“Not with me, she isn’t.” I glanced at Emilia, and she shifted in her seat as though my attention made her uncomfortable.
The slight blush that tinged her cheeks said it had nothing to do with fear. My gaze dropped to her bare legs, skimming over the bandage that covered her thigh. People out there had seen all that golden skin, and an irrational surge of anger tore through me at the thought.
“And get her some other clothes while you’re there.”
“I’m not a personal shopper, for fuck’s sake.”
“Well, you are now. “ I snapped at him, still pissed. “Go.”
He shook his head as he got up and walked away, his phone already pressed to his ear.
Emilia pushed to her feet, a frown pulling her brows together. “You mean to tell me I’ve been here for a week, and I could have had clothes this whole time, but instead, I had to steal shirts from your closet because you wouldn’t even give me that?”
I couldn’t fight the smile that tugged at my lips. “I like you in my clothes.” My dick liked it, too, which was reason enough why I should have given her clothes of her own long before now. “Be ready at seven.”
I expected her to argue, but she didn’t, and that was always cause for suspicion. Oh, my little kitten was considering how she would escape me out in public. This time I managed to hold my smile as I closed the gap between us. She tilted back her chin, her gaze holding mine with a bravery that made me want to test it. I glanced at her bruised bottom lip and couldn’t find it in me to feel guilty. I liked that I’d marked her, that the evidence of my lips was imprinted on hers. Taking her jaw, I pulled her up onto her tiptoes until her hand landed against my chest for balance.
“Please run tonight, piccola. I’ll enjoy chasing and punishing you again.”
She offered me a smile that bordered on a snarl. “The next time you tie me to a bed and leave me there, I’ll do a damn sight worse than come into your room.”
“Promises, promises, princess.” I pictured her tying me to a bed, crawling over me, and putting her lips on my body. Submission wasn’t my thing, but for her, it might just be. “But just know, next time, I won’t be walking away and letting you off so easily. That was an intro.”
Her lips curled in a small smile that went right to my dick. “Promises, promises.” Oh, she was playing with fire, and we were both going to burn.
“Begging and dripping, piccola.”
The blush that stained her cheeks had me biting back a groan. I slammed my mouth over hers without thought. The taste of her rolled over me like expensive whiskey burning through my veins. When I forced myself to pull away, Emilia gaped at me, lips swollen, cheeks pink, eyes wild. She was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen, and I wanted nothing more than to bend her over that couch and fuck my name from her lips. But she hadn’t begged…
Before she could speak, I turned away. “Be ready at seven, Emilia.”
* * *
I checked my reflection, adjusting the bowtie before I stepped out of my room and knocked on Emilia’s door. When she opened it, I was ready to murder Tommy for the second time today. I couldn’t take her out in public like that. The red dress clung to every damn curve, a split exposing the entire length of her uninjured leg, neckline plunging between her perky tits.
“Is that the only dress Tommy gave you?”
Her brows pulled together before she folded her arms over her chest, covering the strip of skin between her breasts. “Yes, and for your information, this wouldn’t be my first choice, either.” Her gaze dropped to the floor. “But seeing as I look so awful, maybe you should just leave me here.”
“I’m not leaving you here because I don’t trust you out of my sight, piccola.”
She took a step back, and I chased her, the same way I always seemed to.
“And you don’t look awful; you look fucking edible. Which is a problem because I can’t spill blood in civil company.”
Even through her makeup, I could see her cheeks tinge pink. “Whatever. This is stupid.”
I loved how awkwardly she reacted to any kind of compliment.
I pulled a box from my pocket and popped it open.
Her eyes widened when she took in the enormous ruby inside. “What the hell is that?” She pointed at it like it might jump out and bite her.
“That is the ring I would have given you the day you ran away from the engagement party.” A family heirloom of sorts, the only thing I had left of my mother. I remembered pulling up to that party and hating that I was about to put something so valuable to me on the finger of a girl I didn’t even know. I’d only known Emilia for a week, but I knew this ring would never sit on anyone else’s finger as perfectly as it would hers.