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The large purple mark he’d left was showing against her pale skin already, and the sight made her lungs seize up.
His other arm sank around her middle as well, until he was holding her hostage within his arms. His mouth dropped to her ear as he watched her in the mirror. “There will be no pain when I bruise you—but understand that if necessary, the world will know you are mine. If you want bruises across your entire body that is up to you—but my warning stands—do not flirt with Navarro.”
His warning ringing in her ears, she lifted her fingers to trail against the mark on her neck before lifting her eyes to his, the butterflies in her stomach making it almost impossible to speak. “You’re crazy.”
His mouth set in firm lines. “It seems so—when it comes to you at least. It might do you well to remember that.”
With those words, he released her from the captivity of his embrace, but only as far as sinking a hand around her fingers to pull her from the room. She walked beside him until they reached the drawing room where he paused, pulling her tightly against his side, as if they were truly equals. But she knew the reality—he was calling the shots, and his roughened fingers holding hers captive were the only reminder she needed.
She glanced around, seeing their guests were already seated. The man, Rafael Navarro, was situated in one of two chairs that flanked the sofa. A younger woman sat on the sofa to his immediate left. Erin saw with a glance that they seemed to be pointedly ignoring each other as they waited.
Both visitors stood when Max and Erin entered the room and releasing Erin only briefly, Max walked first to the girl who had hair as dark as Erin’s own. He hugged her with what seemed to be genuine warmth, searching the young woman’s face as if he were concerned—a look similar to the ones she’d seen on her brothers’ faces when they hadn’t seen her for a while.
Erin didn’t completely understand it, but the look in Max’s eyes was so . . . so familial that she wasn’t bothered by his attention to the girl. The concerned look disappeared completely as he released the girl and turned to the man and shook his hand with much less effusiveness.
And then, pulling Erin forward, he swung her in front of him, her back to his front, and sank his arm around her waist again, a position that must please him because he kept doing it so damn much. “Nora, Rafael—I’d like to present my wife, Erin.” The arm he held cinched around her waist became like a band of steel, almost a warning. “Erin, these are our closest neighbors, Rafael Navarro and his sister, Nora.”
Erin smiled at the young woman who appeared several years younger than she and shook her hand. As she turned and greeted Rafael Navarro, the man corrected, “Nora’s my stepsister.”
As the man released her hand, from the corner of her eye, Erin saw two things: Nora flinching at the correction and Max’s body growing rigid. Her mother’s training saved her in the seconds that followed, as Erin smiled. She dipped her head graciously as a hostess would, even though she felt like a fraud for doing it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’m astounded at how beautiful the area is. You’re very lucky to live here.”
As she motioned for them to sit again, Max’s grip slowly receded and Erin took the few steps to the sofa and sat next to Nora while he took the empty chair.
Nora spoke up. “I’m sorry we barged in like this but when I heard about you—well, I just couldn’t wait.”
“It’s no problem. We’re delighted you could visit.” Abruptly, with only the slightest twinge of discomfort at her machinations, Erin decided to take the opportunity to plant the seed in Max’s mind that she was trustworthy—that she was accepting of the situation and was prepared to get along cohesively in his household. So with that in mind, she flashed him a demure smile before settling her gaze on Nora once again. “My husband has been showing me the house, nothing more. I’m really glad you guys came by. Max tells me that your home is twenty miles away—and that you’re our closest neighbors. From where I come from, that kind of open space is almost mind-boggling.”
Nora’s sweet laughter spilled into the room. “Yes, but it gets boring and lonely here. I hope you and I get on. Maybe we can go riding together soon?”
Riding? “Riding—what?” Erin asked, trying not to show her alarm at the thought of getting on a horse.
“Horses? You do know how to ride, don’t you?” Nora questioned with a hopeful look.
No, she didn’t, and she wasn’t about to learn. “No, I don’t. I’m sorry.”
