Page 45 of Brutal Crown

She halts for a moment before she moves again.

I grit my teeth.

“You weren’t going to find anything here anyway.”

I know the real reason she’s still awake, the reason she’s here. She’s been going down to the cellar almost every night. She’s looking for answers.

She stops and slowly turns back toward me. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” I say, rising. “You think you’re subtle, sneaking around the cellar like some amateur spy, digging into things that could swallow you whole.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lies with those too-steady eyes.

I reach her in just three strides, and a shocked gasp escapes her lips as I grab and pin her to the shelf beside us.

“Don’t lie to me, Lia,” I say in a low voice. I take a long drag from my cigarette and flick it to the floor, crushing the ember under my shoe. “The worst mistake you made was thinking I ever stopped watching.”

I see her breath hitch. Slowly, I exhale smoke into her face. Unlike most people who don’t smoke, she doesn’t flinch or grimace. Instead, her eyes flash in anger.

“What’s the matter?” she taunts. “Scared I’ll find what you’re hiding?”

I bark a humorless laugh. “You think you’re ready for the truth, but you’re not. If you don’t stop digging, you’ll only end up like your father…”

Her face falters—just a flicker—and I suddenly hate myself for going there. But it’s too late.

“Better to die chasing truth than being stuck in this house with the likes of you,” she snaps, and then she spits in my face.

I wipe it away slowly. My fists clench.

“Is that why you’re whoring yourself to Marco? Because you think you can use him for information?”

Now, it’s her turn to chuckle.

“I can’t believe you,” she hisses, stepping into me. Her breath grazes my jaw. “For your information, I don’t need to use Marco. He actuallywantsme. Not just when he’s angry or drunk or looking to feel something other than cold.”

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

She narrows her eyes. “You’re not half as smart as you think you are. You’re just pissed because I kissed your brother, and you watched.”

She saw me.

“You’re sick and twisted if you think you can control me,” she continues, her anger blazing hot. Her face is flushed, and she looks so fucking beautiful. “You can only humiliate me in public and feel better about yourself for a few seconds,” she pokes afinger at the center of my chest, and I feel my dick harden, “but it won’t make me yours. Owning my body won’t get you inside my mind. That kills you, doesn’t it? That you can’t get under my skin.”

“Tell me I’m wrong, then,” I say calmly. “Tell me you’re not just using Marco for your own personal gain?—”

“I actually like Marco.” She shoots me an icy smile. “He’s handsome, sexy, mischievous. He makes me smile and laugh…”

“Yeah?”

I grab her waist with both hands.

“Then prove it,” I murmur, stepping closer. “If it’s Marco you want, if he does it for you, why haven’t you let him touch you?”

Her lips part.

“Then why didn’t you let him kiss you for up to thirty seconds? Hmm?” I slide one hand down to her ass, my voice dropping to a whisper. “Why haven’t you let him fuck you yet?” I whisper, brushing her hair off her neck. “Why does your body go tense every time I walk into the room? Why do you hold your breath around me?”

Her chest rises and falls rapidly but she doesn’t answer.