Page 47 of The Rancher's Vengeful Heart

Tassy was completely limp when she felt him pull out of her mouth, and it was only when he murmured in her ear that she realized she had fallen asleep.

"We're here, Tassina."

Her eyes fluttered open.

What?

Lucius chuckled at the way his wife shot up in her seat when she realized where they were—outside his parents' ranch.

"Ready to meet my family?"

"No!"

His lips curved in a smile that could only be described as shamelessly sadistic. "That's exactly what I want to hear."

Aaaargh!

Tassy did her best to straighten her disheveled clothes before reluctantly stepping out of his car, but as soon as he had her on her feet, he immediately pulled her into his arms, and all she could do was clutch his shirt as he undid all the desperate hand combing she had done in the past five minutes.

When Lucius lifted his head, Tassy's eyes were still hazy with passion, her cheeks a becoming shade of pink, and her lips kiss-swollen.

Perfect.

Tassy's head was still reeling as they stepped inside his parents' home, and it was only when they walked past a framed mirror that she accidentally caught sight of her reflection, and her steps came to a horrified halt.

"Lucius!" Her tone was aghast. "I can't meet your parents like..." Her voice trailed off when she saw the telltale glint in his gaze, and she realized he wanted this.

He actually wanted his entire family to see her like this, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"I honestly thought you were just trying to make me feel better when you told me you were the possessive type."

"How foolish of you."

She choked back a laugh. The type to mince words, her husband was obviously not.

"I meant every word I said, wife. You're mine—"

She shook her head, saying teasingly, "I think what you mean to say is that you're crazy—"

"Over you? Absolutely."

A shiver ran down her spine at how his voice had suddenly gone dangerously soft.

"And it will do you best not to forget this."

Tassy was saved from replying since they had already reached the dining hall, but even as Lucius started to introduce her to everyone, she was unable to shake off a terrible sense of premonition.

That her husband was crazy over her she was happy to remember, but there was one thing she realized now that she had forgotten.

And it was the fact that she had yet to tell Lucius anything about Xylan.

Chapter Fourteen

'POOR-GIRL-MEETS-RICH-boyfriend's-family' was a common trope in all of Tassy's favorite romance novels and TV shows, and memories of such scenes started playing in her mind as she took in the quiet opulence of her surroundings.

Iron-wrought gates were something she was used to seeing on the outside of a stately home, rather than on theinside, the way it was in Lucius' parents' home. If that wasn't proof enough of how insanely wealthy his family was, the doors also opened to a high-ceilinged dining hall that could comfortably accommodate a hundred guests,literally.And while the mix of massive timber beams and impressive river stone pillars bequeathed the room with a majestic atmosphere, what served as its most breathtaking centerpiece was a floor-to-ceiling fireplace and the circular window overhead that offered panoramic views of rolling pastures and thoroughbred horses slowly making their way back to the heated comfort of the stable while amber rays painted the skies as the sun started to set in the background.

Tassy couldn't shake off the feeling she had just married into the Asian-American version ofDynasty,but just as she braced herself for any signs of judgment, disapproval, and condescension from one of the country's wealthiest ranching clans—-

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