Page 32 of The Predator
The room spins for a second, and then it rights itself as I try to look anywhere but at his broad chest, at the way his dress shirt is expertly tailored to his biceps. It's hard not to stare at him.
He leans down, his mouth so close to mine it would only take a little movement to reach him. Kiss him.
"It’s not what I want, but what we must do. We need to sell this. We are in love. We're married—young, sure, but married all the same. We must maintain a united front so that if someone comes for you, they know I will be in the way."
"You want me to pretend to be in love with you?"
He flicks his tongue against the side of my mouth gently. "Will you really have to pretend?"
I look away, afraid he will see right through me like he always does.
"If you want to call it pretending, sure.Pretend. But there’s no pretending on my part. I won’t lie about the way I feel about you,” he whispers.
He's closer now.I will not kiss him. Not now.Not when he's beating his chest and threatening to drag me back to the cave by my hair.
"Fine, but if I pretend to be the little wife, will you let me out of this damn room?"
His lips twitch but he doesn't smile. "Of course. You're my wife…you’re free to go wherever you want.” I take one retreating step when he clasps his hand around my bicep. “But make no mistake, there will be no more running, Ely. You agreed to be my wife, and you signed your name on the line.”
“I…was drugged.” I flounder for words. “Our marriage is as worthless as the paper it’s printed on. It might be a legal binding agreement, but that doesn’t mean I have to love you. It doesn’t mean any of this is real.”
I swear I see a flash of sadness in his eyes, but as soon as I blink it’s gone. “Maybe to you, but not me. I know this isn’t how it’s supposed to happen and that you’re confused and hurt, and I don’t want to make this more difficult for you. All I want is to make good on my promise to you.”
“Yay, you get to be the hero. What do I get?”
“Well, if you behave, I’ll let you go back to the room you were in before."
I nearly snort.The one connected to his room?I think not.
"Is it really necessary to keep me so close?"
A look of possession fills his features, and his eyes narrow like he’s trying to weasel his way under my skin. "I don’t think you understand how important all of this is. Do you want to go to jail for killing a man? Is that what you want?" His teeth snap together with each word, and he gives me a little shake as if the answer will fall out of me.
I swallow around the fear swarming my throat, closing it, making it impossible to speak. I shake my head hard.No, that’s not what I want.Part of me still thinks killing Yanov was a dream. But it’s not. This close I can see the toll this whole situation has taken on Sebastian. He’s got dark circles under hiseyes and an impatient tick to his jaw. I want to pretend like I don’t care but I’m not him. I can’t simply shut off my emotions.
“Maybe it would be better if I stayed with Bel and Drew?”
He transforms into a thunderstorm right before my eyes. His gaze darkens as he presses closer. Maddening possession makes him appear unhinged. The look in his eyes terrifies me, but it also warms me to the core. He hauls me tighter into him, until there is only an inch of space between us, and the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Danger is near, and my instincts tell me to run and hide, but there’s no time for that.
He nearly growls his next question against my lips. “What do I need to do to show you that you’re my wife?”
I don’t get the chance to answer him, because he heads towards the door, dragging me behind him.
CHAPTER 10
SEBASTIAN
I'm trying to be gentle, trying to be kind, trying to wrap my fucking head around her and the thoughts running rampant in her mind, but it’s hard to think of her needs when I’m consumed by white hot fury.She is mine. My wife. Mine to protect.
I’ve failed her before, this I know, but I won’t fail again.Not again.
I try to take measured breaths as I walk, but her struggling only irritates me more. "Stop it!" I snap.
She freezes in the hall, and I close my eyes, taking a moment to get a better grasp on my anger. Once I feel like I won’t explode, I round to face her. "Can you stop struggling and simply follow me? Please?” I tack on belatedly.
Her blue eyes are wide and red-rimmed from crying, and her pert mouth is set into a frown. "Why can't I stay with Drew and Bel?"
"Because we are married, and that’s not what married people do." I try to keep my tone calm, neutral, even, but her flinch tells me I've failed.