Page 65 of The Empress

Leo leans forward and rests his forearms on his thighs. With the sleeves of his black shirt rolled up, it makes the veins pop beneath his skin.

Come on, Haven. Now is not the time to check him out.

Leo and Mom get caught in a stare off, the air tensing more and more by the second.

His tone is unforgiving when he finally breaks the silence. “Let’s get one thing straight, Dakota. I don’t care what you think. The more you annoy me, the less you’ll see Haven. I’d try to get on my good side if I were you.”

“Don’t speak to my mother like that,” I snap before I can censor my words.

His eyes flick to me, and with utter surprise, I watch as he visible reins in his temper. “I’ll make you a deal. For Haven’s sake, let's at the very least be civil with each other. There’s nothing on this fucking planet that will make me let her go. I’ll give her a life every woman dreams of. That’s the only guarantee I can give you.”

Mom continues to stare at him for a moment before she says, “Promise me you won’t hurt her.” Her features turn pleading. “Don’t force yourself on her.”

Chills spread over my body as my eyes snap to Leo.

He seems to calm down more, his expression softening. “I promise.”

Mom lets out an audible sigh of relief, then a knock at the front door interrupts the tense conversation.

Leo climbs to his feet, and as he walks to the door, my gaze follows him across the room.

There’s no way I can ignore the confident way he moves. The way his suit fits his muscular body does things to my abdomen that have me feeling overly conscious of him as a man.

As I listen to him greet someone, I realize this is my life now. I’ve been taken by the head of the mafia, and I’m married to him now. There’s no escaping the unexpected direction my life has taken.

Somehow, I’ll have to find a way to accept it.

Chapter 16

LEO

By the time we get home, I’m fucking exhausted.

I make a beeline for the whiskey and pour more than usual into the tumbler.

When I take a much-needed sip and the liquid burns down my throat, I hear Haven’s soft footfall behind me.

There’s no fear quivering in her voice as she says, “Thank you for today.”

With the drink in hand, I turn around to look at her. Her light brown eyes are calm, and even though her features are tense with nervousness, there’s no terror.

Taking another sip of my drink, I walk to a couch and sit down. When Haven doesn’t move, I gesture at the other couch, and once she’s sitting across from me, I say, “I’m sorry I left you alone for so long. I had a lot to deal with.”

“Can we talk about what I’m allowed to do, and where we’ll go from here?”

“Of course.” I cross my legs, resting my ankle on my knee while I lean back against the couch. “We’re married, Haven.You’re not my prisoner. I’m going to take you on dates and spend time with you, but when I don’t have plans for us, you’re free to come and go as you please. You’ll always have four guards with you when you leave the house.”

“Four guards?”

“It’s for your protection. I have a lot of enemies.”

“Oh.” She glances through the window at the ocean.

My eyes drift over the tight leggings that fit her like a second skin, and even though she’s wearing an oversized shirt, I don’t like it one bit.

“No tight clothes when you leave home.”

“Huh?” Her attention snaps back to me.