Page 147 of Devil Mine

I hate that he has the ability to reduce me to the scared little girl version of me from when I was younger. No one affects me like he does. No one can crawl under my skin and pick at all those old wounds like he can.

“Amor,” a deep voice rumbles from behind me as my husband walks into our kitchen. “There you are.”

The sultry velvet of Thiago’s tone wraps around my belly and squeezes even as my shoulders stiffen.

I don’t turn around.

His warmth envelops me as he steps up behind me and presses his chest to my back. His hand finds the curve of my waist and comes to rest possessively there.

I shake him off. I can’t have this conversation if he’s touching me, I’ll lose all rational thought. Grabbing my mug, I walk around the other side of the kitchen island, distancing myself from him.

After what feels like ages, I look up at him.

He’s got an unsettled look on his face, his hand still hanging in the air at the level where he was touching my waist like he’s expecting me to slot myself right back into his embrace.

Gold eyes search mine questioningly.

“Why are you upset?” he asks, astutely picking apart my emotions like he always does.

“I saw my father this afternoon.”

He turns to face the counter, his palms coming down to brace against the surface as his shoulders tighten.

“Oh?”

I’m spoiling for a fight, the angry, pent-up energy that’s swirling in my body needing an immediate outlet. All I can think about are Arturo’s words. I’m at a fork in the road and I need to make a decision on what future I want. Love might not be enough to overcome all the obstacles in our path, including our two very different backgrounds.

“He played a recording for me.” Thiago’s face twists in confusion. “A conversation the two of you had when you were negotiating my purchase like I was a piece of chattel,” I add with a bitter, humorless laugh.

The change in Thiago’s mood alters the chemistry of the air around us. He goes from a casual posture to completely alert. Thick darkness seeps from him, reminding me of just how dangerous he is.

It’s easy to forget sometimes.

“Amor–”

“I’m surprised you thought I was the winning candidate given the criteria I heard you list. ‘Quiet’. ‘Manipulatable’. ‘Seen and not heard’,” I hiss, cutting him off. “I mean, why even get yourself a wife at that point? A blow up doll would have sufficed.”

Thiago’s face darkens, his features tightening. His hands clench into fists and he slams one down on the counter, making me jump.

“It’s no business of his why I wanted you.” His tone, which was so warm when he walked in, is downright frigid now. “I said what was necessary in order to manipulate him into giving me what I wanted — you.”

“Sounds like you didn’t actually want me though,” I counter. “None of those descriptors are me. I think you let yourself get led off course by lust when you saw me. You thought with your dick instead of your head and tied yourself to the wrong girl. One day you’ll wake up and regret it, if you don’t already.”

Acid swirls in my stomach. The thought that he could one day cast me aside is excruciating.

Thiago’s jaw ticks dangerously, the muscle in his cheek popping then retreating as he glares at me. I don’t know whyhe’smad, I’m only repeating his words back to him.

Anger fuels and expands the tension in the room until it’s coiled around us and threatening to snap.

“None of what I said to him was true, Tess. I like your attitude, I like your fire, I like that you give me shit and you aren’t afraid of me. That’sexactlywhy you’re my wife.”

I shake my head and whisper, “I’m not your wife.”

My words have the effect of throwing a lit match into a barrel full of gasoline. Thiago rounds the island and storms towards me, fury rippling across his face. I take a step back but he pins me against the counter. Strong fingers grip my jaw and angle my face up towards his. I shiver when I look into his eyes, now hardened into impenetrable metal.

“Watch your mouth,” he warns, his voice quivering dangerously.

“I’m not,” I double down. “I’m at worst your kidnapping victim, at best your prize. Just a pawn in your power play with my father, with this whole system you operate within. Nothing more than something for you to have unfairly won.”

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