Page 60 of Twisted Vows

“Protect? You callthisprotecting me?”

“I stopped my brother’s man from kidnapping you last night, didn’t I?”

She stills and searches my expression.

“He was from San Francisco?” she asks.

I smirk as I recall his gory ending.

“Yes. He was one of my brother’s favorites. It was my pleasure to ensure he breathed his last.”

Katherine pounds on the door and yanks on the handle as she yells through the barrier.

“Then we have to leave! If Seppi found us—”

“He didn’t,” I interrupt. “Destin wasn’t here for you, but he recognized Emma, so I killed him before he could tell anyone.”

“And when he doesn’t report back to Seppi? What then?” Emma asks.

I shrug.

“He’s in New York City, not San Francisco, and not for wholesome reasons either. It may help us if my brother thinks Narciso killed him.”

Emma shudders and pushes against my shoulders.

“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t talk about these men while I’m naked. Get off me. I need clothes.”

Trapped between wanting to ravage her again and suffering from the same sentiment, I growl, toss her over my shoulder, and grope her ass and thighs as I carry her down the hall. She hisses and digs her elbows into my ribs for leverage as she lifts her shoulders. Her heavy breasts shift against my back.

I dip my fingers into the wetness between her thighs and bite back a moan at how silky smooth her intimate flesh is. She vibrates with frustration and fury but calls out assurances to her sister.

I toss her onto the mattress and enjoy her jiggling and bouncing before snatching my shirt off the floor and dropping it on her lap. She glares at me as she sticks her arms into the sleeves and slips it over her head. The black fabric stretches over her breasts and rests just below her crotch. Any other time and I would die to watch her flouncing around the apartment in nothing but my shirt, but the heavy conversation to come and her sister’s presence require too much concentration, so I find her shorts tangled in the sheets and shake them out before threading them onto her legs and pulling her to her feet. She yanks the waistband over her hips and tries to skirt around me, but I grab her arm and halt her before she reaches the door.

She lifts wary, angry eyes up to mine.

“I meant everything I said, Emma. You’re mine. You belong to me. By extension, so does your sister,” I say.

Her shoulders stiffen. She shoves my hand off her arm and jabs a bloody finger against my sternum as she steps closer to me.

“Don’t you fucking dare touch her again,” she snarls.

All the blood rushes to my cock. My head spins. I pin her against the doorframe and kiss her with every ounce of passion in my body. She fights for a moment before returning my frustration tenfold. I nip her bottom lip, punishing her for the throbbing pain in my tongue from her earlier bite and splaying my fingers around the side of her head, ensuring I have her full attention.

“Don’t make me touch her again. If you have any other secrets, tell me now,” I demand.

With unwavering certainty, she stares into my eyes as she responds.

“I have enough resources stashed away to disappear with my sister. If you ever hurt her, we’re gone. You’ll never find us.”

Ice travels down my spine. She means it.

“Why are you staying?”

The words leave my mouth before I realize they’re forming. It isn’t the question I should ask, but the misery shining from her rich brown eyes holds my tongue.

“We started over once. Seven years later and my sister is finally allowing herself to live again. I can’t take this away from her and leaving doesn’t guarantee we’ll be safe, so just… don’t fuck this up.”

I caress her jaw with my thumb, needing to soothe her pain even though I know I can’t. Only time and consistency will prove me trustworthy. Today’s altercation won’t win me any favors with her, even though the situation could have ended so much worse.

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