Page 50 of Tyrant (The Villetti Chronicles)

“Thank you, daddy.”

It slipped out without me thinking about it. I don’t know why I wanted to call him that any more than I understood his need.

“You’re welcome.”

There was an odd note to his voice like he was bottling up some kind of emotion he couldn’t let out. I pulled away to take in his expression. Those black eyes of his were guarded.

“It’s the one I wanted.” I leant closer, drawn in by everything about this man. “I don’t care how you knew, I just appreciate it.”

My fingers went to his jaw, stroking across his stubble and adoring the way it grazed my fingertips. He didn’t move when my fingers brushed along his bottom lip. All I wanted to do was close the distance and kiss him, but I wasn’t sure if he would allow it. Not after the way he’d treated me for the past two days.

“Go play with your new camera, Arianna,” he murmured as he pushed my hand from his face. “I got you it so you wouldn’t be bored.”

His words deflated me, but I chose to ignore the feeling. I didn’t want this shit between us to put a damper on things. Not when he’d got me a gift. I hauled myself out of his lap and got the camera out of the box. It took me a while to adjust all the settings for the lighting in the living room. Then I snapped a few photos of things like the plant he had sitting in one corner. It had wide, dark green leaves. I liked the texture of them.

Zayn watched me the whole time, not taking his eyes off me as I moved around the room to take photos of different objects. I came to rest in front of him, holding the camera in one hand. I’d secured it around my neck with the strap.

“Would you let me take some pictures of you?”

He cocked his head to the side, his eyes roaming across me.

“Why do you want to do that?”

“I like taking portraits as much as I do objects. And…” I shrugged. “I like looking at you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, Zayn, you know how attractive you are… unless this is you fishing for a compliment from me.”

The way he scowled at me had me smiling.

“I’m not fishing for anything, Arianna. I was asking you a question.”

“And I answered. Now, are you going to let me photograph you or not?”

He leant back against the sofa and bit his lip.

“If you really want to, I suppose I’d be okay with it… on one condition.”

I waved a hand at him, wanting to know what it was.

“They’re for you and you alone.”

I ran my tongue over my bottom lip. As if I wanted to share this man with anyone else. I couldn’t stomach the idea of him having another woman. Touching someone other than me. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t mine. No one else could have him. I wouldn’t allow it.

“Deal.”

He smirked before digging his hand into his pocket and drawing out his cigar case. I watched him light a cigarillo and sit back. Raising my camera, I snapped a few photos of him blowing out the smoke. Then continued to take them as he raised it back to his mouth using his tattooed right hand. He clearly knew exactly what he was doing. I was trying not to get turned on by this man and failing miserably.

After I’d taken a few more shots, I moved closer, kneeling on the sofa beside him to take some closeups. I took the cigarillo from him for a moment and placed his tattooed hand on his jaw before shooting that. He didn’t object to me adjusting the way he was posing for me. Even when I had to pop his cigarillo into the ashtray on the table.

I looked down at the small screen to check the photos a few minutes later.

“I’d love to edit these, make some of them black and white,” I said without thinking.

“Then I’ll get you a laptop with the right software.”

My eyes flicked to him.

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