I walk into the house and look around. The rooms look untouched, and the house is quiet. Is she even here? But I spot a half-empty glass of wine on the kitchen counter next to a barstool that is clearly out of line from the others. I look up the stairs despite myself. Isabella is here, and god, why do I want her to show up all of a sudden?
I’d prefer her taunting and heated complaints over this cold silence of an empty house. But well, I did everything for the night to go this way.
I can’t help the pinch of regret as I walk upstairs, though. If I hadn’t planned for this house to have two bedrooms, I’d be able to force her into sharing a bed with me-and wouldn’t that be nice after such a long day? It’s been years since I held a woman in my arms, and for some goddamn reason, I crave that feeling right now.
I miss Mariana-or maybe it’s Isabella who’s waking up this longing in me. I don’t know anymore, but as soon as I enter my bedroom I feel exhausted all of a sudden. Perhaps I should’ve grabbed a glass of wine myself.
I fall asleep as soon as I hit the pillow, but the last thought I have is that this has been quite a shitty wedding night.
When the morning light wakes me up, I can barely remember the dream I just had, but the image of Mariana is all over my mind and the longing feeling in my chest is even stronger than yesterday. It’s been a while since the memories of our life together hit me with such a strong wave, but it looks like Isabella’s presence triggers something in me.
The thoughts haunt me to the point that when I see Isabella in the kitchen, I can’t help but think about how similar she is to Mariana. Is that why she has such a strong effect on me? Is that why my heart tightens and my body reacts with a wave of desire? I purse my lips and look away.
Whatever it is, I shouldn’t let it affect our marriage. Isabella is not Mariana, and I will never feel the same way about her.
Isabella glances at me as I walk past her to the coffee machine but says nothing, returning attention to her cereal. Oh, so no complaints? No jokes? Nothing? I can’t help but smirk, placing a cup in the machine before turning back to her. She may think that she’s acting careless about the whole deal, but even her coldness is already a reaction.
“Good morning,” I say eventually, just to piss her off, and Isabella quirks an eyebrow but doesn’t turn to look at me.
“Morning.”
“Not in your best mood today, huh?” I chuckle when I see her roll her eyes, but surprisingly she doesn’t shoot anything back at me.
Instead, Isabella keeps pretending to ignore me, scrolling on her phone, and this time I quirk an eyebrow. What’s with the theatrical indifference? Oh, is she mad at me for yesterday? I huff and turn away to my coffee, but the thought leaves me wondering. If she’s being all cold and mad at me, does that mean I made her upset?
Does it mean she expected me to show up here yesterday? As if it would make the night more pleasant for both of us. Why would she-
Oh. I blink, and a hot wave of arousal runs through my body. Did Isabella want me to share the wedding night with her? I almost want to laugh and tease her for it, but the image of our bodies tangled in the sheets with her high-pitched voice moaning my name…yeah, it makes my throat dry and my pants tight.
Would I be able to resist her charms? I doubt it.
Do I want to resist her? I don’t know. It’s not that I don’t find her objectively attractive, but… I close my eyes, leaning on the counter. My heart has never healed from Mariana’s death, and I don’t want anyone else to touch it. I don’t want to make anything more than a business deal out of this marriage, and-
“So what’s the plan now?” Isabella says all of a sudden, and I open my eyes and turn to her with a confused frown before I realize that I let my emotions slip out. Shit.
“What do you mean?” I say in a low voice, quickly pushing my
confusion behind a mask of indifference. I feel safer like that, with my true thoughts and emotions-the most powerful tool of influence hidden from others. And Isabella is not special. I’m not gonna open my heart to her,
ever.
“With the Escarras.” Isabella quirks an eyebrow as if it’s obvious and walks to the sink to rinse her bowl. “What’s the next step? How are we gonna deal with them?”
We? I chuckle and shake my head. Does she think I’m gonna let her be a part of it? Isabella has done nothing for me to trust her. Even if we’re married now, I have no intention to share the power of the De Lugo cartel with her-she’s too young and hot-tempered for that.
But a part of me also wants to taunt her when I say with an amused voice, “There’s no we. The deal is between me and Riccardo, and that’s how it’s going to stay. You have nothing to do with it.”
Isabella seems to be so caught off guard by my words that she just stares at me with parted lips for a few moments before blinking out of it and giving me a glare. “What are you talking about? I’m your wife now-I am a part of the deal.”
“You’re just one of the items in it.” I shrug and turn away to get my cup. For some reason, seeing her so agitated brings me satisfaction. Many people have called me heartless, and maybe they weren’t very wrong.
But Isabella doesn’t let it go so easily. She grabs my shoulder and yanks me back, forcing me to face her. Damn, is everyone in their family so fucking rude?
“Do you think you can brush me off so easily?” Isabella hisses into my face, narrowing her eyes with a look of pure fury. “I didn’t marry you to be left behind. I am a part of it whether you want it or not.”
I huff. “Our marriage is just a seal on the agreement, nothing more.
You seem to think too highly of yourself, darling.”
I say the last word with a mocking voice, tilting my head, and it makes something explode in her. With a low growl, Isabella shoves my chest, making me stumble backward, but I don’t find it in me to get offended. The kitten is showing her little claws, huh?
“I think too highly of myself?” Isabella seethes, pushing me again. “Look in the mirror, you asshole. You come here, treat everyone like they’re your fucking servants, and expect us to show you some respect. But you know what?”
She narrows her eyes, looking at my face, and I feel frustration waking up in me. Who does she think she is?
“You don’t deserve it,” Isabella continues, shoving me again until I hit the counter with my back. “You’re no better than Gerardo, the same traitorous, manipulative piece of shit who thinks everyone owes him something. You-”
But as soon as Isabella raises her hands to push me again, I catch both of her wrists with a growl and force her to walk back until she hits the counter on the other side of the kitchen. That’s enough. Who the fuck
allowed her to talk to me like that?
“You compare me to that rat one more time, and I will make you scream,” I say in a low, threatening voice, squeezing her wrist with all my might, looking into her big eyes with the fire raging inside of me. “I owe you nothing, do you understand me? Whatever you think about our marriage, my loyalty doesn’t lie with you.”
I shake her slightly by her wrists, her arms tightly pressed against her chest. Isabella doesn’t look scared, but she also doesn’t look as damn strong and confident as she did a minute ago. She stares at me with wide
eyes, so shocked that she doesn’t even try to get out of my grip, and I push her further, cornering her against the counter. Such an obedient girl…
“Riccardo and I are in control while you are just a toy in our game.” I grab her chin, forcing her to look up at me, and something inside of me is raging-but it doesn’t feel like anger anymore. “You belong to me now, and”
“No, I don’t!” Isabella protests, the fire in her eyes coming back to life, but it’s too late now. She is in my cage.
Isabella tries to shake her head, but I hold her chin in one place and lean down, pressing a kiss to her tightly shut lips. She keeps humming and grumbling something in an attempt to stop it, but it only gives me a chance to kiss her deeper-and I feel a shiver running through her. She still tries to push me away, but there’s not enough determination in it and soon enough her fingers curl around the fabric of my shirt.
My blood is roaring in my ears, my heart is pounding, and when I push closer against her, I growl from the pleasure of friction. Goddamnit, how stupid was I to let her sleep alone last night? I raise my other hand to the back of her head, deepening the kiss, and Isabella’s body weakens against mine. Yeah, she needs some good care, and I-
Pain bursts in my crotch before I realize what’s going on, and a moment later I feel another kick right into my stomach. I double from pain, grunting curses under my breath, but when I look up at Isabella, she doesn’t wait a second before slapping my face. Shit, that actually hurts.
“I belong to no one.” It’s the only thing I catch through the mixture of pain and arousal muffling my ears, and by the time I blink through the dark dots blotting my vision, I only see Isabella’s back as it disappears behind the front door.
Goddamnit. I breathe out and slowly straighten up, leaning on the counter, when a smirk suddenly raises to my lips. I glance at the door and even chuckle to myself, shaking my head.
Isabella is pure fire in human form-and I’m going to tame it no matter what.