My heart pounded. My thoughts spun.
And my core…clenched.
Not just from fear. Fromdesire.
He was a slow-burning fuse that promised my detonation.
“I’ll marry you,” I said quietly, “but onmyterms.”
He arched a brow. “You think you get to set the terms?”
“Yes.” I met his gaze head on. “If I choose you, I do.”
He didn’t interrupt but waited patiently for me to continue.
I took a breath. “No violence against me. Ever.”
“The only pain I cause you,” he said, his voice as rough as whiskey mixed with honey, “will be that which you beg for.”
A shiver slid down my spine.
“I want to keep working,” I continued, “as an actress. I don’t want to be locked away like some porcelain doll.”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “Until we win the war against Delgado, you don’t work. You don’t leave my side. Not for one damn second.”
I nodded slowly. That one I could understand. “Fine. Temporary house arrest. I’ll survive.”
He eyed me warily, waiting for my next ultimatum.
“No children,” I said next, “unless webothagree. I’m too young, and I have things I want to do first.”
He tilted his head. “Your body, your call. Always.”
That caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected him to give in on that one freely.
“And fidelity…” I said last. “No cheating. If you want a wife, I’d better be the only one warming your bed.”
His voice dropped, becoming dangerous and raw. “When I make a vow, it’s unbreakable.”
I bit my lip. Had this man just agreed to everything I’d said?
He leaned in slightly, his eyes flickering down my body and back to my mouth.
“You’ll be my wife, and you will be obedient,” he commanded. “And submissive to me—in all ways that matter. Public and private.”
Heat flushed my skin, but I held his gaze.
He smirked.
“I will kill anyone who touches you.”
I didn’t flinch.
“You will not speak of anything you see or hear that relates to my work. Not to friends. Not to family. Not to anyone. Loyalty is survival in my world.”
“Understood,” I said. “You’ll have my silence.”
He studied me for a long, tense moment. “This is not a game, Lacey.”
