Lucia’s eyes widened, and for a moment, I saw she wanted to believe, wanted to do as I said, but then Isabella cleared her throat.
“Luce, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
I glanced at her, feeling only disdain as things slowly fell into place, piece by piece. I turned my attention back to Lucia.
“I’ll say it one more time. Get your things, and get in the car, or I will carry you out over my shoulder. But one way or another, you will be sleeping in my bed tonight.”
I watched Lucia swallow and saw how her breasts tightened beneath the pink nightshirt.
She was turned on.
“What’s it going to be?”
“Luce—”
I held a finger up to Isabella, not taking my eyes off Lucia. “This is between us.”
Lucia stiffened, looking over my shoulder at her sister, then back at me, defiance in her gaze.
“You can’t make me go.”
I grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
She squealed, surprised I guessed, when I gripped her hips and heaved her over my shoulder, slapping her ass hard when she kicked her legs and pounded my back with her fists.
“I’m calling the police!” Isabella ran into the kitchen.
I ignored her and moved us out the door, sheets of rain soaking us both.
“Let me down!”
“I gave you a choice,” I said, opening the passenger-side door and dropping her into the seat. She immediately tried to spring out, but I pressed her back with the flat of my hand against her chest. “You chose wrong.” I clicked her seat belt and shut her door, locking it until I got into the driver’s seat. I hit the gas, propelling us forward.
“You can’t just…take me like that!”
“Put your seat belt back on.” She’d unbuckled it. What did she think she’d do, jump out of a car going sixty miles per hour?
I made sure the door was locked just in case.
“I swear, Lucia, if I have to pull over to discipline you—”
“Slow down!” she screamed as I took a turn.
“Fasten your fucking seat belt.”
“I hate you.”
She fastened it as I merged onto the highway. “You say that a lot. Mostly when you’re turned on.”
“I’m not turned on!”
I glanced from her face to her nipples and back. “No, obviously not,” I said, returning my attention to the road.
She covered herself with her arms. “You have no right, Salvatore.”
“I have every right. You signed a contract.”
“I was sixteen, and I had no choice!”
“And what’s your choice now? Huh? Break it? Risk your family’s safety?”
“You wouldn’t hurt them.”
I glanced at her again, some part of me glad she knew that. But I wasn’t the only danger. “I may not, but others would.”
“Are you going to threaten me with that for the rest of my life?”
I just shook my head and concentrated on the road. I had more important things on my mind at the moment. Like figuring out what the hell had happened that afternoon.
By the time we pulled inside the gates and up the drive, the silence between us hung like thick, impenetrable fog. Rain still poured down. Since the garage structure was separate from the main house, I parked as close to the front door as possible and climbed out. Lucia had already opened her door and sat measuring the distance between the car and the house.
“Your feet are bare. I’ll carry you.” I leaned in to lift her, getting soaked for the third time that night.
“I’m fine. Don’t touch me.”
“Stop fighting me. The stones will cut your feet.” With one arm beneath her knees and the other at her back, I lifted her out.
“I said don’t touch me!”
Just as I leaned to close the car door, she hoisted herself out of my arms and fell to her hands and knees with a grunt.
“Lucia!”
“Stay away from me!” She scrambled to her feet and made for the front lawn.
“Godamnit!” I chased her, although there wasn’t anywhere for her to go. If it wasn’t pouring down rain, I’d have left her to it. Although knowing her, she’d tear herself up, trying to climb over the gates.
She ran fast, but the slippery ground beneath her bare feet hindered her progress. She fell twice more before I finally caught up to her. When I wrapped an arm around her waist to haul her up, she kicked out, knocking my legs out from under me so that I fell on top of her.
“Leave me alone! Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
She fought like a feral cat, scratching and kicking until I lay my full weight on her, caught both of her wrists, and trapped her beneath me.
“Stop! Stop fighting me!”
“I hate you. I hate you, and I will never stop.”
I looked down at her, tears and rain soaking her face.
“You will stop.”
“Why did you come for me? What do you want from me?”
“What do I want?” I looked at her face flushed with exertion, her mouth open to suck in gulps of air, her dark hair fanned out around her head, stuck to her face, soaked and dirty. “What do I want?” She jerked her body. I touched my forehead to hers, her eyes burning amber now. “This,” I said, and kissed her.