Page 17 of Say I Do

Fuck. It seemed to be my favorite fucking word lately. I could easily work myself up into a full-blown panic attack, but I hated stressing. It wasn’t me. The idea of overthinking something made me break out in hives.

I blew out a breath and let it go. I’d figure it out as I went. Push come to shove, I’d find myself something to do. Like torture Benito.

I had time to put a fresh coat of black nail polish on. It matched the new panties. Had to hand it to Tony; he’d chosen a great pair. Granted, I’d given him an exact list of what I wanted, but still, some people weren’t capable of reading.

I twisted in the mirror and admired my ass in them. The tattoo of a huge black and red snake covered most of my back. There were about two inches of clear skin right above my ass. The black panties sported a triangle cut out that framed my cheeks nicely. I glared at my pale skin, which was still red from Benito’s spanking earlier. The black panties only made it stand out even more.

What had that been about anyway?I bit my lip, wishing I had my phone. I needed to talk to my best friend or at least Lorelei. Somebody needed to talk some damn sense into me. I was all for the pain, I practically lived for it, but I hadn’t expected that. I almost wished I’d asked him to go harder. It had taken everything in me not to go back over his knee and demand more. Even as angry as he was, it felt like he’d held back.

“Stop thinking about that asshole.” I blew out a breath and grabbed the blow dryer. My nails were pretty much dry, but my hair was still soaked.

“What the fuck are you do—” Benito’s words stopped me short.

His heavy gaze traveled down the length of my body like a physical caress. Goosebumps broke out along my arms. It took everything in me not to rub them away. There was no way in hell I would allow Benito to affect me in any way. It was enough he pissed me off just by breathing.

I put the blow dryer down and headed toward him. Each step I took ate at the distance between us. The charge in the air intensified until it felt like little electric shocks bounced off my arms. I stopped just short of touching him.

“Move.” My tone was flat and devoid of the anger and hunger I felt in spades.

“What?”

“Shit. I knew you were older than me, but you can’t be losing your hearing already.” Benito was no more than ten years older than me. It was a crap dig, but in my defense, I was bored and tired. Moving all my shit in had been more of a hassle than I’d anticipated.

Benito’s thick brows dipped, and his gaze finally moved from my body to my eyes. Fuck. I was hit with a pure intensity that made my stomach twist in knots. I was always one to fall into danger. There was nothing better than chaos and destruction. Whether it was my own or others was always a toss-up.

I could see my destruction at Benito’s hands, and if this morning was a taste of it, I might be itching for another sample. Yes, I was fucked in the head; no one could survive in the world we lived in without having a few screws loose. But I was certain lusting after Benito Vitale’s anger was probably the most chaotic, idiotic thing ever.

I slipped past Benito, ignoring the way his cologne made my toes curl and the brush of warmth that pressed against me for a moment.

“Where are you going?” Benito asked.

“To bed.”

“Your room is the guest room.”

I smirked as I pulled the covers back. “Yeah, and who’s going to make me go there?” I glanced at Benito. “You?”

I challenged him with every word out of my mouth. A part of me hoped he bit the bait and we could fight out the constant tension between us instead of doing something stupid like fucking.

“Get the fuck out,” Benito said through tight lips.

I bet he never allows so much emotion to show on his face.The stupid thought shouldn’t have made me smile, but it did. It meant I was under Benito’s skin. I was winning the fucking war.

“Night, dear husband.” I laid down, turned off the lamp near my head and settled down. My hair fanned out around me as I sank into the cloud Benito called a mattress.

“Harlow, if you don’t—”

“Tomorrow, we have a public lunch, and there is the announcement of our wedding. Before we go on some extravagant honeymoon.” I cut my gaze to Benito. He still stood by the bathroom as if frozen in time.

Benito shook his head. “What does any of that have to do with you in my bed?”

I rolled my eyes. Wasn’t it obvious? I sighed as I stretched and placed one hand under the pillow. My fingers curled around the hilt of my knife. A sea of calm blanketed me instantly. My body relaxed, and I was able to breathe with ease.

“I’m your husband. Do you need me to spell it out for you? I am now Harlow Vitale. H. U. S. B. A. N. D. Till I get the chance to kill you.”

Benito’s left eye twitched. Any second now, smoke would puff out of each ear and fill the room. I held my breath, waiting for him to attack; silently hoping he did.

“You don’t like me, and I sure as fuck don’t like you,” Benito said.

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