AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I stared at her, ignoring the impulse to grab her hand and force the ring back onto her finger. Something twisted inside me. The woman who owned my son’s heart had to be by my side. If I lost the custody battle, co-parenting would give her lots of free time. Time for many things, like dating. My son would be exposed to whatever riffraff she brought home. Thinking about it pissed me off. Watching her thrive without me would be intolerable.
Why shouldn’t I have her?
Her brightness contrasted nicely against my darkness. She’d look pretty on my arm, like a shiny bauble with her colorful outfits. I liked the idea of her husky voice singing my name, whispering it in her sleep after I’d fucked her senseless.
This was about control. Violet with someone else was a threat to my son’s stability, not jealousy. I was above that. This engagement was all part of the plan. A necessary arrangement. The way my blood rushed when she defied me? Pure adrenaline. The satisfaction in imagining her sleeping in my house? Just the pleasure of winning.
“You want to know why?” I angled my head to brush my lips against her ear. “Because you own a piece of my soul. I demand yours in exchange.”
Her cheeks flushed. “I don’t want to own your soul.”
“Then give him up and get out of my fucking life.”
“Never.”
“I won’t stop until I have full custody.”
She raised her chin. “Go ahead. If you had judges in your pocket, you wouldn’t bother with this song and dance.”
“Bumpkin, I don’t need corrupt judges, only a nasty lawyer who’ll do anything it takes to destroy you.”
“So why don’t you?”
I was the one shackling myself to a ball and chain to guard what was mine. What was she giving up? Her defiance stoked the fire growing in my belly. She didn’t understand the danger she provoked. I needed to tame this girl as soon as possible. I pictured her glare shattering as I made her come.
“I want you both. It’s that simple.”
“You’re not tellin’ me why?—”
“Do the smart thing. Put on my ring. Say yes.”
Violet inhaled deeply, her eyes dropping to the box. “What about us? Will there be expectations?”
I ignored the heat pounding through my cock. “Don’t flatter yourself. This isn’t a love story.”
“And if I agree to all this, you’ll drop the custody battle?”
“Yes. I’ll have my lawyers draft the prenup. We’ll include what we’ve discussed. It’ll be legally binding.”
“Then I accept.”
Irritation heated my skin like a rash. The fact she’d accepted right after I told her we wouldn’t have to fuck annoyed me. Everything she did irritated me.
“I’ll set up a meeting.”
“When?”
“I’ll let you know. For now, I expect you to wear my ring.”
Her wounded gaze crashed into mine. “I want Jack.”
I strode in the direction of the toy store, Violet on my heels. Romeo stood outside with Jack, a yellow bag clutched in his hand. I assessed Jack with a glance—clean clothes, rosy cheeks, his shoelaces trailing the floor.
Violet’s shoulder bumped mine as she dragged Jack away from Romeo. “You about gave me a heart attack. I can’t keep you safe if you don’t stay close!”
“He got me a train,” Jack hooted.
Violet shot Romeo a death glare and grabbed Jack’s shoulders. “You’re not supposed to talk to strangers.”
