Page 114 of Sinister Intentions

A slow, dangerous smile curved my mouth. Fiery, rebellious, untamable. God, she was perfect.

“That’s where you’re wrong, love. You’re mine. And I always take care of what’s mine. I’m very protective that way…and dangerous,” I said, throwing the words I’d overheard earlier right back in her face.

“You and I.” I focused on Bella, who, probably sensing the mounting tension, had quietly slipped out of the Jacuzzi and retreated to a safe distance. “Will have a little chat later.”

I looked down at Jemma. “Let’s go,” I said, grabbed her arm, and pulled her with me, leaving no room for doubt.

Even if I had to drag her, even if I had to chain her to me.

Even if it meant waging war on Donnelly or the entire fucking world to keep her.

Jemma was mine.

Mine.

First, I needed to find out how soon we could get married, and then, I would clear things with her father.

And then we would have a little chat about how our marriage would work. Because as headstrong as we both were, we needed some ground rules.

And honesty would be one of them.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

“Well, that was convenient,” Jemma said, her voice laced with sarcasm. “That clerk just happened to have everything all ready to go and on a Sunday no less. Let me guess, he’s on the Salvini payroll?”

I glanced over at her. “Don’t give me that look,” I said, buckled myself in, and waited until she did the same. “It’s not like your family doesn’t operate the exact same way.”

I could feel Dante’s eyes on me through the rearview mirror but decided to ignore both of my brothers, who showed up uninvited and demanded to be our drivers for today.

Fucking meddling family. I was pretty sure Matt had called both Dante and Hero and shared the news with them, and they’d rushed over as fast as they could.

Jemma shook her head, rolled her eyes, then stared back down at the marriage license in her hands. The strands of fading green hair poking out from under her baseball cap caught the sunlight streaming through the window.

The green was almost gone, which made me think her punk persona—at least the external expression of it—was maybe on the way out, as well.

She’d completely ditched the wig, as well, which told me she was just hiding it from her father, not all of her family, since Fee and Alex clearly knew. “Why did you cut your hair and dye it green, and why are you hiding it from your father?”

She snapped her gaze to me, and her mouth hung slightly open, but she hid her surprise immediately. “Why do you think it’s okay to boss everyone around and bully them into doing whatever it is you want?”

Dante and Hero chuckled.

I stayed silent for a second, giving my flaring ego time to calm down while enjoying the sparkle in her eyes.

Would I ever get her to answer my questions without her deflecting or turning the tables back at me?

And did I even want that?

Well, for now, it might be better to just go with it since she was pissed off enough already. “If I answer your question, will you answer mine?”

She cocked her head.

Dante steered the car into the bustling city streets and barely missed a biker driving by.

“Watch it, Dimwit,” I snapped, which earned me a stern glance from Hero in the passenger seat.

I exhaled and tried to relax. Was it just in my nature to always take the reins in every situation, to seize control, and expecteveryone to fall in line, or was it something I’d developed over time? My father was the same way, so maybe it was in my genes, or it might come with the territory—or both.

“Shaving off my hair was a bit impulsive, I just…needed to do something.” She hesitated, and it almost seemed like she had to think about it.

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