A Debt Owed(26)

Will it always feel like this? If so, I’ll have one heck of a time adjusting to the sight of him, especially if I continue to let a man’s chiseled, half-naked body distract me.

I swallow away the lump in my throat as he puts his hands against his waist.

Oh, boy. This is gonna get rough.



Easton



“Did you do this?” I ask, pointing at the dresses littering the floor … or what’s left of them. When she screamed, I thought she’d hurt herself, not ruined the dresses she was supposed to try on. An entire fortune ripped apart as if it means nothing to her.

She averts her eyes, refusing to even look at me. She doesn’t want to give me the satisfaction of her guilt. And I’m sure that if she did look at me, she’d turn into a meek little lamb. I know she desires me, and whether she ignores the sensations of her body is irrelevant. Her eyes already betrayed her the moment I set foot into her room.

But that does not change the fact that she acted out like the little princess she is.

I grasp her chin and force her to look me in the eyes. “Tell me why.”

“You know damn well why,” she hisses through gritted teeth, trying her best not to look at my bare chest. How amusing. I guess it’s hard to avoid looking at something you really wanna look at. Just like it’s hard not to ruin someone else’s hard work.

“Those were expensive dresses you were supposed to try on, not make a collage out of them.”

She snorts. “You think that’s what I was doing?”

I tighten my grip on her chin to keep her from turning her head. “You’re avoiding the inevitable, Charlotte.” A smile forms on my lips as her fear grows when I bend over to get on her eye level. “You will be my wife, whether you like it or not, and you will wear whatever I tell you to wear.”

“There are no dresses left. What are you gonna do?” she taunts.

“You think this will get you out of the agreement?” I retort, shaking my head slightly.

I put my hands beside her on the bed, and she leans backward just to avoid confrontation.

“Let me be straight with you. I don’t care if I have to drag you to the altar in your bra and panties. I’ll fucking put a ring on your finger in front of your family while you are naked if I have to,” I growl, leaning so close I could press her down on the mattress and force myself on her. But I’m not gonna do that. I just want her to think I could. She needs to feel the threat and remember it, so she won’t ever pull this shit again to try to get her way.

“Make no mistake, princess …” I whisper as I take a strand of her hair and curl it around my finger. “You are mine, and you will be my wife, with or without a dress. And we’ll have plenty of time to enjoy everything that comes with being a husband and wife … including having you strut around my house completely naked.”

Just the thought has me riled up enough to make my cock hard against my pants, and when I lean away, standing tall and proud, her eyes follow down toward my rock-hard length. The way she swallows right after is enough for me.

First, I’ll take her hand. Then I’ll take her pussy.

“Now … apologize to me and Jill and promise you won’t do silly things like this again. Maybe then I’ll let you have dinner tonight.”

She grimaces and looks out the window. “No.”

“Charlotte …” I make a fist with my hand. “It’s in your best interest to do what I want. Or do you want to stop eating altogether?”

I know she’s hungry. I’ve seen her clench her belly and noticed how she keeps ignoring her growling stomach. She ignores the need for nutrition because it’s her only way to control what’s happening to her, and she uses it as a weapon against me. But I won’t allow it anymore.

“Either you do this, or you can die from hunger. Your choice,” I growl.

I mean it. I’m done playing her games.

She loudly sucks in a breath through her nose and licks her lips as if she needs to get rid of a foul taste. “I apologize,” she says under her breath. Her voice soft as a feather and almost inaudible, but I heard it. “And I promise not to do it again.”

A wicked grin spreads on my lips. “Do you still want clothes? Or should I drag you down the aisle in your birthday suit?”

She looks at me at in disgust. “What?”

“You heard me.” I cross my arms over my chest. “You want to wear clothes to our wedding? Ask me, and maybe I’ll let you …”

She scowls once again and refuses to look me in the eyes as her lips part. “Fine. Please, can I wear some clothes to my goddamn wedding?”

“No,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “Beg me like you mean it.”

She takes another deep breath as though she feels humiliated. Good. I want her to feel that. I want it to sink into her bones so she’ll never forget. So she’ll think twice before she throws a tantrum.

“Can I please wear clothes?” she asks, this time without the begrudging tone.

Fuck. I love hearing her grovel. I could get used to this … I definitely could.

I approach her again and place a hand on her head, petting her hair. “Good girl. Now go make up to Jill, and then we can all get on with our day.”

When I press a gentle kiss onto her cheeks, she completely freezes. By the time I move away, she still sits rigidly on the bed and doesn’t even look me in the eyes as I open the door and close it while making the last eye contact.