“I'd love to. Dad rarely took me out of state. He said it was too dangerous to let me go off on my own, or even go with him to Europe...”
All this talk about her old man was pissing me off. Fuck's sake, the whole reason we were going was to make her forget. Also because it was a perfect place to lure his stupid ass into my territory so I could beat his brains out and put this bullshit to rest forever, but she didn't need to know about that.
“Forget about the way you used to live, babe. You're with me now. You do what I tell you, and don't second guess. You're a free woman now, free as you can be in my shadow. You're not Daddy's little girl anymore. You're mine, all mine, and only mine.”
Her eyebrows quirked up as she took a big bite of toast. “Am I? You're awfully controlling, David. I kinda like that...in the bedroom. I'm not sure about anywhere else.”
Her face heated, cherry red blossoming on her cheeks. I grunted, and she wiped her mouth.
“Will you ever loosen the screws? I won't try to run away again. I'm over that. I get it, you haven't had much reason to trust me. One day, I hope you'll treat me like a real wife, and I'm going to prove you can.”
She looked so damned determined. Shit, I actually believed her. I might've let the reigns slip if I couldn't remember the last forty-eight hours. Too bad memory was a bitch who never stopped digging her nails into my throat.
“We'll see,” I said. “Gotta keep you safe and happy before we talk about trust. That's my fucking job, babe, and I take my responsibilities damned serious.”
I watched her eat in silence, downing the rest of my coffee. Ignoring the hunger pangs in my stomach, I got up, moving to the closet for some fresh clothes. I was hungry as fuck after indulging so many other appetites last night, but a breakfast like hers didn't appeal to me. There'd be plenty of time for a sandwich on the helicopter ride out to the casino.
“I need to ask you something,” she said when I turned around, straightening my tie.#p#分页标题#e#
“Spit it out. You don't need to ask permission, babe. You're my wife. Not my fucking student.” I fixed my eyes on her. “I'm gonna keep you out of harm's way. No muzzle required for that.”
She blinked, eyes shining a little more happily now that I was giving her a chance to take one step in, one more closer to me. “What did he do to you? Is this rivalry with my family all about business?”
I stopped cold, looking away from the mirror. The suit looked fine. Dealing with her hard ass questions was gonna be a lot harder.
“It was business before. Lighter shit. Turf wars over supply routes, little truces that never held more than a year. Shit's been like that on four continents since my own father was a kid.”
“This is different...” Anna took the fucking words out of my mouth.
“Yeah.” I stared at my reflection. “Spilling family blood gives shit an edge I can't ignore. You're Italian, love. I know you can't have blood like that without understanding what vendetta means.”
I stared at her face behind me in the mirror. She nodded slowly.
“Earlier this summer, I lost my Great Uncle and my brother in an attack. Your old man ordered the hit that bombed their ship and left them to drown in cold blue sea. Fucker thought I was on that boat too. He thought he'd knock out every Strelkov that matters in the States in one go.”
She gasped. Her face twisted in pain. The girl was a Rossini – no doubting that – but she'd obviously been shielded from the world of violence carrying that name entitled her to.
Fuck her old man. I couldn't wait to feel his hot blood on my hands, crimson death I should've spilled and felt weeks ago.
“God. David, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for everything he –“
“Stop. I don't need apologies for decisions you never made. This shit's some dark business you don't need to be involved with. I'm not gonna dirty your sweet mind with blood and bombs, but I'm not gonna hide it from you either like he did. I'll tell you what's going on, just as long as you stay the fuck out of it and let me deal with the hell. That's what I'm good at, after all.”
She stood, pulling her robe close. Something about hiding her body from me, the false shame she needed to wipe away, brought me storming across the room. I grabbed her in my arms and pulled her tight, unable to stop myself from cupping her plush ass cheek and giving it a squeeze.
“What do you think you're doing, Anna? You got nothing to be ashamed of. I hate the Rossini name for everything it's done to me, but it's also something to be proud of. Something I'm goddamned glad to keep, to control, to love.”
Her lips twitched, trying to find words. I buried her in a long, hot kiss before she could say anything.