The Marriage Debt (De Vos Mafia #2)(40)

I nod and wink. “An appropriate punishment for murdering someone, don’t you think?”

“Murder?” She frowns, jerking herself free from my grip. “I didn’t murder anyone. It was an accident, and you know it.”

“But I don’t, do I?” My eyes narrow. “I wasn’t there, remember?”

Her nostrils flare. “Exactly. But I was there. And I almost died that day too. But you seem to forget that, just like everyone else.”

“Shouldn’t have driven off in that car with him,” I quip.

“I never wanted anything bad to happen to Liam.” She points at my chest. “You shouldn’t have threatened him.”

“Our fight was nothing but brotherly rivalry over the company. My business, not yours,” I retort.

She only gets more and more in my face, and I don’t know if I hate it or love it. “You made it my business when you climbed into my window and told me I was supposed to marry him.”

“Yeah …” I scoff.

I remember it all too well.

The night I gave her that mind-blowing orgasm.

After I had my way with her, I told her why I’d come to her room in the first place.

That my parents had chosen my brother instead of me to be the next heir.

Her fucking dream come true.

“That was the biggest mistake of my life.” I step back a little to calm myself before I lose it. “Just like you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asks, but I’ve already turned around to walk toward the restaurant.

“Hello?” She starts chasing me across the pavement. “Answer me.”

I walk off toward the restaurant alone to collect my thoughts. “No.”

“Why not?” I like how she follows me out of her own damn free will just out of curiosity. “You can’t just drop something like that without an explanation.”

“I can, and I will.”

When she attempts to block my entry, I grab her wrist and drag her close. “You will never stop tormenting me, will you?”

“Me? Torment you?” She snorts. “Good one.”

“You haven’t stopped being snippy since we got here,” I say.

“And you haven’t stopped being a dick to me since we got married, but here we are.”

I lean in to look into her scared little eyes. She can pretend she’s big and bad all she wants, but when it comes to it, she still cowers in front of me like a little bunny in front of a wolf.

“Have you ever stopped to wonder why?”

Her eyes search mine, but when her lips part, nothing but a mere whimper leaves her mouth.

So I say, “Thought so.” And I push open the door behind her and pull her inside. “We’re done talking. We have a dinner to attend, and I can’t fucking wait to show you off to your own goddamn family.” When we’re inside, I swiftly spin her on her heels and corner her against a wall, just out of sight of her family. “You’ll behave like a fucking good girl.” I point a finger at her. “Or I will punish you after. Understand?”

Her lip curls up in defiance. “Woof.”

I tilt my head and smirk as I grab her chin and make her look at me. “Bunnies don’t bark, Jill.”

“Fine,” she spits. “But don’t expect me to pretend to be happy.”

I bite my lip. “I don’t need you to pretend. I’ve got that covered. Don’t worry.”

When I turn around, she asks, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

A devilish smirk spreads on my lips as I look at the table where my guests are already eagerly awaiting our arrival. “You’ll see.”





Chapter 17





Jill



* * *



I’m suddenly at a loss for words. My own damn family is sitting there at that giant table in the middle of the restaurant. And not only that, but Lex and Anne are there too. All generous smiles on their faces while they talk to each other like everything is all fine and dandy. Like they forgot they literally let me walk down the aisle to marry a monster to pay for a blood debt.

Fuck.

I’m frozen in place against this wall, wondering if I should attempt to run, but I know Luca brought his guards, and they must be right outside this front door.

I never thought I’d actually see my family again and definitely not at some frivolous dinner with the De Vos family. But I guess I can’t look a gift horse in the mouth. At least now I get to talk to Jasmine and see how she is.

So I take in a breath to gather my courage and make my way over there.

But the second I step beside Luca, holding my breath because I’m looking straight into my father’s eyes, Luca grabs my hand and pulls me in for a kiss.

Not a kiss on the cheeks or the forehead.

No … a full-on kiss on the lips.

And not just any kiss … a daring, coaxing, completely overwhelming and dominant kiss that says, “you belong to me and no one else.” It’s an all-consuming kiss so powerful that it makes my knees wobble and my heart rate shoot up as I struggle to stay put. The kiss makes it impossible for me to focus on anything other than his lips on mine, and everything else seems to disappear.

Until he takes his mouth off mine again, and all I’m left with is an insatiable hunger for more.