Page 24 of Possession

He tips my head back and drags the tip of his nose up my jaw. His lips touch the skin below my ear. This time it’s gentle and warms my cool skin.

But there’s nothing warm about his words when his lips move against my ear. “Chica, shut the hell up. I’ll tell you when you can talk, and now is not the time. I’m also not letting you out of my sight.”

Shit.

He pulls back enough to look into my eyes before his stare drops to my mouth. He drags a thumb across my bottom lip before leading me the final few feet into what is nowourbedroom.

It’s huge and dark. Rich brown mahogany furniture fills the space and sits on a blood-red backdrop.

Fitting. It matches my dress.

I barely get to take in the sitting room to the side that’s flanked with floor to ceiling windows that overlook the ocean. It’s still dark, but I can see the moonlight bouncing off the whitecaps of the waves. There’s no serene beach here, only a rocky shore below the cliff the mansion sits on.

Boz doesn’t let me go, dragging me farther into the room to another set of double doors. My bare feet hit black marble, but he doesn’t stop. Beyond the vanity and enormous freestanding tub, Boz pulls me around the corner and into a walk-in shower with no door.

“No!” I fight to twist my hand out of his, but he pulls me to his chest and wraps a muscled arm around my waist, holding me tight. I push and jab and struggle, but I’m no match for the man who’s now in charge of Damian Marino’s business.

He reaches around me and flips on the water. I jerk when an ice-cold stream hits us from the side. Boz fists my now wet hair and tips my head back.

I brace for what’s to come.

But he doesn’t do anything that I feared. He doesn’t kiss me or rip my dress off or hint to the fact our marriage will be consummated right here in the shower.

He pushes me against the wall but leaves enough room for Jesus between us when he lowers his voice. “There are hidden cameras in Damian’s bedroom. Don’t ask me why, because I won’t tell you. Don’t act like you know they’re there, either. I’m going to have those ripped out as soon as I can. Until then, don’t do anything in there you don’t want anyone else to see. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

I lick the water from my dry lips. I’m not sure how much more I can take today. Learning that the man I was supposed to marry has cameras in his own bedroom is…

“Cameras?” My chest heaves with shallow breaths. “That’s sick.”

Boz nods. “Your closet was stocked before the wedding. Find what you need and dress in there. There aren’t cameras in the bathroom, but you do need to watch what you say. Watch what you say everywhere in the house. And until shit calms down after what happened at the church, stick close to me.”

“But—”

He takes a step back and yanks both wet T-shirts over his head. They land on the tile floor with a heavy splat. His suit pants cling to him like a second skin. But from the waist up, he’s bare and …

Holy shit.

Beautiful. More so half-naked.

His shoulders are wide and muscled, strong enough to carry the weight of the world. I can’t help but stare at his rippled abs that flow down to a narrow waist. He has that deep indentation of the V that is rarely seen in real life. I assume it’s normally photoshopped on models to enhance what’s difficult to achieve in the gym.

Boz standing before me is proof it’s possible.

But low on his abs to the side of his V, is a pink, puckered scar.

“Get his fucking blood off you and get dressed. You look like shit. Then get some sleep. Trust me, you’ll need to be on top of your game to live here.”

And with that, he sloshes off and leaves me alone in the shower. The water is finally hot and steaming up the marble space.

I’m not surprised I need to be on top of my game to live here, but I am surprised Boz confirmed it for me.

And cameras? I can’t think about that right now.

Boz is right. I need sleep. There’s nothing I want more than to wash the last twenty-four hours off me and forget it ever happened.

I never want to see this damn wedding dress again. If I were able to light it into an inferno just like the Marino family has done to my life, I would.

6

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