Page 80 of Twisted Embrace

“I hope so. Now you have me curious. What do you feel deep inside, Enzo? And I’m not talking about when you drive a knife either figuratively or literally into an enemy. What deep emotions drive you? You can’t say rage.” She smiled, her tone teasing but I sensed she wanted a decent answer.

I struggled as much with finding one now as I did a few seconds before. “When I’m with you?”

“That would be a good start.”

“I feel a deep warmth inside, as if no frigid temperatures could ice my veins. When I wake up, I want you there as the first thing I see in the morning. I want to bask in your beauty at night, especially after filling you with my seed. And I refuse to allow anyone to harm a single lovely hair on your head.” I half laughed. “I’m no poet.”

“I don’t know about that,” she purred. “That sounds very much like love, Enzo. It’s not a bad thing, even if you’ve been taught that it is. Sometimes love is the one thing that separates us from pure evil.”

“I am evil. The sooner you recognize that the better.”

“Is this about our deal? If so, I can’t allow myself to give you my heart.”

“Is that what you want?”

Now she was the one who had no answer. “I told myself no but the more I’m with you, the less and less I want to keep the promise I made to myself. I can’t explain why but I don’t want to. I want to love you. When I even think those thoughts, I’m suddenly excited, even happy. But I’m afraid that by loving you I’ll lose myself.”

I brushed my fingers through her hair before wrapping my hand around the back of her neck, dragging her closer. “I won’t allow that to happen. House rules.”

“How could I forget? You’re always in charge.”

“Yes, I am.” I lowered my head, keeping my lips a few centimeters from hers. “But somehow, I think you enjoy it. In fact, I believe you crave the darkness that only I can offer.”

“What makes you think that?” she whispered.

“Because of the heat radiating off your luscious body.”

She clung to my shirt, tilting her head until our lips just touched. “Then what are you going to do about it?”

“That is the question.”

“Why don’t you start by asking me.”

“What? If you’re a good girl?”

The sound of her laughter filtered into my system and I was crazed with need. “You know exactly what I mean.” She darted a single stroke of her tongue inside my mouth.

As I let off a deep, ragged breath, she closed her eyes. “Alright. Would you become my wife? Not because of the deal we made but because our union will bring you happiness. If you don’t feel that way, then when you’re safe, I’ll find a way to keep you protected while allowing you to live the life you desperately crave.”

I allowed her to pull away, the same imploring eyes I’d seen before searching mine, perhaps hoping she’d find something or someone different than the hand she’d been dealt. I could easily force her, which was my original intent, but I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life without her.

Maybe my mother was right after all.

“Before I answer you, you need to know the truth about me.”

“What truth could possibly interfere with your answer?”

I allowed her to pull away and turn back to the railing, blinking several times. “You heard I had cancer.”

“Yes. I’m very sorry.”

“I was lucky and survived, free for almost fifteen years. However, there were complications. What if I can’t conceive?”

It was a question I hadn’t thought about. I’d told her an heir was required. Did it really matter? In truth, I wasn’t certain I could stand the thought of bringing a child into my dark and dangerous world. “Then we either choose to adopt or not to have children at all.”

“But you need an heir. You demanded one.”

I could tell how disturbed she was in asking me the question. “What happened?”

---