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I turn away from him, refusing to look at him any longer. I watch as the land falls away and we move out across the sea. “Oh, God,” I mutter. “We really are going to the island.”
“No way to escape,” he says, leaning over my shoulder, looking out as the island looms in the distance. “Unless you fancy swimming three miles through shark infested waters.”
I watch the island getting closer. There are jagged cliffs and inlets, sand covered beaches. Further inland I see lawns, trees, the old monastery crumbling into ruin. Beyond that, the house that looks like it hasn’t changed since I last saw it. Four floors, colonial style, statues in front, ivy creeping up the walls like it wants to suffocate the place.
I spent many summers here, before it all went wrong. There’s the spot me and Bea used to enjoy sunbathing. The trees we climbed when we were smaller. The bay where we’d swim. So many memories.
I turn to look at Leo. He’s not looking at me anymore. He’s staring past me at the house, lost in memories of his own. I see pain in his eyes. Real pain.
He’s in agony. Is that why he’s being so cruel?
“Your father will not get the place,” he says when he notices me watching him.
“What? What are you talking about? Why would my father get this place?”
He sits back in his seat as we descend toward the wide expanse of lawn near the orchard. “You’re here because of a clause in my father’s will.”
“What clause?”
“I marry you within a month of his death or your father inherits the entire Barone empire including Shell Island.”
I can’t help but bark out a laugh. “Bullshit.”
He holds up two fingers. “Two curses. Two spanks.”
“Sorry, but that doesn’t make any sense. Why would your dad leave everything to my father? They hated each other.”
“Beats me but the will is rock solid. Me and you get hitched or I lose this place.” His voice darkens. “That is not happening, Anna. We’re getting married and I’m keeping it all.”
A tiny ray of hope enters my mind. “So you just need to prove we’re married? That’s all.”
“I’m not going to fuck you, if that’s what you were thinking. I’m not interested in you for your body, Anna. All I want is your signature in the right place.”
Relief floods through me. All I have to do is sign a wedding certificate. “If I do this, will you let me go?”
“We’ll discuss that later. For now, I want you to be ready.”
“For what?”
“My tailor is going to take your measurements when we land. Then the doctor is going to examine you.”
“What? What for?”
“Firstly so I can make sure I have clothes here for you. Unless you prefer to live in that for the duration.” He waves a hand at my dust covered jeans.
“No, why do I need a doctor’s exam?”
“Standard stuff, nothing to worry about. Blood and urine samples so he can run some tests.”
“What kind of tests? Do you think I’ve got syphilis or something?”
“We’ll soon find out, won’t we?”
“And if I refuse?”
“You’re already getting spanked twice. Want me to bring out the riding crop to make it really hurt?”
He stares at me and I stare back, trying my best not to break his gaze. I don’t want to let him know he’s scaring me. I don’t want to be intimidated. I match his eyes for about five seconds before I finally let mine drop.
