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She was bold; she had always been bold. From the first moment I set my sights on her, her fire seemed unquenchable. But tonight, I heard the tremor in her voice when she spoke, and the subtle way she hid her gaze from mine. She was nervous.
“I don’t owe you an explanation.”
She shook her head, pulled the panels of her silk robe to overlap, and tightened it. “Of course, you don’t.”
“But did you care that I wasn’t around? Did you miss me?” Had she looked up, she would have seen the hint of a smile on my mouth, teasing her, testing her buttons to know what made them crack, apart from her fucking cousin.
She shrugged, and just like that her feistiness was back. “Judging by what you’ve said, I think this conversation is no longer relevant. In your words, ‘it is insignificant.’”
I ignored her fiery daggers because something else was gnawing at the back of my mind, like a heavy burden I had to get rid of. I had to make something clear to her.
“Our house,” I said, and she gaped through thick lashes.
“What?”
I took a sip of coffee. It was black and strong, just the way I liked it. “You said you didn’t want to burn my house down.” I held her eyes, forcing her to see the seriousness in mine. “It is yours too.”
“It sure doesn’t feel like it.” Her comment was fast and straight, like an arrow shot to kill.
I dropped my mug with a deep frown etched on my forehead.
“Let me make something clear to you: You are my wife, and I am your husband. You are my honor. This is your house now too, Juliana. You are no prisoner or a stranger here. You fucking belong to me, realize that already. If you have a choice, you are expected to choose me, and you are—obligated to put me above all else. If you ever do anything against me, I promise you—and I keep my promises—that I will put aside all my affection for you and put bullets through your head.”
Her eyes popped wide. Unreserved fear stared back at me, and, for some reason, that did not bode well. I wanted to tame her, break her, make her mine. But I wanted her to want me willingly. When she cried, it unnerved me, and when she showed her hatred and disgust for me, I saw red.
I gritted my teeth.
“Is that clear?”
She nodded, shifting uncomfortably.
“Good.” I interlaced my fingers. “Now, is there anything you want to tell me? How was your day?”
“T-Tell you? Like what? I don’t—”
“Juliana,” I leaned forward. “Anything happened?”
She held her breath. Her eyes turned glassy, and her shoulders stiffened. Then, she exhaled, and I heard the resignation in her breath. “You just threatened to put bullets in my head, so …,” a dry laugh left her lips and she paused for a moment. “I don’t think hiding anything from you is sensible. I can’t lie to you. I won’t tell you who the person was, but someone helped me get in contact with Liam. I swear, it didn’t even last for five minutes and, before you hold a knife to my neck, I don’t know where he is.”
“Okay. That was ... unexpected.” A grin spread across my face. She was not speaking out of mere fear, I spotted much sincerity in her eyes.
A frown marred her features. “What was unexpected?”
“Your honesty.” I stood up and strode over to her. Her head fell back as she looked up at me. “If you’d kept it from me, truth is, I would have found out sooner or later. You are a terrible liar.”
Realization set in. “So, you knew?”
“Yes, I did.” I leaned against the edge of the marble tabletop. “The man helping Liam is called Sergei. He's one of my men and a very loyal man. We set a trap for your cousin to lure him straight to us. What happened today … the phone call ... that was also a test for you, to see if you would tell me the truth or not.”
Anger flared and her eyes flashed. “Oh my God,” she shook her head in disbelief. She pushed herself off the chair and kept muttering, “I can't believe it,” as she glared at me. “A test? A test, … Rafa? My cousin’s life is in danger and you're talking about a trap to test me? This is unbelievable. You really are heartless! You're evil! Just when I thought you were ...” She turned around, ready to walk away from me.
“You thought I was what, huh?” My hand reached for hers and I pulled it back with a force that made her chest collide with mine. “Tell me!”
“Let go of me!”
Her lush blonde hair shimmered in the light, falling forward, and framing her face. The wild look in her eyes pierced me with resentment and pain and just the mere sight of her made me burn with desire. I glared at her, tantalized by the soft call of her lips, the delicious curve of her neck, and her hard nipples peeking through the silky fabric. My erection pressed against my pants and dirty, dirty thoughts settled in my head.
I backed her up against the counter, relishing the warmth of her body on mine. “Where do you think you are going?”
