“So, you would prefer that she feel completely isolated in her new home? This place is prison enough, Leo. You don’t have to make her any more miserable than she already must be living with this family.”
Gio’s tone is mild, but his eyebrows lift in that expression he gets when he’s trying to explain something obvious, and my irritation skyrockets as the tension between us builds. The thought crosses my mind to take out my mounting frustration on Gio. I need some way to vent the explosive heat that’s been building in my veins since the lecture from our father the morning after my wedding, and Gio would make a fairly satisfying punching bag. He’s always been the peacekeeper, the one who’s willing to bend over backward for the family, and it’s times like these that my level-headed younger brother makes me feel most like an imposter.
If Gio were the Chiaroscuro heir, I have no doubt that he would handle an arranged marriage with some sense of decorum. He would accept his responsibilities without question and be willing make the sacrifices to keep our family afloat. Meanwhile, I have seriously considered walking away from it all on an almost daily basis. And knowing how short I fall only makes me resent Gio further.
I know it’s irrational. And self-destructive. My brothers are the only ones who have my back in this world. Even if my father claims to, I wouldn’t insult them by putting the don in the same category. He might be ready to hand over his empire to me, but he does that because he cares about his legacy. Not me.
Still, I can’t seem to quell my frustration with Gio when he managed to disarm Sora’s defenses so easily. “Just… stay in your lane,” I growl, jabbing the back of his book with my finger so it slams against his chest.
Then I turn and storm from the library to find Sora.
I can tell she’s been pacing as soon as I enter our apartments, though she stops to turn toward the door as I close it with a sharp snap.
“Did you enjoy flirting with my brother?” I taunt, looking for a fight as I cross the room toward her.
“I wasn’t?—”
“No?” I demand, tangling my fingers in her hair that she’s kept long and loose for the day and tugging on it just hard enough that she has to tip her head back and look at me as she falls against my chest.
She gasps as our bodies come together, her palms finding my pecs as she glares up at me.
“Look me in the eyes and lie to me,” I dare her, my cock twitching as electric tension crackles to life between us.
“You are such a dick,” she hisses, shoving against my chest, but my arm around her waist means she’s not going anywhere—and neither am I. “You can’t find the time to string five words together for me, but when I finally manage to have a decent conversation with one of your family members, you accuse me offlirting?”
“And now you’re not denying it,” I point out, walking her back toward the bed.
“I wasnotflirting,” she says.
“Just trying to make me jealous, then?” I counter, stopping just before the backs of her knees find the mattress.
Surprise flits across Sora’s face, and her eyes darken, awakening a beast deep inside me.
“Are you?” she asks. “Jealous?”
“You’re mine, Sora. You said the words the day I put this ring on your finger,” I state, trapping her palm to lift her wedding ring before her eyes. “You signed yourself away in blood. Since you don’t seem to understand exactly what that means, I’m going to teach you.”
“Teach me?” she echoes, her cheeks flushing.
Sora hasn’t put on makeup since the day of our wedding, and her natural beauty is dangerously alluring. Without it, her emotions are easier to read—a way I’ve gotten to know her better even if she doesn’t realize it. I love the soft color that infuses her cheeks when she’s mad or embarrassed.
If I had to guess, right now, she’s a mixture of both because I know she hates it when I question her integrity, and she’s deliciously shy when it comes to talk about hereducation—a concept I’ve meticulously taught her to associate with sex, because I can tell it turns her on. She likes learning about the different ways I can bring her pleasure almost as much as I like teaching her.
“Yes, teach you what happens when you try to make me jealous,” I say darkly, giving her hair a soft tug before I release it. “Now, bend over and pull your dress up to your waist.” I nod toward the bed, indicating where I expect her to bend over for me.
Sora gasps, her full lips parting as she glances behind her, but she doesn’t move.
“Do as I say,Cattiva, before I make you do it and double your punishment for having to ask twice.”
“But I didn’tdoanything,” she insists, her cheeks turning a deep shade of rose as her chin lifts defiantly.
“It doesn’t matter, Princess,” I breathe, leaning in until our lips are just inches from touching. “You’re mine now, remember? And I think it’s time I remind you who owns your body. Now,turn around.”
Sora’s breath catches, her onyx eyes bright with excitement, and she slowly turns to do as I say. As she bends forward at the hips, I help her along, pressing my palm to the flat of her back to pin her down. Then I take the hem of her dusky rose wrap dress and flip it up to reveal her panties. The black satin fabric is tucked enticingly between her creamy ass cheeks, giving me a perfect view of her smooth skin, and I run my hand over it, relishing the way she shivers when I touch her.
“This is my ass to do with as I please,” I rasp, my arousal instantaneous and consuming, and when I bring my palm down flat across her soft flesh with a snap, Sora yelps.
Her fingers tighten around the sheets as she glares back at me over her shoulder.
