Page 95 of Devil's Tulip

God. How can I look at him when all I can think about is how he masterfully played my body last night? And I can't believe I just fell asleep right after like some exhausted kitten. Embarrassing.

Lost in my mortification, I almost miss it when he stands. My brows knit together as he walks over and slides into the chair right next to me. “W–what are you doing?”

“You were too far away,” he answers, his blue eyes glistening playfully as they rake over me. Then his gaze drops to my neck and darkens with unmistakable male satisfaction.

Oh.

I fight the overwhelming urge to slap my hand over the hickey he so shamelessly branded on me.

I can’t believe the bastard left such an obvious mark. As if coming inside me again wasn’t enough! The audacity of this man knows no bounds.

I swallow my irritation. Whatever. I’m already on the pill. He says he’s clean, and I believe him. I’ve also done my part to prevent any unwanted surprises.

That's all that matters in the grand scheme of things. No point picking a fight with him this morning.

Gracie brings in our food, and I quickly flip my hair forward, letting the long strands cascade over the damning evidence on my neck—something I should have done before I left my room. Michael notices immediately, and his mouth flattens into a hard line.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Is he seriously pissed that I don’t want to flaunt his damn mark to the housekeeper? I roll my eyes at him.Deal with it, husband.

The moment Gracie leaves, tension thickens the air between us. I expect him to call me out, so I rush to speak first.

But he beats me to it.

“What did you say Elira forgot yesterday?”

My heart drops like a stone into my stomach, and I hold my breath, eyes widening before I can control my reaction.Shit. Shit. Shit.“What?” I force myself to laugh lightly. “I thought we’d gone over that already last night?”

“I thought we had too, but then I realized you never actually said what she forgot.” He points out as he picks up his spoon.

I grab my own and scoop up the steaming soup, using those precious seconds of blowing cool air on it and swallowing to frantically scramble for an excuse. But all I come up with is: “Her purse.”

Fuck, Gianna, really? Her purse? That’s the best you could do?

Michael raises a skeptical brow that screams bullshit. “She forgot her purse? And she had to come get it herself? None of Maximo’s men could’ve picked it up for her?”

Damn it.I keep my gaze firmly glued to my plate, knowing my eyes would betray me in an instant. The porcelain suddenly becomes the most fascinating thing in the world as I shrug with forced casualness. “How would I know?”

His “Hmm” drips with disbelief, but before he can continue his interrogation, I quickly flip the conversation on him.

“By the way, when can I start working? You promised to let me do the work I’m passionate about.” I inject just enough accusation into my tone to distract him.

His expression shifts, his head tilting slightly. “You still remember that?”

White-hot indignation flares inside me. I glare at him, any pretense of demure submission shattering on the spot. “What do you mean ‘still remember’? Of course I do. Why? Did you just lie to get me to marry you? Am I just going to rot here as a prisoner who warms your bed every night? Am I?—”

“Gianna.” He raises a hand, cutting me off with an exasperated chuckle. “I didn’t lie to you. Unlike some, I don’t lie.I find it a pointless task since, sooner or later, the truthalwayscomes out.”

A cold sweat breaks out along my spine.

Is that a dig at me? No. No way. He can’t know about my lies about why Elira came here. Hecan’t. Right?

“I might’ve forgotten I said that,” he continues, oblivious to my internal panic, “but now that you’ve reminded me, I’ll start to work on it.”

My shoulders relax slightly. Okay. It wasn’t a dig—just my guilty conscience working overtime, injecting meaning into innocent words.

“Start work? You don’t have to do anything. Just let me register for the exam to get my license, and then I can apply to some hospitals here and–”

“No,” he says darkly, cutting me off.

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