She looked at me for a moment and I could see the gears in her head working, tuning up for another argument. “I don’t want to be driven, I want to walk or bike,” she declared.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Either I drive you or you don’t go at all.”
Her scowl was thunderous, but I held my ground. She swayed slightly, clutching the pie to her chest, and then she whirled on her heel and began stalking across the yard toward the garage. I sent the guard an apologetic look and headed after her, catching up as she yanked open the door to my black SUV.
I slid into the driver’s seat and turned to face her. Her slender fingers, my ring glittering on her left hand, clutched onto the pie dish until her knuckles went white. Her dark brows were angry gashes across her forehead.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I said in a low voice.
To my surprise, her lower lip quivered. Her jaw clenched and she looked away, staring down at the floor.
“Nothing, I just wanted to go and do something on my own,” she said. “You’re taking away all of my freedom…I don’t even have my own bed anymore.”
That was understandable—she’d been through a lot of changes. I took a beat and let her exhale a few times before answering.
“You made a deal,” I told her. “And you’re a grown woman so you knew what the consequences of the deal would be. You knew that as my wife, you wouldn’t have the same freedoms you had before. I’m your husband and it’s my job to protect you, whether you like it or not.”
“I understand that.” Her scowl softened. “I just…I’m having trouble adjusting to it.”
There was a hint of vulnerability in her tone, a crack in her armor. I put my hand on her throat, on that lovely, delicate part of her, and turned her face up to mine. She blinked rapidly, swallowing as I stroked her gently with my thumb, trying to calm her down.
“Does this have more to do with what we just did inside?”
“Maybe.” Her lids fell.
“Was it too much?”
She licked her lips. “No.”
Her voice was husky and my cock twitched in my pants.
“What is it then?”
“I—I liked it.”
I kept my face impassive, ignoring the rush of triumph in my chest. “Why is that a problem?”
“Because,” she said, her voice strained. “Because I thought I would hate you. And I don’t.”
Interesting. I hadn’t expected this amount of vulnerability from her, but I was grateful for it.
“Why shouldn’t you like me?” I quipped gently. “I’m irresistable.”
She gave me a watery smile. “Oh, is that right?”
“You know it is. Do you want to know something, baby girl?”
She nodded, keeping her eyes down.
“I’ve wanted you since Lucien showed me your picture. You’re fucking beautiful and sexy and you get me so goddamn hard. You’re spirited too, very headstrong, but I like that.”
Her brows shot up and her fingers tightened on the rim of the dish.
“The best form of revenge is not being miserable,” I said, releasing her and leaning back in my seat.
“Who are you trying to get revenge on?” she asked quietly.
I closed my eyes as a flash of memories flooded through my mind. A scream that made the hair rise on the back of my neck. A body I knew well seizing on the floor, dying in my hands. The light fading from her eyes as I pressed my fingers into her wound, trying to keep the tide of crimson inside. God, would I ever be able to shake that image? I swallowed and forced myself to keep calm even though my heart thudded against my ribs.