The Arrangement .(14)

“Do we really have to do this?” Alexa asked. It was ridiculous, but she felt once she put the rings back on, her surrender to him would be complete, his control over her irrefutable.

“Yes.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s an important part of convincing everyone that we’re back together again.” He reached for her hand.

Alexa pulled back. “I can put them on myself.”

Leonardo grabbed her hand anyway. He shoved the wedding ring onto her finger.

“Leo, I can do it myself.” Her fingers shook slightly. The warmth of his touch sent her emotions into a tailspin.

His lips compressed into a thin line, and his grip on her wrist tightened, a clear indication he heard what she said but had no intention of honoring her request.

“Are you afraid of me?” The diamond followed, sliding easily onto her finger.

“No. I just don’t want you to touch me!” Alexa pulled away, her back connecting with a row of shelves behind her. She needed to get away from him. The closet, bigger than the average person’s bedroom, was ridiculously small with him in it.

His dark eyes glittered down at her. “Well, that’s going to be a problem, isn’t it? Considering our arrangement most definitely includes periods of me touching you.”

There was that word again.

Arrangement.

That’s what this farce of a marriage had been reduced to. She shouldn’t be here, pretending everything was back to normal. But here she was, with her husband, with her rings on her finger, and she would have to feign normalcy for outside observers.

She was back in the house, but not because he loved her or couldn’t live without her. In fact, four months had passed, and not once had he called or come after her. She’d waited, hoped, and he’d never called. Instead, when presented with a chance, he took the opportunity to teach her a lesson and satisfy his lust for her at the same time.

“I shouldn’t have agreed to this.” Alexa’s voice was tight, strained.

“It’s too late for regrets.” Leonardo prowled closer, crowding her against the shelves without touching. “You’re here now.”

“I don’t belong here.” Alexa glanced around the closet, taking in the extravagant design, intricate woodwork, the clothes, all symbols of his wealth.

Her upbringing had been in an upper middle-class neighborhood, and she’d been a business owner for a few years before her partner bought her out. Still, there were times she found Leonardo’s lifestyle so out of her league it was intimidating. When she looked at him again, the muscles in her throat tightened even more. “I never belonged here, and you know it. I was different, that was all.”

A shocked look came into his eyes. “Is that what you think? That I married you because you were different?”

“Yes. Why else? I’m sure our ethnic differences were enough of a novelty to be intriguing. That didn’t last, though. As the weeks wore on, it became more and more evident how much I didn’t belong, and that maybe you even regretted it.”

His eyes widened. “When did I ever tell you I regretted marrying you?”

Alexa promptly answered, ready to prove to him how correct she was, even if he wouldn’t admit it outright. “You never came right out and said that, but it was obvious you regretted our marriage.

“You were hardly ever here. Your hours at work became longer and longer. And the women …” Her voice trailed off miserably. That was the hardest part. She never actually caught him doing anything wrong, but she had her suspicions.

“What women?” Leonardo ground out. “What regret? If anyone regretted our marriage, it was you. You ran away from me because it wasn’t what you thought. Isn’t that right?”

“No, it wasn’t what I thought!” Alexa was gripped with the need to explain. “I didn’t think I would be ignored by my own husband!”

“I wasn’t ignoring you,” Leonardo said testily. “I was busy, working. You had everything you wanted. I gave you a generous allowance. You had a car at your disposal, a beautiful home, jewelry, everything a woman wants.”

Not everything, Alexa thought. “I never thought I’d have to fight for your attention.”

“You never had to fight for my attention. You always had it.” Leonardo ran a weary hand through his hair, ruffling the chestnut locks. “Why didn’t you tell me you felt this way before?”

Alexa looked into his dark, emotion-filled eyes and tried to read what she saw there. She couldn’t. He was a master at hiding his true feelings whenever he needed to.

“Would it have made a difference? Would it have stopped you from pursuing your business deals or stopped you from ignoring me and flirting with the beautiful women who caught your attention at every function you dragged me to?”