30. Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty
Mialina
The sensible part of me regrets letting those words escape my mouth.
Mamma lets out a soft gasp while Aldo’s eyebrows shoot upward, but I don’t dare look at Maximo.
I turn and storm out of the room without looking back.
My pulse pounds angrily as I head upstairs, fury burning beneath my skin. The entire mansion feels too suffocating and full of men who think power entitles them to make decisions for everyone else.
Footsteps follow behind me.
Merda.
Of course, he couldn’t let it go.
Refusing to turn around, I speed up, rushing through the upper corridors, but the footsteps behind me never falter.
A firm hand closes around my arm, pulling me to a halt just as I reach the hallway outside my room.
Dammit.
I gasp as Maximo turns me and backs me against the wall beside my bedroom door. He plants one hand beside my head, towering over me in the dim hallway light. His dark eyes lock onto mine.
“You will not talk to me like that again. And you will not walk away from me while I’m speaking to you.”
The sheer audacity of him sends another wave of fury crashing through me.
I shove against his chest, but it’s like trying to move a brick wall. A tall, broad-shouldered, infuriatingly handsome brick wall.
“I’ll do whatever I want,” I seethe.
“Clearly. That’s part of the problem.”
My frustration boils over. “You do not control me.”
His jaw tightens. Then his free hand comes up and catches my chin, forcing me to look at him. The gesture should annoy me.
It does annoy me.
It also makes me painfully aware of just how close he is.
Heat radiates from him, his scent surrounding me. All of my carefully maintained indignation suddenly has competition.
Apparently, my hormones have picked a side.
I hate that.
I hate it even more because the closer he gets, the harder it becomes to ignore.
He studies me, entirely too focused.
“While you are in my city,” he says quietly, “your safety is my responsibility.”
My stomach flips. Frustratingly, not because of the words.
No, it’s his intensity. The feeling of being the sole focus of a man capable of dominating an entire room without raising his voice.
“I’m not yours to command.” Unfortunately, my voice comes out way too breathy.
Something flickers in his eyes. His gaze drops to my mouth before returning to my eyes.
My heartbeat goes haywire.
One of his hands settles against my hip, his thumb moving back and forth in an unexpected caress.
I’m not even sure he realizes he’s doing it. I, however, am acutely aware.
“No,” he says roughly. “Not yet.”
My throat tightens. I try to glare at him, but fail gloriously.
“I’ll never be yours. Never,” I whisper, because it seems my voice has decided now is an excellent time to abandon me.
Still, I add, perhaps to remind myself more than him, “I decide what’s best for me.”
For a moment, neither of us says anything.
The anger is still there. But something else has slipped into the space between us.
Something I’m much less equipped to deal with.
His thumb shifts against my hip. My breath hitches, and his eyes darken when that minuscule sound registers.
For the first time since he stopped me, something in his expression slips. It’s… unsettling.
“You have no idea what it did to me, not knowing where you were.”
My irritation falters. “What?”
His gaze doesn’t leave mine. “You disappeared.”
His voice is quieter now. “For nearly an hour, I didn’t know where you were or if you were safe. Something could have happened to you.”
I swallow hard.
The sternness that was there moments ago is gone. In its place is an expression I don’t know what to do with.
Then he blinks and the moment shatters, his walls slamming back into place. Maximo drops his hand and steps away. The sudden loss of his warmth leaves me off-balance.
Dragging a hand through his hair, he seems irritated with something.
Me?
Himself?
He turns and strides away, calling over his shoulder, “I meant what I said earlier, Mia. Don’t do it again.”
I watch him disappear around the corner. Only once he’s gone do I realize my heart is still racing.
What the hell was that?