This is moving very fucking quickly.
I jerk out of his grasp. “Enough.”
He’s breathing heavily, his dark, lustful eyes traveling over me.
Slowly, I wipe my lips with the back of my hand. “You don’t get to kiss me.”
The arousal in his gaze flickers.
I reach behind my back and undo the remaining four buttons at the back of the dress. “And you don’t get to undress me.” I let the dress fall off my shoulders into a puddle at my feet. Next, I shed my bra and panties and stand before him, my body naked except for the diamonds.
I keep those on. They’re armor. The hardest gem in the entire world, and a reminder for me to be just as unbreakable.
Rafaele is frozen as he drags his hungry and slightly baffled gaze over my naked body.
He wants his stupid bloody sheets? I’ll give them to him. But that’s all he’s going to get.
I walk over to the bed, climb onto it, and lie down on my back.
“Do it,” I say, my gaze on the ceiling and my fists clenched. “I want to get this over with.”
A beat passes. And then he’s on me, his hand wrapped around my neck.
I suck in a shaky breath. His hold on me is firm but not so tight as to make breathing difficult.
His lips brush against my own. “Have you forgotten that I’m your husband and that I get to do whatever I want with you?”
I swallow. “Go ahead. Rape me.”
When his expression turns to stone at the word, I know I read him right. What he wants is for me to come to him willingly. Triumph swells inside my chest. For the first time, I have the upper hand. He has to do it. We have to consummate the marriage.
But he won’t enjoy it.
And if I deny him long enough, he’ll understand he made a mistake marrying me. As long as I never give him what he wants, I’ll have power over him. One day, I may even find a way to use that power to convince him to let me go.
“That’s not what this is,” he growls. “You knew the terms of this marriage. You consented to them.”
“I know I have to give myself to you, but I don’t want you. I won’t enjoy a second of it. Call it what you want.”
He stares at me for a long moment, searching my eyes for a hint that I’m bluffing.
He won’t find it.
When I don’t flinch or look away, his gaze narrows. I expect it to harden as he comes to terms with what he has to do, but instead, it turns uncertain.
That can’t be right.
This is Rafaele Messero, a man whose dark reputation is a living, breathing companion that follows him everywhere he goes. I have a lot of questions swirling inside my head, but whether or not he’s capable of forcing himself onto me tonight isn’t one of them. That’s a given. We have to consummate this marriage, or his family won’t accept it. They’ll be happy to have an excuse to annul it.
He can’t take that risk. Not when his ability to inherit my father’s empire is on the line.
He pushes off me and stands at the foot of the bed. The fabric of his slacks brushes against my bare knees. Seconds tick by. My heart is a tribal drum inside my chest. He doesn’t move.
“What are you waiting for?”
Is he trying to draw it out? To let me sink deeper into my fear?
My fists clench.
Finally, he starts taking off his jacket.
A ball of dread solidifies inside my belly. Despite my best efforts, my thighs squeeze together and my lips begin to tremble. Adrenaline and fear pump through my veins.
I wait for him to climb on top of me, to take what he believes is owed to him.
I count my breaths, readying myself.
But seconds pass and nothing happens.
CHAPTER 11
RAFAELE
This is all wrong.
What’s even worse is that I can’t figure out how the fuck we ended up here. I rewind the past twenty-four hours, trying to decipher the mystery that is my wife.
What’s behind her fierce resistance? Is it fear? I didn’t think she was scared of me, but maybe I read her wrong. No matter how badly I want her, no matter how desperately I want to sink inside of her, it can’t be like this.
Never like this.
My stomach roils at the memories that come flooding back. The hardwood floor beneath my bare feet. Dim light coming from the bedside lamp. My mother’s muffled cries amidst my father’s groans. I push off the bed, suddenly feeling horribly exposed even though it’s Cleo lying bare beneath me.
I want her to be willing. An enthusiastic participant, not trembling prey.
She opens her eyes. “What are you waiting for?” No matter how she tries to hide it, I can hear the wobble in her voice.