Entrapment (Morelli Family 7.5)

Avoiding my gaze, she swallows her food and takes a drink of water. “Will Vince be at dinner?”

“Generally, yes.”

Nodding slightly, she murmurs, “I’ll pass.”

“You don’t belong to him anymore,” I state. “You needn’t be uncomfortable.”

“It’s extremely uncomfortable,” she returns. “This is incredibly uncomfortable. He—I can’t. I can’t.”

“All right,” I say, easily enough. “It was just a suggestion.”

She’s quiet for a moment, thinking, then she looks up at me like she can’t help herself. “So, he still shows up to dinner and has to sit at the table with you?”

My lips curve up faintly and I nod. “With your empty seat between us. It’s not awkward at all.”

“It’s not funny,” she says, mildly. “It’s horrible. He didn’t deserve this.”

“He didn’t deserve this?” I ask, lifting my eyebrows. “He’s the one who gave you up. He lost his shit because my dick was inside you—and you didn’t even want it there. Vince is a prideful idiot with a lot of growing up to do.”

Mia scowls, her protective instincts flaring up. “He’s not an idiot,” she says, fiercely. “Vince was wonderful before you got in the way and ruined everything. I was his, and you…”

I roll my eyes at her theatrics. I know she’s young and wrong, but Vince is a dumbass and I would feel better if she’d just accept and admit the fact already. “It doesn’t matter,” I tell her, to make things simple. “You’re not his anymore.”

“And he didn’t give me up, you stole me,” she states, still stuck on defending Vince.

“Well, he didn’t fight very hard for you, now, did he?”

Her face flushes an even deeper shade and she shoves the tray away from her. It’s not completely cleared, but she ate most of it. “I’m full,” she states.

Since it seems I perturbed her, I expand on that. “I wasn’t insulting you, I was insulting him. You were worth more of a fight than he put up.”

Frowning slightly, she says, “Thank you, I guess?”

That was too nice, so I add, “Especially considering the stakes. He wasn’t exactly giving you up to a happy ending.” I shrug when the anxiety comes back to her face. “Anyway, how is your day going?”

“Well, it was fantastic until you just reminded me you want to murder me. Now it’s kind of a downer.”

She surprises a smile out of me. I love the little pops of spirit she shows me—she’s completely conquered, I effectively own her, but even here in the thick of it she’s not broken yet. Of course, I’ve kept the kid gloves on. Hadn’t planned to. I fully intended to unleash unrestrained cruelty upon her, but I’m enjoying playing with her. I don’t need to completely break her, just bend her until she’s close.

Fidgeting with her hands uncertainly, she avoids my gaze and asks a little awkwardly, “How is yours?”

Better now. I don’t say that. It’s bad enough the thought passed through my mind, but I feel better for having seen her. I’m unsure why. She hasn’t actually done anything, I just enjoy her presence. Since the moment I got her in this bedroom, I’ve been lingering longer in the mornings and coming to bed earlier at night just so I get more time with her.

“Fine,” I say casually, reaching for the comforter and drawing it away from her. “Business as usual, mostly.” I cock my head to the side, amused, as she hangs onto the fabric with a death grip, trying to keep herself covered. I’m not sure why. I’ve already seen every inch of her—it’s pointless to try for modesty now.

Of course I easily get the comforter away from her, but then she just covers herself up with her hands. Her blue eyes are narrowed at me and she does not ask any follow-up questions about my day.

I take my time looking her over, noting the flush of her skin as she angrily avoids my gaze.

I love her body. I haven’t been intimately acquainted with it for very long, but already I adore everything about it. I love the tint and tone of her skin, I love the size and aesthetic of her breasts—I even love the jut of her collar bone. The wisps of blonde hair scattered around her dainty shoulders. Her long, elegant fingers. Her fingernail polish is cracked and peeling off, I notice now. I know she doesn’t like that. She’s mentioned it in Vince’s room a time or two when he complained about the strong smell of the stuff.

I make a note to have Maria bring Mia her nail polish. I bet it bothers her to have it looking unkempt but she’s certainly not going to ask me for something so trivial. She wouldn’t even ask me for her shampoo. She could ask me for things, but I guess she doesn’t see the point since I keep telling her I’m going to kill her as soon as I get bored with her.