Page 41 of The Queen’s Bodyguard

Fuck. You’re in trouble, Argos.

By then she’d recovered enough to stand, wobbling a bit as she stepped up onto the soft couch cushion, making herself taller so she could glare down at him. And, to his surprise, she whipped off the glasses he’d put on her and tossed them to join his.

“Retrieve my violet frames,” she ordered, and he didn’t hesitate, picking them up and popping one of the lenses back into place before bringing them back to her. She refused them and looked away from him.

Behaving like a true Warrior wife, he thought with a grin.

“I want the gold ones,” she said.

A growl rumbled in his chest, but he couldn’t tell what emotion was guiding it as he dropped the frames onto the coffee table and handed her the ones she wanted. She put them on, blinking a few times to adjust to her clearer sight, and pointed to the lineup of Argos-sized frames. “You’re wearing the black ones. Put them on.”

Argos put them on without question, and he saw the moment her eyes brightened, if only briefly.

“Eyes here,” she ordered, and this time he didn’t hesitate to obey. “If you ever again give me that much trouble over something so trivial, I will make you regret waking up this morning. Do you understand?”

This woman is mad, he thought. Why do I like it?

“Good,” Theora said, as if translating his silence and unwavering eye contact as a yes. She cleared her throat. “Now, I need some air, so if you’ll excuse me—”

Argos took hold of her hips to assist her down, pausing the action when he heard her suck in a breath. Her heart pounded, and he looked at her to be sure he wasn’t frightening her…and saw the edge of something wild before she diverted her gaze. She set her hands firmly on his shoulders, and he picked her up and set her feet on the ground.

He forced himself not to grip the supple flesh of her hips, instead releasing her quickly. She rushed off toward the door.

“Good boy,” she said, a condescending simmer to that gorgeous voice that at once made him angry and horny.

He immediately resented his body for reacting like she was truly his, like she was anything more than a spoiled royal who was used to getting her way. Once again, she was disrespecting him. She’d learned nothing.

She would have to be punished.

“Ten minutes,” he said.

She’d only opened the door and stepped into a small outer hall, but his deep voice halted her from going any farther. She swiveled back around, glaring at him with raised brows. “Excuse me?”

“You brought me along to protect you, right?” Argos filled the doorway, bowing his head slightly to clear it so he could face her. “I want you back in this room in ten minutes.”

“I appreciate your commitment, but there’s no need to concern yourself with my safety until we arrive—”

“It’s not a suggestion. Ten minutes should be more than enough time for you to ‘get some air.’ ”

Theora’s jaw dropped, but she seemed to recover from her shock quickly. “Who do you think you are, commanding me—?”

Argos growled and leaned down to make their faces level. He didn’t touch her. It was a warning, that was all.

“How dare you?” she demanded.

“Ten. Minutes.”

“Or what?”

“I’ll punish you.”

He saw her shiver, her confidence slipping ever so slightly. “You can’t punish me. I claimed you. You’re mine.”

He scoffed. “Is that how you think this works?” He clasped the back of Theora’s neck, and her jaw snapped shut out of pure shock, cutting off any further protests. “Know how to time ten minutes?”

She gaped, clearly recognizing that he was using her own words against her. He’d have to continue wondering if she’d been bluffing about punishing him the other night—either way, he was certain she’d learned her lesson now. He knew a good many ways to make people regret ever defying his commands, if he cared to implement them. But of course, none of that was necessary.

He hated to admit it, but she did make it so very fun to put her in her place.