Page 19 of Ashes

Barrera took his phone out of his suit pocket and I watched him log into his banking accounts. His eyes flew to my face and the blood drained from his complexion once he realized what was happening. He wasn’t laughing any longer.

I gave him a sly smile.

“You son of a bitch.”

“Oh dear, no need for such foul language. Now.” I paused for dramatic effects, enjoying watching him squirm. “Every minute that passes, a hundred thousand will be withdrawn from your account.”

Mateo’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t take her. There’s an agreement in place,” he said, his voice attempting to be threatening.

Comment je déteste quand quelqu’un me dit quoi faire.

My patience started slipping and I propped my foot over one of the empty chairs on the side. Then I rested my right elbow on my knee and crossed my other arm over it, leveling him with a stare. “I can and Iwill.”

Mateo lunged for me, but his father’s hand gripped his shoulder before he could move an inch. “Stand back,” Barrera told him through gritted teeth. Then he pinned me with a glare and added, “She’s not worth that much money.”

Mateo reluctantly listened and shrugged his father’s hand off him, straightening his suit back in place.

Sienna finally seemed to be catching up to what was happening because she finally broke her silence. “You never stopped, did you?” she asked through gritted teeth, glaring at her father.

If looks could kill, he would be completely incinerated by now.

“Sienna…” His voice trailed off.

She took a step back as if his unspoken confession had physically slammed into her. Her eyes drifted closed for a moment and she winced. When her eyes popped back open, the hurt expression on her face morphed into a dark hatred in a matter of seconds.

She stepped toward her father and pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You fucking sold me twice.”

His eyes widened. “Sienna, language,” he said sternly.

Her intense gaze bore into his. “DonotSienna me. You don’t get to do that.”

“I didn’t sell?—”

“Then what thehelldo you call this,papá? I was already marrying Mateo to save our family, but you’retelling me this isn’t the first time you gambled my future away because you couldn’t take care of your family on your own.”

Mateo had long since moved away from Sienna’s side, cowering behind his father, leaving her all alone at the altar. So while she was distracted yelling at her father, I came up behind her.

“Your father isn’t a very clever man, is he, love?” I whispered.

She swung around and her amber irises flared with irritation. “I won’t be going anywhere with you,” she bit back. “And donotcall me that.”

I loomed over her and she canted her chin up. “I will call you whatever I please,love,” I drawled. “You’re mine.”

“I am not yours,” she retorted, raising her hand to hit me.

I caught her wrist before her palm made contact. The warmth of her skin seared into my palm, branding me. I didn’t know what overtook me to do what I did next, but I brought her flush to my body.

I lowered my head to hers, my mouth brushing the shell of her ear. “What is it? Am I not to your liking?”

I pulled back and our gazes locked. A dark flush spread over her cheeks and her eyes blazed with a fire that matched the one igniting my insides from her proximity. Her throat flexed with a swallow when my thumb softly brushed against her erratic pulse point.

“No,” she said, tilting her chin up in defiance, but the word came out strained.

She struggled against my grasp, but I held her tighter against me. A muscle ticked in my jaw at her response and my pulse roared, sweeping every ounce of logic or rationality aside.

I curled my free hand around the back of her neck, hovering my lips over hers. “Let’s fix that, shall we.” My voice came out so low and dark, I barely recognized it.

“What?”