His breathing was still heavy from the intensity of our moment.
And, the lusty predator that I had been facing moments ago seemed to recede into the shadows, replaced by a man weighed down by unseen burdens.
Next, he reached down, picked up his pants from the floor, and began putting them on with a sense of urgency that made my heart race for an entirely different reason.
No. This can’t be happening.
I sat up in bed. “What are you doing?”
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he snapped the button of his pants shut with a force that was almost angry. His jaw tightened, and an expression I had never seen before darkened his features—an expression of anger, yes, but also something else.
Regret?
Fear?
Madness?
His jaw clenched, as if fighting an internal war.
For a moment, I saw the weight of whatever he was hiding, and it scared me more than his darkness ever could.
When he zipped up his pants, his voice was cold and clipped. “I can’t be here tonight. I will see you in the morning.”
“What?” I blinked, trying to comprehend his sudden change in behavior. “Do you have more. . .business?”
His eyes flashed with something dangerous as he stepped back from the bed, almost as if he were retreating from,me.
And then his gaze held mine for a moment longer before he ran his fingers through his hair, exhaling sharply as if trying to regain control over whatever had him so rattled.
“Gianni?”
“We will talklater.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that I will see you in the morning.”
“It is our wedding night.”
“That can’t be helped.”
My heart sank. “You’re the one that married me, against my will and. . .I was on the fucking stage. . .I was the fuckingVampire Queenand then was dragged here. . .and now I have accepted this marriage. . .so get back in bed and be my husband and fuck me.”
“Trust me when I say this,” He seared me with his gaze, “I am being averygood husband by leaving.”
“What does that mean?”
He spoke through clenched teeth, “I’ll explain later.”
“Explain now.”
“I don’t have time.”
“Why are you about to explode or something?” Anger rose in me. “Do you have a mistress. . .like all the other mob bosses in this fucking city? Is that what I’ve married into? Does she have a fucking line on her palm too to say that she is bound to you?”
“Don’t do that, Princess. There is no other woman.”
“Don’t leave, and I will know that it is true.”
