Chapter Nine
Maximus
I punched my pillow, rolling over in the bed to try and search for sleep. It didn’t help that I knew Olivia was dressed only in my shirt in a room two doors down from mine.
I turned over and lifted my phone from the bedside table, opening the gallery to view the picture I took earlier in the kitchen.
That dress accentuated every fucking curve on her body.
She had stood with her hands on her hips staring into the distance defiantly.
It had taken every ounce of restraint I possessed in my body not to push her onto the table, and show her exactly what it meant to be owned by me.
In the beginning, I had found her amusing, then I had viewed her as a confident, but the night those men had attacked, I realised she meant more to me that I wanted to admit.
She wasn’t just my friend, she was something more, my feelings for her complex and deep.
Tonight, I had wanted to claw the eyes out of every man who had seen the curves of her breasts and ass.
Every single man who had bid on her was now an enemy in my head.
My dick stirred at her image and I stared at the ceiling in an attempt to control myself. When had she become an infection in my blood? Sam was lucky to be alive after he threatened her with that knife.
“Fuck!” I exclaimed, climbing out of bed to pace the floor since I couldn’t find sleep.
This place was my sanctuary, the security here the highest I could make it, with blockers in every room so no one could find me.
I had placed my jacket on Olivia to hide her body from lust-filled eyes, but the added bonus was that there was a blocker in the pocket that ensured her tracker was neutralised until I located it.
There was no way Armand didn’t have his daughters under his control.
The moon hung low in the sky, and my mind struggled against my body until I went in search of the bar.
There were nights when my mood was low, and I sat drinking expensive whiskey until my demons were silenced.
Maybe the same strategy would work for the devil on my shoulder who whispered that Olivia was mine, and no one would object to me crawling into her bed.
I was on my third drink when I heard a noise in the hallway. All my senses went on red alert, and I automatically retrieved the pistol hidden in this room, knocking the safety off. Whoever had dared to violate my sacred sanctum would find themselves dead, no trace ever found of their body.
Olivia’s scream echoed down the corridor when I stepped out and pointed the gun in her face.
“Fuck’s sake,” I muttered, lowering the weapon when I realised there was no threat. “You scared the shit out of me, I thought we were under attack.”
Olivia stared at me with huge, wide eyes, her hand at her chest. My gaze dropped down, and she was wearing only my white T-shirt, the outline of her breasts and nipples evident. Her long legs were bare and tanned, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she had panties on.
Fuck!
“Sorry, I’m not used to anyone in this house with me,” I said, trailing my fingers through my hair. “Do you need something?”
She pursed her lips together, and I noticed she was make-up free, her natural beauty kicking me in the solar plexus. “I was going to make myself some tea,” Olivia said, lowering her hand. “But being murdered by my future husband works as well.”
She had always had a sassy mouth, and in the past it had amused me, but now I found myself wanting to kiss that mouth into submission.
“Don’t be silly, Olivia, what would I gain by killing my fiancée? Life insurance only pays out after we’re married.”
Her mouth opened and closed as she debated how she was supposed to reply.
“Also, I need an heir and a spare, and an extra is always useful as well.” I winked at her, and padded off toward the kitchen.
Maybe I shouldn’t have had so much whiskey?
I turned when I put the kettle on to find Olivia watching me.
“Do you not have any clothes?” she asked, indicating my state of attire.
I glanced down, and realised I was only wearing boxer shorts. Since I lived alone, it never occurred to me to wear a robe. “I have boxers on,” I pointed out.
“And nothing else,” Olivia replied.
My eyebrows shot up. “I’ll be wearing less when we’re married.”
Her cheeks burned red and she glanced away, shocking the fuck out of me. I stepped forward, my fingers under her chin making her face me.
“Olivia, you were engaged, surely you’ve seen a man naked before?” I asked, reading her every micro reaction.
She swallowed, trying to look away, but my fingers tightened on her skin. Olivia kept her lips pursed together. I knew Dale was odd, but they had been together for five years. Surely his blood had been up at least once in that time, or she had found herself a lover to satisfy her needs?
The kettle whistled in the background, and Olivia’s green eyes met mine. “I’ll make the tea.” She almost bolted past me, and something stirred inside me, a male need to own and dominate this intoxicating woman.
Olivia moved around the kitchen, bending over to retrieve mugs, and I saw a flash of red lace. Imagining her in red lace panties set my blood on fire more than the thought of her naked. She suited being dressed in silk and lace, that dress earlier designed to make bad men choose the route of lust.
“Do you have honey?”
It took me a moment to realise Olivia was talking to me as I was lost in my own thoughts, which involved her in a series of positions with me embedded balls deep in her.
“Nope, sorry, I’ll add it to the list of what we need,” I replied.
Her head canted to the side. “What else is on the list?”
I counted the points off on my fingers. “Engagement ring, clothes, wedding arrangements. If we use my family home, we can have the ceremony arranged for a week on Saturday.”
Her eyes widened. “You can’t organise a wedding in just over a week.”
“I could organise it by tomorrow if I threw enough money at it, but I thought you’d like to choose your dress,” I replied.
She would soon learn that nothing was impossible when I decided I wanted it.
The sooner my ring was on her finger and every man out there with a penis knew who she belonged to the better.
“Why?” Her hands landed on her hips in a familiar stubborn gesture.
I stared at her for several moments. “You started a chain reaction tonight that will burn us if we don’t act quickly.
Roberto has powerful friends, but he is reckless and arrogant, wanting to create an extravaganza in which he is the ringmaster.
The quicker we act, the less likely he will be able to create a petition to try and gain control over you. ”
Olivia folded her arms over her chest, accentuating her breasts under that T-shirt, and highlighting the fact she had no bra on. I stood up and paced across the floor to where she was standing. Her gaze diverted to the side.
“Some of the families initiate new females by each male member having sex with them one after the other.” Her emerald stare cut to me as I spoke.
“Others like to watch your initiation into their family as they did in ancient aristocratic families. Some of the more bizarre families have their own sadistic rituals to ensure you can never leave as you are tied to them forever.”
She tried to hide her shiver, but I was close enough to detect it.
“Dale would never have been able to keep you safe. His family has a long history of the bride being available to every male member on her wedding night. If the groom can’t impregnate her, someone will. They don’t care as it will bear their name, and that’s all that matters.”
Her expression revealed that her previous fiancé had not revealed this sordid secret to her.
I tucked her hair behind her ear. “I assure you that no one will touch my wife but me.” My finger trailed behind her ear and down her throat, ending in the centre of her chest. I gently tapped my fingertip on her soft skin until she raised her wide eyes to mine.
“I am a possessive bastard, and will cut the hand off anyone who lays a finger on you.”
I deliberately traced the bruises on her throat. There was no doubt in my mind that Roberto had left these marks, and I would make sure he paid for every single one of them.
Olivia stood stock still staring at me, her breathing elevated. She swallowed, her lips pursing together for a moment. “Do you expect a full marriage?”
My laugh rumbled free. “Our marriage will be a marriage in every sense of the meaning. How do you think we would have children if we lived as just friends?”
“In vitro fertilisation?” Olivia suggested. “You donate sperm, and it’s inserted into me.”
My eyebrows flew up. “I’m capable of making a direct donation.”
Colour highlighted her cheeks in a delightful blush.
I leaned forward to speak directly into her ear. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you come at least twice before I make a delivery.” She shivered when I pressed a kiss to her throat before moving away to finish making the tea.
I had been used to the aloof and confident Olivia, but this new timid version was a gift that kept giving. This was a submissive Olivia who set my pulse racing, one who I couldn’t wait to explore.
She watched me as if I was going to bite her. I was, but only when I had her quivering and begging for more. Lately, I had been in a slump, and no one had attracted or excited me, until this woman had shocked the hell out of me and turned my life upside down.
Olivia wandered to the door to stare into the night. “Your garden is beautiful. I never imagined you living in a home, I thought you were a penthouse sort of person.”
“I have a penthouse,” I replied. “But I prefer my solitude here. One day I see it filled with children and dogs.”
She turned to me, a genuine smile lighting up her face. “I love dogs. Papa wouldn’t let us have pets when we were younger.”
“What type of dogs would you like?” I asked, sipping my tea while watching her.