in a cage like I have my entire life. I want more than that.”
“And you’ll have it as soon as we can agree on some things. Your safety as my wife will be paramount whether you like it or not.”
“Right. If only so many people didn’t want to kill you, maybe I could live as a normal human being?”
I shrugged. “I have no control over how many people want to kill me.”
“You could piss fewer people off.”
“Impossible.”
“For you, it probably is,” she muttered. “Your reputation proceeds you.”
“As does yours. Why don’t you tell me why you ended up murdering a man or disappearing him, at least, before the wedding?” I was growing increasingly curious about the whole thing now that I knew Suna. She was tough and capable, but I struggled to see her killing someone unless they had done her great wrong.
When she was quiet, I looked toward the street. I had to get home, shower, and get Suna settled in her new home. “Maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to judge,” I said when she refused to answer. “Everyone has their secrets.”
She turned her face from me to look out at the street, a million thoughts I couldn’t quite read flashing across her beautiful features. Then she shrugged, looking for all the world like she couldn’t care less, but by now, I could read her. It was an act. One day soon, I would get under her skin and see what Suna was hiding. I would know every part of her, secret or shameful, and drag it out into the light between us. There was nothing about her that would change my mind.
She was already mine, and I would never let her go.