Page 78 of Beautiful Devil

“Fabi, my fucking ass is hanging out! So unless you want your men to get an eyeful of my pussy, put me down, NOW!”

The guard's eyes widen as he moves to look at my exposed ass and cunt. I can feel my face turning bright red as heat rushes to my cheeks. Finally registering what I said, he palms my naked butt with his big hand, trying and failing to cover me up.

“What the fuck, Gia? Angelo, go inside, NOW! If I catch you looking at my wife ever again, I’ll shoot you right between the eyes.Capisce?”

Fabi roughly grabs me and sets me on the ground. I stumble from the quick movement, and I can see just how furious he is. Letting go of my arm, he’s breathing heavily through his nose as his chest rises and falls rapidly. I’ve seen Fabi angry before, but I’ve never seen him like this.

“Get inside,gattina. Now!” he shouts at me, and if he were a dog, he would be foaming at the mouth.

He’smad atme?

How dare he be mad at me for somethinghedid? If he hadn’t picked me up and thrown me over his shoulder, this would never have happened.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I firmly say, “No.”

Taking a step toward me, looking scary and trying to intimidate me, he says harshly, “What did you say,gattina?”

He’s staring me down, but I’m holding my ground. I’m not going to let him yell at me for something out of my control. Uncrossing my arms, I square my shoulders and look him dead in the eyes when I speak next.

“I said no,” I enunciate so he doesn’t miss a thing.

As soon as the last word leaves my mouth, he's on me. His hand goes around my neck firmly, tipping my chin up so I’m looking directly in his eyes. He’s so close to me, I can feel his breath on my lips with every word he speaks.

“No one tells me no and lives to see another day,gattina. Just because you’re my wife doesn’t mean you’re exempt from that.”

“I thought you said you didn’t hurt women or children. Or was that another lie so you could get in my pants?”

I push hard at his chest, and to my surprise he lets me go, taking a step back.

“Gia—” he starts, but I hold up my hand to stop him from continuing.

“No, Fabi. I won’t be spoken to like that. I’m not one of your men. I’m yourwife. I know this isn’t a conventional marriage, but that should still mean something to you.” I raise my voice at the end, surprising myself.

I know this was all a ruse and this marriage happened in order for him to protect me, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have some sort of feelings for this bastard. I was starting to think maybe he was starting to have feelings for me too, beyond the obvious sexual attraction.

He walks toward me and looks like a lion hunting its prey, moving slowly so as not to spook it. When he reaches me, he pounces. His hand goes back around my neck, and he speaks in a low, authoritative voice through clenched teeth.

“Let's get something clear,gattina. Youaremywife,and I’ve told you before, this marriage is as real as it gets. That being said, you’re mine, and so is your body. It’s allmine. I don’t share what’s mine, and I sure as fuck don’t like other people looking at what’s mine! Why the fuck weren’t you wearing any underwear? Were you hoping one of my men would see you?”

Oh, he has some nerve, trying to turn this around on me. I’m furious.

“Fuck you! I don’tbelongto anyone. I’m my own person. As for not wearing any underwear, maybe I was hoping my husband would fuck me, but you can forget about that now.”

He drops his hand from my neck, surprised by my words. I’ve never been that straightforward with him before, and as much as I try to deny it, I can’t lie to myself anymore. I didn’t go commando to avoid panty lines showing in my dress. I did it because I was secretly hoping Fabi would touch me to find out and drive him crazy. I wanted him so turned on he couldn’t keep his hands off me, and if I’m being brutally honest, I don’t just like him touching me, but I likehim, too.

Taking advantage of him no longer holding me in place, I turn away. Feelings I haven’t felt in a long time hit me like a tsunami, and the realization of what they mean is causing me to freak out. I need to be alone to process it, but I doubt he’ll let that happen. I only make it a few feet before he speaks behind me.

“Where are you going,gattina?”

I don’t bother to stop or slow down. I just call over my shoulder, “Away from you.”

I step inside, and the same time, I hear a grunt from behind me along with a slew of Italian words that I don’t understand. I vaguely hear something break, but I keep going. It’s like my feet are on autopilot and lead me directly to our room. It’s crazy how well I can navigate around here, and it’s only been a few weeks.

Just before I reach our bedroom, I decide to go to my old room instead.

Stepping inside after not being in here for a while feels odd. I don’t give myself time to look around or get reacquainted with the space. I head straight for the bathroom and lock myself inside, not bothering to turn on the light in the hopes that it will draw less attention to my location. One good thing about our fight is the fact that we weren’t outside for long, so the sun is still out and shines through the window. Taking a seat on the toilet, I rest my elbows on my thighs and hold my head in my hands.

How did I get here? How did this all happen? I can’t blame Gallo for everything – I’m responsible for my own actions – but I still can’t believe I ended up here. Getting kidnapped, being forced to marry my kidnapper, and falling for him. My head shoots straight up at that.

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