Page 21 of Captive Bride

Tristan Montague kidnaps Capulet throne heir.

What a fucking headline.

And then I’ll have her father right where I want him—within my grasp, eating out of my hand.

Would he wage war for his princess? I can tell he doesn’t love her, or else why would he marry her to such a creepy guy as the Governor? No, he’s doing it for favors.

But if and when I take her, he’ll be concerned about the family name and honor. It won’t look good to have a Montague stealing the family treasure, this beauty.

And that makes me want to make her mine all the more.

But first, I have to get her to trust me. Sure, I feel a little bad about the betrayal, but I don’t even know her…yet. And I don’t owe her a thing.

“So, who are you anyway?” she says. “I’ve never seen you before. I think I would remember if I saw you.”

I smile at her vague attempt at flirting. She’s fucking adorable and gorgeous, and my cock is getting hard just looking at her, just being in her presence.

“Me? I’m nobody. I just came here for the free drinks,” I say, joking.

“Well, I don’t know how you ended up in his darkened hallway with me, but thanks for listening,” she says, her voice sincere.

Fuck me now. Her innocence is overwhelming, captivating.

I want her like I’ve never wanted anything before.

“You deserve better, Isobel,” I say. “You deserve a life, more than just marrying that guy, that snake old enough to be your father.”

“Yeah? Tell that to my father, I dare you,” she says.

I like her spirit. There’s a fire inside of her that’s waiting to be unleashed. Oh god, how I wish I could be the man to unleash it. There’s nothing that’s gonna hold me back from her now.

I’m hooked and getting deeper by the second. I continually have to remind myself that this is not real; it’s in my goddamn head. Keep it to business.

I gently try to pry, “I know about your father. Everyone does. He’s an infamous criminal.”

She looks hesitant for a moment before saying, “Please don’t tell me you’re one of his business associates. Please tell me you’re better than that.”

I gaze into her arctic blue eyes and say, “No, I definitely don’t work with him.”

Hey, it’s the truth, right? I don’t work for him. I might work against him, but there’s no use in telling her that now. I need her to trust me.

We sit for a few moments in total silence. And yet there’s an electricity humming between us.

I know she feels it, too. It’s sexual tension mixed with lust and passion and ultimate fucking desire.

It’s love, and I know it. And something inside of me wants to dominate this girl and make her submit and make her be mine.

And the thing is, even if somehow she were to reject me, I would still look after her. From a distance maybe, but I already know that I’ll forever have eyes on her—Isobel Capulet, making sure she’s safe and sound.

She puts her hand down, and I place mine on top of hers. As soon as we touch, the sparks turn into fireworks.

She looks up into my eyes, and I stare back down at her.

When I look at her, I see nothing but innocence and vulnerability—traits that have long been gone from my life since my family made me the killer that I am.

I am Tristan Montague, crime lord and hardened killer. If she knew that, she’d probably run away from me right now.

She’s the antithesis of me, and that’s what draws me in. She’s good and unadulterated—I can see that not just with her white outfit and stunning blonde hair, but by the beauty and purity of her soul.

---