Page 110 of Savage Union
"Nothing about it was perfect," I snap. "It was survival."
"Yet you never thought to mention this small detail during our time together." His voice drops dangerously. "During our intimacy."
Heat floods my face, shame and defiance mingling. "Would it have mattered? Would you have cared that I'd made a desperate bargain before I even knew you existed?"
"You lied to me," he states, the simplicity of the accusation cutting deeper than elaborate reproach.
"I didn't lie," I counter. "I just didn't tell you."
"A lie of omission is still a lie." He steps closer, until I'm caught between his body and the counter. "And now the Irish are moving against me because they believe I've stolen what's theirs."
I flinch at the phrasing—so similar to how Liam referred to me. "I'm not property to be stolen."
"Yet you sold yourself quite effectively," Vito observes coldly. "First to Costello, then to me."
The accusation lands like a slap. "That's not fair."
"Fair?" He laughs, the sound sharp as broken glass. "You've been playing both sides, Caterina. Warming my bed while conspiring with my enemies."
"I wasn't conspiring! I was trying to stop them!" I push against his chest, frustrated by his refusal to understand. "I called Liam to call off the hit, not to encourage it!"
His hands capture my wrists, pinning them against the counter behind me. "And why would you do that? Why protect the man who killed your father, who forced you into this engagement?"
The question hangs between us, demanding a truth I'm not ready to acknowledge even to myself.
"Because I don't want more bloodshed," I answer, the partial truth all I can offer.
"Lies," he hisses, leaning closer until his breath fans my cheek. "Try again."
"Because it would endanger my family," I attempt, another fragment of truth.
His grip tightens on my wrists, not enough to hurt but enough to underscore his power. "One more time, Caterina. The truth."
I meet his gaze, defiance warring with the impossible honesty he demands. "Because I don't want you dead," I admit finally, the words barely audible. "Despite everything... I don't want you dead."
Something shifts in his expression—the fury still present but now layered with something more complex. "And why is that?"
"You know why," I whisper, unable to articulate the confusion of emotions he inspires.
"Say it." His command is relentless, inexorable.
"Because I feel something for you," I confess, the admission torn from somewhere deep and vulnerable. "Something I shouldn't."
His eyes darken, hunger momentarily eclipsing anger. "And yet you still lied. Still kept me in the dark while my enemies plotted against me."
"I was afraid," I admit. "Afraid of what you'd do if you knew."
"You should be afraid now." His voice drops to a dangerous murmur. "You've betrayed me, Caterina. After everything I've given you."
"I haven't betrayed you!" I struggle against his grip, frustration building. "I'm trying to protect you!"
"From a threat you helped create," he points out ruthlessly. "How convenient."
"There's nothing convenient about any of this!" My voice rises despite my effort to control it. "I'm caught between two powerful men who both think they own me. Who both treat me like a prize to be won rather than a person with choices!"
"And what choice have you made?" He leans closer, his body pressing mine against the counter. "Which man do you belong to, Caterina?"
"I belong to myself," I insist, though my body betrays me, responding to his proximity with a heat I can't control.
