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She walks past me, and I’m so shocked she’s ignoring me, I almost let her get to the stairs before I react. “Don’t you walk away from me,” I growl out.
The animalistic urge to take her here and now, to show her who the fuck the alpha is, runs rampant through my veins. Somehow, I make the seven steps to the staircase and manhandle Aribella up against the wall.
“Unhand me.” She seals her fate right here. Her head held high, shoulders back, and not a lick of fear in her eyes. Aribella is royal and regal, looking as she wages a war inside of me. She’s going to be a handful. I can’t wait.
“Oh, sweet,mi reina.” I push her face up, forcing her neck to arch until I hear her yelp.
“I’m not your queen!” She tries to knee me in the groin, but I block her knee and laugh at her gumption.Goddamn, she’s going to be fun.
“You know Spanish. This is wonderful.”
“Oh, shut up. I want my cat and clothes.” Fuck me. She turns her lower lip down in the cutest pout I’ve ever seen. If only she knew I’d give her the world, she’d learn to exploit that. Keeping a stern face to hide how much I want her; I squeeze her neck.
“I fucking said no. When I speak, it is final.” Watching the way she processes what I’m saying is intriguing. She goes from pouting to in shock, and now she’s raging mad. “Then I’m not going anywhere.”
“Mi reina,you don’t have a choice. You can either walk out of here alive or I can tote you out in a body bag.” I wouldn’t kill her. No, she’s going to be my queen, dammit, but I must put fear into her. I believe it’s the only way I can get her to conform to what I want.
The fight leaves her as her stupid cat comes down the stairs. “Can I at least have my cat, then?”
As I’m about to talk, the cat stretches and runs his paw along my leg. Never thought I would be an animal man, but it seems I’m going to be. “Fine. You may have your stupid cat.”
She gasps. “Don’t call him stupid. He’s a sweet, sensitive boy.” She’s clearly not afraid of me, even though my hand is still wrapped around her throat, because she bends down and picks herbabyup. I release her neck, not wanting to choke her. At least not yet.
The way she strokes his magnificent white fur makes me jealous.Fuck me.“Let’s go.”
“Fine.” She stomps out of the house with her cat, and I swear, said cat looks over its shoulder with the wickedest grin I’ve ever seen. I bet the damn thing is going to be just like his owner.
Feisty.
Aribella said nothing to me during the ride. Not a damn word. But she spoke to that cat and stroked his back like he was the king of the world. Soon enough, she’ll know exactly who I am, what I will be demanding of her, and everything else. By the time I pull the car into the driveway, I’m seething over hearing how wonderful the fucking cat is.
“What’s his name?”
This rewards me with a smile from her. Talking about the cat. Got it. “Espresso.” She giggles and kisses the top of his head. Dammit, I really am jealous, and I’m pretty sure what I’m about to do is going to make me the biggest bastard in the world.
I get out of the car, walk around the front, and open the passenger side door. She doesn’t speak about the house or how I am being a gentleman right now. I wait until we get into the house, and I grab Espresso from her.
“Hey!” Aribella reaches back out for the animal, but I walk away to my head of security, who is waiting for me. “Give him back,” she demands, and the tremble in her voice kills me.
“Make sure we lock this animal up in the basement.” Mossimo doesn’t say a word but nods in understanding.
“No. Give Espresso back. You can’t do that.” She nearly trips over her own feet to get to my head of security, but I grab her around the waist and put my hand across her mouth.
“Pipe down,mi reina. If you do everything I demand of you, you will get to see your cat again.”
The feel of her hot tears scorches my hand as I grip her harder. “I mean it. Calm down or you’ll be locked in the basement, too.”
Aribella goes soft against me, but I’m on high alert. “I’m going to let you go, and we are going to walk to the office. Do not run from me.”
She nods her head, and I let her go. “Right this way.”
When we get into the office, I lock the door behind her. “Sit down.” I look at her, but she refuses to meet my eyes. Her shoulders shake and I know she’s still crying, but at least she’s not being bad. I hate that I have to punish her, but she has to know what’s going on here.
“As you know, the house and land are mine to do with as I please. Your brother also entrustedyouto me as well.”
This makes her head pop up. “What do you mean?”
“Your brother stole over twenty million dollars from the neighboring casinos. I am the debt collector for the families that own them. He must pay the money or it’s his life.”
