Page 23 of Coerced Wife

She remains glued to the spot for a couple of beats before walking to the bathroom.

I’ve never explicitly told her about my intention of keeping her. I let her come to her own assumption as she closes the door and turns the key, literally locking me out.

Yeah, no. That doesn’t work for me.

I’m out of the bed and in front of the door before I’ve blinked, slamming a shoulder against the wood. Pain lances into my arm, but my brain merely categorizes the discomfort. I barely feel it. Another shove, and the wood splinters around the lock.

Anya utters a yelp where she stands at the basin with a toothbrush in her hand as the door swings inward.

I don’t know how I get in front of her. The one moment I’m standing on the threshold, and the next, I’m crushing her in my arms.

“What’s wrong,tesoro?” I brush the vibrant red hair from her face, the act gentle in comparison to the violence I just committed to remove the obstacle between us. “Talk to me, Anya.”

“Nothing,” she says, her pretty eyes round.

Her heart beats wildly against my chest. She’s lying. I recognize the fear in her eyes.

Splaying a hand over her face, I push back her head. The pressure of my fingers on her cheeks pouts her lips. I swoop down and claim them, tasting the minty toothpaste and the lies on her tongue.

“Tell me,” I say into the kiss.

She tries to shake her head in my grasp.

When I loosen my hold to let her speak, she says, “Nothing.”

I cock my head, cracking my neck. “Try again.”

She drops the toothbrush and grips the counter behind her. “Sav, please.”

I draw my hand down to the column of her neck, keeping her close with a possessive hold. “I can’t fix your problems if you don’t tell me what they are.”

“Why do you want to fix my problems?” she asks, her voice hoarse.

“Because it’s my job to take care of you.”

“Is it?” she throws back at me. “Why?”

“Because I own you,” I say, making sure she gets the message. “Because if anyone touches you, they touch me.” I lean closer, no longer able to contain the hardness that presses against her stomach, the need that compels me to claim her and mark her until she’s no longer uncertain about how long I’m keeping her for. “You know what I do with people who wrong me. I cut them down. You’ve seen it firsthand. Do you know what I do with people who dare to look the wrong way at what’s mine? I slay them,tesoro. I flatten them to the ground. I’ll burn the whole world down for you, but you’ll stand at my side while I do it. You’re a goddamn goddess, not a coward. You don’t get to hide.”

She trembles against me, but she holds my gaze bravely. “Does that extend to your ex-wife?”

“Yes, Rachele too. I already took care of that at the wedding.”

“Did it ever occur to you that I can fight my own battles?”

I brush a thumb over the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her neck. “I know you can. I’m going to destroy anyone who makes you unhappy anyway, and we’re not leaving this room before you tell me who I’m going to kill.”

“No one,” she whispers, her eyes growing larger. “No one made me unhappy.”

I come closer, kissing her again, licking the seam of her lips. “Do you think I haven’t noticed how you’ve been since the wedding?”

“I’ve had things on my mind.”

“Clearly.” I tighten my fingers around her neck. The touch is dominant without cutting off her airflow. “Now’s the time to tell me.”

She takes a shaky breath, her resistance crumbling with the sag of her shoulders. “What happens to my baby if I’m dead, Sav? Have you ever thought about that?” She utters a laugh. “I suppose you don’t have to. It’s not your problem, is it?”

The question is like a sledgehammer to my brain. What the fuck? “Nothing is going to happen to you.”

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