Sora swallows visibly, drawing my eyes down, and I glance at her delicate neck, catching the way her pulse jumps beneath her pale skin. It makes my cock throb with unexpected anticipation.
A woman’s throat shouldn’t be so sensual.
Not when I’ve seen as many naked women as I have, when I’ve had them bent and tied into all kinds of compromising positions, spread wide for my pleasure and stuffed full of my cock.
But for some reason, knowing that I can make Sora’s pulse race makes me hard.
“I would hate to remove your head from that pretty little neck,” I purr, leaning closer. “So, why don’t you do us both a favor and break off the engagement?”
My eyes flick up to catch her pink tongue as it darts out to wet her lips, then I force myself to meet her dark eyes framed by impossibly thick, long lashes.
“And what makes you think I could do that even if I wanted to?” she murmurs, her soft voice sensual in its breathlessness.
A hint of peach and jasmine tinges the air as I inhale deeply, and I wonder if she’s the source of the intoxicating scent.
It’s too early in the year for flowers to be in bloom, so I think she must be, and I straighten, giving myself enough space to keep a clear head as I work to intimidate her.
“Don’t sell yourself short, Signorina Tanaka. I’m sure your father would honor your wishes if you felt strongly about them, and I promise you that if you don’t back out of this little arrangement, I’ll make your life a living hell.”
If I can get Sora to end it, then it won’t matter if my father’s deal would put our family at risk.
And if the Tanakas are the ones to pull out, they can’t lash out either.
It’s the safest way to defuse the situation before I end up with a knife between my shoulder blades or my throat slit in my sleep.
“If you don’t want to get married, thenyoucall it off,” Sora says, her lips curving into a sweet smile. “But I promise you, I’ll do no such thing.”
With a flutter of her lashes, she turns to start walking again, and I grit my teeth as I follow, doing my best to keep my temper in check as she gets under my skin.
We still have time before the wedding, and I fully intend to change her mind.
Because one way or another, this alliance won’t last.
I’m sure of that.
“Ah, the king has returned!” Rafael quips, straightening from the pool table with a cheeky smile as Michelangelo—more affectionately known as Miko—and I step through the doorway into the billiards room.
We spent the better part of the afternoon at the Tanaka estate.
By the time we arrived home, the sun was just starting to set beyond the tree line surrounding our sprawling property on the outskirts of the city.
“Leave him alone, Raf,” Giovanni warns as Miko closes the door behind us.
After the day I’ve had, I’m ready to blow off steam with my brothers—probably the only people in this world I can truly trust—and our father is the last person I need overhearing what I’m ready to get off my chest.
I’m almost grateful Miko was there to witness the whole thing so he knows how close I am to snapping.
“How’d it go?” Gio asks before lining up his shot and sending a striped ball into a side pocket.
Heading straight to the wet bar, I serve myself a healthy glass of whiskey and knock it back in one gulp before pouring myself another.
“That good, huh?” Gio observes mildly, straightening after missing his second shot.
I catch the look my middle brother shares with Miko as Raf leans in to make a combo shot.
Too irritable to care about their game, I slump into the tufted red-leather Chesterfield near the bar and sip my second drink.
Abandoning the game he’s clearly winning to take the couch across from me, Raf gives me a crooked grin. “Was she that ugly?” he teases to lighten my mood as I move over to make room for Miko on the sofa next to me.
