Page 46 of Crowning His Innocent Assistant

“But not for you,” he ground out. “As it became abundantly clear when we joined.”

“Are you truly shocked that I was a virgin? When would I have had the time to have a lover?”

“You have plenty of your own life, Mouse. If I had time for sex, I assumed you did as well.”

She could tell by his tone the revelation truly stunned him but she couldn’t fathom why. Or why he cared.

And in this moment she didn’t much care. He was infuriating her.

“You know that isn’t true. Because everything in your life is made easier by the actions conducted in mine. I am busy, while you are abed with any number of models.”

“That isn’t true. You paint a picture to appease the anger that you feel now, when you’re simply indignant because you gave in. You can deny it all you want, and you can act ruffled of feather, but you wanted this, and you wanted me. Now you know it can’t be hidden, and you’re upset. Because you’ve been exposed. But your discomfort is not my concern. And you are coming back to Monte Blanco with me.”

“I will not.” She shimmied, slipping the dress back on. “I’m going back to my room.”

“You don’t have a room anymore,” he said, his voice hard. “You are staying here. With me.”

“I’m not. I’m leaving. I’ll go back to my apartment, then.”

“No.”

“You cannot tell me what to do.”

He picked her up off of the ground, handily holding her over his shoulder as he hunted around on the floor for pants. Somehow, he managed to hold her and put them on.

“You’re coming with me. You are mine now, end of story.”

“You...” She wiggled. “You have no authority to do this.”

“Watch me.”

“It’s kidnap,” she said.

“Oh, well.”

“How dare you?”

“With surprising ease.”

And then he walked into the elevator of the suite, completely shirtless, carrying her over his shoulder. It was late, and there was no one down in the lobby of the hotel other than an employee. Who didn’t even look at them.

“You can’t do this,” she reiterated, hoping to get a response out of the employee, who only looked the other way. “This is outrageous.”

“So it is.”

“Put me down,” she demanded.

She looked over her shoulder, trying to get a view of his face.

“No,” he said, simply, and with no inflection.

“I said put me down.”

“No,” he repeated.

And suddenly she realized that he was echoing his proposal and her refusal of last week.

“Matteo...”

“I have told you from the beginning, Mouse, that a monster lived inside of me. That I was capable of all manner of things. And you told me... What did you tell me? That it wasn’t true? That I had no need to be so vigilant? That I was not my father? Let us test the limits of that, then. And your trust in me. All that you think I am capable of, and that what you think I am not. Let us plumb the depths of it, shall we?”

He bundled her into the sports car, and she was trying to gain her balance when he started the engine and began to pull away from the curb.

“You are...unbelievable,” she said as he whizzed through the city streets, heading to God knew where.

“I am the King,” he said. “I will have that which is mine.”

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