Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes remained downcast as she took the last bite of her breakfast from my hand. She was deeply embarrassed by what I was doing to her, but that only made me enjoy it all the more. Nora was my responsibility now, and I wanted to care for her. If that meant making her shudder and blush, even better. The darkest parts of me craved this from her, and I wouldn’t deny myself. I didn’t feel a shred of remorse or hesitation; she was mine, and I could do as I pleased.
We were well matched. I could feel the warmth of her wet cunt on my thigh, making my pants damp where she sat on my lap. I wondered if she still tingled with arousal as I fed her or if it was residual lust from being punished. She’d been turned on by my discipline. I relished the prospect that humiliation also incited her carnal desire.
I brushed a kiss over her pink cheek. “Well done, pet.”
She stiffened in my arms, chafing at the praise. She probably interpreted it as mockery, but I was truly pleased with her. I didenjoy toying with her, but I wanted her to be healthy. It mattered to me that she ate a full meal. I wouldn’t watch my wife waste away.
I touched my fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face to mine, locking her in my earnest gaze. This wasn’t a game. Not this time. Her wellbeing was too important.
“I’m going to take care of you, Nora,” I vowed. “I’m your husband.”
Her lush lips pulled back from her white teeth in a small snarl of contempt. “You’re not my husband. Luca is. You’re just a monster intent on torturing me.”
Something hot and possessive swelled in my chest. Luca had stolen my bride, and not simply by kidnapping her and forcing her into marriage. He’d somehow acquired her loyalty, possibly even affection, in the short time he’d held her captive. He’d taken what was mine.
Drawing on years of practice, I kept my expression carefully cool and unperturbed. “You think this is torture, darling?”
She didn’t know the first thing about true suffering. I would shelter her from harm. I would protect her from everyone who might hurt her. Except me.
I would never brutalize her, but she would suffer for me. In the woods last night, she’d been breathtaking as she’d screamed in my ropes and begged for mercy.
If it weren’t for that bastard Vitale, I would’ve been the first man to touch her virgin pussy. The orgasm I’d forced from her quivering body would’ve been her first with a man. I would’ve been the one to introduce her to sexual pleasure, to own that piece of her soul forever.
Luca would pay dearly for that. I had plans for him, once he arrived to try to take Nora back from me. He would fail, and I would bring him lower than he ever could’ve imagined. Death was too merciful for my most hated enemy.
She didn’t answer me, and her eyes sparked with spite.
I hadn’t broken her to my will. I had no desire to crush her spirit completely, but she would learn to obey me. I needed her to be more malleable by the time Luca arrived, or she would spoil my plans for him. He would come for her soon. I had no doubt that he was currently gathering the men and firepower necessary to launch an assault on my fortified estate. He might be here in mere hours.
I needed to accelerate her obedience training.
I guided her off my lap, setting her on her feet before taking her hand in mine. “Come on, little bird. Time to show you around your new home.”
She hissed in a sharp breath, and I watched as she caught her lower lip between her teeth, holding in a retort. My wife was no longer calmly composed, but she was still resisting me, tempering her responses to maintain some small sense of control.
But she had no control, not in this house. Not with me. It was time she understood that. I would imprint the lesson deep in her psyche, so she would know that I owned her, body and soul.
I led her out of the dining room, and she followed with light, graceful steps. She truly did have a dancer’s form. I’d have to ensure that she had a space to practice. I intended to spoil my pretty wife, as long as she remained compliant and submissive.
As long as she knew that she belonged to me.
Not Luca, the bastard.
I dispelled the sour thought and reminded myself that my revenge was imminent. His attachment to Nora would only make him that much more vulnerable. If he shared the glimmer of affection that she seemed to harbor for him, I would be able to wound his heart while I shattered his pride. I would break him in every way imaginable, and Nora would help me do it.
My wife would serve me well.
As we made our way through the massive house, I acted like her gracious host, showing her the two sitting rooms, games room, study, whiskey lounge, indoor pool, and sauna. The only room where she dared to take her eyes off me and glance around was the library, as though she couldn’t help herself. I didn’t bother to suppress a knowing smirk.
Her old man had told me her hobbies when I’d asked—dance, piano, and reading. I’d already searched her bedroom at her father’s house, and once I gave her free reign of the library, she’d find her own copies of her favorite books tucked onto a shelf I’d reserved just for her.
I decided to save the music room for later, when I’d show her the piano where she could play for just for me. That would have to wait.
We had many years ahead for me to enjoy her musical talents. Luca might arrive any minute now. It was past time to drop the pretense and take her to our actual destination.
I led her to the end of the long hallway and opened the door to the darkened room. I ushered her into the darkness, ensuring that she was in front of me. With one arm wrapped around her waist, I tucked her tightly against my front, trapping her while I turned on the light.
She tensed as soon as the low golden lights illuminated the ominous space. Her head whipped around, something between a wild inspection of her surroundings and an instinctive refusal to accept where she was.