Chapter 19 #2
It’s sure as hell been a day for that. Apparently, my mother had to leave Patrick because of an arranged marriage to my father. But she never forgot him.
Raph is too messed up about our father kidnapping Nicolette, his sister-in-law and the woman he’s in love with, to worry about this right now. All he wants is to get her back.
Yes. My family is the definition of dysfunctional.
I step into Michael’s foyer, hoping to find Iseult, to see how she’s handling the news about our parents. And just as I’m about to go searching for her, I find my Red climbing down the stairs.
I instantly freeze.
She does too, staring at me from the top.
But when I scan her face, I split into a fit of laughter. And the more I look at her, the louder I laugh.
“Don’t you dare say a word.” She points an accusatory finger at me, climbing down.
“So, I see you had a playdate with my niece, huh?”
She brushes past me, heading for the door, but I catch up to her, her bright pink lips set to a tight line, her eyelids with way too much green and purple eyeshadow on them.
My little niece loves to do everyone’s makeup, and clearly Iseult couldn’t resist her charm either.
“You look quite stunning, bambina.”
When her palm lands on the doorknob, I catch her wrist and pull her flush against me, then press her back against the door, forcing my body into hers.
Her inhales are loud as I drop my lips against her ear. “I especially love your cheeks. I think they’re even pinker than your pussy.”
She shoves at me, her mouth falling open. “You’re an ass.”
Her eyes instantly turn to slits. Right on cue.
“I think it’s adorable that you’re warming up to my niece, seeing as you’ll be her aunt eventually.”
Her expression is seeping with silent rage. “I don’t know what you think is going to happen in this imaginary future you have built up, but I will never marry you.”
My mouth twines up. “I’m going to enjoy proving you wrong, Red.” I lower my palm to her hip, curling my fingers around it. “I love how much you keep fighting our destiny. But marrying you is exactly what I’ll do.”
It’s what we need to end the war between our families. A marriage. And who better with than Patrick’s other daughter? The one I actually like.
But convincing this feisty little fox of that will be a lot more difficult.
“Get off!” she whisper-shouts, pushing my arm off her, looking behind me as though to make sure no one’s coming.
My fingers reach for her face, gently swiping her hair behind her ear. Her chest rises and falls to a steady rhythm, her eyelashes flickering.
She feels this too.
How can she not?
My mouth drops to hers, lips softly brushing. “Why do you fight this?”
I skim my lips with hers, and she groans quietly into my mouth, the sound setting me off. I grab a fistful of her hair, about to kiss her—fuck the consequences.
“Iseult, darling?”
She gasps into my mouth and practically shoves me across the room at the sound of her father’s voice.
Her eyes bulge at me accusingly as she quickly swipes at her mouth as though there’s evidence of me there.
With hands in my pants pockets, I stare smugly at her.
Yeah, she definitely wants to kill me right now.
“I’m here,” she tells Patrick.
Seconds later, he appears.
“Hello, Gio.” He nods toward me, and I return it before he’s peering at her. “What happened to your face?” His chuckling grows.
“Don’t ask,” she mutters.
“Okay, then… Well, we didn’t have time to talk about everything you heard…”
And I know he means him and my mother.
“Yeah, it’s fine.” But the tightness of her voice says otherwise.
“You don’t appear fine, darling. Spare me a few moments, would ya?”
“No can do, Dad. Gio is going to drive me to my apartment right now, and seeing as he has a very busy schedule ahead, we can’t be wasting his precious time. Isn’t that right?” She hits me with a look that says if I don’t back her up, she’s going to stake me with an ice pick.
“Yeah, I have quite a lot to do with finding Nicolette, so we really must be going.”
“Fine,” Patrick huffs. “I expect to have a word tomorrow. Alright?”
He gives her a stern look, one she matches, the intensity brooding in her gaze.
“Yeah. Great.” She turns on her heels and opens the door, practically running out of here, with me following closely behind.
“So I’m driving you where, now?” I pause beside my black Rolls-Royce.
“You heard me.” She juts out her chin. “And I want the new keys to my apartment. And if you have your own copy, I suggest you burn it.”
Her eyes narrow, the greenish-blue tint even brighter now that the sun has clung to them.
I intend to do no such thing.
I chuckle. “So demanding.”
The woman is a force to be reckoned with, especially when she’s pissed.
“I will give you the keys on one condition.”
“And what’s that?”
“I spend the night.”
She’s the one laughing now, throwing her head back. “That’s cute.” Her features lose all sense of hilarity. “But you’re not sleeping over.”
“Okay.” I back off the car. “Then you can sleep at Michael’s. There’s plenty of room. Better yet, come over to my house. We’ll be all alone, and you can scream as loud as you want to when I’m inside you.”
Her nostrils widen, and if she didn’t have all that makeup on, I bet she’d be blushing.
“No way in hell would I ever stay at your place.”
“Then I guess you only have one choice.” I push a button on my car keys, and the single beep opens the doors.
With a frustrated groan, she pops open the passenger side, practically ripping the door off its hinges and settles on the seat.
This is going to be quite the enjoyable ride.