Page 78 of Devil Mine

“Hey!” she cries, startled.

“I’m supposed to carry my new bride across the threshold, aren’t I?” I say, walking us both through the front doors after the staff opens them.

Her arm is around my neck, her other hand flat on my chest as she holds on to me. I’m not even sure she realizes it.

“You forced me to marry you in the back of a car in a ‘ceremony’,” she says, using air quotes, “performed by a priest who looked about as thrilled to be there as I was. No need to start following traditions now.”

I set her down, making sure to glide her body down mine as I release her. Based on the way her eyes widen, she doesn’t miss the feel of my hard cock against her backside.

“Hola, jefe,” Diana says, walking into the foyer and giving me a warm smile. “Bienvenido a casa.Y quién es este?” she asks, turning towards Tess.

“Diana, this is Tess, my wife.” It’s a credit to the years Diana has spent in my employ that she doesn’t react to the news I’ve come back married. “She doesn’t speak Spanish. Tess, this is Diana, my house manager.”

Tess takes a step forward and extends her hand.

“Hola Diana, me llamo Tess.Hablo un poquito de Español, pero estoy mucho más cómoda hablando inglés,” she tells her with a smile before turning a withering glare my way. “Maybe you should learn a thing or two about me before you start speaking on my behalf with any sort of confidence.”

I throw my head back and laugh. Yet again I’ve underestimated her. That’s not a mistake I’ll make a third time.

Placing a hand on Tess’s waist, I tip her chin up with my other. “I look forward to discovering every little thing about you,amor.”

Diana watches the exchange between us with fascinated eyes. Releasing Tess, I turn towards her.

“Diana, please show Tess around the house and grounds. In terms of rooms, you can set her up in the second master. She won’t sleep in my bed until she asks,” I add with a grin.

Tess snorts in response, but I catch the way she swallows thickly and quickly averts her gaze. “Don’t hold your breath.”

“Get settled. I’ll be back later,” I say, heading for the door.

“Wait,” Tess calls out, making me stop. “You’re leaving?”

“I am.”

“When will you be back?”

My brows raise in surprise. “I didn’t think you’d care,amor. In fact, I thought you’d be happy to hear I’d be gone.”

She walks up to me. “You kidnap me, force me on a plane back to London, and now you’re going to abandon me in your home with people I don’t know? Why not just leave me in Switzerland?”

I reach up and cup her chin, running my thumb over her lower lip. “Because this is your home now too. Better get used to it.”

???

Chapter Thirty

Tess

Thiago doesn’t come back that night, nor the next. He leaves me in this strange house, full of staff who give me looks ranging from interested to wary. They incline their heads when I walk by, muttering a whispered “señora” before walking away.

I spend the weekend exploring the house and familiarizing myself with the floor plan. The second floor features two master suites connected by one extravagant bathroom, eight additional bedrooms, a game room and a large study. The ground floor was conceived with hosting in mind, featuring large, open rooms — a recently renovated kitchen, multiple living rooms, a billiards room, a cinema, a library, and even a ballroom.

The house feels endless and also not what I expected of a cartel boss. I thought death would cling to the walls, but it’s a beautiful home mixing English and Colombian influences.

While exploring the house, I come across a door that seems to lead to a third floor, a basement of some kind. But when I go to open it, I’m stopped by a guard who tells me the area is off limits. I have no doubt that whatever I’d find down there, I wouldn’t want to see anyway. I don’t put up a fight and walk away instead.

I spend the rest of the weekend FaceTiming Dagny to show her the house, watching TV, reading, and generally wallowing in utter frustration that Thiago left me here alone, with no timeframe for his return. Now it’s late Sunday night, he’s still not back and I can’t sleep.

Lifting up on one elbow, I see the alarm clock on my bedside table indicates that it’s one a.m. I blow out a frustrated breath and settle back into my pillows. At least I have my first day back at work tomorrow. I’ll be able to leave this empty house where no one speaks to me and get back into my routine.

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