Page 24 of Savage Boss

Jane stood slowly, but she didn’t move. She was definitely becoming more nervous, her fingers tapping against the edge of the table and her eyes darting to the doorway behind Vlad’s shoulder.

“I have to go feed Joseph.”

“Jane,” he said her name warningly. “If you do not come to me now, I will strip you of every privilege you’ve known in this household and truly make you the slave I’d intended to make you two years ago when I first set eyes on you.”

Her eyes flared in anger, but she was beginning to take him seriously. He could see her fear in the crazy beat of her pulse at her throat, the tension in her shoulders, and the way she had to carefully arrange her facial features so he couldn’t see her fear. What she didn’t know was he could smell it. He was like a shark who sensed blood in the water; her fear excited him. Even after years of knowing and loving her, he still craved the darkness. Perhaps that was why he thrived in such a contentious relationship. Jane didn’t stop fighting him, forcing him at every opportunity to retaliate. Though he found her difficult and frustrating, she was also exhilarating, a worthy opponent.

Finally, she gave in. She pushed her chair further back and stalked around the table toward him, her posture telegraphing her readiness for battle. Vlad shoved his own chair back as she planted herself directly in front of him.

“What?” she demanded.

Vlad picked up the files he’d placed next to his dinner plate and moved them so Jane could see. Her eyes widened and her stance became even more belligerent if such a thing was possible.

“You stole my files,” she said coldly. “That’s a crime, you know.”

Vlad ignored her and opened the one on top, the one containing pictures of his meeting with Kostya. “You’ve been following me.” He lifted his eyes to hers, ice meeting fire. “You must know this is not an acceptable activity.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “So you’re allowed to have me followed everywhere I go, but I can't do the same to you? Double standard, Vladimir.”

“Life is filled with double standards, malysh. I’m bigger, I'm stronger, I'm more powerful. You are a little bit of nothing.” His eyes flicked up and down her petite body. The only things about her that had changed with the birth of their child was her fuller breasts and barely discernably wider hips. “Easily swatted, easily crushed. As my wife, it is my job to keep you safe.”

He could see his words affecting her. Tears jumped to her eyes, but she dashed them angrily away, glaring at him.

“That's your whole problem,” she fired back. “You've never thought of me as an equal partner. But you demand equal respect.”

“You’re not my partner; you are my wife,” he snarled, standing until he towered next to her, staring down at her. “Wife and mother are the only two positions you should be worried about. I have had enough of your so-called job.”

He flung the files across the table, watching as the contents spilled out. He allowed rage to fuel his temper as papers and pictures spread across the table in a beacon of the danger his wife constantly threw herself into. The bond jumper was a killer. The kidnapper was possibly armed and dangerous. “You will give Mack your resignation, effective immediately and finally turn your full attention to the most important thing in your life, this family.”

He could tell from the tension thrumming through her body that Jane longed to hit him. She’d learned that lesson long ago though, any physical violence would be returned in equal measure in a method of his choosing.

After bringing herself back under control, she tilted her chin in the air. "No."

Blood surged through Vladimir in a clash of fury and lust as his wife denied him. He arched an eyebrow at her. “No?”

“No,” she confirmed. “You know better than to think you can rule my life.”

“You know better than to think I can’t.”

“If you take away my job, I will do my level best to leave and bury this place with you inside it when I go. I will take our son and we will walk away from you, unless you rethink where I stand in your life.” Her furious passion was like lighter fluid over an explosive, beautiful, and deadly fire. “I am not your slave and if you force me into that position, you will lose.”

She had gone too far. Vlad could not allow this to pass. Without a word he reached for her, so fast she didn't have a chance to run. Her eyes widened in startled surprise as he gripped her by the throat, his tattooed hand a stark contrast against her delicate flesh. He picked her up off the ground and slammed her down onto the table, knocking the breath from her. The barest flash of regret rushed through him as he saw the pain reflected in her face. He'd hurt her, both physically and emotionally. But she needed to learn a lesson.

He leaned over her, his body molding to hers, his mouth inches from hers. He took a moment to bathe in her fear, to enjoy the control he was exerting. He was a God to her, controller of her universe. No matter what happened in their lives, between them, or around them, he was her final stop. Until the day one of them died, they were tied to each other.

His voice was much calmer than he felt as he spoke. “You will never again mention leaving. Not with our son and not without him. This will be your home until you move to the grave. We will not discuss this again.”

Before she could speak, he sealed his promise with a vicious kiss meant to dominate. She opened her mouth to cry out and he swallowed her scream. She fought him, smashing her fist into his shoulder, but he just held her tighter, squeezed her harder until she was gasping into his mouth, the fight draining from her.

Just when he thought she’d pretty much had it, the side of his head burst into pain and he was forced to let go of her. Gripping his head, he stumbled away from the table, then looked down at his fingers. They were covered in blood.

Chapter Thirteen

Vlad stared down in disbelief. Jane was sprawled across the table a broken wine glass gripped tightly in her hand. Her face reflected shock as well, but she recovered quicker than he did, scrambling out from underneath him and half falling off the edge of the table. She would have bolted from the room, but he managed to grab her in time, swinging her around to face him.

Her hand automatically came up in a violent arc as she tried to protect herself from a potential attack. Vlad was able to grab her wrist in a tight hold before she managed to slash him.

“Let go of the glass,” he said as calmly as he could, though his blood was boiling with a potent mix of rage and lust.

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