Now, I was terrified.
Gianni let out a long breath. “Go back to the suite, Princess.”
“You can lay next to me—”
“Without fucking you tonight?” He looked at me like I was the most absurd person he’d ever seen. “That would be impossible. Do you understand how bad I want you right now? How hard it was to make myself come to this room that I’d already had set up days ago. I just knew. . .I knew that with you. . .I might need. . .chains. . .”
Terror gnawed at my insides, but I shoved it away.
There was at least one good thing that had come out of that confession. It was clear that he would never want to physically hurt me.
While it was one thing to just declare that he wouldn’t, it was another thing to actually chain himself up to a wall to make sure it never happened.
That made me feel so much better about this forced marriage.
And with that realization, I began to walk toward him.
“Princess.” Those chains rattled at his side.
I ignored his warning and continued. “Thank you.”
“Thank you?”
“I like my pelvis, and I also enjoy walking.”
He didn’t smile. “Go back to your suite.”
“You’re chained up.”
“With you this close, these chains won’t stay in the wall. Trust me.”
I stopped.
Now only one foot ran between us.
I lowered my gaze to one hand and that was when I saw it, him trying to yank the fucking chained hook out of the wall. “Stop that.”
He licked his lips. “Perhaps, I can control myself. Get the keys, Princess. Let’s see.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I don’t know if I should.”
He did his best to keep his voice steady, but it shook like he was some drug addict begging for me to just hand him back the drug. “No. I was being. . .paranoid. Give me the keys, Princess. I’ll be gentle.”
Said the predator to the prey. . .
His gaze went feverish. “Go ahead. Help me undo the chains.”
“No.”
And just like that, he dug those fingers into his skin as he strained against the metal. The hook in the wall shook a little.
Fast, he yanked at it hard.
The hook bent a tiny bit.
And one piece of concrete chipped away as he pulled at it with all his strength.
“Stop that, Gianni.”
