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“You’re bleeding.”
“Careful, Eva, I might think you care,” I tell her casually. She snorts a laugh and shakes her head.
“That’s the furthest from the truth.” With that she turns and walks up the stairs leaving me alone. I blow out a breath and head for the stairs myself giving my men a quick nod as I go.
I’m in my room, pulling my shirt off when she comes in. Ignoring her, I head into the bathroom to clean myself up. I turn the water on and wet a rag, hissing when it touches my wound.
“Give it to me,” she snaps grabbing the rag from my hand and taking over. She cleans my wound attentively while I watch her reflection in the mirror.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Why not?”
“You don’t have to. And the fact that I’m forcing you to marry me doesn’t really warrant this type of behavior,” I remind her. She could hate me. She should hate me. I’m forcing her into a war that she doesn’t deserve and the fact that she’s standing here helping me now unnerves me a little.
“I suppose there could be worse things.”
“Like what?” I ask clearly amused by her answer. There could be worse things than marrying the executioner of the Dameco mafia?
“I don’t know, Dom. This is all so fucked up. I’m not ready to get married and certainly not to you. I’m young, I haven’t graduated. I haven’t… lived.” Her words are a sharp stake to the chest. She’s right. She hasn’t lived and I want her to. With me.
“The tutor is here for a reason. You will graduate on time or earlier if you so choose.”
“Will you do it with me?” Another shock from the lips of this girl.
“I don’t need a diploma, Eva.”
“You need stitches. Do you have supplies?” I nod toward the cabinet below the sink and watch her as she moves to retrieve them all. She sets them up on the counter as I watch taking her in. She’s done this before and that thought alone should tell me something, but I ignore it, shoving it to the background.
“Sit over there,” she says nodding toward the toilet. I follow her orders and sit on the toilet watching her work. There’s something about Eva that I can’t pull away from. She’s perfect, gorgeous and she understands this life more than anyone else and the thought that she doesn’t want it at all makes me rethink my plans. She doesn’t want any part of the mafia world, but regardless of her wants, she is a princess and that will keep her bound to this life more than a marriage to me.
“How many times?” I ask knowing she already knows the answer as I watch her get the needle ready.
“My father’s men didn’t like my mother touching them. I never figured out why and I didn’t care to ask. I stepped in and I took over. How many times? More than I can count,” she replies stiffly as she sets to work. She walks over, ready to start when I grab her wrist and pull her into my lap.
“Will you ever love me, Eva?” Her eyes narrow on me before they soften.
“I don’t know. You’re… different than I thought you would be.”
“You’ve been here nearly a month. How did you think I would be?”
“Worse than you are. I’ve never met a man like you that actually cares what others think.” I chuckle at that.
“I don’t care what others think, Evangeline. I care what you think,” I say straightening out her words. I could care less what others think of me. They don’t matter to me. When did Eva start to matter to me? When did I start feeling more than I thought I would for her?
“Why? I’m just another girl,” she says as if that’s the truth. I sigh but lean in, my lips so close to hers that I can nearly taste her breath mixing with mine.
“You are not just another girl, Eva. You are mine. There’s a difference in that theory of yours.” She looks stunned by my words but they are true.
“You only want me because I’m a Bosco and you can wage a war using me,” she says, not sounding so sure of her own words. She is right to a point, but the more time I spend with her, the more I see in her. I don’t want to just use her. Not anymore.
“Will you stay with me tonight?” She shakes her head slowly. Eva hasn’t slept in my bed, but a few times since she’s been here. She opts for the spare room and I don’t blame her. I’ve been less than I should have been to her and now is the time to fix that. Our eyes collide and I can see the torment in hers. I know she had resolved to be stronger, to not break for me, but what she doesn’t see is I’m slowly breaking for her.
“Let me fix your arm,” she whispers changing the subject altogether. I nod once and release the hold I had on her letting her stand and get back to work.
The needle stings as it slides into my flesh. I keep my eyes on Eva’s as she works to stitch me up. When she’s done she applies some cream and a bandage but before she can walk away from me, I stand and pull her body back against mine. My hands grip her hips, my lips graze her neck.
“I don’t beg, Eva, but I’ll ask once more. Stay with me tonight. One night of your own free will. That’s all I’m asking for,” I tell her, nipping at her flesh. Her body shivers and I know she wants to accept.
