Page 27 of Bred To Be Owned

“If I had waited the year for you to turn eighteen and Irini hadn’t been in trouble, would you have married me?”

I gripped the bottom of my desk, digging my fingers into the wood grain. I was trying to hold it together, but the shock knocked me off balance. “My feelings have never mattered. The undesirable status has never mattered. You’re here to claim me as a replacement, and if you don’t, my father will just sell me the minute I can’t produce. Nothing’s changed.”

He laughed at me. “Fuck this. You wield that title like it’s your fucking sword. Undesirables are women who have to be hidden because they’re a danger to our world. We stick them in businesses as maids, not owners,” he said, shifting in the chair and gripping his ankle over his knee. “You’re so busy trying to hide, you forget who you are.”

“I’m Toula Petrakis, the second daughter of the don. I know exactly who I am.”

“That might all be true, but I’ll always remind you of one thing. You. Are. Mine. Toula.”

“Is that why you’re having Angelo track me?”

He rubbed at his bottom lip. The silence in the office was the only confirmation I needed.

“You only see me as a possession to own. I will never submit to a man.” Rage surged deep within my chest. I’d had enough of this. Walking around my desk to the office door, I flipped the deadbolt dramatically. I planned to throw him out, but when I ripped the door open, I came face-to-face with a hard chest in a blue dress shirt. “What are you doing here?” I asked Adrik. The blonde brute was blocking the door.

“Boss thought you might try to run. Guess he was right,” the blonde answered me with a shrug.

I screamed in frustration and slammed the door in his face. Turning, I pointed my finger at the Russian. “You need to leave. Now!”

“Are you done with this tantrum?” He shifted, watching me over his shoulder. “I’m not leaving until you admit you’re mine.”

“I’m tired of being a pawn in a man’s game. There are no rules for me to follow, and when I think I might be close to winning, it’s all swept out from underneath. You don’t get to walk in here and tell me what you think I want to hear when you’ve lied and manipulated from the beginning. It was never about being with me or protecting Irini. You used our pain to increase your social status. Good job.” I slowly clapped my hands.

The Russian stood up from his chair and strode over to me. I gave myself a few seconds to admire his grace and beauty. It had never escaped my notice that he was a very handsome man. Handsome, but dangerous. Not only to the outside world, but to my heart.

“Every time I think you’re going to give in to me, you dig in your heels. I must be a masochist because it only makes me harder for you,” he said, pinning me between his chest and the door.

He bent down so that we were touching from forehead to waist. I wanted to reach out and wrap my hands around his back. To grab him and hold him to me so that we would never be parted. Instead, I balled my hands into fists.Why is he playing with my emotions like this?

His hand slid beneath my eye, his thumb brushing the edge of my cheekbone with a tenderness that made me want to melt. “Even through the makeup, I can see the shadows.” He kissed his thumb and gently pressed it to the skin, as if his touch could erase the mark.

A beat passed between us. His thumb lingered warm against my skin while my fists slowly unclenched. I wanted to reach for him, to close the gap between us, but there was a barrier. My fingers clenched into fists again.

“Malenkaya lischka,” he murmured. “Forgive me. I thought keeping you safe was enough. I didn’t realize I was leaving pieces of you unguarded.” His eyes fell shut, and I could feel the weight of his regret in the way his thumb traced the dark blemish under my eye. “You’re mine, and I’ll always protect you, but you don’t need saving. I should have been taking care of you instead, making sure you had a safe place to just be.”

Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes. My hands clenched, and then unclenched. I wanted to believe him, but I couldn’t shake Angelo’s words.

He opened his eyes, staring into mine. “I have kept every promise I have ever made to you, and you’re running scared. I understand. No one’s ever done that for you before. But let’s get one thing straight. It has always been about you. These years have been about waiting for you. No one else…” He trailed off with a growl. “You’re angry because you want me, too.”

I didn’t think. I just moved, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him close. His warmth seeped into me, chasing away thelingering chill of doubt. Laying my head against his chest, I closed my eyes and let myself drown in the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

“Did you ever wonder why there weren’t any suitor dinners?” he asked. His arms tightened around me, and I tucked my head underneath his chin. “Don’t give me that undesirable shit.”

“No.” I had figured that the title was enough to keep them away.

“Seriously? You never wondered why they didn’t announce your arranged marriage?”

“No.” I had always thought they had left me alone because I was more useful for the family. It wasn’t until recently that my father had talked about failure and potential marriages.

“I won’t ask your forgiveness for this. Just know it was necessary.” His hand tilted my chin up. He sealed his lips to mine, kissing me with all the pent-up frustration of the last few years. It wasn’t the soft kiss of new love. It was hard and dominating as he reminded me who I belonged to. I had always been his first choice, even when I didn’t want to admit it.

“What did you do?” I whispered against his lips.

“I made a stipulation in my marriage contract. I was betting it wouldn’t last the five years, so I asked your father to keep you pure.” He scrunched his nose as if he smelled something sour. “Your father doesn’t have to pay retribution as long as you become my wife. He can save face among the other families. It’s a win for him.”

“What would you have done if it had lasted?” I asked.

“I assume I would have done what any sane brother-in-law would. It probably would have sparked a war when all of your prospects mysteriously disappeared, but I would have done it for you.”

---