CASTELLO
I watched her closely as we walked down the hall. She was anxious; I could sense it. But even with the nervous twitching of her fingers, Tatum looked like the epitome of sophistication. It was easy to see that she grew up in a wealthy home where she was taught to always carry herself gracefully. Even after all she had been through the last few weeks, she still managed to walk with her head held high…just like the day we had walked to the dining hall to face my mother. Yesterday I told her she wasn’t strong enough to live in my world. I changed my mind.
I glanced down at her hand. “You’re nervous.”
“Of course I am. What do you expect?”
“Lesson number one, never show weakness.”
She scoffed. “I’m not weak, I’m just tense. There’s a difference.”
“No, there’s not.” I stopped, grabbed her hand, and pulled her closer. “Being nervous shows that you lack confidence. A lack of confidence shows you doubt yourself. And doubting yourself is weakness.”
“You can’t expect me to walk into this without feeling just a little uneasy.” She tried to loosen the grip I had on her arm, but I only tightened it more.
“What I expect of you is to act the part you have been given and to show the rest of the world that I was right about you.”
“What do you mean you were right about me?”
“Do I have to spell it out for you, woman?”
“Yes.”
I grabbed her other arm and held tight, squeezing her shoulders together. “I chose you. By tearing my family in two, I chose you, Tatum. Above everyone else. Above loyalty, above my own flesh and blood, I fucking chose you. So stop acting like you don’t know what or who you are to me. Stop pretending like you don’t know what your part is in all of this. Because you know. You. Fucking. Know.”
Big, round, beautiful eyes stared up at me. “How would I know if you don’t tell me?”
I sighed. “Some things can’t be told, Tatum. Some things need to be shown.” A few more seconds of looking into the crystal depths of her blue eyes, and all I could do was kiss her. I kissed her so hard, it felt like I was pouring everything out of me and into that kiss. Our tongues crashed like waves, our lips pressed together as if nothing else mattered. Life didn’t matter. Death didn’t matter. War or peace didn’t fucking matter. All that mattered was her, me, and the way we melted together with that one, earth-shattering kiss. How could this woman not know what she was to me? I didn’t say it because there were no fucking words that would be able to describe exactly what she meant to me. Words weren’t good enough for a woman like her. She deserved more than just mere words, which could easily hide true intentions. Words deceived too easily.
I had to force myself to peel my lips from hers, and when I did, she let out the softest, most beautiful moan that made my cock twitch and my balls ache.
I placed my thumb on her bottom lip. “Don’t doubt yourself, Tatum. And don’t doubt me.”
With that, I took her hand and led her down the hall. Every minute, every day that passed, everything just seemed to get more intense between us, but with that, it also grew more complicated. The day I took her for the first time, her body rocking on top of mine while I sank balls deep inside her, I never could have predicted that things would escalate as far as it did. This woman went from being my prisoner to being the woman I wanted at my side and in my bed every goddamn day. She was turning into a weakness—myweakness, which was why she needed to be taught. If she could be strong enough to play this role I had given her, no one would see her as my weakness…but rather as my strength. It had to be done.
As we walked toward the dining room door, I realized this would be the first time Tatum joined Uncle Gino’s family and me at the breakfast table. This would be the first time Tatum would eat breakfast without me feeding her.Dammit.I was already starting to regret my decision.
“There you are.” Uncle Gino got up from his chair and walked over to us. “Miss Linscott, you look stunning.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned forward, kissing her cheeks. He glanced at me. “I was wondering when Castello would finally share you with us.” He winked, and I cocked a brow.
“Come. Sit.” He took her hand and led her to the table. “Unfortunately, the rest of my family had another engagement this morning, so I’ll introduce you to them later when they return.”
He pulled out her chair, and immediately her gaze shot up to mine, like she was asking permission. I nodded slightly, and she took her seat.
I watched as she took in everything around her, all the expensive Italian furnishings. The picture was perfect. Tatum in the middle of lavish surroundings and classy art. It was like she belonged there, like she was meant for luxury and grand living.
What the fuck was I thinking?
Of course she would seem like she belonged there. She’s a goddamn Linscott. She might have had a lot of family issues, but money wasn’t one of them.
I sat down next to her, at the end of the table across from Uncle Gino. Breakfast had been placed in the middle of the table. Fruit, yoghurt, scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. The last time Tatum had a spread like this in front of her was when she went on her knees like a good little pet, allowing me to feed her fruit from my hand.
My cock reacted to the memory, growing hard with images of Tatum on the floor, taking the fruit from my fingers, moaning while I watched her pop grapes in her mouth. Good God, my entire body was turning into one giant hard-on.
I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. “So, Uncle Gino, have we heard anything from our supplier in Mexico?”
I noticed him glance from me to Tatum, as if to say,“This is not a topic that should be discussed in front of her.”But I didn’t care. If she was going to be by my side, there would be no secrets and no lies. She needed to know everything about my life and how we ran things. She needed to know who I truly was…even if it scared her.
Uncle Gino took a sip of his coffee. “We have. Apparently Vico is one persistent bastard.”