Page 32 of Possessive Vows

She retreats much faster than I prefer, the feel of her firm breasts pressed against me sending lust down my spine to pool in my balls.

When she slips her hand into mine, I close my fingers loosely around hers. She’s too delicate. I don’t want to break her.

Camilla quirks a condescending brow at the woman behind the counter when she mentions payment.

I flash my identification cards and my credit card so everyone can see. The whispers intensify.

As we wait for the woman to process my card, Camilla’s hand trembles in mine. She doesn’t step away, nor does she drop her haughty act, but when her gaze slips toward the door for the fourth time, I know she’s desperate to leave.

I snarl at the woman to hurry.

She does.

The other patrons part like the red sea when I turn and stalk straight out the door with my future wife by my side. I take the keys from the valet, settle her into the backseat like the princess she is, fix her sleeve, and drive off as the brand-new owner of New York City’s most sought after jewel.

And I don’t mean the rings.

After fixing her hair, she turns her face toward the window and turns off her mind.

When I near our destination and Camilla still stares blankly through the glass, I circle around the block a few times before pulling up to the address Giorgio sent me. The townhouse seems like all the others on the street except for the garage and gated drive.

Camilla meets my eyes in the rearview mirror.

“I’ll marry you on one condition,” she says.

“Anything for you,so´lnyshka,” I respond truthfully.

Her eyes widen and she sucks down a breath. With a tiny head shake, she barrels forward as though afraid her courage will melt away.

“You have to keep your word,” she demands.

By the nightmares lurking in her eyes, I know she means my vow not to touch her without her consent. She’s afraid I’ll think the closeness in the jewelry store gives me permission to touch her whenever I please.

“I always keep my word,” I say.

She nods and turns her face away, but visions of her bent over the sink with her mother forcing her arm toward the scorching hot water pulls a growl from me, and she whips her attention back to mine in the rearview mirror.

She may not have heard me the last time I spoke these words, but they ring just as true now as they did before.

“You are mine now,so´lnyshka. No one will ever hurt you again,” I vow.

Her sharp inhale and shrinking pupils tell of her shock, but she swallows and nods.

I roll down my window and turn my face toward the camera on the gate controls. Giorgio buzzes me in and I pull forward as soon as the electronic gate rolls open.

I stop with my front bumper an inch from the garage door and wait for the gate to close behind the car before the garage opens. Wider than the driveway, the garage offers enough space to open every door, including the trunk if necessary. I park inside and wait for the garage door to shut before stepping out of the vehicle and opening Camilla’s door.

“Where are we?” she asks.

“My home,” Giorgio says from the door to the house.

Camilla’s surprisedohspeaks volumes.

She moves away from the car so I can shut the door. I step away and angle my back to the wall to give her room to pass, but she doesn’t head toward her brother.

“The townhouse to the east is yours. Serenity’s is to the west. I have keys for you. Visit anytime,” Giorgio says.

Camilla blinks, nods, and glances toward me for a moment before dropping her gaze down to her hands.

---