I narrow my eyes at her. One thing’s for certain. She could use a few lessons in manners from Antonia. At least our housekeeper knows when to bite her tongue.
“I’m going back to bed.” I pull the covers tighter around me and roll onto my side. “Tell Judge if you’d like. It makes no difference to me either.”
I could almost swear I hear her snort as she leaves the room, and for a second, I question what I’m doing. Am I really prepared to face his wrath before I’ve even had my coffee?
On the one hand, I’m certain I’m not. On the other, he’s an asshole, and I want him to know I’m not going to make this easy for him just because he tells me to. If he had the first clue about my schedule, he would know that I stay up late just like Santiago. It’s rare that I rise before noon, and I have no intentions of changing that just because some egomaniac beats his fists against his chest in a display of power.
I close my eyes, and my room is so quiet that I can almost believe I was right. Judge isn’t going to waste his time coming in here this morning. Not when he has more important things to attend to, like lording over all the unfortunate souls who have to face him in court.
Five minutes pass, and then ten. With every additional second, my body begins to relax again, and my eyes grow heavy. I’m on the verge of sleep stealing me away when my door opens, and a chill moves over my spine. Without even looking, I know it’s him. I can feel the darkness of his energy pulsing through the room, obliterating the sunlight pouring in through the windows.
I don’t look at him. I lie there, frozen, my breath caught in my chest while I wait to see what he’ll do.
“Get. Up.” His order is issued in that authoritative voice that makes me shudder. But at the same time, it fuels my own ire.
“No.”
“Mercedes,” he warns. “Do not test me. I can promise you won’t like the outcome.”
“Just leave me alone!” I yell over my shoulder, the words dying off as I catch a glimpse of him.
He’s standing there in a pair of riding breeches, boots, and a shirt that’s hanging open to reveal his bare chest, glistening with the sheen of an early morning workout. I try to swallow the knot in my throat as my eyes unintentionally move over his muscular frame. I always knew Judge was strong. It’s not a detail you can miss in his well-tailored suits. But knowing it is an entirely different beast than bearing witness to the broad expanse of his shoulders and the cut abs with that dark patch of hair that disappears beneath his waistband.
Oh, God. I can’t look at him like this. Judge has always been my older brother’s arrogant best friend. The type you tolerate because you have to. This feels wrong. All wrong. And I don’t know why I’m still staring at him, or why I feel a rush of heat spreading down my neck and chest.
If I had to guess, it would be because I’ve never seen a man in this state of undress. Pathetic, I know. But rules are rules. Even when I was dating Jackson, I never once saw so much as a glimpse of his chest. I wasn’t prepared for this, and I have no idea where I’m supposed to look, or what I’m supposed to do.
“Mercedes,” Judge clips my name out with all the sharp delicacy he can muster.
My eyes move to his, and it’s a mistake. Because I can see the fire in them. He’s noticed me staring. He’s noticed the flush moving over my skin. This can’t be real. Not with Judge. He’s never looked at me the way he’s looking at me right now. Like he’s about to crawl out of his skin and… devour me.
“Get up.” His voice is rougher now. “I’m not going to ask again.”
I stare at him, unable to speak. Unable to even formulate a thought. There’s a tension between us I don’t want to acknowledge. I think it’s always been there, simmering quietly beneath the surface. I always thought it was a mutual hatred, but right now, it feels like something else. Something that’s about to reach a boiling point.
“You have a way of getting what you want in life, little monster.” He steps forward with determination, and I spot something in his hand.
It takes a moment to register that it’s a riding crop. My heart slows to a heavy thud in my chest, and I try to shake my head, but it doesn’t move. I’m frozen, terrified by what he might do, and it’s a feeling I had long thought I’d put behind me. I’m Mercedes fucking De La Rosa. I don’t back down from anything. I don’t bow to anyone. But right now… it feels like that’s exactly what I’m doing when he takes another step, and I bow my head to avoid his gaze.
“I knew you had it in you.” He drags the rough edge of his thumb along my jaw, tipping my chin up so I have to look at him. “You can submit. You just need someone to guide you.”
“No.” I force the words between gritted teeth.
“Resist all you want,” he says, his voice oddly calm. “I enjoy taming wild beasts.”
His thumb skates dangerously close to my lips, and I suck in a sharp breath. At the same time, he freezes as if he didn’t realize what he was doing. I don’t know what to make of this strange interaction when things have only ever been strained or indifferent. This isn’t the Judge I know and remember. This isn’t the same man who looked at me as if I scarcely registered in his world. I had always felt he thought he was far too superior to really see me. But right now, it feels like he sees everything.
“Mercedes.” He pulls his hand away abruptly, his face adopting a neutral expression that makes me wonder if I’m seriously losing my mind. Did I just imagine that?
“Judge.” I return his name in a tone dripping with as much arrogance as I can squeeze into it.
His lip tips slightly at the corner, and if I didn’t know any better, I might think he finds this whole situation amusing. But of course, he would. He’s the one who has the real power here, and we both know it. Everything I do is for show, but I don’t care. I want him to know what he signed up for. I want to make his life as hard as I possibly can.
“Kneel.” He points at the floor with the end of his crop. “Now.”
“Are you kidding me?” I glare up at him.
“Do I look like I’m kidding?”