Page 107 of Sinful Pleasure

There was something suffocating about all the black and grey.

“You’re just moving me from one prison to another, aren’t you?” I tossed my bag on the couch, glancing at Maddox. “When are Lydia and Angelo getting here?”

“They’ll be here soon.” Maddox checked his watch, then slouched back into one of the chairs around the counter. “Do you want me to show you to your room?”

I poured myself some water, deliberately avoiding his gaze, but it was impossible to ignore the weight of his eyes practically burning through me.

“No, I’ll wait for Angelo to show me. Thanks.”

He chuckled low behind me. “Sure, princess.”

The mockery in his tone didn’t escape me.

I spun around to face him. “Something funny?”

He shook his head, leaning his forearms on the counter, his gaze sharpening.

“Nah. Just curious.” I didn’t miss the icy undertone in his words as he added, “I thought you didn’t want to marry him.”

I raised an eyebrow, my voice cutting through the stillness.

“Since when is that any of your business?”

He blinked a few times, the silence that followed thickening the air between us, heavy with unspoken things.

“I guess it’s not,” he spat, a cruel smile tugging at his lips.I could see the words on the tip of his tongue, but he held them back.

Fine. I would speak first.

“This is my life, Maddox.”

I leaned forward, ignoring how my tank top clung to me, but Maddox didn’t miss the way my body shifted.

His eyes dropped for a brief second, lingering, before flicking back up to mine.

“As you said, I’m going to be part of your family, and Angelo will be my husband.”

He nodded slowly, his voice oozing with mock amusement.

“Ah, I see. Planning to fuck him as well?”

I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming the loudest “go to hell” in his arrogant face.

“It’s none of your business.”

The moment the words left my mouth, the satisfaction vanished as Maddox shot out of his chair.

He crossed the room in a rush, his massive frame towering over me. In seconds, he caged me in, pressing me against the counter, his fingers gripping my chin to force me to meet his dark, unyielding stare. It felt like staring into the abyss.

“You’re getting brave, aren’t you, princess?” His voice was low and dangerous, and his eyes dipped to my lips. ‘‘You seem to have forgotten who you begged to fuck you. Not Angelo. Me!’’

I smiled, my lips curling, just to see how much I could rile him up.

“And?” I spat directly at his lips. “It happened because I wanted to. Don’traise your fucking stock, Maddox.”

“Fucking little brat.” He growled, and my smile grew wider, knowing I’d struck a nerve.

“Careful with your words,” I warned, my voice a low purr. “Don’t make me show you how good of a little brat I can be if I want to.”

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