I don’t like the fear at fucking all.
“Relax.” It’s not meant to sound like an order, but it does, and I let out a frustrated sigh. “You know I won’t hurt you, so stop looking at me like that.”
Sienna’s voice is shaky, the fragile sound taking a swing at my heart as she argues, “You won’t hurt me, but you sure as hell will force me to do things against my will.”
She’s right.
When I don’t reply and just stare at her, her eyes widen more. “Jesus. Don’t even think about it, Christiano.”
I lean into her and drag my nose through her silky, light brown strands. “Think about what?”
Fuck, she smells good.
“Stop it!”
I pull a little back, enough to make eye contact. “No.”
Ripping her hands out from under mine, she leans forward to address Nico. “Stop the car, please.”
Nico only takes orders from me and continues to drive.
A mixture of anger and panic bleeds over Sienna’s exquisite features. She shoves my chest hard, but instead of getting me to move, she falls back against the door.
Having had enough, I grab hold of her shoulders and yank her into a tight embrace. My arms lock around her, and I’m instantly hit with a sense of peace so great that it makes my entire body shudder with relief.
I’m used to taking what I want and dishing out orders, but as I hold the only woman I’ve ever wanted, I beg, “Just let me have this.”
She stiffens for a few seconds before a miracle happens, and she wraps her arms around my neck. My eyes fall shut from the intense pleasure rippling through my body. I take deep breaths of her scent, and as the ever-present darkness retreats, I feel a glimmer of normalcy.
“Thank you,” I whisper near her ear while rubbing my cheek against her hair. My arms tighten, and it feels like I’m finally getting a hit of a drug after suffering from withdrawals for years.
She moves her hand to my nape, and when she presses a soft kiss near the burn mark from the bullet, my body shudders again, desperate for more.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice is soft and filled with the unbearable heartache she’s forcing us to feel. “I want you to be happy, Christiano. Please move on and find someone who’s better suited for you.”
Anger and frustration curl around my heart. I pull back and lock eyes with her. “Listen carefully.” Moving my hands up, I cup her cheeks. “I will never move on. You need to stop this shit before it causes a war between the families.”
Her eyes widen again, and she gasps, “What does that mean?”
“I’ve given you years, Sienna. I’m running out of patience.” Her green gaze fills with apprehension. “It’s time for you to stop this shit so I can put my ring on your finger.”
“What happens if I don’t?”
Any warmth she’s making me feel fades away until the monster she’s helped create stares back at her. “Then I will take you by force.”
Her lips part as fear bleeds over her face. “You wouldn’t risk the family for me. There’s too much at stake.”
My tone is cold and unforgiving as I say, “You have no idea what I would and wouldn’t do.”
She shifts on the seat, putting as much distance between us as she can while panicked breaths start to burst over her lips. “So you would force me to marry you against my will? And then what? We’ll live unhappily ever after?”
“I’ll be happy.”
A frown forms on her forehead, and her eyebrows pull together in a look that takes a swing at my heart. “How can you claim to love me, but you don’t care about how I’ll feel?” When I lift my hand to her face again, she jerks her head away. “You’re obsessed with the idea. This has nothing to do with love.”
Holding her fearful gaze captive, I say, “Once we’re married, you’ll see I did the right thing. You’ll realize how futile all this fighting has been.”
Sienna shakes her head, and when Nico brings the SUV to a stop in front of Raya’s building, she grabs the handle and shoves the door open.
