Page 34 of Jealous Vows

“Yes.Away.Now.”

The same manic energy from eating unsafe foods vibrates in my bones.

“Baby doll, I need them to—”

I shove off the bed and stumble out of his reach but don’t make it to the toilet before losing the meager contents of my stomach.

He gathers my hair with glove-free hands and waits with the patience of a saint—or a killer—as I find my composure.

When I stand, he twists his fist in my hair before I can apologize.

I place my hand over his mouth before he can demand an explanation.

“My head hurts.”

I’ve never spoken truer words.It hurts so much I can barely keep my eyes open, much less think, especially with the rest of me battered and broken.

“No gloves and no opened food.Got it,bambolina.”

The fact that he saw the correlation without me having to utter a word fills me with gratitude, sadness, joy, and misery.The emotions are too big.I let him lead me back to the bed and under the covers.

He retrieves another bottle of juice and watches me take a few sips before sitting on the edge of the mattress and skimming his fingertips up and down my leg.Goosebumps rise all over my body despite the blankets.It’s weird having a virile, sexy mafia man sitting naked beside me, but he makes no move to cover himself.

“I’m going to wash my hand and check you without gloves,” he says.

I shake my head.

“Yes, Sienna.You’re hurt.”

Everything hurts, but he’s freaking out for nothing.I sigh and roll my eyes, too stretched thin to argue or worry over how he’ll react to my next announcement.

“I’m not hurt.I was a virgin.”

His stillness permeates through the entire room.Even the air conditioning falls silent as though by his will.

“You’re twenty-three,” he argues.

“Yes.I was a twenty-three-year-old virgin.I’m not anymore,” I state.

He stands and crosses his arms over his chest.Part of me wishes he’d put on clothes while the other salivates over his terrifying physique.

“You were a virgin.A twenty-three-year-old virgin running from a biker gang in San Francisco.”He waits until I nod to continue.“A virgin on the plane when the stranger copped a feel.”Another nod.“A virgin when we shared a changing room.A virgin when I choked you out, kissed you, and almost—fuck,” he curses, spins on his heel, and stomps into the bathroom.

Muttering and cursing, he paces between the bathroom and closet for a few minutes.I sigh, settle back against the headboard, and sip my juice as he works through something I no longer care about.I endured.It’s over.

Sure, he could toss me aside like garbage, but I’ve survived my family doing that already, so I’ll figure it out if that situation ever arises.I don’t have the bandwidth to worry about something that hasn’t happened yet.

He emerges with a resolute expression.I don’t flinch when he snatches my empty juice bottle away from me, half expecting him to choke me to death to rid himself of the trouble.

He flips the blankets back and pulls my knees apart.I tense and close my fists in the pillows.

“I didn’t hear you wash your hands,” I snark.

He spares my face a scathing glance before ducking down.

“I’m not touching you.Just checking for fresh blood,” he snarls.

I shrug and drop my head back.