Page 27 of Tainted Ties

Our tongues danced for dominance, pouring our hatred into this heated kiss.

Then I felt her resistance fade as her mouth moved fiercely with mine before she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me close and deepening the kiss.

A groan escaped me as I picked her up, wrapping her legs around my waist. Chest to chest, I felt her heartbeat clash against mine.

Her hand settled in my hair, giving it a sharp tug. My lips curled in amusement before I bit her bottom lip, hard, piercing it with my teeth.

Aurora whimpered, the sound shooting straight to my groin. The metallic taste of blood was strong on my tongue as she scrambled to escape my hold.

With a growl, I let her go.

“You’re an animal,” she heaved with disgust. Her lips were swollen, stained red from where I bit her.

It took everything in me not to kiss her again when she shook beautifully from rage.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “The next time you try to leave this house without my knowledge, you’ll do well to remember that while you’re mine, you don’t have a say in what you do.”

Our breathing had turned ragged as we stared at one another, neither one of us backing down from the brutal tensions radiating between us.

“And I’m tellingyouthat I’m not yours.”

“That ring on your finger proves otherwise.”

With a huff, her fingers circled her wedding ring, but before she could pull it off, I yanked her to me. “I wouldn’t do that.” It was a warning, one I hoped she was smart enough to understand.

She stepped closer. “Then where’s yours?” she asked, searching my eyes as if she’d find her answer in them. “I won’t be made to appear as a fool in front of others—regardless of why I’m wed to you.”

It was hard not to stare at every inch of her face when she was this close. Prominent cheekbones, full lips that were red from our savage kiss, and a button nose that flared out when she was angry—like now. Her features were angelic, a disguise to hide who she really was.

The truth was that she didn’t need to worry about whether I wore a ring or not. Despite what she had done, she was my wife now and I hated disloyalty.

“I own you, not the other way around.” The words tasted almost bitter as I said them. “It’ll be easier for you to accept your circumstances.”

Her head shook slightly, the movement almost unnoticeable. “I’ll never stop fighting you.”

Oh, I hoped not.

“Leave me be, Aurora, and go to your room.” My tone carried a dangerous edge, making it known that the conversation was over.

“I’m not a child that you can order around.”

My skin drew taut as anger rippled in my veins from her overwhelming presence. “Then stop acting like one!”

I was breathing hard and from completely different reasons than I had moments ago.

The air shifted into something colder, pulling me out of the seductive trance.

Kissing her was the most pleasurable mistake I’d ever made.

She flinched at my tone, stepping around me to leave the room.

I knew she was leaving of her own accord to get away from me and not from my command.

My back was to her when I called her name. I didn’t have to turn around to know she had stopped in her tracks, her gaze boring into the back of my head, waiting to hear what I had to say.

My voice bounced off the walls in a deathly whisper as I said, “Don’t attempt to remove your ring again.”

A beat of silence passed before the clank of metal sounded on the floor, her steps fading farther away.

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