“You sure have a lot of whys in you tonight.” He pulled out a navel length necklace, then eyed me questioningly.
“It goes with a dress.” I paused, reading his face, and knowing his thoughts. “No, that’s not a metaphor for naked. It goes with the black one.”
He grinned. “I’m that translucent?”
“Crystal clear.” He reached for the other bag, and my hand shot out and snagged it from him. “This is not for you.”
The fact that I was protective of a bag raised some curiosity. “What’s in there?”
“Personal items.”
He snatched the bag back from me. “Please, your tampons are next to my shaving supplies, is there anything more personal than that?”
He had a point; I still didn’t want him to know what I purchased. . . just in case. I wasn’t planning on caving, but I’d be the first person to admit that he made me weak. I hated it. I despised him for his allure and the addiction he caused. But he made me vulnerable. At a distance, I could hate him. I could deny I wanted him and resist his calling, but once he touched me . . . I was gone. I forgot all logical thought, and I fell into him, ready to rub against his leg like a bitch in heat.
He took my real choice away. He pushed me to be his. He forced me to leave my home. And when I looked at him as he’s bent over my stuff, his long lashes dusting his cheeks as his fingers gently rub the lace of my dress, the unopened bag still in his hand, I felt anything but the hate I knew I should have toward him. Lust. He detonated lust from my very core, and I didn’t want to be weak and give in. Not when he took everything he ever wanted from me, but I feared at some point, the resistance I was clinging to would snap.
“I don’t feel comfortable with you touching my garments.” It was a lame excuse, but I wasn’t really sure what to say.
His grip on the bag tightened, and he made a humming sound in his throat before swallowing. “Are the contents of this bag to wear under dresses such as these?” I nodded, the sound of plastic rustling intensifying as it crumpled in his fingers. “Are any of these made out of lace or satin?”
“Possibly.” I was actually enjoying the look on his face.
He dropped the bag like it was formed out of scorching coal and stalked toward me. “I won’t open the bag, Bianca. I like surprises, but I will see it this weekend. Do you understand me?” He was so close I was almost drunk with the smell of his cologne, the spicy musk surrounding us both. I nodded, and his eyes softened. “Good. I have work tonight. We leave early Saturday morning.”
He pulled away and stalked out without looking back.
CHAPTER 26
ROYAL
I was halfway to the gym when I got the call. Some bastard was caught stealing lumber and supplies from one of the construction sites downtown. What did I want to do with him? Well, well, well, it was his lucky day.
“Bring him to me, I’m almost to the gym.” I hung up, not waiting for a reply. Last month, his feet would already be in cement as I watched him get buried alive under the very building he was caught stealing from. Yesterday, I would have let him go with a threat. This afternoon, I would have turned over video footage to the police and let them deal with the crime. Tonight, right fucking now, I had so many feelings and aggression to get out that he just made himself the absolute perfect target at the fucking absolute worst time—for him.
I was aware my emotions—a whole fucking array of them I didn’t even know I had two weeks ago—were so out of whack that my actions and decisions were sporadic. I had a brief moment where I thought, maybe I should see a therapist, but then I brushed it off as Bianca’s presence making my balance a little out of sorts. It would even out eventually, right?
I was only at the gym ten minutes when two of my boys came stumbling through my door, dragging a man between them. They pushed him in front of me, and the man stumbled, nearly faceplanting before righting himself.
Unbuttoning the cuffs of my dress shirt, I began to roll up my sleeve. “Did Leo and Manuel hurt you?”
The guy was sweating bullets, probably already knowing he was in for a whole shit load of fun tonight. He swallowed hard, trying to force words out, and I patiently waited as I moved to my other sleeve. “N-no, sir.”
I nodded my approval, they knew the rules. Unless I gave the okay, I didn’t want them to use their brute force. “So, why did you make them drag you in here when you have two perfectly good feet? Are you a child? You don’t look like a child to me.”
He shook his head vigorously. “N-no, I-I’m not a child. I-I was afraid,” he finally got out.
I leaned against the table, crossing my arms in front of me, well aware that the corded muscle on display was impressive to the ordinary man. “In the future, and you will have a future just so we’re clear, my men won’t hurt anyone without my go ahead unless provoked and forced.”
Relief flooded him, the tension in his shoulders visibly loosened. “T-t-thank you, sir.”
I chuckled, and my men did the same. “I said you would live, but we still have the issue of the attempted theft to deal with.”
His eyes went wide, and his hands began to shake at his side. “I-It was a-a-a m-misunderstanding. Please.”
I fucking hated how someone thought they were tough as they committed a crime, but when the time came down to it, they were all weak. They all stuttered in fear in front of me as they pissed their pants. They drooled and cried instead of taking their punishment like a man. “What’s your name?”
He hesitated, but then realized I would eventually get it one way or another. “Frances.”
God, even his name screamed pussy ass mother fucker. “Frances, when you fill your bags with my tools and supplies, back your truck up to my worksite, and begin loading my lumber into your truck, I don’t agree with your statement.”
“I didn’t realize they were yours,” he rushed out, his stutter no longer present as he saw how dire his situation was.
“So, stealing from anyone is okay? Just not from me?”
“N-no, I just thought . . . I didn’t see it as stealing. They were just lying there.” I sighed heavily. Did he think his bullshit would work?
“Chair.” I directed my boys, who practically lifted him up and tossed him into the chair, securing him in place with straps. “The site is enclosed with a chain-link fence, which you cut a hole into the side of.”
“Please.” He was pulling against his restraints frantically as I opened a drawer, skimming over my various tools. “I won’t do it again.”
I picked up a sharp serrated knife and held it up, examining the blade before setting it on the table and searching out what else I wanted to use. I heard liquid hit the cement and I groaned dramatically. Every fucking time. “Do you realize how much extra work goes into cleaning when grown men piss themselves? You are not a toddler, take your punishment like a fucking man.”
I nodded to Leo, his fist came out, right hooking Frances square in the jaw. He screamed upon impact, spit flying and landing a foot away from my feet. I shook my head in disgust, then reached for pliers, a thick rubber band, and some clamps. It looked like a great start to me. I couldn’t fucking wait to dig in, let loose some of the coils that my wife had wound inside of me. I turned around, Frances eyeing the tools on the table.
“You won’t die today, but walking tomorrow might be a struggle,” I told him as I dragged a chair up and sat backward onto it. I grabbed my pliers. “Now, are you a lefty or righty?”
CHAPTER 27
BIANCA
As promised, Royal was up with the sun, bags packed, ready to get on the road. He sat on the bed, arms crossed, staring at me impatiently. “What is taking you so long, woman?” He looked at his watch dramatically. “We should have been on the road hours ago.”
I grunted as I finished applying eyeliner. “It’s seven in the morning. I haven’t even had coffee yet.”
“I’ll buy you some damn coffee. Hurry. Up.” He punctuated his words with more strength behind them than I prefe
rred him to use.
I dropped the liner onto the counter and turned toward him, crossing my arms spitefully. “That right there is why you couldn’t get hitched organically.”
Both his eyebrows rose in unison. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Do you think talking to me like you can order me around and I’ll just obey is going to get you far? Because I don’t feel like obeying orders.”
His whole body flopped back onto the bed with a curse. “I see why people beat their wives.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “Did you seriously just say that?”
His head lifted just enough off the blanket to make eye contact with me as he tapped his watch. “Time Bianca. Please. I’m begging you.”
“You’re avoiding the question.” I held my body stubbornly, refusing to budge in both stance and attitude.
He heaved himself off the bed dramatically. “I said it. I don’t even fucking regret it either.” His heavy shoes clunked with each step he took toward me, and I had to swallow hard. “A little whip has never hurt anyone.” I glared, and he caved. “You know I would never touch a hair on your head out of anger.”
He reached behind me, tossing whatever he could grab into my makeup bags. I swirled around, grabbing his hands to stop him, having a brief moment of struggle before I finally screamed at him to stop. He froze, his head tilted in a way that reminded me of a puppy until he spoke. “What?”
“You can’t just throw that stuff in there like that. It’s expensive.”
He picked up another handful and tossed it in. “So? I’m rich.”
“Well, I’m most certainly not. I’m just now starting to build back the savings my father borrowed, and I can’t afford to be wasteful.” I took his hand in mine, prying his fingers away from the brush his big fist was crumbling the bristles off.
“You don’t need savings, Bianca. What’s mine is yours,” he pointed out, and it was sweet that he actually believed it. This was a contract, not an emotional commitment, and both of us needed to start thinking of it that way.
“I prefer to stay independent in this commitment, Royal.”
Ignoring my words completely, his eyes grew a little dark. “I like when you say my name.”
“Do you always have a complete inability to focus, or just when you’re talking to me?” I used my palm and pushed him away, then dumped out my makeup bags so I could organize them accordingly instead of just having everything haphazardly tossed inside.
He leaned in, and I could feel his heat radiating off his skin and seeping into the crook of my neck. “Just you. We leave in ten minutes, Bianca. Not fifteen, not twenty, not thirty—ten minutes. Am I clear?”
“I’ll see you in eleven.” I tossed my hair back, smirking to myself at my inability to let him have one easy win.
His voice lowered as his hands found my hips, pinning them in a bruising hold, and his lower body pushed into me. “If you are up here in eleven minutes, I’ll assume you are ready to be naked and waiting for me, and Bianca?” I hummed in my throat, paralyzed by his touch. “It will be hours before we make it out of this house again.”
Turns out, I could get ready faster than I originally anticipated. I was downstairs, bags by my feet, sunglasses on, in nine minutes and thirty-five seconds. My cocky bastard of a husband watched me lug my stuff downstairs as he stood by the front door, watching, the corner of his lips tugged up slightly.
“Wow, look how swiftly my little wife can get ready,” he pointed out as he grabbed my suitcase from my hand. “Your son is currently with his grandma.”
I heard the hint of laughter in his voice. “Are you mocking me? That rabbit is my baby, probably the only child I’ll ever have, and I will not have my baby’s life mocked.”
“I sure hope not,” I heard him grumble under his breath, and when I gave him one of my most vicious stares, he took a step back. “I’m sorry. Peter is with Greta, and they plan to have an exciting weekend eating grass and running around the yard.”
“I won’t even question which activity is for the rabbit and which is for Greta.” I leaned over, placing my heels on my feet.
He nodded. “Sometimes it’s better not to know.”
We were on the road for forty-five minutes when he pulled into a parking lot without an explanation. He instructed me to stay put before he hopped out and disappeared. A few minutes later, he came out with two piping hot travel cups and a paper bag. He climbed back into the car, handing the bag to me and offering for me to take one of the cups from him.
I reached out, taking the one from the hand nearest to me. “What’s this?”
He took a small sip from his cup and winced. “I promised you coffee. Careful, it’s hot.”
I wanted to point out that yeah, it obviously was hot, I could see the steam, but decided against adding snark to an otherwise civil moment. Instead, I blew on it a few times, then took a sip, letting the warm, rich liquid fill my mouth and coat my throat as it went down. I nodded my approval. “It’s good. Really good.”
He looked proud of himself. “Wait until you taste the pastries.” He tore open the bag in my lap, pulling out some croissants, some sort of jelly-filled doughnut coated in powdered sugar, and some kind of fritter. “You need to try them all.”
“That’s a ton of sugar, your dentist would have a heart attack,” I pointed out as I took the powdered sugar mess from his hand, taking a bite and moaning.
“My dentist is subpar anyway, I’m looking for a new one.” He shoved a chunk of croissant into his mouth, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
I liked the sparkle. I liked the sparkle so much more than I should have. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. Whatever happened to supporting your spouse, no matter what?”
“Two days ago, I pulled a man’s fingernails out with pliers then proceeded to use a rubber band to thump at the wound. Do you support that?” He sipped his coffee casually.
“Heavens, no! You did not do that.” That’s savage, cruel, and so unlike the man who bought me coffee and built bunny runs.
“I most certainly did,” he confirmed. “But you don’t look a bit more scared of me with that knowledge. I suspect that you would support me, even knowing I am capable of unethical things. In fact, you’ve known this all along. We may not get along all the time, but if you heard someone talking unfavorably, would you speak on my behalf?”
“Well, yeah. You can be a jerk, but technically, you belong to me.” Shit. I hated that realization.
Me saying it satisfied him. “See. You can support me knowing I’m what most would think is a monster, even if we aren’t in agreement. So, I don’t feel you are the amazing dentist that people raved about, but I support you and would still send people in your direction for business.”
I crossed my arms, still a bit annoyed. “It’s not the dentist's fault you’re a man-baby.”
“Bianca.” His brows pulled together. “You’re missing the point.”
“No, Sir. I got the point, but I was just saying. You’re a man-baby.”
His hand reached over, his palm covering my whole thigh right before he squeezed. When he released his grip, his hand traveled farther up, teasing the inside of my thigh through the outside of my jeans. “I will show you how much of a baby I am not.”
I shivered at his tone, not doubting that he would show me. Instead, I pushed his hand away, not giving myself any extra moments to enjoy his touch. “Don’t you have a meeting to attend? You were all like, go-go-go an hour ago.”
“Amore, you haven’t even begun to see go-go-go.”
CHAPTER 28
ROYAL
We stopped for lunch at a cute little diner tucked into a back road in what was quite literally, the middle of nowhere. The parking lot was full, the plates were filled, and I was pretty sure I ate the most delicious burger of my life.
After our lunch break, we were back on the road, the car filled with silence. Most of the trip was quiet, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. I never felt t
he silence as awkward with her near me. I felt contentment, always contentment, and maybe that’s why I knew she was mine from the moment I saw her. Even then, the satisfaction of our connection was there.
We were almost to Roman’s compound when she finally spoke. “Is there anything I need to know about your business meeting? I don’t want to embarrass you.”
I grunted at the thought. “There is nothing you could do that would embarrass me, Mi Amore.”
“I’m sure there is plenty I could do to embarrass you.” Her body shifted, and I could feel her eyes looking at me from the side.
I shook my head and braved a quick glance in her direction. “Not today. Roman and I go back to when we were practically kids. Shaw, almost as long. There is nothing you can say or a thing you can mention that they haven’t seen.”
She quirked her head a little. “So, these people are close?”
“Like my family,” I admitted.
She nodded her understanding. “So, this meeting is about?”
“Nothing concerning us. They’ve run into a few undisclosed problems they would like to discuss and arrange some assistance with.” I turned off the main road onto the side road where the compound was located.
“Is it dangerous?” Her voice sounded unsure.
I licked my lips, satisfaction coursing through me. “Are you worried about me?”
She didn’t answer right away. “I wouldn’t say I’m worried, but it’s my job to make sure you’re not making bad decisions in my presence.”
I reached my hand over, resting my palm on her thigh. “I won’t lie to you, Amore. If they are calling me, they need help deeper than they can handle. It has to be important, something meaningful. They don’t ask for help often.”
She nodded. “And you trust them?”
“With my life. Roman, Shaw, Troy, Greta, Genie, you and Peter. That is my whole family. Everyone else, extras.”
Resisting Royal (The Repayment Series) Page 14