Page 6
6
SEAN
Even though I know I shouldn’t look at her while she’s getting dressed, I can’t help myself.
My cock aches behind the fly of my pants and all I want to do is kick Kara and Marco out of the room and take Ellie again. Properly this time.
I want to feel her writhing against my face as my tongue slides along her slick pussy, capturing every last drop of her arousal. My cock aches to be buried inside her again, throbbing as she milks me while she comes.
Instead of giving in to those desires, I turn to our witnesses. “Get the hell out. Go report back to my father and Aiden that it’s done.”
This is just an arranged marriage. Something mutually beneficial for both our families.
I don’t want her; it’s just been two months since I slept with anyone other than her.
Marco leers at Ellie, trying to get a look at her while she gets out of bed and pulls on her clothing. “Are you sure you don’t want to go another round with your bride? Back in the day we used to fuck until the women didn’t remember their own names.”
I grind my teeth, hands balling into fists.
Lunging at Marco isn’t worth it. He’s been by my father’s side longer than I’ve been alive. Dad would take his side over mine if it came down to a fight—at least in the privacy of the little cottage.
Nodding to the door, I try not to picture killing him and being done with it all. “Get out, Marco.”
Kara glares at Marco, waiting for him to get up before following him out the door. She slams it shut behind her, the sound of Marco’s complaints falling on deaf ears fading the farther they get from the cottage.
Ellie shimmies into her dress, pulling the hair from the back of her neck and turning to me. “Help?”
The last thing I want right now is to put my hands on her body, but I do, fumbling with the tiny buttons that run along the length of her spine. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner I can get away from her.
Ellie drops her hair the moment the last button is secured. “Now what?”
Her eyes are rimmed with red, but she isn’t crying. The hair around her face curls with sweat, a pink glow on her cheeks that remind me of the glow her ass would have if I left my handprint there.
Fuck, I need to get laid by someone other than her.
“We’re going to my house.” I turn and head for the door, yanking it open and waiting for her to follow. “Your things have already been brought there.”
“Alright.”
I glance over my shoulder at her, briefly wondering who the hell the woman behind me is.
She’s certainly not Ellie. Ellie would’ve given me hell for having her things moved without her approval. She certainly wouldn’t have allowed me to tell her that we were going to my house.
Right now, she’s not Ellie. She’s the version of Ellie that comes out to play when there’s mafia business to tend to. The woman who stays quiet and, in the background, letting the men do the talking.
The more time I spend around this version of Ellie, the less I like it.
Ellie follows me back down the path to the church where my car has already been pulled around in front. I pull open the passenger door, holding it open while she gathers the train of her skirt and her veil, bundling herself inside.
I shut the door, taking a moment to look over the top of the car.
This is going to be a nightmare.
Ellie’s sharp intake of breath is the only thing that lets me know she likes the large house on Long Island.
As the iron gates pull open, revealing the winding driveway that leads to the garage, her eyes widen more.
“I didn’t think places like this existed in New York.”
“You have your own family home.”
She shrugs as I park the car in the garage. “Nothing that looks like it is straight out of the twenties. I mean, look at this driveway. You have gardens in the center of the driveway and incredible art deco stone.”
I drive up the slight incline that leads to the huge centerpiece in front of the massive paned glass front door. “My home is yours now.”
Her mouth presses into a thin line as she gets out of the car. Her train trails behind her as she leans over the white stone railing to look down at the gardens below.
“This place is like something out of a fairy tale.” Ellie glances down the other side of the U-shaped driveway while I stand beside her, wishing I could see the place through her eyes for just a moment.
To me, those stones are the ones I had to scrub blood from when I was only seven. That railing is the one I pushed a man over when he tried to kidnap me when I was nine. I still remember the sound his neck made when it snapped.
I clear my throat, stuffing my hands in my pockets. “Inside. We have things to discuss.”
“How many square feet is this place?” She follows me into the house, heels clicking against the hardwood floors.
“Over sixty thousand, I think. Dad bought it. Left it for me when he and Mom built a bigger place on the other side of the city.”
She nods and stops in the kitchen, running her fingers along the lilac veins of the white marble countertops. “This is beautiful.”
I lead her to the fluted glass doors, pushing them open into the living room and heading through to one of the hallways. She follows behind me, her gaze roaming as she takes in the house.
Ellie follows me up the winding stairs to the suite of rooms that I’ve had prepared for her.
I push open the door. “This is going to be your room. There’s a terrace, bathroom, study, and a closet that should be big enough for your things. Once you’re done getting changed, meet me in the living room.”
Her gaze zeros in on the massive bed in the center of the room. “I would rather just rest. It’s been a long day.”
“Not happening. We need to get on the same page about what our life is going to look like going forward. You might be used to doing things a certain way in Aiden’s household, but that’s not how your life is going to run here.”
Before she has the chance to start running that pretty little mouth of hers, I turn and slam the door shut.
Right now, I’m not in the mood for her shit.
I got married today. To a woman I can’t stand.
Sixteen years after I killed her father.
Groaning, I take off the suit jacket and tie, tossing them into the bedroom at the other end of the hall from hers. I lock my door before I head downstairs, not wanting her to start digging through my things.
The more separate we keep our lives, the better.
Dominic looks up from his phone as I walk into the kitchen. “How was the wedding?”
I want to wipe the smirk right off his face. “Hell. Marco decided to tell Dad that the marriage should be consummated with witnesses.”
“Excuse me?” Dominic spins around and opens one of the cabinets, pulling out a bottle of bourbon, handing it to me.
My pour is heavy, the amber liquid sloshing around the sides of the glass. “I’ll deal with Marco in time. Can’t kill him so soon after he’s pissed me off and humiliated my wife.”
“Oh, so now she’s your wife?” Dominic’s tone is teasing as he crosses his arms over his broad chest. The man is built more like a brick wall than a human, but that’s why he’s been my advisor and friend for over a decade.
“May as well get used to saying it.” The bourbon is smooth as it goes down, easing some of the tension that’s been eating at me. “Whether I like it or not, Ellie is my wife.”
“And killing Marco is just for the show?”
“No.” I grin and down the rest of my drink, the empty glass thudding when it hits the counter. “That’s for me. That bastard has been a thorn in my side for years, and it’s finally time that he gets what’s coming to him.”
“What about Noah Rinaldo and his men?” Dominic asks, switching from friend into my head of security. “He’s been lurking around and you know that news of your marriage is going to reach him.”
“Increase security around the house. The bastard can fucking try me if he likes, but if he gets to Ellie, there will be a bigger war on our hands.”
Dominic nods, his gaze dragging over to the living room doors.
Ellie appears in the kitchen, her hair loose and flowing down her back, her body hidden behind an oversized vintage band shirt and a pair of leggings. “You wanted to talk?”
Her tone is bordering on the edge of too polite, and it’s because Dominic is here.
As much as I hate to admit it, Ellie has always known how to play her part. Hell, she’s exceptional at it.
“Yes.” I glare as her gaze rakes up and down Dominic’s body before flickering to me. “Dominic was just leaving.”
As Dominic nods and leaves, I pour myself another glass of bourbon, trying to clear the red haze from my vision.
Ellie is my wife and she’s already making it known that this marriage is nothing but a sham. She’s looking at other men as if there’s any world in which I would allow her to get close to one.
I down the bourbon before striding over to her, stopping inches from her. “We’re going to set down some ground rules about this marriage. The first one being that you’re not going to make a fool of me by sleeping with anyone else.”
She raises her eyebrows, crossing her arms and pulling the shirt tight across her breasts. “Excuse me?”
Though I try not to notice the way her pebbled nipples strain against the shirt, it’s impossible.
I grab her chin, holding her in place so she can’t look away as I make myself perfectly clear. “If you decide to stop being frigid and want a cock to ride, it’s mine—if you’ve earned it. You try your luck with another man, and I’ll kill you both.”
Her cheeks flare a bright shade of red, eyes narrowing. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Do I look like I’m fucking kidding , Ellie?” I let go of her chin, stepping back as my cock comes to life. It strains against my pants as if I’m a horny twenty-year-old who can’t wait to spend the rest of the night in bed with a woman who is fundamentally wrong for him.
She shakes her head, finger pressing into my chest. “There’s no way that you get to go around and sleep with whomever you like while I have to sit at home and hope I earn sex from you. That’s a joke.”
Stepping forward, I force her back several steps until her body is caged between me and the rough stone wall that separates the living room and kitchen. “I assure you, I’m not trying to be funny.”
“You have to be. Thinking that I would ever want to sleep with you is the best joke I’ve ever heard.”
My teeth grind as I make a point of reaching up and brushing my thumb against her nipple. It stiffens more—though that seems impossible at this point. “Your body says otherwise. You were dripping for me, Ellie. You and I both know that your pussy is soaked right now.”
She barks out a short laugh, even with the fire burning in her eyes. “I’m so dry it hurts.”
For just a moment, the petty part of me—the one that’s been tormenting her for years—wants to demand that she proves it, just to throw her off.
However, the man who gave up sex two months ago because he’s tired of meaningless bullshit with one woman after another is insisting I get away from her before I do something stupid.
“You’re not going to sleep with anyone.” I push back from her. “And I’ll sleep with whomever the hell I want.”
“And make a fool of me?” Her voice rises louder, feet padding across the floor as she follows me through the kitchen. “Do you think I’m just going to sit back while you have affair after affair?”
“Yes.” I put the bottle of bourbon away, half-worried that she’s going to throw it at my head.
She yanks open the fridge, pulling out the steaks I took out this morning. Ellie drops them onto the counter before rummaging through the cupboards.
My eyebrows pull together. “What are you doing?”
“Well, since we’re never going to agree on the fact that I can sleep with whomever the hell I want too, I figured we’d need food to be able to keep arguing.” She gives me a saccharine smile, though it looks more like she’s baring her teeth at me.
Always knew she was the most feral of the Lynde siblings.
Glowering at her, I snatch the bag of potatoes she just pulled out. “You’re going to listen to me and do as I say, Ellie. This marriage is for both of our families, and I won’t jeopardize that because you can’t keep your damn legs shut.”
I’ve walked into a viper den with that comment, and I know I have.
She takes one of the knives from the block before grabbing some potatoes and peeling them. “I’m not going to sit around in a loveless marriage and watch you have affairs left and right. Enough women in the mafia do that. I won’t be another statistic.”
“You really think you have a choice in this, don’t you?” I chuckle. “You’re going to behave, Ellie; otherwise, this entire deal is going to come to an end.”
“Your father would skin you alive and we both know it.” She points the knife in my direction and for a moment, I think she might be about to throw it at me. “You need this marriage as much as Aiden does, which is why this is going to be a negotiation.”
“Like hell it is.”
The vipers coil, knife slicing the peeled potatoes into slices so thin they’re nearly transparent.
Ellie stands taller. “A negotiation, Sean. If you’re going to sleep around, then so am I. Take it or leave it, I really don’t give a damn.”
My jaw clenches, a muscle flexing as I study her. Instead of giving her what she wants and agreeing to her terms, I decide that it’s better to move on to the next item on my list.
“When you go to work at the clinic—or any other place you feel the need—you’re going to have a team of bodyguards with you.”
Her knuckles turn white as the vipers get ready to strike. “I will not. I’m a nurse. I work in a clinic where patient confidentiality is vital. You’re not going to send people in there after me. I would lose my job.”
I grip the edge of the counter, leaning slightly across the island. “What makes you think you have a choice in this? You were outside the clinic when Noah’s men got to you. You’re not going to work without a security detail behind you.”
“One.” She says the word like it actually causes her pain. “I will take one person with me to work and that’s it. I can get my boss to agree to that as long as they sit in the break room all shift.”
“No. Not good enough.”
Ellie grabs a cast iron pan after searching through the cupboards again and puts it on the stove to heat. “It’s going to have to be good enough. This is my job and my life. Not the mafia.”
“You could be killed for saying that.”
She eyes me, something sparking in her eyes that I can’t quite read before she turns her back on me and puts the potato slices in small ramekins with some cream and spices. With a sprinkle of her fingers, she dusts some shredded cheese over the top.
Potatoes au gratin might not be my favorite thing in the world, but it will be the first meal I’ve had all day.
“Ellie, this conversation isn’t over, whether you want to pretend it is or not. You will be taking a security detail.”
“I will take one person.” She seasons the steaks before putting them into the hot pan and basting them with an ungodly amount of butter and garlic. “I’m trying here, Sean, but you’re going to have to give a little too.”
“Like hell.” I push off the island and round it, looming over her.
It’s a sad intimidation tactic and one that I know won’t work, but I still have to try.
I have no clue how Aiden kept her in line and I’m not going to bury my pride to ask either.
One way or another, Ellie is going to submit to me.
She stops basting the steaks long enough to put the potatoes into the oven. “You might be used to bossing people around and not expecting them to talk back, but if you’re going to stand here and argue with me about my life, then you’re going to learn to negotiate.”
My eyebrows climb higher up my forehead as I stare at her.
I should have just found a way to invent a time machine.
At least if I did that, I could’ve gone back in time to prevent all the drama between our fathers from happening. If I did that, then I wouldn’t be standing in my kitchen with the woman I know is going to be the reason for all my gray hairs.
I lean against the counter, trying not to let my temper get the better of me, but she’s making it impossible. “Ellie, when did I give you the impression that I was willing to negotiate what’s expected of you?”
When she bends over to slide the steaks into the oven to finish cooking, my gaze drops to her ass.
I need to get laid.
Her body can’t continue to be a distraction, especially when her personality is that of a venomous snake.
Ellie starts to clean up, putting dishes into the dishwasher as her stomach growls. “You know, marriage is supposed to be a partnership between two people.”
“Maybe in the bright shiny world we live at the edges of it is, but you’re walking through hell, Ellie. This marriage is about both of us getting what we need.”
She snaps her fingers, pointing at me. “See, you do understand the concept of working together. I’m proud of you.”
“For fuck’s sake!” I shove off the counter, taking a pack of cigarettes from the drawer near the butler’s pantry. “You might have spent your time at home mouthing off to Aiden, but you’re not going to do it here. Life is different with my family. My father wouldn’t hesitate to beat you if you spoke to him this way.”
A knife she’s washing catches the sunlight streaming through the massive windowpanes. She smiles and that crazy look flashes in her eyes again. “He could try.”
“You just need to behave.” I shake out one of the cigarettes, heading for the doors that lead to the back patio.
A walk around the garden with a pack of cigarettes might be the thing that cures the headache currently jackhammering at my temples.
If I knew that living with her was going to be this difficult—and it’s been less than three hours—then I might have had the guesthouse renovated for her. It would have been easier than having her in the main house with me.
She opens the oven, the mouthwatering scent of potatoes and steak filling the air. “We’re both responsible for this working. Partners. I may think you’re the scum of the earth, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll allow myself to settle for anything less than partnership either.”
The steak is left to rest on the cutting board while the potatoes set up. Ellie rises up onto her toes, digging through more cupboards until she finds my plates.
“Didn’t seem to think I was the scum of the earth when my cock was buried in your pussy.” I tuck the cigarettes away, suddenly ravenous for the food she’s made.
She scoffs. “Please. I’ve had better sex with eight inches of pink silicone.”
“I doubt that.” I take a seat on one of the chairs at the kitchen island as she dishes out the food, shoving a plate toward me. “Thanks.”
Her eyes widen a fraction of an inch before she digs into her own plate of food. “You’re welcome.”
The steak is one of the best I’ve ever eaten. The flavors meld together, and each bite I take only has me hurrying to cut the next medium-rare slice.
I glance at her once I’m halfway through my food. “The only choice you have is to listen to me and respect me in this scenario, Ellie. I’m doing your family a favor by keeping you safe.”
“Is that what you call this?” She takes her time nibbling at a slice of potato.
“It is. I didn’t have to marry you.”
“Funny.” She smirks, cutting through the steak like it’s butter. “From what I hear, your father wouldn’t settle for anyone else. Which means that you kind of did have to marry me.”
“Enough!” I prop one elbow on the counter, leaning forward and pinching the bridge of my nose. “I expect to be treated with respect. You will do as you’re told.”
“I would rather die than have to follow your every word to the letter.” She stands taller on the other side of the counter, her chin jutting out with a stubborn set to her jaw. “I would rather you kill me right here and now than force me to live a life that’s not my own.”
Gathering my plate, I stand and head for the door. “If that’s the way you want it, then so be it.”