Page 29 of Venomous Vows

“Why didn’t you check in with me?”

I crane my head over to Adrian, who’s still boring daggers into my skull as I give him an exasperated sigh. “What are you doing here? You know I work.”

“Not this late.”

“Well, I do,” I clip, rounding the counter to escort him out. “I didn’t need a babysitter before and I don’t need one now.”

“You’re not listening to me,” he snaps. “And that needs to change. I need to know where you are atalltimes.”

I roll my eyes because this is ridiculous and so typical of Adrian. He has a power trip the size of this state and I didn’t know he was going to take itthisseriously.

Him forcing you to move in with him wasn’t serious?

“That wasn’t part of the agreement,” I reply solemnly. “You never said?—”

“I’m saying it now,” he professes with a glower. “You don’t work this late. And if you do, it’s not without someone here with you.”

Oh, hell no.

“Adrian,” I say as calmly as I can. “You’re not about to come into my life like a wrecking ball. I’m not your fuckin’ prisoner.”

“No,piccola diavola,you’re going to be my wife. And that comes with a target on your back and a lot of people who might want to fuck around and try to use you against me.”

I scoff at the latter but not the target part. That doesn’t hold any damn appeal. “You needn’t worry about spending any money on me. If I’m held hostage, just tell them to do whatever with me.”

Adrian doesn’t lift his glare. “Excuse me?”

“Let ’em have me.” I wave a dismissive hand in the air. “It might be better than the few years you and I spend together.”

Adrian is as still as a damn gargoyle statue on top of Notre Dame as he towers over me with a sour expression.

He’s pissed. I get it.

If he needs me to check in with his dumb ass to leave me alone, whatever. But he’s not going to barge in and start tacking on orders and new things he wants me to do every five seconds either.

“Is there anything else?” I ask with a perked brow. “Because you’re running out of space on our arrangement to ask anything else of me.”

“If it’s to keep you safe, Elena, it’s going to be tacked on.”

“Not if it’s stupid.”

“Nothing I say is stupid. I’ve been in this game longer than it’s been a thought for you. Don’t piss me off, Elena. I don’t want you to have to lose this place because you decided not to listen.”

I scowl at him. “And what aboutyou? Are you going to be checking in with me?”

“I don’t have time?—”

“No.” I spit that response out without any hesitation because if he’s going to be an inconvenience in my life, then I’m going to be one in his until he decides to cool off and leave me alone. “I won’t be in a one-sided marriage.”

Adrian’s green eyes don’t move an inch before he says, “You don’t have another choice.”

I hate him.

Honestly.

I think there’s only been one time I’ve ever felt anything else for Adrian and that’s when he beat the shit out of some kid who tried lifting my skirt one day in the hallway.

Other than that, he’s been a brute, a shithead, and after the incident, he told me to stop walking around like a whore with easy access.

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