Page 17 of Bad Little Bride

I stiffen as his voice washes over me, refusing to turn and look at him.

A few silent seconds pass, and the heat of his body grows closer, his steps as silent as a panther.

“What is all this?”

Rather than answering, he says, “The only people who know we are already married include the priest, Mino, you’ll meet him soon, and Ann-Marie.”

“Why did you tell her?” comes out of my mouth before I know what I’m asking.

Enzo says nothing, so I look back, lifting my eyes to his.

He was waiting for that, a curious expression written across his face. “Why do you think I told her?”

I lift a shoulder, my throat suddenly thick under his scrutiny, and Enzo shakes his head slowly, warning me against the cop-out.

He presses closer, and I inhale sharply.

It was a mistake, though an uncontrollable one, as it’s not a fresh breath of air that slips into my lungs, but a strong whiff of sweet and spice. It’s the threat of danger and the temptation of raw sugar on your tongue. It’s all Enzo.

His eyes fall to my lips, holding there. “Do you think I’m fucking her, Little Bride?”

“Stop calling me that,” I rasp.

“Do you care if I am fucking her, Little Bride?”

“I said stop calling me that.”

His attention snaps up, his gaze trapping mine. “Why? Youaremy bride.”

“Says you.”

“Says the law.”

I scoff a laugh, rolling my eyes as I look away, but Enzo is quick, he grips my chin between his fingers, drawing me right back.

“Is something funny?” His voice is like raw honey, gritty yet smooth at the same time.

“The law means nothing to men like you.”

“That’s where you are very, very wrong.” His hold on my chin glides lower, and I force myself not to react when his calloused fingers stretch along the skin of my neck. “The law is what I say it is. The rules are the ones I make up. The expectations the ones I have set. So I will say it again. You are my wife…says the law.”

Aka sayshim.

“So you did or did not file our marriage license?”

“I did.” He nods. “I have a copy waiting for you upstairs.”

I search for the lie in his eyes, but he gives nothing away.

Stretching my neck away from his touch, his hand finally falls and I take a step forward, turning slightly so he’s not completely at my back.

“My father asked for a wedding,” I remind him.

“Yourfatheris no longer relevant. Bastian Bishop controls the Revenaw empire now.”

My spine steels and I shake my head. Dread burns down my spine at what that could mean, the change in power news to me.

Enzo watches me closely, waiting several moments before sharing, “He’s alive, but he shouldn’t be after he went back on the deal that gave me you.” He pauses, waiting to see if I will correct or confirm his assumption, that my breaking the contract and refusing to return here was my father’s doing, and not mine.

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